The Dimensions Will Be The Same For The Players On The Field, But What About The Fans In The Stands?

The Yankee players aren't worried about the layout of the new Yankee Stadium, but should the fans be? Those who spent countless summer nights in the claustrophobic confines of the cheap seats at the old stadium got used to certain quirks that captured their attention and affected their every day experience.

Fans sitting in the Tier Box seats in right field fair territory were able to take solace in the fact that even though they were in some of the worst seats in the house, they had a very good chance of catching a home run ball from a lefty slugger. With the new upper deck being more recessed from the field of play, upper deck home runs may be a thing of the past.

What about the left field upper deck? It was pretty exciting to see a right-handed slugger tee off and slug one into the cheap seats in left. The fans up there didn't expect it, but when a ball came their way, it was cherished.

Home runs "in the black" in center field are no more. Michael Kay meticulously kept count of how many home runs had been hit there and was constantly gushing about how rare it was. Is Mohegan sun the new black? Is it possibly that A-Rod will plant an A-bomb on TOP of the Mohegan Sun Sports bar? We will have to wait and see.

The Tier boxes down the lines in sections 7 and 8 were hotbeds for foul balls at the old Yankee Stadium. We never did create our proposed foul ball tracker, but from observing many games at the old Yankee Stadium, we came to the conclusion that fans had the best chance of capturing a foul ball by sitting in those sections. The question now is whether or not the foul balls will even be able to reach the upper deck. It is likely that they will reach the upper deck directly behind home plate, but down the lines is now an iffy proposition

We have already touched on the fishnet situation behind home plate. Even if you never had the opportunity to sit in those suites and make failed attempts at catching a ball in a net, you had the chance to boo the little rich kids who failed at it.

It has already been touched on that Yankee Stadium's new seat layout leaves the distinct possibility of a less imposing home crowd. We're less worried about the noise factor, and more worried about the fun quirks that were left behind in the old place. We'll certainly keep an eye out for the new and exciting things that people who spend way too much time at Yankee Stadium notice and learn to love. Read the full post, after the jump

Some Of The Last Photos Ever Taken Inside Of The Old Yankee Stadium

If you are a nostalgist who is squeamish about the dismantling of the old Yankee Stadium, you might want to skip over this post.

Courtesy of our buddy "StationA" on Twitter, we present some of the last photos taken from inside of the stadium before the dismantling goes into overdrive. "Station A" is a systems engineer for the Yankees, so he was one of the brave last men out since he had to take the old digs offline.

Without further ado, here is his farewell to the old Yankee Stadium:



The once picture-perfect field is now stripped bare. Previously only seen from overhead helicopter shots.



The new Yankee Stadium laughs at the crappy suites of old Yankee Stadium's past.



There is no reason to transport the fishnets to the new stadium . The screen no longer covers the field level seats at the new Yankee Stadium. Just think of how many little kids were booed while failing to capture a ball in that net. What memories.

Be sure to follow StationA on Twitter if you are into tech-talk and want an inside look at the IT side of Yankee Stadium. Read the full post, after the jump

Yankee Stadium Field Level Seats Behind Home Plate Will No Longer Be Covered By a Screen

A memorable feature of the old Yankee Stadium was the on-again, off-again mesh wire screen that ran from the backstop up to the mezzanine level. It seems that the Yankees were never sure whether or not it was necessity, as it disappeared without notice during certain seasons. Luckily, the screen has been there lately, especially when a drunk kid jumped off of the upper deck back in 2005.

This screen served the obvious purpose of protecting the fans in the seats behind home plate, in the main level of the old stadium. Player's families sat back there, and it was important to keep them covered. The screen also added a bit of fun into the stadium. When balls were hit onto the screen, the momentum would carry the balls up the screen and directly toward the seating area of outside of the few suites at the old stadium. The rich kids who were lucky enough to be sitting in those seats always had huge fishing nets ready for these foul balls, and were booed loudly if they didn't capture them before they rolled back down the screen.

All of that fun is in the past, as this photo from inside of the new stadium reveals the view from behind home plate, complete with the permanent "Be Alert For Bats And/Or Balls" sign:


Photo Courtesy of Newsday

The seats back there should be a hotbed for foul balls in the new stadium. If anyone ponies up the big bucks and decides to occupy those seats, they better bring a glove and be ready to flash some leather. The balls that are fouled straight back usually don't lose much of the velocity of the pitch by the time they are on top of you. That being said, all it will take is one Yuppie getting smacked in the face by a foul ball and the screen will be back. Read the full post, after the jump