The New Stadium Insider Guide To Avoiding Obstructed View Seats At New Yankee Stadium

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As much as it pains us to admit, fans are going to have to get used to obstructed view seats scattered throughout the new Yankee Stadium. This is probably the case in most ballparks, but since the Yankees have the highest attendance in baseball and the highest payroll in baseball their obstructed view seats are going to get the most negative attention.

Since most people purchase their tickets from Stubhub these days, a guide to the specific seats affected by obstructed views has the potential to be very helpful. What follows is what we hope can be a helpful guide to avoid the various obstructions when purchasing Yankee tickets. We are creating this guide as a service to potential ticket buyers and in no way is our intention to deride the Yankees or their ticket office. We are as sick of the negativity about the new stadium as anyone, but this is the reality of the situation.

THE BLEACHERS


The view from section 239 in a high row number and a high seat number


A view from section 201 in a high row number and seat number 1

The first, and most widely talked about obstructed view seats in the new Yankee Stadium are the "architecturally shadowed" seats in the bleachers. There are roughly 1,048 seats in the bleachers that have obstructed views of the opposite outfield. If you are in the right field bleachers, you can't see left, and if you are in the left field bleachers, you can't see right. Of course, not all bleacher seats are obstructed. The main obstructions occur in sections 239 (right field) and section 201 (left field). Andrew over at Scott Proctor's Arm has it all figured it out:

If you're in Section 201, you want your seat number to be higher rather than lower, and vice-versa in Section 239. If you're seat one [in section 201], I'd suggest standing.

It is also worth noting that you want your row number to be lower, rather than higher, but that is obvious. Don't be fooled by extremely low ticket prices on Stubhub for most Yankees games - they are likely in these obstructed sections. That being said, buying a ticket for the obstructed view seats and then just wandering around and gawking at the game from the future standing room only sections might be the best bet for those on a budget.

THE GRANDSTAND


section 428, row 3, seat 1 in the Grandstand

Aside from being miles away from the field of play, the new upper deck at Yankee Stadium features obstructions never seen at the old Yankee Stadium. Much like at Citi Field, the design of the upper deck means that folks in the first few rows of the highest level of the stadium will deal with annoying obstructions. In the old Yankee Stadium, only row A in the Tier Reserved had to deal with the constant obstruction of people walking by through the narrow walkway. In the new Yankee Stadium, each section of the Grandstand has an annoying piece of glass, a metal handrail, and people walking by constantly. We can confirm that section 428, row 3, seat 1, has the obstruction seen in the photo above. Similar obstructions are likely found in most of the lower rows and lowest seat numbers from sections 431 - 422 down the left field line and the lowest rows and the highest seat numbers from sections 409 - 418 down the right field line. Buyer beware.

THE MAIN LEVEL


An obstructed view seat at the new Yankee Stadium in and around section 230, row 23


An obstructed view seat at the new Yankee Stadium in and around section 230, row 23

The least talked about obstructed view seats are in the 200's level, also known as the main level. We broke the news of these atrocious obstructions back at the beginning of February. According to the Yankee Stadium pricing chart, the seats in section 230, row 23 (obviously obstructed by the support beam in the above photos) sell for $75 in advance and $80 for day of game sales. After visiting the stadium this weekend, we can confirm that the beam only blocks the view of one seat in each section. However, the obstruction might be worse than the one in the bleachers - the view of the entire infield, including home plate is blocked. Unfortunately, we don't have the specific seat number of the obstructed seat in each of these row 23 seats in the 200's level. However, we would recommend staying away from seat 1, or the highest seat numbers. We will try to get the specific seat numbers that this obstruction affects in the future.

THE JIM BEAM SUITES (Sections 317-323)


Section 319, Row 1, seat 1

Even the Yankee Stadium "premium offerings" are not immune to the unacceptable obstructed views found in the cheaper locations throughout the stadium. The seats seen in the photo above sell for $135 and are only sold on a full season basis. They include admittance to the supposedly exclusive Jim Beam Lounge in the Upper Deck, but they don't include a view of home plate. Steer clear of Section 319, Row 1, seats 1-4, and Row B, seats 1-2. We have specific information about the seats in Section 319 since someone wrote in specifically complaining about their seats. We can no confirm this obstruction in the other sections of the Jim Beam Suites. Interestingly enough, situations like this could have been settled a long time ago, if only the Yankees allowed those patrons to tour the stadium and view their seats before the stadium opened. Unfortunately, the Yankees refused tours of the seats, quickly citing the fact that the 1300 seats in the Jim Beam sections sold out in 4 days. Essentially, they were resorting to their typical scare tactics, informing people ready to drop thousands of dollars that if they didn't purchase without a tour, they would sell the seats to someone else. The Yankees claim that these seats are the best value in the entire stadium but they are actually one of the worst, considering the obstruction of home plate.

Needless to say, the Yankees will be receiving many angry calls this morning. We feel really bad for our super ticket representative, Kate, as she has done all that she can to satisfy all of her loyal season ticket holders. Unfortunately, many of the other representatives are not as helpful or as friendly, and there will be a lot of potentially productive work hours spent arguing about seats to baseball games.

As always, we welcome reader feedback. If you noticed any other blatantly obstructed views at the new Yankee Stadium, please write in and we will add to this post. Our intention is for this post to be regularly viewed by potential visitors to Yankee Stadium so they have the best possible experience. We are all spending a ton of money to watch these baseball games, and we deserve to have views of the playing field. Read the full post, after the jump

Yankees To Hold A Staff Scavenger Hunt On Sunday

According to a Newsday article, the Yankees will hold a scavenger hunt for staffers at the New Yankee Stadium on Sunday. This will be an opportunity for stadium staffers to familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of the new stadium. The article even cites examples of some trivia questions that will be asked of the staffers during the event.

Questions such as "name the sections where Johnny Rocket's is located," or, where in the building is there a Allie Reynolds autographed baseball are mentioned. Meanwhile, "name the restaurant that blocks the view for half of the people in the left field bleachers," and "which row in the grandstand had to be removed after it was revealed that views from its seats were obstructed" were conspicuously missing.

How about, "what was the name of the NYY Fans message board poster who leaked the photo of seats obstructed by a large support beam back in early February?" THAT is an obscure question, but one that any good Yankee staffer should know. The name of course is Mastermind. Thanks for reading, buddy.

We just hope that the Yankees let the ticket reps partake in the festivities, instead of making them serve as tour guides while people take pictures of the new digs and feign interest in premium seats. From what we hear, this past "select-a-seat weekend" was an epic fail and all the ticket office could sell was few small partial plans. Read the full post, after the jump

Yankees respond to internet uproar, say that obstructed seats will be removed

As we reported yesterday and many different media outlets subsequently reported, some unflattering photos from inside of the New Yankee Stadium leaked, revealing obstructed views.

Although we were unable to get in touch with the Yankees media relations office (they don't deal with blogs), ESPN Radio 1050 in New York did. After commenting on the seats in the bleachers that were revealed to have obstructed views back in the summer, the Yankees also commented on the the seats down the left field line:

Now, there were supposedly other seats beyond the outfield that had obstructed views. However, those seats, according to McGillion, have or will be taken out.

She said that those seats - which are behind support columns - will not be there. She said it is common for some seats to be put in in new stadiums and then they check to see after if there is obstructed seats or not.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. Those seats were only a test. I'm sure the cost of installing and ripping those seats out will be completely worth it. When the budget is over 1 billion, small scale construction like that is a drop in the bucket. I'm also sure that eyeballing that section before installing the actual seats was not sufficient, and the seats had to be fully installed. Is this sarcasm? I'll never tell.


Talk about it in the Stadium Insider Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

New Stadium, same old obstructed views

UPDATE (2/13/09 10:45 AM): This story seems to have caused quite a stir around the interwebs. If you are a member of the New York Yankees media relations team who previously had no interest in speaking to blogs, feel free to email me (contact info is to the right). I would love some sort of explanation on this, even if it is PR spin. Further, if you are an expert on engineering/architectural design and would like to comment on this, I am interested to hear your insight as well.

The Yankees have some explaining to do with this one. Courtesy of user "Mastermind" from NYY Fans, comes this image from inside of the new Yankee Stadium:


After adjusting the white balance, the photo is even more revealing.

Yes, this is a real picture (taken on 2-11-09) from the new stadium built in 2009, not the one built in 1927. Believe it or not, modern construction has apparently not solved the problem of beams in sight lines at sports venues. It should be noted, however, that this photo appears to be taken from BEHIND the last row of seats at the back of the lower level. Therefore, that beam would likely only be in the peripheral vision - blocking a view of the backstop, and not necessarily the action on the field.

From looking at the 3D Seat Selector on Yankees.com, it would appear the section in question is somewhere in the vicinity of section 230 of the main level. Here is a look at how the 3D Seat selector illustrates the beams (sorry it is so dark):



"Mastermind" says the above photo is inaccurate:

I assure you if you are sitting in at least the 2 seats next to the beam you have to lean forward to see. The back of the seat is BEHIND the beam- and there are beams every section along the leftfield line (rightfield beams are set back) and from my view and I will post more pictures- if in fact your [sic] next to the disabled seating area (which is raised) you will also have an obscured view- The photo of the beam in the pic doesnt [sic] do the problem justice

It will be interesting to note whether or not seats like the above will be sold as "obstructed view." As we mentioned this past summer, the Yankees have already run into some bad press about the obstructed views from the left field bleachers, caused by the massive restaurant in center field. Reports from some fans during the relocation process were that the Yankee ticket office was feigning ignorance about the obstructed views in the bleachers until potential buyers called them out on it.

I have high hopes for this new stadium, and I will withhold judgment until the place opens its doors. However, there are already some MAJOR structural issues that have been noted that just should not exist in a 1.3 billion dollar stadium constructed in 2008/2009. If the Yankees would like a chance to set the record straight here, I would be happy to take a tour of the new place. Just throwing it out there.

Talk about it in the Stadium Insider Forums! Read the full post, after the jump