Weather Update 6/3 Yankees vs. Rangers - A Delay Is Possible

UPDATE (6:44 PM): Courtesy of Steve:

The front is slowly sliding south and the rain is weakening over Pennsylvania this afternoon. I expect NE winds around 10 to 15 mph. Temperatures in the 50 to 56 range. I expect a break in rain through 7 to 7:30. Light rain from 8 to 9:30, but my bet is they play through given the weakening intensity. Cool, raw, but dry conditions after 9:30.

Original post:

Unfortunately, the threat of rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. As somewhat of a silver lining, it provides us with the opportunity to give our buddy Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com a chance to do his thing.

Here is what he has to say about the possibility of a postponement tonight (luckily he has backed off a bit from what he initially said in our home stand preview yesterday).

The majority of the showers and thunderstorms with the cold front this evening will press to the south and east of the Bronx by the time game is expected to start. At worst, expect a slight delay as the rain should slide south of NYC by 8PM. Winds will back to the northeast around 10 to 15 mph, which will lead to winds blowing in towards the stadium. Temperatures through the game are expected to range from 62 to 68.

Be sure to check out his blog for an unfortunate update about the rest of the week's weather, and definitely check back here for updates on how the weather will affect your experience for the rest of the home stand.

At this point, the only thing that can slow down the Yankees recent dominance is the weather. Lets hope that it somehow cooperates.

Read the full post, after the jump

Yankees vs. Phillies Memorial Day Weekend Weather Update: Sunday Wetter Than Saturday

It has been great not having to create posts like this, updating Yankee Stadium weather conditions. Unfortunately, after a beautiful week of weather, rain is back in the forecast, and that means Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com is here to let us know how it will affect this weekend's Yankee games. You may have also noticed that Steve has started to include some interesting opinions on how the winds will affect the play on the field. Lets keep an eye on what he has to say, since talk of the supposed wind-tunnel at the new house is all the rage. Here is what Steve has to say:

The good news is that I do not expect a wash out at all today nor tomorrow, however a persistent threat for showers and very strong to possibly severe thunderstorms will remain.

For today, expect partly cloudy conditions for the most part. Showers and thunderstorms will develop this afternoon, but will be widely scattered. The thunderstorms that do develop will have the potential to be very strong to possibly severe with heavy downpours, frequent lightning, small hail, and damaging wind gusts over 60 mph. The cold front is now south of the Bronx, which will mean a persistent northeast to easterly wind can be expected around 5 to 10 mph. This wind is blowing in and will have an inhibiting factor on fly balls, especially over left and center fields. A micro low level jet along the right field line may be of interest to watch as winds circulate around the stadium. As the cold front rebounds as a warm front this afternoon, the winds will shift to the south towards the end of the game. It is when this front rebounds that the thunderstorms will become a threat and will approach from the southwest. Temperatures through the game will be 69 to 75 through the game.

Tomorrow will be a bit wetter. Another cold front from the Great Lakes will approach with a better threat for showers and thunderstorms. The game, which is expected to start at 1 PM, will have dry conditions through at least the first three innings. From the fourth inning on, the cold front will approach with a threat of scattered showers and strong thunderstorms. There is potential for a lengthy delay in the middle innings of this game, however conditions will clear starting after 3PM to 4 PM to allow the game to resume. Expect winds to veer from the southwest to northwest around 5 to 15 mph. This means that winds will blow out at all directs at the start of the game. However, once the storms pass, winds will blow out from the left and center field but will blow to the right to left over right field. Temperatures will range from 72 to 78 degrees through the game.

Steve also let us know that if any nasty thunderstorms were approaching, he would update us via Twitter. For those of you who use Twitter on your cell phones while at the games, we would encourage you to add @NYNJPAWeather to your friends list, and even set up a text message alert of Steve's updates for the weekend. Wouldn't it be great to know when that heavy thunderstorm is going to hit and get a head start to the Carl's Philly Cheesesteak stand?

We'll be at the game on Sunday in section 428, Row 10, so come and say hello if you are in the vicinity. Hopefully the rain holds off until the game is over, but if not, we'll take solace in the fact that our seats are covered. After all, it is one of the few benefits of our unfortunate seat relocation. 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

Game Day Weather For The Final Game Of The Home Stand

And what a miserable home stand it has been. Between the team on the field, and the weather, we have never been so happy to see the Yankees embark on a road trip. First, we need to get through the final game on Thursday night, with the Yankees hoping to salvage a split of the two game set.

Back once more is Steve DiMartino of NYNJPAWeather.com, since the threat of rain isn't completely gone. He also gives us a sneak peak at the weather that the Yankees will have to deal with on their short trip down to Baltimore. Spoiler alert: it isn't good.

Take it away, Steve:

Here's the latest forecast update to this incredibly insane wet pattern!

The Yankees will be playing in a limited window of dry conditions once again. Skies will clear this evening with winds from the southwest around 10 to 20 mph. I can't rule out an isolated shower, however compared to the past several days, the weather conditions will be much more favorable for baseball conditions. Temperatures will range from 64 to 68 degrees.

A note for the road trip, although the Yankees will leave the Bronx, they won't be leaving the wet conditions as they travel to Baltimore this weekend. Good news is that in Toronto, they play indoors, no worries about the weather there!

Unfortunately, the bad news about going to Toronto is that they are good this year, while the Yankees are a middling .500 team.

Sorry for the pessimism today, but between the Yankees losing streak and the rainy weather, there isn't too much to be positive about. We'll be at the game tonight, so hopefully a Yankee win with some nice weather will cheer us up. Read the full post, after the jump

Expected Weather Conditions For Yankees vs. Rays - Is Everyone Sick Of The Rain Yet?

At some point, we may have to start hoping for rain outs with how bad the Yankees have played. It started out looking like the Yankees would have a big home field advantage at their new home, but now they're only 6-5 in the new digs. Perhaps it will be good for them to get away and escape the frustrated New York fans, and the terrible New York weather.

As always Steve DiMartino of NYNJPAWeather.com is on hand for the weather-related festivities. If you were paying attention to last night's forecast here on NSI, you would see that he pretty much nailed it, calling for showers late in the game, after 9:30 PM. Let's see what we have in store for the upcoming series against the Rays:

It's funny that after such a long dry spell, that the rain just won't stop. Well, when it rains it really rains!

The Bronx will remain dry through much of the game this evening, however an area of low pressure from the Ohio Valley will bring increasing clouds and scattered showers from 10 PM onward, so there is a threat for rain for the late innings. Most of the game tonight will remain dry though. Winds will veer from the northeast to southeast around 5 to 15 mph, gusting to 20 mph at times. Temperatures through game time will range from 60 to 64 degrees.

Tomorrow evening, a threat remains for scattered showers through the game. However, I do not expect wide spread rainfall so there is potential for dry conditions through the game. Winds will veer to the southwest around 10 to 20 mph. Temperatures through game time will range from 63 to 66 degrees.

Good luck!

It looks like conditions will be better than they were for the Red Sox series since it will be warm, and there really isn't the potential for a complete washout. Overall, this home stand has featured some of the worst weather at Yankee Stadium in recent memory. Thanks to everyone who has checked in and for helping to make us somewhat of a baseball weather authority. Of course, thanks to Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com for making that happen. We don't expect to need Steve's services this much for the rest of the season, but when the weather warrants it, Steve will be back. Enjoy the games everyone! Read the full post, after the jump

5/5 Yankees vs. Red Sox Game Day Weather Forecast - Raw & Cool, But Playable

Well, last night was quite a fiasco. We had a feeling in the middle of the day that the Yankees would wait it out until after 9 PM (keep an eye on our Twitter page for cutting-edge updates like that). As usual, the Yankees seemingly have no professionals on staff when it comes to weather forecasting. The rain was falling with the same intensity for the first two innings that it was from 7-9 PM, so why didn't they just start the game on time? Yankees, if you are reading this, hire Steve DiMartino, an independent meteorologist who runs NYNJPAWeather.com. He'll make sure that your weather decisions don't result in near-riots outside of the stadium.

Speaking of Steve, he is back with an update for tonight's game, which we won't be attending because we are supposed to have a softball game. Most likely, that will be canceled, so we'll be watching from home. For those of you attending the game tonight, here is what to expect weather-wise:

I can't believe they played that game in those conditions. Heard they didn't treat the fans too well either. Bad move to play that game at freaking 9:30 PM! Anyway, today's conditions look a bit more reasonable for the game. The game will be played in a time period between the exiting disturbance bringing showers this morning and another disturbance moving up the coast from Maryland late tonight. Although cloudy conditions can be expected, the game should be played at a normal start time. There will be a growing risk of showers towards the end of the game. Winds will be from the northeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will range from 49 to 52 through the game. So overall, a drier forecast relative to yesterday, but still not the best conditions. The best way to describe this evening is raw and cool.

So there you have it, an on-time start is predicted, so layer up and bring some rain gear just in case. To think, Mets fans enjoyed 90 degree weather during their team's home games last week. Hopefully the tides will turn later in the season, because this sucks. Read the full post, after the jump

UPDATED! More Bad Weather News: Yankees vs. Red Sox May 4, 2009 Likely To Be Postponed

Update (5/4 11:45 AM): Sadly, Steve has more bad news to report.

Basically no changes in the forecast. This is the dry slot trick I alluded to this morning that would give some a bit of false hope for the game tonight. All that rain over southwestern and central Pennsylvania is going to move right towards the Bronx this afternoon and evening.

and over at his website, NYNJPAWeather.com, he provides us with some detail:

However, the upper disturbance associated with the rain this morning is moving directly towards the forecast area. The lifting ahead of the upper disturbance is spawning scattered showers within the “dry slot” this hour. However, as the day progresses into the evening hours, the steady rain over southwestern and central Pennsylvania will move over the Philadelphia and New York City metros. The heaviest rain is likely to occur between 5 PM and 9 PM as the upper low moves through. Clearing conditions can be expected after 10 PM as this upper disturbance exits.

You can read the original bad news along with our feelings about the inevitable "retractable roof" talk, if you

Well, this is now two mornings in a row that we have woken up to a sobering weather update from our friend Steve over at NYNJPAWeather.com. Apparently, heavy rain is once again forecast to affect the Yankees game:

Here is the latest update!

Don't be fooled by a brief break in the afternoon over the Bronx as rain will return quickly this evening, which will continue into tomorrow morning. The heaviest rainfall will remain south of the Bronx, but still will likely lead to another postponement if not a lengthy delay. Winds will be from the northeast around 5 to 15 mph.. Temperatures at game time will range from 51 to 54 degrees.

Drier conditions are expected for tomorrow evening's game. In fact, if it was really necessary, a double header starting in the afternoon would be possible as far as weather conditions at least. Partly cloudy to overcast skies are expected with winds from the east around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures at official game time would range from 53 to 56 degrees.

Have a great day!

We haven't even thought about potential makeup dates yet, but since this game is against Boston, there will be plenty of opportunities.

With the cost of the new stadium anywhere between $1.2 and $1.7 billion, we can expect the "why was there no retractable roof built on the new place" critics to rear their ugly heads. The answer is that during most summers in New York City, there would not be enough rain to make the investment in a retractable roof worth the investment. So far this season, the Yankees are just extremely unlucky with weather. Lets hope it doesn't affect the team's play on the field in August/September when they have to make these games up!
Read the full post, after the jump

UPDATED: Yankees vs. Angels Postponed Sunday May 3, 2009 No Makeup Date Scheduled

Update (3:55 PM): Just getting to this now, because we were actually at the game. Obviously, it was postponed. No official makeup date has been announced, but here is the official word from the Yankees:

TODAY'S YANKEES-ANGELS GAME AT YANKEE STADIUM POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER; RESCHEDULED DATE YET TO BE DETERMINED

The New York Yankees announced that today's game between the Yankees and Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather. A date for the rescheduled game is yet to be determined.

Fans holding paid tickets for the May 3 postponed game may use them for the rescheduled game between the Yankees and Angels or exchange their paid tickets for any regular season game at Yankee Stadium within 12 months of the postponed game (subject to availability).

Tickets can be exchanged at Yankee Stadium Advance Ticket Windows only (open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and until two (2) hours after the scheduled start time of any regularly scheduled home game).

Complimentary tickets (COMP) or equivalent tickets bear no cash value and cannot be exchanged or redeemed for any benefits that may be offered to ticket(s) with a dollar value.

Now, lets just hope tomorrow night's game against Boston can be played! Unfortunately, more rain is in the forecast. Steve from NYNJPAWeather.com is now 2 for 2 in game day predictions of postponements. Be sure to check out his website for all of your weather needs. You can check out the original prediction if you

We were going to keep updating the previous weather post, but with this news, it was worth a new post.

In what is sure to cause a scheduling conundrum, it looks as though the Yankees and Angels are going to be washed out today due to steady rain in the forecast. Lets get the latest from Steve DiMartino of NYNJPAWeather.com:

A rainy day is expected in the Bronx with periods of rain through the afternoon and into the evening hours. Winds will veer from the southeast to northeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will rise slightly from this morning with game time temperatures between 59 and 63. Certainly not the best conditions for baseball. At the very least there should be a lengthy delay with logic dictating a postponement

The only logical day for a makeup game if today's game is rained out would be on September 14 in New York. Both teams are off that day, and the Angels would be heading from Anaheim to Boston anyway. Sure, it is not the ideal situation, but it is the only time that makes sense, especially since the 14th is scheduled to be the Yankees second off day in a five day stretch.

This is the Angels' one and only trip to the Bronx this year, and the Yankees won't want to give up a home game at their new stadium to play the game in Anaheim during one of their two trips out there. One of the Yankees' trips to Anaheim falls right before the All-Star Game, so the teams would have to play a makeup game out in Anaheim on the day of the home run derby, since neither team has an off day before the series. The off day after the Yankees/Angels series in September has the Yankees traveling to Boston, and the Angels staying home to face the A's, so it is unlikely they would fly back to NY that day to play the game. Theoretically the teams could play the Yankees' home game in Anaheim on that day, but then the Yankees would not have a travel day before heading to Boston and also would lose the home game.

There isn't much more of a nightmare scenario for a home team than games getting rained out during an opponent's one and only trip to the stadum. The Yankees were lucky when the Angels' fellow West Coast team the A's had a rainout in the Bronx a couple of weeks ago because the A's make another trip to the stadium this year. It seems like the Yankees make two trips to Anaheim every year, so the luck ran out with this potential rainout.

Once again, we'd like to curse the baseball Gods for giving the Mets 90 degrees and sunny for their second home stand, and the Yankees the threat of rain every single day. Hopefully the Yankees won't have any more postponements against the Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays, although those would be easier to make up.

Keep an eye on the official Yankees.com update page, and expect lengthy delays, as the Yankees will do all they can to try to squeeze this one in. The radars do not paint a pretty picture:

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

Special Gameday Weather Report By Steve DiMartino From NYNJPAWeather.com

Instead of hearing me ramble on and on about atmospheric conditions that I don't quite understand, I have wrangled one of the best independent meteorologists in the Tri-State area to formulate a forecast for New Stadium Insider with the baseball games specifically in mind. I have mentioned Steve DiMartino from the great weather blog NYNJPAWeather.com in the past.

As Steve says in the bio on his site, his website is "all about his passion for weather." Much like we all love following every move the Yankees make, Steve loves to follow the weather. That being said, Steve is also an expert in his field. He spent "6 years forecasting for private weather companies and loved almost every minute of it." Without further ado, here is Steve DiMartino's gameday forecast, found only here at New Stadium Insider:

Of all the days to open the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, at least for exhibition of the major league teams, today is probably the worst day to do so.

A steady, light to moderate rain can be expected through the afternoon as a warm front approaches New York City. The good news is that the cold front should clear New York City by around 6 to 7 PM and put an end to the steady rainfall. Overcast, damp, and drizzly conditions can be expect through at least 8 PM before drier air works in.

Temperatures this evening will range from the 48 to 54 degrees through the evening hours with a wind backing from the east to west around 5 to 15 mph and increasing to 10 to 20 mph as the evening wears on. Field conditions will not be optimal for playing conditions, but we will all get an idea of how well the drainage systems are with these ball parks. Overall, if you are going out to these games, bring a poncho or rain coast, an extra sweat shirt, and plenty of money while you wait out a delay at the concession stands.

So there you have it. Looks like it will be a cool and damp evening - much like many nights we have spent at ballparks in early April. I'd like to thank Steve for doing writing this specifically for New Stadium Insider. If you are an interested in the weather, or just want to know what to wear on a certain day, please cut through the hype and go directly to Steve's site. I have been following his forecasts for the past 6 months and they are much more accurate than most of the TV meteorologists. Read the full post, after the jump

I Wanna Know, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

That is anything but a pretty picture. Will the Yankees/Cubs and Mets/Redsox games be rained out later tonight? Only the weather gods know for sure. The word is that the heaviest precipitation will be in the early afternoon, and all that will be left around game time is drizzle and the potential for thunderstorms.

We'll update later on with any weather cancellations that we hear about. To be honest, we'd be happy with another open house like workout day today. Nobody really cares about exhibition baseball, but people do care about checking out the new Stadium. Now, we play the waiting game. Read the full post, after the jump

Quick Weather Update For Those Heading Off To Citi Field For St. Johns vs. Georgetown

Taking a look at the radar, it looks as though the heavy rain has already pushed through the Tri-State area. There is another batch of precipitation near the Great Lakes that will head in later today, but for the most part the area should be dry during the late morning and early afternoon. There may be some lingering drizzle, but the Gates to Citi Field should open at their scheduled time of 10:40 AM. As Steve over at NYNJPAWeather.com points out, there is the potential for some embedded Thunderstorms this afternoon, so Citi Field may even get people lingering around the new park even longer if there is a rain delay:

While rain is racing through the forecast area via the warm front, the significantly heavy steady rainfall ahead of the cold front will not materialize due to the lack of moisture which is bottled up over the Southeast coast. This also means the atmosphere is more stable and lacking the “high octane” moisture which would have made strong to severe thunderstorms possible over the southern Philadelphia metro and central/southern New Jersey. So what can we expect for today?

Well, showers and thunderstorms will impact the forecast area as the cold front moves through the region this afternoon, generally around 12 PM to 4 PM from west to east. The thunderstorms will be capable of heavy downpours, isolated lightning, and strong wind gusts up to 40 mph

So, it may be a long day at the new ball park in Flushing.

Speaking of Citi Field, their A-Z Guide takes a completely different tone than the Yankees does about batting practice:

Fans are welcome to arrive to Citi Field early to watch players take batting practice. Fans can enter the Left Field Gate 2 ½ hours prior to the scheduled game time. Please note that batting practice does not take place prior to every game. If batting practice is in fact scheduled to take place the following is a pre-game timeline:

Gate entry times for batting practice at Citi Field.

	1:10 p.m. game	4:10 p.m. game	7:10 p.m. game
Mets BP	10:40 a.m.	1:40 p.m.	4:40 p.m.
Visitor BP	11:30 a.m.	2:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.

We hate to pile on the Yankees, especially as Yankee fans, but we can't help but wonder if going to baseball games at Citi Field is going to be a much more pleasant experience than doing so in the Bronx. Today, Stadium Insider will get a first look at Citi Field and we'll report back later. Read the full post, after the jump

Will Weather Be A Factor For The Opening Of New York's New Stadiums?

UPDATE (3/28 9:51 PM): Steve over at NYNJPAWeather.com paints an ugly picture of the weather for the next 12 hours:

Meanwhile, locations to the north of the warm front will have very heavy rain. The process of lifting the low level jet stream, which will supply the forecast area with plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic, along with significant lifting via upper level dynamics will support wide spread heavy rainfall over the northern Philadelphia metro and almost all of the New York City metro. Small river and urban flooding will be an issue in these areas and caution will need to be taken when driving tomorrow morning.

So while cloudy to partly cloudy skies can be expected through the rest of the day, a very active period of weather can be expected late tonight through early tomorrow morning with the potential for flooding, severe thunderstorms, wind damage, and even an isolated tornado.

Luckily, he is still referring to the active weather as "through early tomorrow morning." That means it still could be over before the first event at Citi Field is set to occur.

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Anyone who has read this blog for the past two years knows that we have a strange interest in the weather. Weather isn't anything we can control. but it is extremely interesting to watch weather patterns unfold and see how they affect people.

Unfortunately for fans holding tickets to the first exhibition games at Citi Field on Sunday and Yankee Stadium on Friday, the weather seems to have some interesting things in store for us this week. For analysis of this evolving weather pattern, we will defer to Steve DiMartino, the talented independent meteorologist in charge of NYNJPAWeather.com. Lets first see what Steve has to say about how the weather will affect the first game at Citi Field on Sunday March 29, featuring the college teams of St. Johns and Georgetown:

Obviously, this should all lead to some impressive rainfall by Sunday morning. Combine these factors with the evolution of an occluded front (discussed last night in this post), and the set up is prime to produce heavy rainfall over the forecast area with the potential for some minor small stream and urban flooding. Rainfall amounts of an inch to two inches will be possible by Sunday afternoon as the cold front clears the forecast area. The heaviest rainfall is expected tomorrow morning between the hours of 4 AM and 11 AM as the cold front enhances the lifting over the entire region which will be seen as an elevated line of heavy showers and thunderstorms. Wind damage may be an isolated threat with these storms.

While that certainly is not good news for people planning to arrive early at Citi Field when gates open, it does give some hope that the game will actually be played. That being said, most people probably don't even care about the game on the field - they just want to roam around the new ballpark. One thing to keep an eye on is whether or not the Mets protect their new field and call the game early. They probably don't want college kids running around, tearing up their brand new field, if they can at all avoid it. If you are like us and plan on checking out the new park tomorrow morning, be sure to check Mets.com for any cancelation information before heading out.

For the majority of our readers who don't care about the Mets or their fancy new ballpark, we also have some early news about how the weather will affect the first events at the new Yankee Stadium. We recognize that the first real event at Yankee Stadium is the workout day on Thursday, April 2. That being said, the open workout is during a workday and most of the tickets were unattainable to the public. Therefore we will focus mainly on the early indications for the weather next Friday, April 3. For the record, Thursday's weather looks like it will be sunny with seasonable temperatures. Now, lets see what Steve DiMartino has to say about the weather for the first exhibition game - Yankees vs. Cubs on Friday, April 3:

The pattern that is going to unfold through this weekend is a typical spring time pattern as the trough that has been positioned over the East the past few months continues to retrograde to the West.

Another disturbance will move through on Friday with scattered showers and a period of steady rain, but will also move quickly through the forecast area.

It is important not to get too worked up about weather more than five days out. As Steve points out at the top of his website "Focus on 5 days at a time and you won't go nuts." Everyone should recognize that this time of year is the rainy season in the Northeast, and weather is likely to affect many of the events scheduled at the new stadiums in New York City.

Just keep an eye on reputable Tri-State weather sources such as Steve's afformentioned site, and the National Weather Service forecasts (found at great websites such as wunderground.com). If possible, avoid Accu-Weather and The Weather Channel as their model is dependent upon making money and not on giving the most accurate weather forecasts. Read the full post, after the jump

Questioning the "guaranteed gate" and weather dilemma during Spring Training

Yankee beat reports Bryan Hoch and Peter Abraham have both mentioned the bad weather that is being forecast for Sarasota today, the home of the Reds' Spring Training facility and the site of today's exhibition game between the Yankees and the Reds. Hoch goes a step further and pointed out how unpleasant of a day it will likely be at the ballpark since the Reds won't want to give up the "guaranteed gate" that the Yankees coming to town provide, and will wait out whatever bad weather occurs so they can collect their money.

Since I have always displayed an interest in weather's effects on the Yankees (all you have to do is look at some of the really old posts on NYYStadiumInsider.com), lets take a look at today's forecast and current radar for Sarasota, FL.

Rest of Today Mostly cloudy with numerous showers the rest of this morning. Slight chance of showers early in the afternoon. Then clearing in the mid to late afternoon. Breezy...cooler. Highs in the mid 60s. West winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent. » ZIP Code Detail

[RADAR IMAGE USED TO BE HERE]
courtesy of Wunderground.com

That forecast doesn't look pleasant, and there is definitely a squall line of storms in the Gulf of Mexico, set to hit the Sarasota area in the next 1-2 hours. After that line of storms goes through, they should be in the clear, barring any further convective development from the Gulf.

Lets just assume for a second that the weather is going to be unpleasant, like Hoch and Abraham have outlined in their pre-game blog posts. These are absolutely meaningless Spring Training games at the beginning of March. Games haven't even been going on for a week, leaving players more succeptible to strained/pulled muscles and other injuries. It is unbelievable to me that Major League Baseball allows individual clubs to make weather-based decisions for Spring Training games for financial reasons.

It is all too clear to me that baseball is a major business and the Yankees are the biggest draw in the sport. However, part of a business is protecting your most valuable assets. Sitting around waiting out a rain delay on March 1 is only putting stars like Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto at risk of nagging injuries. Sure, it would be nice to fill up Ed Smith Stadium to its capacity of 7,500 on a Sunday in March, but isn't it more important to MLB for the Yankees to fill up Yankee Stadium and the Reds to fill up The Great American Ballpark this summer?

The weather may clear up, causing all of the above to be a non-issue, but the fact remains that the Yankees will probably be subjected to waiting out unpleasant weather many more times this season - likely more so than any other team. One wonders if this is just an unwritten part of the revenue sharing deal and something the Yankees have to accept as the financiers of baseball.


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

Have tickets to Subway Series 2008 Game 1 tonight? Bring your rain boots

Update (7:22 PM) - Game has been postponed due to rain. No word on makeup, but I assume it will be a day night double-header this weekend.

UPDATE (5:16 PM) - The Yankees have created a section of their website dedicated to keeping track of the weather. Check it out!. The rain continues to quickly move Northeast, leaving damp, drizzly, COLD conditions behind. Have fun in the rain tonight, folks!

UPDATE (3:24 PM) - The rain has become more spotty in nature, but it is still very unpleasant out there (and wet) and will be for the remainder of the evening. I still think it is going to clear out a bit earlier than the published forecasts indicate, but I have a bad feeling the powers that be will make the decision based on those published forecasts and will cancel the game. We'll have to wait and see, but it doesn't look like it will be a pleasant experience tonight.


Radar as of 3:30 PM on Friday afternoon


Radar as of 10:30 AM on Friday morning

Bad news for folks holding tickets to the Yankees vs. Mets game on 5/16/08 at 7:05 PM. Today is going to be the definition of a rainy day.

The National Weather Service says:

Rain shield will advance to the NE during the morning and should be categorical everywhere by noon. Rain will taper off from west to east after midnight probably come to an end across eastern sections late tonight. Plenty of cloud cover will also remain through the night.

The only hope for New York baseball fans is that the precipitation moves through faster than expected and the game can begin after some sort of delay. Otherwise, we are most likely looking at a double-header on Saturday or Sunday (weather permitting on THOSE days).

This has been an awful season thus far weather-wise for Yankee fans (and Mets fans). Lets hope it improves this summer!

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

UPDATE: There may be baseball in the Bronx tonight after all!

UPDATE (4/4 - 4:40 PM) - It appears that the more organized batch of rain that was supposed to move in this evening has dissipated. What we are left with is spotty showers/ drizzle activity. This sort of rain will not cancel the game, so expect the game to be played. What you shouldn't expect is to enjoy the experience as it is sure to be damp and fairly cool.

Everyone is going to get their hopes up with a 2-3 hour break in the steady rain that is about to occur, but the rain will be back tonight, and with a vengeance. The rain will even linger throughout the day tomorrow (Saturday) and may threaten that game as well.

rainfall amounts from a series of waves riding along a frontal
boundary across the region will range between a half and one inch of
rain through Saturday night. There may be a few isolated locations
that receive just over an inch. Due to the long duration of this
rainfall we are not expecting any river or stream flooding. We could
however see some ponding of water on roadways in the usual poor
drainage and low lying areas. Otherwise...dry weather returns Sunday
with just slight chances for Monday.

This time of year features more rained out games than any other time of the year and it is frustrating for everyone. It isn't only a headache for the fans who are stuck in limbo, but I would assume the players as well. These will go down in the books as "off days" but they have to follow their pre-game routine as if the game is going to be played. Apparently retractable roof stadiums aren't worth it when factoring in the average number of rained out games per season, but the month of April really makes you long for one.

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

They'll probably squeeze this one in, but it won't be pleasant!

UPDATE (12:11 PM) - Right now it is raining lightly at the stadium - more of a mist than a steady rain, but uncomfortable to say the least. This should be the case for most of the day. If you check out the radar (via weather.com instead of the usual Wunderground), you will see that the bulk of the heaviest precipitation is going to miss the area to the North, which is good news for baseball in the Bronx. As always, it will be up to the grounds crew, but I really think they are going to squeeze this one in. If it were my call, I would have postponed the game last night and would have had everyone reconvene on Tuesday when temperatures are supposed to be in the 60's. But I'm not on the Yankee Stadium grounds crew am I?

Well folks, since it isn't raining yet and it is 8 AM, the idea of an early cancellation by the Yankees is pretty much out of the picture. The forecast still hasn't improved much, but since the rain isn't going to really roll in until later, the game will probably be started and I would assume finished. Click on the radar on the right hand side of the page for a live look at the precipitation in the area.

The comfort level for this game is going to be about as low as it can be for a Yankee game. Wear layers and try to bring something water resistant for the top layer. Obvious stuff, but if you paid a bunch of money for tickets to the final opening day in the current Yankee Stadium you are going to want to be able to at least somewhat enjoy the game.

Tuesday still looks to be warmer, but the forecast has gotten rainier for Tuesday as well. Luckily, later in the week things clear out, so this first game should be the only one with weather concerns.

Enjoy the game, people - I'll be at work watching it on a 3 inch cell phone screen.

and of course I'll be...


ANTI RAIN DANCE!


HYAAAH HYOOOAH HYAAAH HYOOOA!

Talking about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

What to look for in '08 and breaking down the schedule - April - June (Part 1 of 2)

Yankees 2008 Schedule

Some random things to look out for in 2008:

Jeter starting his decline?

The knee injury really sapped him at the end of last season. Lets hope he works out hard this offseason (banging Jessica Alba type chicks doesn't count Derek) and can continue at the peak of his game for a couple of more seasons

Jorge regressing to the mean?

Lets face it, his BABIP has been astronomically high the past couple of season (.389 in '07, while his career BABIP is .320). The good luck is bound to wear off sometime, right? The age is going to have to show eventually right? Lets hope not!

Will Mariano earn his keep?

I think we can ALL agree that Mariano's 3 year 45 million dollar deal was a bit absurd. The Yankee bullpen will be more reliant than EVER on a dominant Mo, so he better be ready to pitch like he is 28 instead of 38.

When will we hear the first boos for A-Rod since he became the 300 million dollar man?

I say April 2nd in the second game of the season when he strikes out in the bottom of the 8th with the Yankees down by a run and the tying run on second. Did I mention he hit a walk-off game-winning HR in the first game of the season?

Will Joba make a smooth transition to the rotation? Will innings pitched restrictions limit his impact on the team?

We all know he was unstoppable as the 8th inning bridge to Mo (except for when midges are present). In the minors his stuff was lethal even late in games and he had four nasty pitches. Will he retain the stamina and the stuff in the bigs? Cashman has already confirmed that there will be Joba rules II this year. We'll just have to see what effect they have on the team over the course of the season.

Will the Joe Torre haters be correct in their thinking that Torre was sapping the life out of the bullpen and will Girardi have the magic touch?

I can't pretend to know the answer to that question, but his early insistence that he will unlock the potential in Kyle Farnsworthless has me a bit concerned

This can go on all day, but one final thing to look out for this season - will we see a comeback from Bernaby Williams?

The late 90's nostalists out there are already starting the We Want Bernie, clap clap clap clap clap chants. I leave you with this picture recently posted on Peter Abraham's blog of a public appearance that Bernie was at:


Now, let me ask you, is that Bernie Williams standing next to Chi Chi Rodriguez or is it the new Yankee Stadium? Damn, Bernie has really let himself go. I think that about quells and rumors of Bernie ever stepping into the batters box again!

On to the schedule breakdown:

March -

1 @ home vs. Blue Jays

Ross Says: Interesting that they are starting at home in March. Maybe Bernie will make that comeback after all and wear his ski mask again (bonus points if ANYONE can find a picture of the snowstorm at the stadium on April 9, 1996 where Pettitte pitched and Bernie wore the ski mask under the hat. I can't find it anywhere on the interwebs).

April

18 of 28 games on the road
EVERY game will be freezing cold temperatures except for maybe the final 2 games at home against Detroit
5 of the 19 season meetings with the Red Sox

Ross Says: April looks to be brutal - they get the Red Sox and Indians on the freezing cold road (the good news is that the midges don't like the cold so that hellhole Cleveland should be bearable as long as their isn't a blizzard). The only games that look to be comfortable for the Yankees or any fans are the 2 measly games in Tampa Bay the 2nd week of the season. two thirds of the games on the road. This is gonna be rough. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees get off to another "cold" start. The only good news is that they only have the one day off right after the home opener and then they play on 19 straight days. That should get them in their groove quicker.

May

16 of 28 games at home
6 home games vs. Seattle
The Mets come to the Stadium in the middle of the month

Ross Says: Also look out for Johan Santana's homecoming when the Yankees visit the Twins at the end of March. Phil has something to say about that: . The good news is that the Yankees play something like 9 or 10 games against Baltimore between April and May. That team has no hope, especially if the rumors about Bedard being traded are true. The Yanks should beat down on them.

June

KC, HOU, CIN, PIT - some bad teams on the schedule
random 3 game road trip to Oakland squeezed between KC and Houston
3 game home set against SD

Ross Says: The Yankees better not label SD coming to town as "premium games". That is about their most interesting interleague matchup outside of going to Houston. Maybe a juiceless Rocket will suit back up for the Astros and make things interesting?

Check back for part 2 breaking down the 2nd half of the schedule. Please leave any comments you may have under this post or at the NYY Stadium Insider Message Boards. Read the full post, after the jump