New York Yankees Fans Were Told Game Was Rained Out (Daily News)

Hundreds of irate fans – some who claim Yankee employees told them the game had been rained out – stormed away from Yankee Stadium before Monday night’s game against the Red Sox even got underway and couldn’t get back in, resulting in a an ugly scene at one of the ticket gates.

With rain falling for hours and no start time announced until shortly before 9 p.m., hordes of fans began leaving the Stadium and heading home – some who said they had been advised that the game had been called by Yankee employees who walked the concourse holding pinstriped “How may I help you?” signs.

When a 9:20 p.m. start time was eventually announced over the public address system, a crowd on the sidewalk outside Gate 6 tried to get back into the Stadium, only to have the employees working the turnstiles promptly close the doors in their faces. Panicked fans began racing up and down the sidewalk, trying to find a way back into the ballpark, while others remained at Gate 6 either pleading or demanding to be let back in.

“We talked to the security personnel, who said there was zero chance they were going to play the game,” said Tom Stuart, a 27-year-old from Astoria who waited out most of the rain delay before leaving with his girlfriend. “We spent three hours drinking beer – you can’t drink much because they’re 10 bucks apiece – now they’re going to play a game in front of 35 fans.”

read the rest in the Daily News 
I will say for the third time now that the Yankees should offer rainchecks.

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New York Yankees Fans Told To Go Home Last Night? (Uncomfirmed)

Chatter from friends, and on WFAN, is that stadium employees (concessionaires) told fans that the game was called.   When fans tried to re-enter the park, they were not allowed re-entry.  I guess the Yankees thought there would be massive attempts to sneak into the stadium at 9:20pm and this was all part of “official procedure.”

All this is unconfirmed, but the source is a reliable one.  I am checking with the fine folks over at New Stadium Insider to see what they know.

There is also no truth the rumor that tonight’s first pitch will be at 10:45pm.

The Yankees should absolutely offer all ticketed fans a raincheck for last night.  George would have.

UPDATE:  confirmed via WFAN and Daily News.

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How To "Mets Up" Citi Field By Borrowing Ideas From Yankee Stadium

Some more photos from my trip to Yankee Stadium on Saturday.   I think the photos speak for themselves as for ideas the Mets could copy to make Citi Field seem more Mets Field than like a ballpark the Mariners could move into next weekend.

These first two pictures are the “holograms” that I heard of on my first visit.  Depending on your angle, they could look like this…

..or like this.

Regardless, the Mets could learn from the Yankees and put up some pictures of their more popular former players.

I’m not going to tell the Wilpons who these players are any more unless they start paying me a consultants fee.

Another way to decorate walls is like this.   This is over by the Yankees Museum (imagine that, a room that honors the team that plays in the stadium).

I like this baseball card design.   To the left of Yogi is Gehrig, and to his left Ruth.   The person cut off on the right is Mattingly.

You’ll find this right by the museum.

This next photo is taken from across the River Avenue in the “old” garage, which is why its obstructed by a screen.  I mean its not obstructed, it’s part of the design of the lot, but I digress.

On the outside of Yankee Stadium they have photos of the current players.  I didn’t notice until I was leaving.

This next picture shows the entrance to something called a museum.   There you can honor the great players and moments from the team’s history.

Not the history of a team that bolted town fifty years ago, but the actual team you root for.  Neat idea!

The Yankees have placed Thurman Munson’s locker in that museum.  What fools, don’t they know how much artifacts go for in auctions?!

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Time For Mets Manuel To Go Edgy Gangsta

On Monday’s I write a column for Flushing University .   Here’s Monday’s column, written before the Atlanta game.

Time For Jerry Manuel To Go Edgy Gangsta

By Shannon Shark
Posted Monday, May 4, 2009
I was sad when Omar Minaya tried to backpedal his comments that the Mets lack edge, because he was right.
This team does lack edge. They lose, well there’s another day and they say they’ll do better next time. They lose the season by one game, well they’ll try harder next year.
This team lacks a Keith Hernandez who insists on winning. For all the talk of “the core” not being able to win, let me stop that talk right now. If you trade Wright or Reyes you might as well trade Seaver and Kingman, because the fans will react the same way (by not paying money to sit behind plexiglass). So that ain’t happening.
Delgado? He can’t move and will be a free agent, that ain’t happening.
Beltran? He would be the one to move, and you’d get value for him but he has this pesky no trade, so the only way he’s leaving is if the Mets are 30 games out and none of us want that.
That means Keith 2 isn’t coming. These are the players we have and these are the players we’re stuck with.
It’s up to Jerry.
Jerry impressed me during his first ever inning. Jose Reyes didn’t run hard, so Jerry went to first base and got in his face. We haven’t seen that yet.
Jerry, if you think Ollie needs to man up, say so. Challenge these guys. Go get thrown out of some games. If Dan Murphy kicks another ball, go Gil Hodges on his hiney and go get him.
If you insist on pitching Perez and he can’t throw a strike, torture him and lose 26-5 instead of 6-5. Make him stay out there forever.
Yeah I know I’m proposing psycho managing, but the hands off approach doesn’t work with these guys, so we can not make the playoffs and not make anyone upset, or we can take a shot.
If Jerry isn’t up to it, how about taking a look at Wally Backman. Yeah he had the mysterious whatever it was that cost him the Arizona job, and he’s a baseball pariah but so what. He’s an 86 Met which would do wonders for a fanbase stuck in Dodgertown. Let him be scary. Let him teach these guys how to get in a fight and get thrown out of games. It may be what the franchise needs.
Jerry you had that fire in you the first night, how about we see some of it in Atlanta?
 

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The New York Yankees Should Offer Rainchecks For 9:20 Start

A 9:20 start on a weeknight (actually any night) is unfair to fans.

I can understand the baseball aspects of needing to get the game in, but from a fan aspect it’s unfair to ask a working Joe to stay out until past midnight on a Monday, outside in the rain (three new NYC stadiums, no retractable domes).

George Steinbrenner was usually good about offering rainchecks to fans after a long rain delay, even if the game was played.  Hopefully his sons will follow in George’s footsteps and offer everyone who had a ticket for tonight a ticket to another game in 2009 or 2010.

They do have some extra seats you know…

(photo from Saturday not last night).

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