Breaking news from Lonn Trost on WFAN - obstructed view seats in the bleachers for $5

Lonn Trost is being interviewed by Mike Francesca on WFAN right now. Other than lambasting partial plan ticket holders for "not reading the documentation", he has shared the following infortmation:

- All "architecturally shadowed seats" (his words, not mine) in the bleachers will be $5. No specification on exactly which seat numbers or sections qualify, but there are a total of 600 "architecturally shadowed seats."
- The Yankees are opening up the premium $350 "best seats in the world" up to ALL ticket plans. Therefore, if you want a 12 game plan in those seats, you can get one. It still seems unaffordable to me.
- 2,000 seats are being held back per game for group sales - all in the Grandstand. Why aren't some of those being used for partial plan season ticket holders?
- 28,000 seats in the new Yankee Stadium did not have a price increase this year. Well Lonn, that is because Tier Reserved MVP seats (like my old seats in Tier Section 1) increased 47% from 2007 - 2008 ($17 -$25).
- The supposed figures for seats sold so far in the new stadium:

32,542 saleable inventory for plans:
26,318 seats sold (including 23,517 full seasons)
5,870 partial plan seats on reserve until end of week

4,000 not available for plans (for several reasons, luxury seats, suites, etc)
2,000 tickets reserved for groups
1,866 standing room tickets
1,000 wheelchair access
----------
9,186

41,728 (32,642 + 9,186)
7,000 for single game sales
-------
approx 49,000

Something in those numbers doesn't add up, but perhaps I missed something.

Lonn Trost has come off as elitist and out of touch in this interview. He actually had the nerve to call $100 seats "affordable" at one point. The Yankees need to do themselves a favor and get some of A-Rod's crisis management people to advise him. As for his point about fans not reading the relocation documentation, I present exhibit A:

This is from the relocation guide about 41-game licensees:

STEP 1 - SEATING ASSIGNMENT
If you licensed and maintained a "B" Plan for the 2008 Season, you will be assigned the same number of seats in a 41-Game Plan in the new Yankee Stadium as are included in your Plan at the end of the 2008 Season. In making assignments under the Relocation Program, the Yankees will, among other things, consider your seating preferences as indicated on your Relocation Program Questionnaire. Please note, however, that your assigned seat location will not likely be comparable to your current seat location in Yankee Stadium.

As we all know by now, that did not happen. The reason it didn't happen is because the Yankees continued to allow season ticket holders to upgrade to full season plans without alerting those people who had opted not to. I completely understand that this was a business decision, but why doesn't Trost just admit to it instead of calling me stupid? This is getting outrageous.

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