There has been a lot of talk about the lame the vibe at Yankee Stadium in the first two games of the Serious. This is nothing new. Back in 1962, Roger Angell wrote about the “ignorance and moneyed apathy” of a World Series crowd in the Bronx:
This jet Subway Series moved three thousand miles east last Saturday, but in watching the reactions of the local crowds to the first of the three marvelous games in Yankee Stadium this week I had the recurrent impression that the teams’ planes had overshot their mark, and that the Series was being continued before a polite, uncomprehending audience of Lebanese or Yemenis. New York is full of cool, knowing baseball fans–a cabdriver the other day gave me an explicit, dispassionate account of the reasons for the Milwaukee Braves’ collapse this year–but not many of them got their hands on Series tickets. Before the first game here, on Sunday, the northbound D trains were full of women weighted down with expensive coiffures and mink stoles, not one of whom, by the look of them, had ever ridden a subway as far as the Bronx before. There was no noise in the stands during batting practice, and the pregame excitement seeemed to arise from the crowd’s admiration for itself and its size (a sellout 71, 431), rather than for the contest to come; ritual and occasion had displaced baseball.
…By the sixth inning, when the game was still scoreless, spectators had begun walking out in twos and threes, surrendering their tickets stubs to the perserving verticals; the departees had accomplished their purpose, which was to be able to tell their friends they had been to a Series game.
Now, the schmucks and schmuckettes behind home plate wave, talk on their phones, and spend more time texting than watching the game.
in last night's game Fox did a good job of showing "real fans." Their cameras seemed to be panning around the upper decks more, and less around the rattle yer jewelry section.(still love that one, Alex). I may be wrong but I don't think they even did the cutaway montage of stars in attendance, which they did in Game 1.
Everytime I caught a glimpse of Alec Baldwin (he was hard to miss beneath Fox's upper right graphic bug) he was yacking away, not watching the game. At least he stuck around til the late innings, if not until the end of Game 1.
Quite honestly, fuck energy. I'm looking at 5 to 10k if there's a Game 6. As much as I'd love to go to that game, that return on a $800 investment is too good. I'd rather watch the game on a brand new 52" HDTV and still have money leftover to eat anywhere in NYC after flying first class.
I bet I'm not alone. That's the benefit of them not making the Series for almost a decade. A lot of pigs have a lot of money to burn for junior's birthday.
I was in section 115 last night. The guy next to me said I was clapping too loud. I said, "No such thing, and I am giving you a clapping lesson after A.J. gets out of this inning." He figured it out. (If it doesn't hurt, you're doing it wrong.)
But it was going to take a lot more than some jackasses talking about opening an office in Abu Dhabi or their short sale to ruin going to my first World Series game. I barely noticed.
I did send five texts:
1. "HOLY SHIT, I AM AT THE WORLD SERIES."
2. "DAVE WINFIELD IS 100 FEET AWAY FROM ME RIGHT NOW. HE IS STILL HUGE."
4. "Did Howard trap that?"
4. "I guess that was the makeup call for Howard."
5. "SWEEEEET"
[3] I hope you told him to go fuck himself! What a jackass. I personally love the "Pull middle finger out of pocket" move.
It was a great game for your first Series. Great views on the dugout from there too!
By the way, how sweet was the pre-game? Loved how they showed Jeter, Mo, and Joba grooving. Jeter has a spidey sense to know when the camera's on him. Dude's funny. And looking at Keys' shaking her beautiful booty I bet he was wondering why he never tapped it.
I wasn't here (at BB) during the game and I haven't read through the comments. I'm curious. What was the reaction to Girardi's tactical moves?
Whatever one thought of them at the moment, they worked out stunningly well. I'm particularly thinking of the seventh inning, but (and these are very relevant to that inning) starting Hairston turned out to work awfully well, and AJ pitched like a demon to Molina. PHing Posada for Molina: perfect. Asking Jeter to bunt was fine -- Jeter deciding on his own to bunt with two strikes, not fine, but hey, Captain gets a pass. Putting in Brett for the hit and run worked out well. Going to Mo for two worked. The skipper just seemed to have the golden touch last night.
[5] i wasn't here either, but i did read thru most of the comments. here's what i got:
Shaun P - Happy Birthday, man!!! it was my Pop's birthday, too.
Just Fair - pulled out an Alexander and the no good, horrible, terrible, very bad day (even in da Bronx) reference! i've had that in my back pocket all season and he beat me to the punch!!!
Evil Empire - referenced the "Cashman" game, here at the Ted. he gave me and himself the credit, since we were there together! good man, that evil. : )
Alex Belth - got comment # 666 on his very own "Diablo" thread. it was quite fitting and i feel good that the spot generally reserved for me (your friendly neighborhood Satan), went to our fearless leader.
i'll miss most of tomorrow's game too, due to another gig...
GO ANDY!!! GO YANKS!!!
There were a few "rattle yer jewelry" types near me in section 422 as well. They had bought the tix from stubhub for about $450 each. I was row 3. Row 1 and 2 went for about $500+.
I, too, noticed that the Stadium was quieter. At one point, a girl next to me asked if people will follow if she started chanting "Let's go Yanks." I had the flu so I promised nothing. The chant lasted 5 seconds.
[6] hey it was my dad's birthday too.
[5] "Jeter has a spidey sense to know when the camera’s on him. "
No spidey sense required, just a massive TV screen in centerfield that showed him moving to the music.
[8] nice! i think it was peter green's birthday too - the original guy from fleetwood mac, who wrote "Oh Well".
[4]The pregame was a little weird. About a third of the crowd was into it, at least in the rattle your jewelry section. I dig the song so I was hand waving and doing the whole thing. The backing tracks were obviously piped in. I'm not sure why they bothered for a guy like Jay-Z. It's hip hop - everyone knows the deal in 2009, no need for the fake band. I was a little bummed that they processed Alicia Keys voice. Her pipes can go natural, no problem. It also doesn't hurt that she is smoking hot.
Miguel Cairo seemed the most pumped on the performance.
I cannot watch Rudy and his stupid grin. Not surprising that no one sits with him. Kerik probably has the seats next to the wife.
Buck commented on the strange crowd noise. Even when Burnett or Mo got two strikes on a batter, they didn't jump to their feet or raise the noise level. Worst crowd money can buy. Wait til they hear the Philly fans screaming and yelling and waving their hankies. I think its bush, but it must be unnerving.
A-Rod needs some cheers.
[4] I was in standing room on the Main level, and the people around me were pretty into the performance--some of the vendors and kitchen staff even came over to watch. I was next to Jeff Nelson for a while, before he retreated into the MLB's auxiliary press box space.
From where I was, it seemed like there were periods where the crowd would get stadium-shakingly loud, and then all of a sudden, you could hear a pin drop. It was my first World Series game, so I don't know what's normal, but it seemed kind of weird. Also weird was the number of guys who seemingly came to a World Series game to, er, score. I've never been hit on at a game before, but last night it was like dudes were coming out of the woodwork. Is that normal?
I don't know. Is it getting too rich again? I can tell you that I was at a high percentage of playoff games from from 97-01 (timing in my life when I could go, had some spare scratch). These were good seats and the crowd was batshit wild. Like lunatic, stadium-shaking, howling for nine straight innings and nasty. The only nod to any civility I recall is when a guy I knew from HS kept calling Tony Gwynn a fat fuck (he wasn't exactly svelte himself), and the crowd told him to "shut the fuck up, Gwynn's a hall of famer."
But that seemed like a plus, not a minus.
I can assure you that the GOOD SEATS scared Andy Ashby so badly that he didn't want to be on that mound (that was the game when I told him we were going to beat him so badly that his family might end up dead).
I always felt it was not about conjuring the threat, but the possibility.
I will say that good playoff tix are way outside my price range, at this point.