Category: yankee stadium

ESPN reports the Yankees have “lifted a ban on plastic containers of sunscreen at their ballpark after deciding “not to be as stringent,” team spokesman Jason Zillo said Tuesday.

Whew, the great terrorist sunscreen threat seems to have been reduced to code blue.

I wonder if the terrorists are still sneaking things in under baseball caps?  The Yankees make you remove your cap before enterting the stadium – you know, because why would any normal thinking person think they could wear a Yankees cap to Yankee Stadium.

Of course while checking the caps, making us show our cellphones (another uncommon item) and forbidding bags, they may often miss the guns, knives and shoe bombs being snuck in in plain sight.

One day, perhaps at Yankee Stadium III, the Yankees will allow their customers to bring a bag.  I know it’s crazy to think that someone would need to bring a bag to Yankee Stadium.   It’s not like anyone comes after work for a night game, or might bring a child and thus a need to bring a few extra items.

Nope, it’s best we keep the bags out.  I feel safe now that they’ve checked my cellphone and missed the blackberry I chose not to show them.    

For the record, the Mets allow sunscreen and bags….and trust that you don’t have a bomb under your cap.

I debated on whether to write about this for a while, but ultimately decided I should address this. First let me say I am first and foremost a baseball fan. The Mets are my favorite team, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate and respect history and players from other teams. Yes, I do root against the Yankees, but at the same time I acknowledge their players and revere their history. How can any true fan of the game not honor the Babe, Gehrig, Mantle, Yogi, etc. (I don’t honor DiMaggio if you are wondering why he is not on this list). Over the last 20+ years I have been to well over a hundred games at Yankee Stadium, and while not my favorite place, I will shed a tear when the wrecking ball strikes its hallowed walls.

I have been to 15 major league and about 40 minor league parks and nowhere have the fans been worse than at Yankee Stadium, particularly those in the upper deck. It’s not even close. Do they get rowdy at Fenway? Yes. Obnoxious in Phlly? We all know this. Rude in Chicago? On occasion. Boisterous at Shea? You betchya. But in all these parks and others, I have never felt that I was in any physical danger for just being there. Meanwhile on more than one occasion at Yankee Stadium – most recently at the All-Star Game – I have been worried about my safety. Yes, I was wearing a Mets cap and jersey, and I know that some will say I was taking chances on wearing that up there. But why shouldn’t I be able to wear this, especially to an exhibition game? You would think I was wearing a Manchester United jersey at a Liverpool match.

I have seen some horrible things from these “fans” over the year. I was at the game against Toronto in (I think it was 85) when they booed the Canadian National Anthem. I’ve seen an Orioles cap taken off someones head and set on fire. I’ve seen women verbally abused because of how they dress or the jersey they wear. Worst of all, I was at the game where Clemens beaned Piazza. How did the goons in the upper deck react? As Mike was being taken off on a stretcher they were chanting “Bye Bye Mikey”

Don’t get me wrong, I know most Yankee fans are not like this. Some of my closest friends are Yankee fans, and we enjoy a great give and take. I am talking about the base level fan, which I have only ever experienced at Yankee Stadium.

Yes I root against the Yankees – but I would never disrespect their fans or their players the way I have seen those upper deck hooligans behave.

Mets Police went to the Bronx last night.   What struck me were the amount of flashbulbs every time Jeter and A-Rod stepped in.  A random mid-inning at-bad in a blowout, and it’s like Game 7 of the World Series.   Every time.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Bob Sheppard and want him to be back at Yankee Stadium and I want him to be in the Hall of Fame – but two things.   

1.  I’m getting really used to Jim Hall.   It actually sounds “weird” to me when Shep-on-tape intros Jeter.

2.   The Shep-on-tape would be cool once per game.   It loses the magic when it’s every time.

I’m starting to think that Yankee Stadium III might be, oh, “New Comiskey.”   Citi Field looks like it will have the charm of some of the newer parks (like my Stadium Crush on Citizens Bank Park) – and YS3 looks like a big monolith, that’s on 161st and River but on the wrong side of the street.   I really don’t understand staying in that area if you’re not where the ghosts are.

Well it’s official – the September 21st game at Yankee Stadium (the final game) will be a night game.  I was going to take the boy.   At his age there’s no way he can stay awake until 11pm in a packed staidum (on a school night too).

I was hoping to gift him this memory (he’s quite young) so that even if he didn’t appreciate it now, he might appreciate it when he’s a man.

Once again ESPN strikes – it’s an 8:05 start and even daddy will be looking at his watch and hoping for a fast game.

What’s with the “no bags” nonsense at Yankee Stadium?   I don’t want to be blown up just as everyone else doesn’t, but really, no bags?  Don’t they think some people might attend a game after work.

And what’s with making us take off our hats.   What exactly are they checking for?

Hopefully at Yankee Stadium 3 we won’t have to take our shoes off and pass through metal detectors.

Anyone want to bet a dollar they take a stab at personal seat licenses?

Anyone want to be two dollars the Mets do?  The Mets haven’t even announced ticket prices yet.  Maybe we should root for them to struggle lest we wind uup having to give them $20,000 for the right to buy field box season tickets.