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News of the Day – 4/3/09

Today’s news is powered by . . . baseball fights!

  • LoHud provides video tours of the new ballparks in town.
  • Brett Gardner was a little befuddled by the new Stadium:

“I couldn’t figure out how to get into the Stadium this morning, they didn’t want to let me in, because I went into the wrong gate,” Brett Gardner said. . . .

“I couldn’t figure out how to get to the clubhouse, so I just said forget it and I walked down through the stands and into the dugout and found the clubhouse,” Gardner said.

  • YESblog has lots of cool photos from the day’s events.
  • Kevin Devaney of LoHud got player reactions to their new home, including:

Andy Pettitte: “I was out there last night and, the dimensions, it looks exactly like the old ball park. You just look from the dugout, it looks like it’s going to play big in left and there’s a short porch in right.

“Obviously you walk through the door and see this, the clubhouse. Just the facilities we have, how beautiful everything is and the lighting, it’s state-of-the-art. For me, I’m a big-time whirlpool guy. We have unbelievable facilities as far as swimming. It’s just unbelievable.”

“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.

“You know, we’re continuing to look into that. 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 … there’s thousands of very affordable seating. And, you know, the public is excited, as excited as we are, I think.”

[My take: Ummm . . . Hal? You may want to take a look at this next article.  You’ve basically built a moat within the Stadium.  Oh, and how are the TV camera going to avoid showing the empty $500-$2,500 seats in those oh-so-special between-the-bases sections?]

  • $72.97 . . . that’s the average ticket cost at the new Stadium, according to the 2009 Fan Cost Index (FCI):

The Yankees’ ascendance to the top of the FCI and ticket rankings breaks two long streaks by the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have had the most-expensive average ticket since 1996, and have topped the FCI charts since 2001. . . .

About 31 percent of the Yankees’ high-priced premium tickets sell for $135 or less, according to TMR research, with prices famously topping out at $2,500 for some front-row season tickets. . . .

The Yankees have overtaken Boston ($50.24, up 0.3 percent) and the Chicago Cubs ($47.75, up 10 percent) for the priciest average ticket.

  • Bill Madden predicts the Yanks will finish 90-72, behind both Tampa Bay (101-61) and Boston (94-68).

[My take: If the Rays win 101 games, without having called up David Price by May 1, I’ll eat my mousepad.]

  • No matter the work status of Bob Sheppard this season, Derek Jeter will continue to be “announced” by him.

  • The Yanks christened their new Hard Rock Cafe in quite the style:

Sports and music icons strolled down the blue carpet in the Great Hall, with Yankees legend Bernie Williams joined by rock legends Ace Frehley of Kiss, Scott Ian and Frank Bello of Anthrax, Anton Fig of The Late Show Band and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC.

In lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, the rock stars, Seminole tribe members and Yankees representatives, including Hal Steinbrenner, smashed 27 guitars, each one representing a championship the franchise has won, and an extra one for the title they seek this season.

“It’s amazing. It’s beautiful. I’m just thrilled that they invited me,” the Bronx-bred Frehley said of the stadium. “To help them open the Hard Rock Cafe, especially with the team I grew up with, is just great.”

“I see it as classy,” Yankees co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner said. “We did our best to bring all the tradition this great franchise has had the last century into this ballpark. At the same time, we made it as nice as we can for our fans. I think this building is very classy, it’s going to be here a long, long time, and I think we did a great job. I think everybody in the organization is proud of it.”

Visitors will quickly spot the manually operated auxiliary scoreboards in left and right-center field, made famous in images of Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect game. Monument Park remains intact and on display after moving across the street, now located behind the center-field fence. . . . .

“I have been through every nook and cranny, but I still have a hard time getting around,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s going to take a while, it’s such a big facility, even compared to across the street. I just don’t think there’s a bad view in this stadium.

“I love that there’s seats that amaze me near the bleachers. You’re basically right out over the bullpens. Those seats are tremendous — it’s incredible to see the whole stadium with the frieze and all. That’s my favorite. Every time I do a tour, I make sure to go out there.”

Poll Time!

[poll id=”26″]

  • Justin Christian, speedy outfield sub during the ’08 season, turns 29 today.
  • Happy 80th birthday to Art Ditmar.  Ditmar went 47-32 with a 3.24 ERA over four-plus seasons with the Yanks (’57-’61), including finishing 4th in the AL in ERA in 1959 and 3rd in 1960.
  • On this date in 1919, one of the most bizarre off-the-field incidents history takes place in Jacksonville, Florida. Yankees outfielder Ping Bodie competes against an ostrich named “Percy” in a spaghetti-eating contest:

After the eleventh plate Percy could barely make it to the platter. Percy’s eyes were bloodshot and his sides were swollen. Percy appeared about to explode. Grown men and women departed from the spectacle. They felt sorry for the stuffed bird. Percy looked at the twelfth plate and swooned to his knees. Ping, sensing victory, grabbed his plate of spaghetti and downed it. The ostrich never recovered, and Ping was the winner. The official verdict was a technical knockout when Percy couldn’t answer the bell for the twelfth plate.

  • On this date in 1984, Yul Brynner tosses out the first ball and Kansas City opens with a 4 – 2 win over the Yankees. The threat of snow holds the crowd to just 10,006. Starter Bud Black, with relief help from Dan Quisenberry, tops Ron Guidry, still winless in Openers. Onix Concepción hits Guidry’s first pitch of the game for a home run, while Dave Winfield has a two-run homer for the Yankees.

[My take: Yul Brynner?  (blink . . .  blink) Yul Brynner?]

  • On this date in 2003, at 27 years, 249 days of age, Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in major league history to hit 300 home runs. The Texas Rangers shortstop’s fifth inning three-run blast surpasses Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx’s mark who had accomplished the feat at 27 years, 328 days of age.
  • On this date in 2005, in his first outing for the Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York opens the season with a 9 – 2 triumph over the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

Categories:  Diane Firstman  News of the Day

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14 comments

1 monkeypants   ~  Apr 3, 2009 8:42 am

[0] It will be objected, no doubt by William ; ), that average ticket price is misleading, since the Yankees' high end tix are so expensive--and that median ticket price would be a more accurate indicator of ticket cost.

Even so, I am not sure the new stadium ticket prices would look any more affordable. The Stadium holds ~52,000 spectators. There are around 5,000 bleacher and 15,000 grandstand and terrace seats (if I recall). That puts the median ticket price somewhere in the main level, where the lowest price is $55, the highest $125). The median price is likely to be the second cheapest main level price, $75 (for advanced sales).

In other words, media OR average price, the new stadium is not particularly affordable.

2 Mattpat11   ~  Apr 3, 2009 8:54 am

I put the Yankees in my four playoff teams. I'm not convinced, but I'm nothing if not optimistic.

3 RagingTartabull   ~  Apr 3, 2009 9:21 am

Yul Brynner...the '80's were indeed a dark time.

I'm not about to argue with Madden, because whats the point really? But if the Yankees won 89 games last year with serious playing time being given to Melky, MoPudge, Ponson, and Rasner...you mean to tell me Tex, Sabathia, Burnett, and (presumably) healthy Posada, Matsui, and Pettitte are worth exactly 1 more win?

4 Mattpat11   ~  Apr 3, 2009 9:25 am

I didn't read Madden's column, because, I don't really see the point either, but its not exactly a leap of faith to assume that Burnett Posada and Matsui will either be hurt or less effective next year.

5 RIYank   ~  Apr 3, 2009 10:02 am

[1] It's extremely unlikely that the median price is higher than the mean price, monkeypants. If indeed the mean is $72.97, the median couldn't be $75. (Because those really expensive tickets have huge leverage on the mean, but nothing similar on the median.)

6 Diane Firstman   ~  Apr 3, 2009 10:18 am

[1], [5]

Yes, as a math geek, I was going to mention something about looking at the median price. Glad you guys brought it up.

7 a.O   ~  Apr 3, 2009 10:19 am

Oh, baby! Best "powered by" ever!! Watching Pedro get punched in the face is enough to make my day any day!

8 Diane Firstman   ~  Apr 3, 2009 11:59 am

I just e-mailed the Executive Editor behind the FCI, requesting median ticket cost data. I'll let you know if he responds.

9 monkeypants   ~  Apr 3, 2009 12:17 pm

[5] I thought that too, but I believe that the fan cost index 9or whatever it's called) counts only "non-premium" seats (i.e., no luxury boxes), so presumably they also did not calculate the many, many sections that the Yankees designated as premium seating, including the $2500 seats. Also, we have to use the single game cost, not the season ticket cost, which bumps everything up (bleachers 12 -- >14).

m.

10 Diane Firstman   ~  Apr 3, 2009 1:12 pm

[9]

From the Team Marketing Report website
http://www.teammarketing.com/blog/index.html?article_id=69

"Average ticket price represents a weighted average of season ticket prices for general seating categories, determined by factoring the tickets in each price range as a percentage of the total number of seats in each venue. Premium seating (tickets that come with at least one added amenity or is classified by team as premium) are not included in the survey to calculate average ticket price. Luxury suites are also excluded from the survey. Season ticket pricing is used for any team that offers some or all tickets at lower prices for customers who buy season seats. "

11 Diane Firstman   ~  Apr 3, 2009 1:20 pm

Mets close to signing Sheffield ....
http://tinyurl.com/d8fhcw

Sure the Mets could use a corner outfielder with some pop, but that would have been Sheffield circa 2004!

12 Rich   ~  Apr 3, 2009 2:09 pm

Madden is a moron. I would be scared if he picked the Yankees.

13 Diane Firstman   ~  Apr 3, 2009 3:18 pm

Ichiro to DL with a bleeding ulcer ...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4039525

14 Rich   ~  Apr 3, 2009 9:55 pm

[13] H-Pylori

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