Previewing The Home Stand Ahead: Interleague Is Back!

The Basics

• Dates: June 12 - June 18
  
• Games: 6
  
• Teams: 2
  
• Night Games: 3
  
• Weekend Day Games: 2
  
• Mid-week Day Games: 1

Well, that run in first place was short-lived, huh? Last week we were celebrating the Yankees flag flying proudly atop Yankee Stadium. Today, the flag is back in its familiar second place position. The good news is that the cross-town rival Mets are coming to town tonight, which should quickly clear the air of the stench that was left behind by the Yankees futility in Boston. Both the Yankees and the Mets are coming off of disappointing series with their division rivals, so expect there to be a lot of tension in the crowd between New York fans rooting for different teams. The only other series in this home stand is against the Nationals. Unless Stephen Strasburg signs with the Nationals today and is in uniform by Tuesday, there isn't much that is compelling about those games. Maybe Adam Dunn will hit one into the upper deck in right field? That would be cool.

Tickets

New York Mets @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Fri, Jun 12 at 7:05PM 4,000+ tickets from $41

Sat, Jun 13 at 4:10PM 6,000+ tickets from $48

Sun, Jun 14 at 1:05PM 7,000+ tickets from $25

Compare all 3 events

Washington Nationals @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Tue, Jun 16 at 7:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $9

Wed, Jun 17 at 7:05PM 10,000+ tickets from $11

Thu, Jun 18 at 1:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $13

Compare all 3 events

As would be expected, the Mets' first trip ever into the new Yankee Stadium has made for a hot ticket. The same cannot be said about the games against the Nationals. Mid-week games against the worst team in the National League will always result in stagnant ticket sales. If you scout out Craigs List and Stubhub during the day on Tuesday or Wednesday, you are sure to get tickets for $10.

In other ticket news - this may be a week old, but it is still interesting. Apparently, Governor Patterson had not yet reenacted the Eliot Spitzer law that allows for unlimited markups on secondary market ticket sales. In other words the law was in limbo, meaning that the previous law that only allows for a $2 markup per ticket was temporarily back in place. Last we checked, tickets were going for way more than $2 over face value on Stubhub for the Mets series. Stubhub spokesman Sean Pate had this to say in the NY Daily News article:

"New Yorkers have enjoyed an open and free market for ticket resale for the last two years which has seen average resale prices decline sharply," Pate said. "We have every confidence they will continue to do so once the governor has reviewed this legislation to continue the open resale marketplace for tickets."

On the other hand, constant Yankees-basher Richard Brodsky wanted the $2 rule in place to stay:

"The law is the law," Brodsky said. "They shouldn't be winking at it."

Ticket holders were left confused. The Yankees and Stubhub have a pretty solid deal in place, so it seemed unlikely that there was going to be a complete upheaval in the ticket scalping laws. Then again, Dick Brodsky has it in for the Yankees and has been lobbying like crazy to make life hell for the franchise.

This past Tuesday, Governor Patterson ended the drama and signed the ticket scalping law extension. We'll check back in 365 days when the extension expires...

(Thanks to Kevin [reg3835] for pointing us in the direction of the Patterson signing the extension update!)

Weather

We were thinking about skipping this section since Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com is an avid Mets fan. Then we thought better of it, since rain is in the forecast, and Steve is a good guy! Here is what he has to say about this dreadful early summer weather, along with some words about the Subway Series:

What can I say, I love this upcoming series. There's nothing like Mets VS Yankees for me on so many levels, regardless the weather conditions, I'm always amped for my Mets to go up against the Yankees. I still remember the first Friday of the Mets/Yankees series where Dave Mlicki shocked the world, or at least Mike Francessa on WFAN.

Anyway, enough with my memories of old, back to the weather forecast! I wish I could say that clouds will clear, showers will end, and some actual summer conditions return to the New York City metro. However, then I would be dead wrong with the forecast.

For tonight, overcast skies and a northeasterly wind around 5 to 10 mph can be expected through the game time.. A risk of widely scattered and weak showers will remain over the Bronx throughout the game, but I don't think a postponement is in the cards. These showers will be on the light side. Otherwise, a cloudy and drizzly night can be expected. Temperatures will range from the mid 60's to mid 70's, but will feel like the 50's.

The stationary front will hang around the Bronx tomorrow afternoon as well with a better chance of scattered showers through the game. Once again, these showers will not be wide spread nor heavy, but may lead to a delay in the game from time to time. Winds will be light and variable. Temperatures will range from the mid 60's to possibly 70 degrees.

On Sunday, the stationary front will slide south of the Bronx by Sunday afternoon with a few scattered showers still lingering around the region. Overall though, partly cloudy to overcast skies can be expected with winds from the north around 5 to 10 mph. Temperatures will range from the lower to mid 70's for highs.

Through the rest of the home stand, generally the same forecast can be expected with variable cloud cover and a risk of showers each day. Temperatures will generally remain in the mid 60's to lower 70's for the games.

PS.. GO METS!

So, it looks to be another dreary home stand weather-wise. In other news, Steve is one "Go Mets" away from being persona non grata around these parts. Tread lightly, Steve. Tread lightly.

Stadium News and Notes

• Bait and Switch?

BernBabyBern from one of our favorite websites, It Is High, It Is Far, It Is... Caught wrote in with the following tale:

Went to the new stadium last week, I'll be blogging a bit about it. One thing that got me a little upset was a it of a bait-and-switch the team is pulling. The $3 kids' hot dogs, which the team bragged so much about before the season, have apparently been taken off the menu, although the signs for them are still up. I went with my kid to get one in about the sixth inning, and was told they didn't have any. I said "Wow. Sold out already?" I was told no, the weren't carrying them anymore. "We stopped sometime after the first home stand. I guess they weren't selling well enough. They really need to take them off the menu board." But they were more than happy to sell me the $5 hot dog for my 6-year-old. So, there are approximately 1,000,006 food items for sale in that place and the ONE thing that gets taken off the menu within two months is the cheap kids' hot dog? Ugh.

We can't confirm that these $3 hot dogs have been pulled from the menu at most concession stands, but we do know that they still exist at the "Kids Cafe" cart. This cart is located in the corridor by the ticket sales booth, inside of the stadium, at the end of the great hall. Right around the corner from the fruit stand. Very easy to miss, and probably not an accident.

• Staying Kosher

Last week, Rob Iracane, fellow Yankees fan from the great baseball site "Walkoff Walk," sent out a message to the Twittersphere, inquiring about the shawarma at the kosher cart at the new Yankee Stadium. We haven't yet tried this kosher food, but here are some photos of the cart in action, and of the prices (sorry for the blurryness):

• Cheers and Jeers
  

Unlike last home stand, there are plenty of Yankees that have left themselves open to criticism. First, however, lets focus on the positive!

Cheers - Mark Teixeira - If there is one guy immune to any potential crowd abuse during this home stand, it is Mark. Can anyone say MVP candidate?

Jeers - The candidates for this one are seemingly endless. A.J Burnett continues to suck, home grown guys like Melky, Cano and Jeter are all on the interstate over the past week or two, and the bullpen is in shambles. However, the one guy who may experience a derisive welcome home is 2009 fan-favorite, Nick Swisher. Although he has been swinging the bat extremely well in June, his head seems to be elsewhere. There have been numerous fielding and baserunning gaffes, and it seems like he has lost his mental focus. That, combined with the recent Twitter-gate make Swisher most likely to be booed on this home stand.

Which Games We'll Be At

Stadium Insider dad wanted to make some of his season ticket money back, so we offloaded our Friday night tickets for a decent profit. Lets just say that both season ticket holders didn't agree to this philosophy. In any case, we'll be at the games on Sunday and Wednesday. There is a strong likelihood that Sunday's game will be the last one that Nick will be attending before he moves to North Carolina next weekend. Come and visit us in section 428, row 10. Parting gifts in the form of cups of beer will surely be accepted by both of us. On Wednesday, we're going to be all uppity in the Audi Yankees Club. What is a better treat for father's day than taking your pops for a $65, all you can eat dinner? If you're in the Audi Yankees Club on Wednesday, look for the people that have 10 helpings of the most expensive food. Good thing gluttony isn't some kind of sin or anything...

Special Shout-Out

This week's special shout-out goes to Heather, the best girlfriend that an obsessed sports fan/blogger can ask for. This blog, along with a barrage of sporting events on television tend to take some attention away from this fine young thing, but she sticks around and is always a source of love, affection and companionship. You may have noticed a lower volume of blog posts lately, and it has a lot to do with making a concerted effort to pay attention to the important things in life. Its the best for everyone this way. Read the full post, after the jump

Previewing The Home Stand Ahead: The First Place Yankees Come Marching Home

The Basics

• Dates: June 2 - June 8
  
• Games: 7
  
• Teams: 2
  
• Night Games: 4
  
• Weekend Day Games: 2
  
• Mid-week Day Games: 1

Does it seem like forever since you went to a game at Yankee Stadium and saw the Yankees flag flying solo in first place? That's because it has been 32 months since the last time it happened. The date was October 1, 2006, and the Yankees were playing out the string against the Blue Jays with a double digit lead atop the AL East. The late Cory Lidle pitched in relief of the now obsolete Jaret Wright, as did Kyle Farnsworth. Good 'ol worthless gave up 2 runs in the ninth inning on a home run to Adam Lind, taking the loss. Bernie Williams made his final regular season appearance in the spot that is slowly becoming a pile of rubble and hit a double. The crowd chanted his name. Alex Rodriguez had the day off only a couple of weeks before Joe Torre would hit the panic button and bat him 8th in a playoff game. 54,886 fans saw a mostly AAA lineup lose a meaningless game in October, but at least the team was in first place.

Tonight, the Yankees return to their new home in the Bronx, fresh off of a 5-2 roadtrip and an 8-2 home stand prior to that. The Bombers are hot, and fans are ready to blow the frieze off the place, rooting for their first place heroes. Crowds are unlikely to reach the levels seen back in 2006 (smaller stadium), but the Yankees should be able to squeeze out some very respectable attendance numbers.

Tickets

Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Tue, Jun 2 at 7:05PM 4,000+ tickets from $8

Wed, Jun 3 at 7:05PM 8,000+ tickets from $8

Thu, Jun 4 at 1:05PM 10,000+ tickets from $7

Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Fri, Jun 5 at 7:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $20

Sat, Jun 6 at 1:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $20

Sun, Jun 7 at 1:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $10

Mon, Jun 8 at 7:05PM 13,000+ tickets from $10

A funny thing happened last home stand - the secondary ticket market bounced back. Some combination of A-Rod's return and the nearby Phillies coming to town caused a palpable buzz for the first time in the new Yankee Stadium. The increased buzz resulted in an increase in ticket prices. The extra innings, Memorial Day Sunday game was the second most attended game of the season as Phillies fans nearly over the Bronx. Some Grandstand seats (face value - $20) were going for over $100 on Stubhub. It may have been somewhat embarrassing for Yankees fans, but we're pretty sure the organization was happy filling the seats.

Speaking of filling the seats, the Yankees are at it again with their infamous "E-Savers," trying to unload the unsold Audi Yankees Club, Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, and Batter's Eye seats. As we pointed out at the end of the last home stand, the Yankees have begun to take our advice and are pricing the Batter's Eye Seats aggressively. During the non-weekend games of this home stand, you can sit atop the monstrosity also known as the Mohegan Sun Sports bar for only $50. As we have said before, this may still be overpriced, considering how far away from home plate you are sitting, but it sure beats the original face value of $125. We were able to get in touch with someone who was had purchased the batter's eye seats for assorted games, and was trying to sell them for a profit to make some of his season ticket investment back. He wasn't too pleased with the price cut and planned to contact the Yankees to see if he could get some money back (yeah right!), but he did say that "other games with the same seats, for the Mets and Red Sox, [he has] been able to sell a little over face. So it hasn't been a total waste."

Other current "E-Saver" offers feature Audi Yankees Club seats for $100 each (not as deep of a discount as the early season "E-Saver" price of $85 per ticket), and Mohegan Sun Sports Bar seats for $50 each. If you want to check out some of these unique seating options, it is doubtful that the prices will get any lower. Then again, if none of us buy the tickets, the Yankees will be forced to keep on slashing the prices. How low, will they go?

Weather

You may have noticed our guy Steve DiMartino of NYNJPAWeather.com sprinkling in some wind forecasts for the games last home stand. In fact, prior to Mark Teixeira's amazing, broken-bat, wind-driven home run to left field on May 24, Steve had predicted strong winds out to that area of the park. Keep in mind that left field has typically been somewhat of a dead zone for fly balls this season, due to the jet stream to right field. More and more Yankees fans are following Steve on Twitter, reading his website, and of course, reading his exclusive NSI home stand and game day weather forecasts. This week, he has some more commentary on the winds at the new Yankee Stadium, and of course some input on how the weather will affect this homestand:

Before discussing the forecast for the upcoming home stand, I wanted to touch on this whole issue with low level wind currents and the new Yankee Stadium. First, I want to dismiss this whole, warm, moist air leading to more home runs idea. Every summer I hear the same reasoning from various baseball announcers, but the physics doesn't fit. The best air mass to enhance the flight of a flying object is actually warm, dry air as the air has less molecules to cause friction. The worst air mass to hit in is obviously cool, moist air where the air mass has a high concentration of molecules including water vapor. In the case of warm, moist air masses, the additional high concentration of water vapor would not enhance distance, but would increase friction slightly. Even still, the influence of air mass in these terms is limited overall compared to other possible influences on flying objects. Besides, warm conditions have been experienced at Citifield and in Philadelphia with little increase if any in home runs.

At any rate, after studying Yankee Stadium, I have found that there is potential for Yankee Stadium to produce a significantly higher amount of homeruns than in the old stadium, if not pitched to correctly. There has been plenty of studies on the structure of the new Yankee stadium. The fact is that the lower setting of the upper deck combined with the position of the score board and large TV screen in center field produces a unique environment for fly balls along the left and right field lines. However, that same environment forces wind currents over center field to sink and at times blow in towards home plate. The convergent winds at home plate rise and then are forced along the right and left field lines to produce a strong micro level jet stream, thus your additional home runs. So in short, if I was pitcher at this stadium I'd make sure that the batter can not pull a ball to the left or right, but instead focus on getting fly balls hit to center field, where in most cases the ball will limited in distance due to the sinking air over center field. The orientation of the stadium calls for southwesterly winds supporting the best conditions for winds blowing out and northeast winds for balls blowing in.

Now, that we've covered that, lets discuss the forecast for this home stand!

The first half of this home stand is not going to be the most pleasant. For tonight, a threat of showers and thunderstorms will be present through the first 3 or 4 innings of the game. However, drier conditions can be expected through the end of the game. A slight delay is possible. Winds will veer from the southwest to west around 5 to 10 mph.. Game time temperatures will range from 68 to 72 degrees.

A more wide spread threat of showers and thunderstorms can be expected on Wednesday night as another cold front slides through the Bronx. These thunderstorms will be strong to possibly severe through the evening hours. Conditions do not look favorable for baseball and a lengthy delay or postponement is possible. Winds will back from the southwest to northeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures through the game will range from 60 to 64 degrees.

On Thursday, rain showers will linger through the day with generally cool and raw conditions expected.. Winds will be from the northeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will range from 60 to 65 degrees through the game.

The good news is the second half of the home stand is looking very pleasant as high pressure will be in control for much of the time when the games will be played. Expect a return to warmer weather with temperatures averaging in the 70's. Winds will be light and variable through this period with limited impact on the game.

It is probably easier said than done getting batters to hit the ball to center field, and has likely been a strategy for pitchers at Yankee Stadium since the 1920's. That being said, we'd like to sincerely thank Steve for the time and effort he puts into his Yankee Stadium weather forecasts, especially considering he is a Mets fan!

Stadium News and Notes

• Have you seen our old dugout?

As always, WCBS 880 and Tom Kaminski are on top of the deconstruction process of the old Yankee Stadium, with depressing overhead photos. Today, they have this gem, of the dugout seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It is like watching a body decay. Can't they just bury the thing already and put us all out of our misery? It is sad to see.

• All Aboard!

During the last home stand, the MTA and the Yankees announced the long-awaited opening of a Metro North train stop specifically for Yankee Stadium. MTA.info has information about the stop. RiverAveBlues.com provided some great coverage about the Metro North Station opening. From what we hear, the trains are on-time and efficient, and are a real joy for out of towners who no longer are forced to drive to the stadium and pay outrageous rates for parking. Good for the MTA, getting this station open on time, and on budget.

• Cheers and Jeers

Cheers: The Yankees
Jeers: Their opponents

Now is not the time to pick favorites, Yankees fans. The team is on a role, with the pitching and hitting firing on all cylinders. Heck, even Nick Swisher seems to have found his stroke again. We hate to go all "Freddy Sez" on you guys, but this team needs our support! Lets rock the stadium this home stand and help the Yankees pile up a dominant home record.

Which Games We'll Be At

We have tickets for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Nick will be heading out to Wednesday's game with our mother, but we'll be at Friday and Sunday's game. We tend to wander around and try to find the best standing room only spots (more on that later this home stand), but when we are in our seats, we're in section 428, row 10. We have already met a couple of our Yankees/Twitter friends, and hope to meet some more NSI readers in the future.

Special Shout-Out

Speaking of Twitter, this week's special shout out goes to all of our Yankee fan followers on Twitter. Dealing with hundreds of in-game, emotional "tweets" from us deserves a pat on the back. Thanks for all of the debates about John Flaherty's horrible announcing and Robinson Cano's struggles with RISP, especially with the bases loaded. We also tend to hop on Twitter at times when we are at the stadium, so if meeting us is something that will inexplicably make your day, be sure to surf over to Twitter.com and follow us. Read the full post, after the jump

Previewing The Homestand Ahead: Welcome Home A-Rod

This seems to have gone well enough last time, so we'll do it again!

The Basics

• Dates: May 15 - May 24
  
• Games: 10
  
• Teams: 3
• Night Games: 6
• Weekend Day Games: 4
  
• Mid-week Day Games: 0

The Yankees return home with their controversial slugger, Alex Rodriguez in tow. A-Rod resumed his legendary career in style last Friday night with a home run in his first at bat off of the disabled list. Since then, he has struggled, so look for the irrational boo-birds to jump on the negative bandwagon quickly if A-Rod continues to bat below .200 in this extremely small sample size. The home stand starts out with a 4 game wrap-around series against the Twins which doesn't exactly have the city abuzz, but finishes with an exciting weekend series against the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies to kick off interleague play.

Tickets

Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Fri, May 15 at 7:05PM 4,000+ tickets from $12

Sat, May 16 at 1:05PM 6,000+ tickets from $10

Sun, May 17 at 1:05PM 6,000+ tickets from $13

Mon, May 18 at 7:05PM 12,000+ tickets from $6

Compare all 4 events

Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Tue, May 19 at 7:05PM 13,000+ tickets from $6

Wed, May 20 at 7:05PM 15,000+ tickets from $7

Thu, May 21 at 7:05PM 15,000+ tickets from $7

Compare all 3 events

Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Fri, May 22 at 7:05PM 16,000+ tickets from $13

Sat, May 23 at 4:10PM 16,000+ tickets from $20

Sun, May 24 at 1:05PM 12,000+ tickets from $22

Compare all 3 events

Before the last home stand, we posted about the soft secondary market for Yankees tickets, while also writing about how useful of a tool Fansnap.com could be. Since then the mainstream media seems to have caught on, featuring multiple stories about both topics. For the upcoming home stand, we have enlisted the help of someone who sells tickets for a living to give us some pro-tips about the secondary market. Hopefully these bullet points will ensure that everyone who reads NSI will be armed with all of the knowledge necessary to get great deals on Yankee tickets:

• April-May baseball is always a tough sell (weather related), the new stadium is just magnifying that fact
• Yankee stadium capacity is right around 48,000. For any given game on stubhub there are 8,000 - 13,000 seats available for purchase. That’s nearly a quarter of the stadium. The extreme amount of supply is what's pushing down prices.
• Most of the free tickets given out by the Yankees to the season subscribers in the legends and $325 (full season price) face value seats have hit the secondary market (listed on stubhub). This has [essentially] doubled the amount of these types of seats that are available for purchase. For almost all games the rest of this month, seats between the dugouts on the field level can be had for between $100 $200, which is a lot lower then the $375 [plus service fees] Ticketmaster is currently asking for. $850 face value "Legends Seats" can be had for $500. This has completely devalued all seats in those locations.
• [Aside from the games against the Phillies and Mets] The Yankees schedule in April/May/June is filled with teams that don’t draw well. Oakland/Baltimore/Tampa/Minnesota/Texas/Washington...
• Tickets for this for the Twins series (especially the Monday game) can be purchased below face value. The Orioles series is substantially below face value as well.

For some anecdotal evidence, we were forced to sell a pair of tickets for 5/16 against the Twins in the upper deck due to fellow blog author Nick's graduation this weekend. The pair in section 428, Row 10 went for $50 cash via a Craigs List transaction. The face value of the tickets is $40 for the pair. We also sold a pair of tickets to next Saturday's game for a Phillies fan friend who bought too many tickets. His seats were near the foul pole in right field and we got $70 for the pair, again via Craigs List. The pair cost $58 after Ticketmaster service fees, so the profit was minimal. Still, with this secondary market, these are actually success stories. There are plenty of good deals to be had out there if you know where to look!

Weather

As always, the official NSI weather forecasts are courtesy of our friend Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com. As seems to be the theme this season, the Yankees are set to return home, and the weather is once again getting active. Here is Steve's weekend Yankee Stadium forecast, with a sneak peak at the weather for the rest of the home stand:

This home stand may start wet, however dry and warm conditions will be expected for much of the rest of the home stand going forward!

As the Yankees host the Twins this weekend, many people are going to wish the Twins brought the dome with them.

For tonight's game, look for overcast skies with a threat of a shower through the game. The majority of the precipitation will remain well south of the Bronx, so I expect at worst a delay if any impact at all. Winds will be from the north around 5 to 15 mph around game time. This will produce a left to right wind current in the outfield, which will tend to push fly balls to the left. Temperatures will range from 65 to 71 through the game.

On Saturday afternoon, a better threat of showers and thunderstorms can be expected, especially towards the later innings of the game. The game will likely start on time, however there is a pretty good threat for a delay as showers pass through with the warm front. A break in the rainfall ahead of an advancing cold front will give the opportunity to finish the game. Winds will be from the south around 10 to 20 mph, which will produce a wind current from right to left, or basically the opposite influence from the Friday night game. Game time temperatures will range from 67 to 70 degrees.

Sunday is not going to be pretty for baseball conditions. A slow moving cold front will bring widespread showers and thunderstorms. The majority of the rain will fall in the morning however. There is a good potential for a delay, but clearing conditions should be expected by the afternoon. Winds will veer to the northwest around 10 to 20 mph which will produce a wind current out towards right field. Keep an eye on fly balls along the right field line as they will likely carry a bit further than normal. Game time temperatures will range from 56 to 60 degrees.

On Monday evening, high pressure will be in control with clear skies and winds from the northwest around 5 to 10 mph, which will be blowing out to right field. However, the impact from the winds should not be as significant as Sunday. Game time temperatures will range from 58 to 60.

High pressure will dominate through the rest of next week with clear and DRY conditions. Temperatures through the week will average slightly above normal,which means temperatures will likely range from the upper 60's to mid 70's in the evening hours of these games.

So all in all, while the start of the home stand may be unpleasant, the majority of the games this time will be rain free.

Please check out Steve's great weather site, NYNJPAWeather.com for the latest updates to the forecast.

Stadium News and Notes

• A-Rod's long-awaited return
  

After the steroid bombshell dropped, we initiated a poll designed to get an idea of the fan reaction when A-Rod made his new Yankee Stadium debut. At the time, we didn't realize the debut wouldn't come until Mid-May. The poll results were mixed, and that is what we expect the reaction at Yankee Stadium to be. The smart fans will either cheer or be quiet, and the ignorant "fans" will boo loudly, so it will sound like a mixed reaction. If A-Rod had followed up his first at bat heroics of Friday night, it would have been mostly cheers.

• Stay off my Lonn
  

Lonn Trost once again proved why 90% of Yankees fans hate his guts and told the common man to stay out of the rich people's homes (including NYU graduates). The Yankees responded to the negative press by amending the batting practice/ field level access policy. The Yankees are hoping to make nice with jaded fans by finally doing the right thing and opening up certain field level sections for anyone to watch batting practice from. The multi-million dollar high definition screen had some issues last home stand, which most certainly left Trost scrambling for the number of the nearest Geek Squad. Reports from NYU graduation stated that the screen was fixed in time for Hillary Clinton's riveting keynote speech.

• Cheers & Jeers

Cheers: Johnny Damon. Fellow blog author Nick suggested a Johnny Damon hit it here target for right field at the new Yankee Stadium, and hopefully some intrepid Yankees fans oblige. Are there enough real fans out there to put this plan into motion? Regardless of whether or not those signs pop up, Johnny Damon is on fire, and will certainly be the Yankee to receive the loudest cheers during this home stand.

Jeers: Mark Teixeira/ A.J Burnett. This one was a real toss-up, but in the end we decided that both of the high-priced acquisitions will feel the wrath of the Yankee Stadium faithful. As much as we despise when fans boo their own, Teixeria is struggling to hit above .200 and Burnett has a 5+ ERA, so there isn't too much to be positive about. Although Robinson Cano is ice cold and riding on the interstate with runners in scoring position, Yankees fans will inevitably let him off the hook. After all, he is home grown!

Which Games We'll Be At

As we mentioned previously, we are out of town this weekend, but we will be at the Monday night game against the Twins, as well as the Wednesday night game against the Orioles. Nick should make his long-awaited regular debut at the new Yankee Stadium for one or both of those games - hilarity should ensue. Next weekend's Memorial Day Weekend games against the Phillies are in the air, as we may be out of town. If we're not there, Nick will be there.

Special Shout-Out

Please join in and congratulate Nick, who is graduating from college this weekend. We may or may not have predicted dire things for his college career around 5 years ago, but he certainly proved us wrong. Nick has a GPA in the high 3's and is graduating with some kind of nerdy honors. Sadly for New Stadium Insider, he will be heading off to North Carolina to be a PA for One Tree Hill in June, so he won't be contributing much for the 2009 season. Who knows, by the time he moves back to the city the Yankees may have fixed more of the issues with the new Yankee Stadium and maybe Lonn Trost will be history. Yeah, right. Read the full post, after the jump

Previewing The Homestand Ahead: Lets Play Some Night Games Already!

For 2009, we thought we'd introduce a new series of posts, previewing the upcoming home stand. Instead of making the game on the the field the focus of these posts, we are going to focus on the things that affect the fans the most - ticket availability, weather, stadium news and notes and more. Hopefully this will be helpful to anyone heading out to any of the upcoming games. Since this will take up a lot of space on the page,

The Basics

• Dates: April 30 - May 7
• Games: 8
• Teams: 3
• Night Games: 6
• Weekend Day Games: 2
• Mid-week Day Games: 0

The Yankees return to the launching pad for their second home stand. The Yankees won four out of their first six home games in a rain-shortened set last week. Unfortunately, the losses they suffered were by the score of 22-4 and 10-2, so some fans have a bad taste in their mouth about the new stadium. Hopefully the Yankees can change that.

Tickets

• At a glance, courtesy of FanSnap.com:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Thu, Apr 30 at 7:05PM 5,000+ tickets from $8

Fri, May 1 at 7:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $8

Sat, May 2 at 1:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $18

Sun, May 3 at 1:05PM 9,000+ tickets from $15

Compare all 4 events

Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Mon, May 4 at 7:05PM 14,000+ tickets from $25

Tue, May 5 at 7:05PM 17,000+ tickets from $24

Compare both events

Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

Wed, May 6 at 7:05PM 17,000+ tickets from $11

Thu, May 7 at 7:05PM 17,000+ tickets from $10

Compare both events

Face value tickets are available directly from the Yankee box office for the games against the Angels and against the Rays. Obviously, tickets for the Red Sox series are harder to come by and only the overpriced seats costing over $100 are available. Taking a look at the secondary market on StubHub and FanSnap, prices seem to be plummeting - even for the premium games.

We were able to use Ticketmaster.com to pull up a pair of face value, $23 Grandstand tickets for the home stand opener against the Angels. The tickets were in the outfield and in the last row. It looks like the secondary market might be the best bet though. There are plenty of deals to be had for below face value if you circumvent the Yankee ticket office, as evidenced by the lowest available price indicated in the "at a glance" section above. As we mentioned last week, the fun, new seats in the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, The Bleacher Cafe and The Audi Yankees club are available for most of these games (at the time of writing this). Of course, the Legends seats ("greatest seats in the world") are available as well.

Weather

As always, the official NSI weather forecasts are courtesy of our friend Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com. Steve is a firm believer in the "don't focus on more than 5 days at a time or you will go crazy" theory of weather forecasting, so here is what he has to say about the weather for the Angels series, along with a sneak peak at the Boston series. Unfortunately, it seems like the beautiful, Summer weather from earlier this week is gone, and we are once again in a rainy, Spring weather pattern. Ugh:

The Yankees are going to have their hands full with impacts from the weather conditions through this weekend's series and into the Boston series.

The best potential playing conditions will be for tonight's game where generally dry conditions can be expected. The will be a risk of a shower for a later innings of the game, but the majority of the precipitation should hold off until after the game. Winds will be from the southeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures for game time will range from 53 to 56 degrees.

There will be a persistent threat for showers and thunderstorms on Friday evening. A few of the thunderstorms may reach severe levels with the most significant threat being strong wind gusts and frequent lightning. However, the showers and thunderstorms will be scattered in nature. Otherwise partly cloudy to overcast conditions can be expected with a veering wind from the southwest to west around 5 to 10 mph with higher gusts around and in thunderstorms. Temperatures will range from the 63 to 67 degrees for game time.

Showers and thunderstorms will again remain a threat on Saturday afternoon, however I don't expect wide spread rainfall. The position of the cold front will be key as locations north of the cold front can expect a break in the precipitation. Winds will be from the west around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will range from 62 to 67 degrees through game time.

On Sunday, another area of low pressure along the cold front will produce more widespread rainfall. There is a very high threat for a delay or postponement of the game. Winds will be from the north and northeast around 5 to 15 mph and then northwest around 5 to 10 mph as the low pressure system passes to the south. Temperatures will range from 55 to 59 degrees through game time.

A brief look at the Boston series does feature some drier weather, but not by much. A warm front will approach the region on Monday evening, but the majority of the rainfall is currently expected to hold off until after the game. Conditions ahead of the warm front will be cool with a raw easterly wind. Low clouds may be an issue here off the Long Island sound. As for Tuesday evening, the threat for strong to severe thunderstorms return, but the timing of the storms will be highly dependent on the timing of the cold front, which is still questionable in exact timing.

Have a great weekend and be sure to bring a rain coat if you are going to these games!

Check back for more late-breaking updates from Steve when the weather dictates them.

Stadium News and Notes

• A Return To The Scene Of Many Nightmares

Bobby Abreu will return to the Bronx, after a few quality seasons with the Bombers. Our feeling is that the fan reaction will be one of indifference, as Bobby steered clear of controversy during his time in Pinstripes. With the supposed jet stream out to right field, Bobby is probably having nightmares about getting reacquainted with his biggest fear - the wall in Yankee Stadium.

• We Live In A World Where $1,250 For A Ticket Is A 50% Discount

The Yankees "slashed" prices of their most expensive (read: overpriced) seats this week. It likely won't have any effect on the average fan, so we're not sure why we are even including it in this piece.

• Cheers & Jeers

Cheers: Nick Swisher. Even after struggling through most of the road trip, Swish headed home in style, bashing home runs from both sides of the plate int he series finale against the Tigers. Nick was already a fan favorite after the first home stand, and it isn't likely to change now - he'll receive some of the biggest cheers.

Jeers: Mark Teixeira. We're not predicting boos of A-Rod proportions, but things could get ugly if Tex continues his struggles. Smart fans would notice that he is just missing some balls, drawing walks, and coming through when it counts (his OBP is over .500 with RISP). However, as we have learned the past few years with the A-Rod booing, Yankee Stadium isn't always filled with smart fans.

Which Games We'll Be At

We can't guarantee we'll be in our seats the whole time, but we are in possession of tickets for Friday, Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Our seats are in section 428, Row 10. If you are a reader of the blog, come and say hello. Our pictures are floating around in the "about" section at the top of the page in case you want to stalk...

Special Shout-Out

Friend of the blog and security guard at the new Yankee Stadium, Chris is heading back to his post at "Shaq's Shower Curtain." He missed the first home stand after some serious finger surgery. He isn't quite back to playing ball yet, but he is well enough to resume his duties of keeping people from sneaking down to the expensive seats. Chris is one of the good guys in the security force and he really enjoys his job. Please join us in welcoming him back to the stadium.

Read the full post, after the jump