Comments on: A fan-unfriendly farewell ceremony

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:19:03 +0000

Yeah, I know about the “only on the warning track” thing. But where did you get that bleacher ticket holders are only allowed in monument park?

By: mark

mark — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:00:54 +0000

Sorry to break the bubble of everyone with a Bleacher seat. They will not be letting bleacher ticketholders onto the field, and it’s not really on the field, you get to walk the warning track and that’s it. It’s exactly like the tour, no one is allowed to set foot on the grass itself. Bleacher ticket holders will only be allowed into Monument Park. You’d think for once, on the last day of the ballpark, that they’d stop treating Bleacher ticketholders like the red-headed step-child. It’s all a ploy to get people to drop tons of $$ at the concession stands.

By: Yankee1010

Yankee1010 — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:12:07 +0000

Honestly, if people aren’t OK with staying in the Stadium for 10 hours on its last day, I’ll get the smallest violin for everybody. If people want me to take their tickets off their hands, just let me know.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:04:04 +0000

You’re assuming that if you show up at 1 you’d be out of there in an hour and a half. I’m envisioning looong lines for this. But say I get done with walking the field by 2:30. Well, then I’ll just take in the views of the stadium that i don’t get to see everyday from the bleachers. If the concessions are open I’ll grab some black and whites. By that time the Yankees should be about ready to start their warmups before batting practice. And who doesn’t like batting practice? With the box seats in front of us next year this could be my last chance to snag another ball, or get thwacked in the head again.

As for re-entry, I don’t think it’s as simple as you think it is. What’s to stop people from passing their ticket stubs to friends outside? Eventually they may be found out, but it would just be a bigger hassle for security in the end, not to mention other fans whose seats potential freeloaders are grabbing.

By: Yankeegreat

Yankeegreat — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:36:27 +0000

Morons: You sound like a bunch of whiners for Boston. The beer will be flowing, the sun will be shining, and we will all be able to sit and feel a little of the historical magic of “I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.” There’s no other place to be if you’re a Yankee fan. Hell I wish I could sleep in that park. It’s 85 years of unbelieveable baseball history. Stop and think about the greatness here. The Babe and Lou, a World Series Perfect game, Joe and Mick, Reggie, and Jeter, Mo, and Arod! Each night or however often any of us walk in there, we take it for granted. This is the one day to really worship in the cathedral. How many bandwagoners will be there because it’s the last game… 10-15k. That’s leaves 35-40k of us to really celebrate life as a Yankee fan. Beyond the game… I’d pay by the minute to have any extra time in there before they close thoses gates for good. A re-entry system is ridiculous. They are making this night special, something to blow away the surprises of the ASG. They’re letting us into Monument Park one last time, and they’re letting us walk on the field. That’s a gift. It’s the Yankees extending the treasure of the team to each and every one of us.

By: Lanny

Lanny — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:28:00 +0000

It has to be no re entry. That’s a ton of work for them to do on the final game if they let people walk in and out.

You would have a logistical nightmare if they let people meander and wander back and forth and in.

Enjoy the last few hours in the stadium

By: Andy In Sunny Daytona

Andy In Sunny Daytona — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:13:21 +0000

One thing can make it all better…..Free Fiddle-Faddle for all.

By: tommiesmithjohncarlos

tommiesmithjohncarlos — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:02:05 +0000

Here’s how I would have handled it if I was Big Bang Hank:

All final-game ticketholders are allowed entry into the park between 1pm and 4pm. Open up the park, FOR REAL open it up… put security everywhere, but let people come walk through the bullpens, stand on the bases, cheese for pictures in front of the 408ft sign, etc. Make it more like a tour, where you get access to parts of the park you never had access to before, but you’re not allowed to linger; take your photos and keep it moving.

But here’s the catch… Sell Final Day Stadium Passes, right outside the stadium, for like $10 or $15 each. The passes don’t let you go to the night’s game, but you can come stroll through the stadium on it’s last day. (And ticketholders aren’t paying twice, their ticket gets them in.) This lets all the other Yankee fans who won’t pop for a $600 ticket in the nosebleeds still come and see the Last Day of the Stadium and get all the photos they want. You can even sell “Final Day” t-shirts in the concession stands and shit. I’m sure they could make a ton of extra money doing this, more than enough to offset the additional labor costs of bringing in their security and gameday staff and such a few hours early.

And at 4pm, everybody leaves. Clear the joint. Fans with tickets to the game can re-enter at 5pm.

They do it for day-night doubleheaders… can’t be that hard logistically.

By: tommiesmithjohncarlos

tommiesmithjohncarlos — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:53:53 +0000

No, I actually agree with you on this one, Ben, my above silliness notwithstanding.

I’d love the chance to come to the stadium, soak up the sights, then go outside and have a drink at Stan’s before going back in.

It’s a simple courtesy the Yankees could have easily extended to thank their fans for paying 75-bajillion dollars per ticket on the resale market. But, like all true greedy corporations, no turnip is unsqueezed for blood. Whatever altruistic Yankee executive mentioned the idea of allowing the fans to come and go was probably shot down immediately by the Executive VP of Concessions, reminding everyone of the captive audience potential of thousands of fans forced to eat and drink 5 dollar hot dogs and 9 dollar beers…

By: Ben K.

Ben K. — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:51:39 +0000

Ah. I get your point now. I'm not really *upset* about it as much as I just see this as yet another way the Yanks don't go out of their way to keep an eye out for their fans. I'm certainly not bemoaning the generosity of the team to stick thousands of fans on the field before the game. But as UWS said a few minutes ago, 11 hours in the stadium is a looooong time even if it is the last game.