A look at the obstructed view seats in the LF bleachers

Looks like plenty of seats will have obstructed views because of the restaurant in center field. At least for now, the wall you'll be looking at is still fresh, clean concrete! The big day is when they install the TV's on said wall so you can see everything happening on the field... In crystal clear HD!





Pics thanks to Bob Ruffolo of nyyankeesrumors.com

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Hot off the presses: Over 300 Brand New Photos From Inside The New Yankee Stadium

"nymdan" on the baseball-fever message board took a tour of the New Yankee Stadium this morning, and has over 300 photos to share.

SPOLER ALERT! There are some great photos from all levels of the stadium, and it really gives you an idea of what the new place is like. If you want to be surprised on your first trip, don't view the album! 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

8 Days 'til Construction is Complete!

To get this blog back in its intended direction, let's focus a bit on the new Stadium!

As we've pointed out, and as indicated on the top right of this page, all major construction of the Stadium will be completed by next Tuesday, February 17. Being just 8 days away, Zell's Pinstripe Blog has a bunch of photos from outside of the new stadium. Oh boy do they look nice! Click HERE, for more pics.







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