Standing Room Only Tickets WILL Be Sold At Yankee Stadium For The Playoffs

We have very limited details at this point, but according to reports from a stadium employee, "cafe tables" are being installed at each standing room location on the field level of the new Yankee Stadium.

Throughout the 2009 season, savvy Yankee fans have been setting up shop directly behind field level "100's" sections and getting a great view of the action on the field. Below you will find a couple of photos we have snapped from these great standing areas:

On the one hand, tickets sold in these sections will give fans a better view than a large portion oft he seats in the stadium. On the other hand, standing the entire game definitely gets tiring, and it is hard to envision someone spending more than $50 per ticket to stand for an entire game.

As we mentioned, we have taken advantage of standing in these locations for most of the season, but it has been free. The success/failure of selling standing room tickets is going to depend largely on the pricing scheme. We also have some concerns about how security is going to ensure that only ticketed fans stand in the specified locations, but they have been alleviated by the reports of cafe tables being installed.

At the end of the day, this is good news for the stadium, as it allows more fans to pack in to the "new house" and see the important postseason games. It is disappointing for the hardcore fans who have enjoyed these locations for free during the entire season, but we all have to realize that selling tickets in these locations is the smart and fair decision. As soon as we have photos of the "cafe tables" we will post them on the blog.

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Standing Room Only Tickets Likely Not On The Way For The Playoffs

Earlier this week, we pointed out that tickets for the 2009 Yankees postseason will be reasonably priced, but hard to come by - especially for the general public. We also mentioned that Yankees fans shouldn't get their hopes up about the long-promised standing room only tickets bumping up the capacity for the playoffs.

While there have been rumors about issues with the FDNY permitting the sale of standing room tickets, a Yankees spokesperson insists that is not the case. "No standing room tickets [have] been sold - it remains a traffic flow issue. [It has] nothing to do with the FDNY." As of now, there are no plans to sell standing room only tickets for the playoffs, but the team is still keeping their options open. We wouldn't bet on it.

At a certain point, we are going to have to come to grips with the fact that standing room only tickets are not going to be sold any time soon and the capacity of the new stadium will always struggle to top 50,000. The flow of fans is definitely still an issue in certain areas of the stadium, especially the bleachers and the main level. However, the field level concourse is wide enough that fans can stand four or five deep and still get a decent view of the field. The Yankees can definitely sell a limited number of SRO tickets without worrying about clogging up the walkways. The view from section 120a is especially enjoyable, and we'd pay at least $25 to stand there during the playoffs.

If you are counting on standing room only tickets as your way into the stadium for the playoffs, you should probably prepare yourself with a plan B - namely, Stubhub.com.

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The Dark Side Of The Yankees Postseason Pricing Press Release - The Amazing, Shrinking Yankee Stadium

Lost amidst the jubilation of the Yankees announcing surprisingly cheap postseason ticket pricing is the sobering fact that the general public probably won't get to enjoy those cheap prices. In the past, Yankee Stadium was packed to the gills for postseason games. 56,315 people witnessed the final postseason game at the old Yankee Stadium back in 2007, and crowds of nearly 57,000 were commonplace during the Yankees 13 year postseason run.

In yesterday's press release, the Yankees announced the capacity of the new Yankee Stadium as 50,235 and fired a warning shot toward the general public regarding availability of tickets for non-season ticket holders:

Please note that the quantity of postseason tickets available to those who are not 2009 season ticket licensees will be limited and vary for each postseason round. Yankee Stadium has a seating capacity of 50,235, excluding standing room. For each postseason game, the first opportunity to purchase tickets is provided to current season-ticket licensees, which represent in excess of 37,000 full-season equivalent ticket licenses. Major League Baseball directs clubs to dedicate approximately 3,000 tickets per game for players of the participating clubs and to accommodate the media. In addition, Major League Baseball requires approximately 5,500 tickets per ALDS game, 7,000 tickets per ALCS game and 9,500 tickets per World Series game.

Doing some quick math, that would mean the following number of postseason tickets will be available to the general public for each round (before even considering yet to be announced pre-sales):

ALDS: 4,735
ALCS: 3,235
WS: 735

Those of you still waiting on standing room tickets shouldn't hold your breath. There are unconfirmed reports that the FDNY has denied the New York teams permission to sell these standing room only tickets thus far in 2009, and our sources say that SRO won't be on sale until 2010, if ever.

Those sounds you hear are ticket brokers who have been taking a bath on their 2009 Yankee tickets licking their chops. With a smaller stadium capacity, cheaper tickets and an exciting team, the secondary ticket market is going to be flush with buyers. The good news is, the prices on the secondary market will probably be equivalent to what the market price for Yankee postseason tickets have been in the 2000's, leaving everyone relatively happy.

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