The ‘Stache formely known as the Giambino, speaks.
Meanwhile, over at It’s About the Money, Stupid, Jason Rosenberg has more unpleasantness about the new stadium:
A few weeks back, we went to a friends’ house for an afternoon. While watching the Masters with my friend (a Wall Streeter), we were discussing this and he made an interesting point. He said to me: “Jason, even if I had those great seats that cost $2500 a ticket, I can’t take a client there. It’s not worth the risk.” I asked him about what risk he was talking about and his answer surprised me as I hadn’t thought of that: “If someone recognizes me sitting behind the dugout and it comes out that I used my Firm’s resources for those seats, and we’ve taken TARP money from the government, I don’t want that sort of publicity or getting calls from The Post.” He’s not a famous guy at all, but there’s a fear that someone might see him and he’ll get “outted” for using Firm money to attend a game. He also told me that he’s not alone with this fear.
Methinks some bankers (just like a cross section of any profession) may have an overinflated opinion of themselves if they are in fear of being "recognized" in a 50K seat ballpark.
Then again, these also tend to be the types of people who spend the whole game yakking on their phones and looking around at anything but the game being played on the field, so maybe it is a valid concern...
Rosenberg's account is not surprising. In fact, Lon Trost mentioned this dynamic in a recent interview on WFAN. According to Trost, the biggest obstacle the team was encountering was not a lack of people willing and able to pay for the premium seats, but rather a lack of those willing to be seen sitting in them. Once the economic tide turns, I think this sentiment will wane…it always does. The Yankees may decide to reign in the premium seats for a season or two, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them top the current levels 3-5 years down the road (if the team remains as good).
if the seats are really paid for and the big wigs don't want to be seen in them (as knuckles points out as overinflated as this sentiment is) donate them to several different enities and let people who want to see a game go. these asshats would get a little bit of good publicity, there wouldn't be so many empty seats, and people who want to go to a game get to. seems pretty simple and obvious.
BTW, now there are multiple reports on Pete Abe's blog that the Yankees are NOT letting people have access to the lower level at the end of batting practice. Mind you, this is THREE hours before the game to get autographs. So say goodbye to the tradition of kids meeting ballplayers and asking for autographs, unless of course you are rich...
[4] Poor kids are inherently evil. Don't you know that? The Yankees seem to.
The security guards should have a big picture of WC Fields on the back of their jackets.
[6] I prefer a bullseye, and access to some overripe produce :)
I love the idea that in vaudeville you could hurl rotten produce at a bad act.
[4]
I'm gonna have a link to a first-hand account of that fact in my NOTD tomorrow.
Anyone else notice how incredibly "white" the field level seats are. I could barely find one African-American in the field seats while watching Saturday's game.
Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, from a socio-economic perspective, but it was still a striking image.
[8]
That begs the question ... what does Gallagher get hurled at him if his act stinks?
A watermelon?
A mallet?
[10] No, you should not be surprised.
"It will get worse, before it gets better."
Whoopie!
: /
If they wanted to ensure sellouts during the foreseeable future, they should have made the tickets available for the same prices as they were at The Old Stadium! How would that have been in terms of PR, as well as profits? Obviously, they erred on the side of greed, rather than common sense!
What's better? Folks committing to ten years of season tickets, literally guaranteeing four million sold each year, or this?
I mean, they actually have responsibilities to provide customers for the restaurants there now, or else there will be real disasters at YS2.0, not just ones merely involving obstructed views or how baseballs jump out of the playing field in the RF gap!
[11] Hair?
;)