About Our Experience At The New Stadium This Weekend - Yankee Stadium Security Needs More Training

Nick and I ventured up to the new ballpark in the Bronx for both games this weekend. We'll just do this in bullets, in order to present the positives and negatives. There will be links to Friday night's videos from our Qik.com page throughout. Please click the links, as it will give you a much better idea of what we are writing about. We also have some photos up on Facebook, if you want to snoop around and see what we look like!

UPDATE (4/4 10:09 PM): Amazingly, Andrew from Scott Proctor's Arm managed to touch on many things that can be perceived as negative that I didn't even touch on below. Great job by Andrew. Check it out. Alex Belth over at Bronx Banter does what he does best and put the scene at the new stadium into better words than I ever could have.

Positives:

• Getting into the stadium is much easier than ever before. The lines are short and move fast. You scan your own ticket, and the voice of god, Bob Sheppard welcomes you to the stadium from a small speaker in the turnstile. Nice touch.

• The bleachers are the best bargain in the entire stadium. The views from the cheapest seats in the house are better than anywhere in the upper deck. We guarantee that those seats will see an increase from their $12 price come 2010.

• The Yankees Museum is amazing. It is like a mini Cooperstown and I can see going back multiple times because of all of the baseballs with Yankee players signatures on it. When you can find a ball with Wade Taylor's signature on it, the place has succeeded. It is a small space, but the Yankees have managed to encapsulate the entire history of their franchise in a representative manner. It is much more interesting than monument park.

• The Food Choices are better dispersed throughout the entire stadium than at Citi Field. There are the main "hubs" for places like Carl's Steaks on the lower level, but there are also smaller Carl's stands spread out through the other parts of the stadium (albeit with ridiculously long lines). It is the same with many of the other concessions stands. At Citi Field, if you want Shake Shack or Blue Smoke, you have to go to the main hub in center field.

• Speaking of food choices, the Hard Rock Cafe is small, but offers a very fun atmosphere. The prices are similar to any other theme restaurant, so it is actually a good value considering that you can sit down and escape the elements on a cold or hot day. Interestingly enough, you can enter the restaurant from the street, but also enter from the stadium. Therefore, the general public is mingling with the ticket holders. The entrance back to the stadium is guarded by multiple security guards who check if you have a ticket - but don't scan it, or check the date on it. We will let you draw your own conclusions on that.

• The views from the main level (200's section) are amazing. Even walking around behind the sections, where we assume standing room only tickets will be, there are great views of the field. This is definitely the best value after the $12 bleacher seats, in terms of cost and view of the actual game. Yes, the most expensive seats in the main level are a pretty unaffordable $95, but there are also $60 seats in the outfield area of the 200's level.

• Spicy tuna rolls for $9.75. The helping was generous and they were actually good. Healthier alternative to many of the other concessions, and affordable when considering the quality.

• More bathrooms, more space between urinals. 'Nuff said.

Negatives:

• The security guards employed at the new stadium are intent on taking all of the fun out of the entire experience. We are aware that these security guards are probably paid little above minimum wage, and are probably poorly trained. However, from the moment we walked into the stadium and rode the elevator upstairs, we were told by a deceivingly friendly security guard that we were not allowed to take video in the stadium - yea right. From there, we experienced a rigid security guard standing post at each and every entrance to the seats in the entire stadium. If you don't have a ticket for a section, don't even think about trying to sit there. As for viewing batting practice and player warm ups from close to the field, forget about that as well. The Yankees are apparently following the rules set forth in the A-Z Guide, contrary to our reports this week, and are not letting people anywhere close to the field before the game. They were also very confrontational, looking for an argument, and possibly an opportunity to utilize their power to eject. Do not try to question them on why they do things, because they will jump down your throat. The Yankees BADLY need to train these guards in how to communicate with other human beings before things get ugly. Utterly disappointing.

• Views from the entire Grandstand are terrible. Moving things back by 30 feet has made all of the difference in the world. The Grandstand evokes memories of Shea Stadium - don't count on a baseball, fair or foul, ever reaching there. This may be a positive for some who are scared of getting hit with a foul ball, but it also really removes you from the action. The seats in the outfield sections are far, far away. I would trade those $20 tickets for $12 tickets in the bleachers STRAIGHT UP - no questions asked. Any takers?

• The entire place has an industrial feel. Beyond the unfriendly security guards, the structure itself does not make you feel welcome. There is something very cold, and gray about it. In this regard, it is the complete opposite of Citi Field

• The flow in the concourses is easily slowed, and is at times impassable. The improved concourse size makes a difference on the field level, but on every other level the concession stands are built in a way that their lines block the entire walkway. We recognize that this was the first game and people were likely wandering around in sections they usually wouldn't be in. However, we just don't see how the Yankees can justify any standing room only in many of the sections of the stadium without first re-thinking the concession lines and working on getting people moving through the stadium. At times, we felt like we were in the concourses of the old Yankee Stadium, being bumped into from all angles

• Obstructed view seats are easy to find throughout the 1.6 billion dollar structure. Much has been said about the obstructed seats in the bleachers, and the poor attempt at supplementing the view with HDTVs. The Yankees also did not remove the seats that are obstructed by support beams in the 200's section. Finally, many seats in the Granstand are obstructed similarly to the upper promenade obstruction at Citi Field. Take a look at our video from section 428, Row 4, Seat 1 from Friday night:
  
  Luckily, our season seats in 428, row 10 are not obstructed. However, they are miles away.

• Friend of the blog and creator of the great baseball blog WalkoffWalk, Rob Iracane, wrote us an email, complaining about the lack of cellular service in the new stadium. He mentioned AT&T and Sprint being dysfunctional. We did notice that our live stream on Friday night was not as smooth as at Citi Field last weekend, which was disappointing. Rob points out that the Yankees had promised improved cellular network capacity at the new Yankee Stadium, but this does not seem to be the case. Also, public wi-fi is non-existent. The Yankees had mentioned wi-fi in many of the new tech announcements, but is not available yet. A systems engineer for the Yankees tells us that public wi-fi is not available yet, but eventually will be offered. Interestingly, we were able to pick up free wi-fi in the Hard Rock Cafe.

• Overpriced concessions were to be expected, but a 16 oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon for $9, and 3 chicken fingers and 22 fries for $10.50 are ridiculous. We know that the $3 hot dog at the Kids Cafe exists, but we couldn't find it for the life of us. Speaking of what we couldn't find, the butchers were cutting the Lobel's beef behind a glass window, but the cart to purchase fresh steak sandwiches was nowhere to be found.

• We had a hot dog on Friday night and the bun was stale. We had a pretzel on Saturday and it was stale. Total cost for stale food items? Over $10. This should not be acceptable, and there should be some recourse when fans are offered overpriced, stale food. Especially on the first and second days of a ballpark's existence.

• While security guards were busy doing their best KGB impression, angrily blocking off every section (even the $12 bleacher seats), many less traveled areas of the stadium were left completely unsecured. We found many nooks and crannies in random parts of the stadium that had no security and thus encouraged illicit activity. Many of these spots also featured open-air to the outside of the stadium, so people took the opportunity to smoke cigarettes. If they wanted to, they could have been smoking a sticky, green substance, or shooting heroin. Ok, perhaps that is a bit extreme, but the Yankees have some work to do in appropriately deploying their army of security.
  

• As we walked around the stadium, these unsecured zones got more and more "rapey". We really did get concerned for our safety in certain weird corners of the stadium. Our scariest moment came when we were trying to leave the stadium from the field level. Right after the Lobel's butcher window, there was a closed set of doors that had a large exit sign above them. There was no security guard blocking these doors, there was no sign on the door that prohibited anyone from going through them, and they were unlocked. We exited through the doors, along with about 5-7 other people, and that is when the nightmare began. We somehow found ourselves at the loading dock, near the players buses. Of course, the security in that area was not happy to see us. We asked them to direct us to the nearest exit of the stadium and they simply berated us, telling us that we were not allowed in the area. We tried to go back from where we came from, but we were locked in! It took 10 minutes of begging and convincing of the security guards/ policeman in the loading dock area to let us back out into the main part of the stadium. They refused to believe that we entered that area by legitimate means - even though there was 10 of us stuck in there like rats in a maze. Eventually someone came with a key and let us back out. It is very unfortunate that our phone battery was dead by the time this incident occurred preventing us from having video proof of the fiasco. On Saturday, this door was being guarded, so hopefully the Yankees have learned from this first day mistake.

• The Legends Premium Club on the lower level was built in poor taste. It features floor to ceiling glass windows, so the patrons are in a fishbowl. It is like that from outside of the stadium on the street as well. The Yankees are clearly trying to get everyone to see the exclusive restaurants/clubs and get overwhelmed by feelings of envy, thus paying whatever ridiculous fee that it will take to get in there. Not working on us - it just comes off elitist, furthering the "Titanic" feel of the entire stadium. At Citi Field, the Caesar's club on the exelcior level and the indoor concessions on the promenade level have the same exclusive feel to them, but everyone with a ticket to the stadium is allowed in. [UPDATE: We have received word that the Caesar's club is only for "Ebbets and Caesars Club seat holders and Sterling Suite holders"].
  

• On Friday night, the water in the bathrooms was ice cold, on Saturday, it was luke warm. The trend is our friend, but for now, score another one for Citi Field, which featured warm water.
  

The new stadium is quite an impressive sight, but we spent much of our weekend longing for the days of the old Yankee Stadium. Unlike Citi Field, the new Yankee Stadium is a no fun zone. Perhaps it is the attitude that the Yankee management instills upon all of their employees from top to bottom, but anyone wearing a security jacket except for one friendly security lady in section 320A was downright rude. Also, the NYPD presence in the seating areas was unnecessary and they were also very rude. In the past, if a baseball fan was unhappy with their experience at Yankee Stadium, the alternative was to go and see a game at Shea Stadium. With the beautiful and fun Citi Field now in Flushing, the Yankees need to re-think their policies fast -before they lose the more casual fans to the Mets.

All of the mistreatment by security aside, we just wanted to have a good view of the field. Unfortunately our season tickets in section 428 of the Grandstand don't really offer that. While unobstructed, they are so far away that we really feel like we are removed from the action on the field. Reading through the archives of this blog (and its predecessor, NYYStadiumInsider.com), we realize that we were often critical of the lack of amenities at the old Yankee Stadium. Perhaps the grass is always greener on the other side, but at this point we would trade our surprisingly good sushi and Lobel's steak for the amazing views from the upper deck of the old Yankee Stadium in a heartbeat. Read the full post, after the jump

Rain or Shine - See What We See Tonight At Yankee Stadium - Qik.com Live Stream

Since it was such a SMASHING success last weekend at Citi Field, we have decided to bring back the Qik.com live stream. Yes, the quality is grainy and washed out. Yes, you have all seen the fancy stadium tours by the mainstream media. However, with our Qik.com live stream, you get the once in a lifetime experience of seeing what we see as we venture into the new Yankee Stadium for the first time .

Last weekend at Citi Field, our seat happened to be a terribly obstructed one. You never know what we'll come across tonight.

Since we won't be able to get to the stadium for batting practice this evening, we will have a more extensive Qik.com live stream on Saturday morning. Also, watching our live stream from Yankee Stadium is probably not what most people consider fun Friday night plans.

This will be our last post of the day barring an announcement of a rainout of the Yankees vs. Cubs game, or some other breaking news.



Barring poor 3G reception or technical difficulties, the above video will stream LIVE when I am recording. Keep New Stadium Insider up in a browser window and you will see what we see! It is that simple. Feel free to comment on this post, as we will be creating a new post for every live stream. Read the full post, after the jump

Obstructed View TVs In The Bleachers At The New Yankee Stadium And The Unfortunate Revelation That YMCA Will Be Back

Ever since Lonn Trost announced the obstructed view seats in the bleachers, he has also touted the large hi-def monitors that would replace the view of the opposite field, thus making the $5 price the best bargain in Yankee Stadium.

Well, Andrew over at Scott Proctor's Arm just got his NSI-on and uncovered some new obstructed views for the fans in the bleachers - obstructed views of the TV screens meant to make up for the obstructed views of the field

Wait. What? How about some photo evidence:





We really hate to constantly be critical of the Yankees, but did it really take a genius to figure out that the screens need to be tilted off of the wall a bit? Are we really expecting too much out of these people?

Kudos to Andrew at Scott Proctor's Arm for calling this out, and kudos to Greg at Sliding Into Home for aggregating the photos from 8 million different sources.

In some other NSI-natured Yankee Stadium reporting, Jay over at Fack Youk has a spoiler alert - YMCA will make its return tonight at the new Yankee Stadium. Jay rips Lonn Trost fairly well over there, so we will spare you the repetition. The good news is that the Cubs fans in attendance tonight should really enjoy it (if they have never seen that idiocy before). Jay has a great bit in his piece about the nostalgia aspect of this decision. It is worth a read, if you are like us and can't stand the Yankees and their fans constantly clinging to meaningless things from their past. 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

PBR Update: Yankees Marketing $9 Tall Boy as "Retro Beer"

Apparently, at New Stadium Insider, we are all beer, all the time.

Sometimes, a picture is worth more than 1,000 words (taken from inside of the new Yankee Stadium today):


That provides some confirmation after earlier speculation. The Pabst Blue Ribbon beers for $9 are the 24 oz. variety, and they are actually being marketed as "retro beer."

I mentioned that PBR spans across generations, but I really didn't foresee the Yankees marketing it as such. The sad thing is, the hipsters will totally buy into it. Read the full post, after the jump

Meet "The Truth About Ruth and More: Behind Yankees Myths, Legends, and Lore" Author Peter Handrinos Tonight At Borders In Manhattan

We were recently given the opportunity to read an advance copy of Peter Handrinos' The Truth About Ruth and More: Behind Yankees Myths, Legends, and Lore. We are still working on getting through the entire book, and plan on posting a full review in due time. Our early thoughts are that it is a great book for those Yankee fans who aren't afraid to think differently about things they thought they knew in regard to Yankee history. It reads like a compilation of in-depth blog posts strung together in book form. Some may see that as a positive, and some may think of it as a negative. For the blogging/"Moneyball" generation, this book is a must read.


That being said, the author, Peter Handrinos will be signing his new book tonight in New York City.

Details:
Borders Books at Park Avenue & 57th Street, midtown Manhattan
Thursday, April 2nd (TONIGHT)
The time: 7 pm

According to Peter, "after the event there will be a complimentary bar reception, so hopefully it’ll be a good night for fans of Yankee baseball and/or free drinks."

There you have it, baseball books and booze. What more can you ask for on a Thursday night? Read the full post, after the jump

Hal Steinbrenner: Perhaps Ticket Prices Are A Bit High

It seems like the Yankees have finally caught on - tickets in the "greatest seats in the world" are overpriced, according to Hal Steinbrenner. Sadly, this is not news to anyone except for the out of touch executives that run the ticket operation for the New York Yankees.

"I think if anybody in any business had known where this economy was going to go, they would have done things differently," Steinbrenner said Thursday. "Look, there's no doubt small amounts of our tickets might be overpriced.

Back when the prices were announced, people said they were expensive. Sales are slowed by the economy, but lets not fool ourselves into believing that the prices for the best seats were ever anything short of insane.

Then, we have this revelation from Hal:

"You know, we're continuing to look into that," he said. "But the bottom line is, the vast majority of them, it seems like they're right on because we've sold 35,000 full-season equivalents, and a lot of the tickets have, you know, sold quite well. And, well, despite what's out there all the time about the time ... there's thousands of very affordable seating. And, you know, the public is excited, as excited as we are, I think."

Suddenly, the Yankees have only sold 35,000 full-season equivalents. What started as 39,000 back in March 2008, was then amended to 36,000 by Lonn Trost last week, and is now at 35,000. The Yankees continue to prove that they were using scare tactics to convince fans to upgrade to season ticket plans that they didn't necessarily want, in turn becoming Yankee ticket brokers. Read the full post, after the jump

Official New Stadium Insider Statement On The Joba Chamberlain "Debate"

Friend of the blog, Jason from the awesome Yankee blog "Its About The Money" wrote in asking us the following question (obviously referencing this article by Wallace Matthews in Newsday a couple of days ago):

I think Wallace Matthews is nuts. Where do you stand on the "debate"?

Short, sweet, and to the point. We like that email, Jason.

Without further ado, here is the official New Stadium Insider policy on the future role of Joba Chamberlain:

Joba should be a starting pitcher until injuries prevent him from doing so. If he can stay healthy as a starting pitcher, he will contribute more in terms of runs prevented, and in turn, wins than he would as a reliever.

Everyone gets enamored by the 99 MPH fastball that Joba would provide as a closer, but at the end of the day, 6-7 innings of excellent pitching is way more valuable than 1 inning of electric, buzz-inducing relief pitching - no matter what the Wallace Matthews' of the world think.

Hopefully, we will never be dragged into that debate again! Read the full post, after the jump

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

One Last Chance To Speculate Over Leaked Yankee Stadium Photos - Pabst Blue Ribbon for $9?!

The days of gawking over leaked photos and video tours from inside of the new Yankee Stadium are just about over, as the new cathedral is set to open its gates for the first time at 11:00 AM. When those gates open, innocent fans with the intent to buy peanuts, may come across a lurking beast: the Pabst Blue Ribbon 24 oz. tall boy.

PBR is a timeless cheap beer that spans across generations. If you are currently in college and enjoy a PBR every now and again when seeking out a cheap brew, it is likely that your father did the same back in his day. Now, the Yankees have done the unthinkable and have brought Pabst Blue Ribbon to the house that big Stein built:



The photo above might as well be a who's who of crappy beers that one drinks when they want a quick buzz for cheap. We have no confirmation that the PBR priced at $9 in the photo above is a 24 oz. tall boy, but as frequent commenter BPALM notes "for a $9 PBR, it better be 40 oz." We highly doubt it is 40 oz. but it better be at least 24 oz.

If you are trying to get the most bang for your buck at the Stadium, you might as well grab a Nathan's hot dog from the Kids Cafe nearby:



$12 and 414 calories later, you have just nourished not only your body, but your soul. While the kiddies are waiting in line for their $6.50 kids meals (hey wait, that seems like a pretty good deal), you will be laughing your way to the bank. In the old stadium, $12 only went as far as a half hour line and a 24 oz. Fosters or Heineken. Now, the Yankees have rewarded you with the ultimate ballpark treat - a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a Nathans hot dog. The peanuts will have to wait until next time.

Please note, the authors of this blog have no idea if the PBR being offered is the 24 oz. size. If not, forget everything we just said and stay far, far away. Please check back this weekend as we plan on publishing an entire guide with the prices of most concessions at the new Yankee Stadium. Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday Yankee Stadium Stories From Around The Blogoverse

Since today is the day that George Steinbrenner's new palace in the South Bronx is finally unveiled, we thought we'd link to some of the most "Stadium Insider-esque" stories written by our fellow Yankee bloggers.

• Lisa over at Subway Squawkers is sad to hear that fans will no longer have the opportunity to line up outside of the player's entrance to the stadium and catch a glimpse of their heroes. This probably will be disappointing for some, but we were never fans of waiting around just to see those guys in their street clothes. They hardly ever signed autographs, and usually made a beeline for their cars to avoid raucous, barricade-crashing autograph hounds like you see in this video (scroll to the 1:40 mark).

• Greg at Sliding Into Home did what he does and uncovered all of the new Yankee Stadium videos. That one by Red Storm production is worth watching in HD. The wide field level concourse looks like a joy to walk around in. The view of the field is spectacular from the entire walkway. It finally makes sense why the Yankees were thinking about restricting access. As a fan, you can buy a $5 ticket in the bleachers and then just walk around the field level concourse the entire game and get a view as good as those paying hundreds of dollars. It should be noted that this is also the case at Citi Field in Flushing, but the Mets never even considered restricting access to the field level councourse. It really is a relief to see that the Yankees got things right and made it easier to wander around the building.

This post will be updated periodically today since more stories are sure to pop up throughout the day due to the workout. Please check back regularly. Read the full post, after the jump

Breaking: Metro-North Station at Yankee Stadium Set To Open May 23rd, 2009

Yankee fans not wishing to deal with the Ticketmaster of parking should be happy tonight. The MTA has announced that the Metro-North Station at Yankee Stadium will soon be open for business:

Officials announced Wednesday that the so-called Yankees-East 153rd Street station will open for business on May 23, and they hope they will entice fans to leave their cars at home.

"There'll be frequent service. It'll be fast," says Metro-North President Howard Permut. "You don't have to worry about any of the hassles or any of the concerns - 'There may be traffic, I have to leave a half-hour early.' You will get here when the train says you are getting here."

As we pointed out back in January, the Yankees are offering the service for only one more dollar than the regular fare to Grand Central Station. In other words, if you are traveling from Connecticut to Yankee Stadium, you will pay a dollar more to travel less distance. That being said, the convenience this will provide for Yankee fans living near the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines will be well worth the extra dollar.

The official announcement from the MTA can be found here. Read the full post, after the jump

Bob Sheppard Retires

Just days ago we found out that Bob Sheppard would not be able announce at Opening Day. Today, New York Times is reporting that Bob Sheppard has decided to retire.

Sheppard, 98, was public address announcer at Yankee Stadium from 1951-2007, until a bronchial infection forced him out of the booth for all of 2008. The atmosphere at the stadium will be different without the "voice of god", as Reggie Jackson put it. We wish Sheppard the best of health, as he climbs towards the century mark in age!

Below is a tribute to Bob Sheppard from 2000. A fine tribute to a fine man.

Read the full post, after the jump

What Happens If Friday's Exhibition Against The Cubs Is Rained Out?

Unfortunately, as is the case with most early Spring games in the Northeast, there is a chance that Friday's game will be affected by weather. As of now, the Yankee ticket office is not sharing their contingency plan, if one exists. When asked about the weather situation, our source in the ticket office replied "I hope it doesn't rain Friday, I'm not sure what the plan would be."

It is unlikely that the Yankees would schedule an exhibition double-header on Saturday, so refunds or credits to other games would have to be offered. That being said, how real is the threat of the game being canceled on Friday? Lets once again defer to Steve DiMartino from NYNJPAWeather.com:

The low level jet is expected to supply additional lifting and moisture transport at 850 and 950 MB by Friday afternoon as well. North of the warm front, expect scattered showers with a period of steady moderate rain in the afternoon. However, south of the warm front, a break in the precipitation is expected with the potential for even a break in the overcast. Should this happen, there is potential for temperatures to spike quickly above forecasted high temperatures. A line of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms will follow the cold front passage by the afternoon. The thunderstorms will be capable of heavy downpours, strong wind gusts, frequent lightning, small hail, and possibly even an isolated tornado. The upper level set up is very similar to last Sunday.

It will all depend on the timing of the steady rain, and then the thunderstorms. As of now, it looks like the batch of steady, game canceling rain will come through first, and we will be left with scattered thunderstorms in the evening. If we had to guess now, batting practice has a high chance of be canceled, but the game will occur - with the potential for the tarp making its new Yankee Stadium debut if some of those heavy thunderstorms come through. The good news is that weather looks great for the workout day on Thursday, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 60's.

Obviously, even two days out, plenty of things can change with the weather. Be sure to check in with Steve over at NYNJPAWeather.com and you can always come back here on Friday for the latest updates and the radar on the sidebar. Read the full post, after the jump