Perception is reality, the saying goes. Modern players can never transcend time, athletes only care about the money and the fan is never wrong. Yet, all you need to do is dig a little deeper to find the truth. As a freelance sportswriter, my job is to give the audience a story around what just happened. As a consumer, I expect that sports will always provide more than I bargained for. As a fan, my hopes are to be enlightened by more than points. Welcome to the mind of a sports scribe.
So, you are probably aware of the previous posts and videos about the old and new versions of Yankee Stadium. Back in 2009 when the new stadium opened, this post discussed a class divide that seemed to have widened. Last May, this post gave you a video and pictures inside the new facility. Today, though, was the first time I had been able to get a quick look at the latest development.
While attempting to be an athlete on the rooftop park across from the new home (a public park/athletic field sits on top of a parking garage), I decided to take a couple of photos of what will become Heritage Field where the old stadium once stood.
Long time Yankees fans might still cringe, but when Heritage Field is finally completed, there might be a change of heart.
Might be. More photos to come for those interested.
Here you go. Long awaited, I know, but hopefully you enjoy it.
Unsurprisingly, I was limited in what I can actually show. Why? No point in explaining.
However, let me just say that despite the mixed reviews from fans and media, friends and colleagues about the new Yankee Stadium, I was much more impressed than I thought I would be.
Now, does it unseat Pittsburgh's PNC Park as my favorite or the best in the majors? No way, yet because the Pirates aren't what we call a very good team, it does not get the national recognition it deserves. However, the new Stadium is a tremendous upgrade from the old Stadium; far more spacious (at the sacrifice of less seats), better views of the field, more comfortable seating (at least from where I was at) and an undeniably amazing display of the franchise's history.
Of course, I expect many of you will feel differently. Yet, at least this near-7:00 video will give you a glimpse of what millions of fans will enjoy for decades to come. Do take in a game and see for yourself... if you can afford it, that is.
In all likelihood, I'll be here again, but for another event coming up. I will be intrigued by the seating configuration for that event, but more details later.
These have been a whirlwind two weeks outside of Scribe, yet despite another chaotic three weeks on tap, I've neglected this place for too long. And so, at least three times, I'm going to make it up to you with new substantial postings; interviews and other original thoughts I've been meaning to share with the masses.
If anything, some of the energy has been spent with the baseball previews on The Perpetual Post (I handled both central divisions) and April's newest on Norman Einstein's Magazine (which will be fully explained and followed up on tomorrow).
Meanwhile, I took a stroll around the old Yankee Stadium. Here are a few photos with the link to all pictures on Picasa. Also, you'll see the small clip originally published to the Tumblr account.
Yeah, it's not pretty... or it is if you can't stand the Yanks.
This was in this past edition of the New York Beacon (in the print edition only here in the city). There may be a point or two worth discussing among all of you baseball fans, especially those of you have had the chance to visit a few ballparks around the country.
Again, keep in mind that I have yet to visit the new Yankee Stadium for a game, though you've seen a video weeks before it opened this past spring.
By now, you’ve heard and read about, if not witnessed the story, play itself out during these forty-two home games at the new Stadium. By some baseball media and executives, it has been dubbed Coors Field East after the long ball-happy home of the Colorado Rockies. The Bombers have sent 78 balls into the seats while their opponents added 61 of their own for a grand total of 139 souvenirs in a half-season of home games. The story has legs not only because of how much the park’s construction was (about $1.5 billion), but beyond the new amenities, the Stadium’s dimensions are identical to its predecessor as if the park was just shoved across the street.
Yet, what few, if anyone has talked about is that for opposing teams and the newest Yankees, the new Stadium is just the latest in a long line of new structures they visit every few days.
Save for four teams (Boston, Minnesota, Oakland and Florida), every other opponent on the Yanks’ schedule this season plays in either a relatively new stadium or in the case of Kansas City, a remodeled one. Most of the players in the majors since Baltimore ushered in the league’s stadium boom in 1991 have grown accustomed, if not have played their entire careers in new facilities. Since those stadiums are still building their own histories, the intangibles do not exist in the level that they did at the House that Ruth Built. Eighty-five years of big games in front of nearly 58,000 rowdy fans reminding them of the Yankees’ prestige placed opponents at a huge psychological disadvantage when playing there.
Even as a fan or media member, there’s a different feel to walking in an older stadium such as Boston’s Fenway Park, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles or Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where generations have walked through the same corridors and sat in the same seats over decades. With stadiums such as San Francisco’s AT&T Park or PNC Park in Pittsburgh - considered two of the best buildings in the game – only the players can take comfort in knowing that none of the new facilities have a distinct home-field advantage just yet. With that unique ambiance – or annoyance for non-Yankees – missing, this is just another new ballpark, no matter which team plays there.
In a sport obsessed with attaching some statistical reason why things happen, intimidation has no number to account for. You can’t put a statistic on it, but it’s an undeniable factor on performance. The new Stadium has enough games to tell us that until Yankee fans can finish transferring that mystique from across the street, that home run tally will keep rising to absurd levels.
From some folks I have heard from, the new Stadium is ostentatious and obnoxious. It’s obscenely expensive for the denizens in the terrace, grandstand and bleacher seats. The place screams “pre-recession excess” to those who still take a glance across the street at the slowly-dismantling House That Ruth Built (and George Remodeled).
From others, all that offends the po’ folks appeases the financially comfortable. Even if there are empty seats in those Legends Seats, the Stadium draws rave reviews for improved hospitality and newer amenities. It’s not the hot dog & beer crowd that the game has engendered, but this place seems to attach itself to the affluent fans rather well.
At some point, you’ll see something new and relevant on this page, whether it’s as a fan or as media, yet from all of the sights, sounds and reflections, I don’t think there’s a park in the entire Major League Baseball landscape that has garnered such mixed reviews. It may or may not be fair to say, but there seems to be a $1.5 billion display of classism.
So instead of waiting until I visit the new House, I would like to hear from those of you that have already attended at least one game so far. Please share your thoughts and experiences in the new Stadium. While every other stadium certainly invites its share of criticisms and praises based on personal and regional differences, none have and will ever receive the kind of attention the new Yankee Stadium has received since opening its doors.
It doesn't take a phD in economics to know that "times are hard, son" as the kids say these days. With the exception of the Oakland Raiders - thanks in part to two astronomical short-term deals with cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and punter Shane Lechler - it seems as if every pro sports team is feeling of the plummeting economy.
While the NBA trading deadline was dwindling down and it was rather obvious that a few teams were paring payroll to lower costs, news broke out that the league was granting loans of at most $11.7 million to at least fifteen teams hoping to offset operating losses (the league itself being granted a $175 million credit from JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America).
Two weeks ago, Advertising Age reported that both the NBA and Major League Baseball were expanding their ad offerings to liquor and gambling (you read that right: baseball and gambling) to bring in revenue.
Yet, for a complete shocker, look below.
Now, if you live in this area, this should be VERY striking to see as the Yankees relied on their history alone to sell tickets. Is the economy tanking so badly - or at least are their usual ticket buyers reluctant to purchase seats in the brand new and pricey Stadium - that the Bronx Bombers have to hustle and bustle like everyone else in the league?
It's possible that every team in baseball is making some concerted effort to advertise ticket sales through what is known in the advertising and marketing community as behavioral targeting. Yet, this is the last team in the known universe you'd expect to use this avenue.
Could this be a result of the body shots that have crippled the financial sector (and beyond) that have taken away some of the usual suspects in ticket purchases for both New York teams? Could this be part of the potential public relations fiasco that may follow if the big wigs of some of the companies that receive bailout money happen to be seen on the YES Network or YES Network-lite (FOX) during a game? Who knows, really.
All we can tell right now is that "times are hard, son."
Say What?!?!: Speaking of the Yanks, the financial sector and hard times, the Stanford Financial scandal (as mentioned recently on Scribe) actually affects a few players on the team. It may be nominal investments for these guys, but it's interesting nonetheless.
A follow-up to HRD: a more comprehensive look at the ongoing construction of the new Yankee Stadium. This was a day off from one gig, but a busy one for the other.
Say What?!?!: Here we go... again? The facts will come about as the police reveal more details, but will the reactions for the alleged murder-suicide from MMA fighter Justin Levins reach the level of that from the case of former WWE star Chris Benoit? Who knows, but the facts will decide all of this.
Instead of writing, a view from above the Harlem River Drive.
Aside from the personal qualms about the stadium's financing (see here and here) and the organization's standing with the City at large, I will do what I can to give you more views from the new Stadium before its scheduled opening in March.
Also, because I just haven't done so, a nod to my personal favorite pitcher of my lifetime, Greg Maddux. While I would have loved to have seen him sign the custom one-day contract to officially retire as an Atlanta Brave, he will undoubtely don those colors when he is elected to the Hall of Fame in five years.
It's deadline night for the Beacon (yes, these Giants pieces should be done hours after the game), which essentially means something small, but significant will follow these words.
There's a good chance you heard about today's big news stories; insider trading charges brought against Dallas Mavericks owner and (can we say former at this point?) bidder for the Chicago Cubs Mark Cuban, Albert Pujols nabbing his second National League MVP, the passing of coaching legend Pete Newell and FOX Sports' waving of the white flag in the battle to carry the BCS beyond 2010.
However, here are a few more that you may have missed thanks to a) work, b) not caring about the location the story originates from and/or c) getting a migrane trying to understand the ending of last night's Chargers - Steelers game, prompting you to nearly overdose on Aleve/Tylenol/Advil/Jack Daniels.
From the NY Daily News (thanks to SPJ for the reference since I haven't gone near this paper in quite a while), Jim Rich is wondering why Governor David Patterson isn't asking the Yankees to cut back on spending during the construction of their new house. Likely this is fuel for those who dislike the team or at least dislike the public expenditure considering the state's impending budget cuts. Have fun with that.
From the Los Angeles Times, Jerry Crowe discusses how the actual Heisman Trophy won by former USC running back Charles White is being put up for auction... and it was news to him. White sold his possession in 2000 to settle tax debts, but will be hawked for the second time since then.
From BrandWeek, Anthony Crupi discusses how televised sports are not as recession-proof as they used to be for advertisers. It's an interesting thought and something that you may have been considering at some point since the economy started tanking about a year ago.
For all of your puckheads (fulltime or parttime), Puck Daddy wants you to weigh in on the former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Barry Melrose's interview on Hockey Night in Canada, given a day after his comments on ESPN Radio that essentially pointed at the players and rookie management for his dismissal. For those who normally have little interest in the NHL, consider his response and how it would - if it would - play out in other sports, team or individual.
For those of you reading and viewing this who are not from the New York City metropolitan area, there's a reason why it seems that there's a ton of hoopla around sports beyond wins and losses.
While the rest of the world, particularly the United States, had new stadiums and arenas built for their sports teams over the past two decades, northeastern depots like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and New York were slow to replace their facilities. For various reasons - be political, economic or based on an area's physical infrastructure and space - these cities that were long known for higher-income white-collar jobs, large populations and even larger sports appetites were suddenly trying to out-do smaller cities such as Phoenix, San Jose, Cleveland and Denver in having the most modern amenities for their teams.
Then three of those northeast cities (Boston, Philadelphia and Washington) opened new arenas for their NBA and NHL franchises (TD Banknorth Garden in 1995, Wachovia Center in 1996, Verizon Center in 1997). They followed with new baseball and football stadiums later in the decade and into the 2000s (though Fenway Park has being undergoing selective renovations to add capacity). It seemed as if New York was not just falling behind the rest of the country, but their regional rivals.
And so, it leads us to an unprecedented time in the area's history as three outdoor facilities are being erected at once. Not since Shea Stadium was built forty years ago has there been a new major league outdoor stadium in the area (Arthur Ashe Stadium across the street from Shea is a tennis facility completed in 1997 and it appears that the MLS' Red Bulls have their version of the 'Bridge to Nowhere'). Earlier this summer, you got a look at the new Yankee Stadium and CitiField; both baseball stadiums being constructed for a 2009 opening. Now, here's a brief glimpse at the new home for the Giants and Jets, which is slated to open for the 2010 season.
Welcome to the new and potentially improved swamplands.
It would be quite interesting to see your thoughts about the place; good, bad or indifferent. Yet, I ask you to please be honest and not regurgitate what the TV tells you to think of the House George (and Sons) Are Taking Down. So please leave your comments here.
Tonight gives us the closing of a venerable piece of American history as Yankee Stadium hosts its final baseball series between New York’s pinstriped bunch and the Baltimore Orioles. Before the finale, there have been (and will be) a lot of tears and tantrums, some waxing poetic and sardonic, some reflection and a few suggestions such as “raze the damn thing already!” Yet, there are very few thoughts coming from the neighborhood itself.
Then again, that’s always been the case, it seems.
David Gonzalez hoped to have provided at least a more honest native voice in his article in Saturday’s New York Times. He spoke of having grown up in the area, more so about attending Cardinal Hayes High School with the Stadium’s imposing presence nearby. He touched upon several incidences where the executives showed a blatant disrespect for the immediate world outside of the Stadium’s walls. To this day, many of the fans that descend onto 161st Street and River Avenue have either heard about, read about or at worst, perpetrated the stigma about the neighborhood it surrounds.
Even as Harlem – where out-of-town fans would speed through en route to the Stadium because of similar fears – continues to gentrify across the Macombs Dam Bridge, you’ll hear a few of the newest residents ask if the borough of “Fort Apache, The Bronx” lore remains.
As someone who has spent his life on both sides of the Bridge, I have never heard anyone who I grew up with say “hey, let’s go to a Yankee game this weekend”. Outside of talking about the players and how they will fare in the postseason, people around the way didn’t take to the Stadium experience the way that the outside world may have assumed. The reasons stem from any combination of the price to attend and enjoy the game, the racial history of the team (integrated fifteen years after Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby) and the beating taken from Howard Cosell’s alleged “the Bronx is burning” quip (amongst others in media). The organization doesn’t embark on a ton of publicized community efforts anywhere in the metropolitan area, but New Yorkers are more likely to see the Knicks (the most active), Mets or either NFL team out and about.
So the closing of one Stadium for another may further cool a frosty-but-accepted existence between franchise and borough, especially as the economic downturn compels the Yankees to reach for the affluent fans from the outside. Yet, with this new attractant into the City should come changing perceptions about the people and the place that is the Bronx.
Here's the thing about the new Yankee Stadium: not only has the price tag of what was already billed as the second most-expensive stadium ever built gone up, but a lot of parkland has been lost by the construction at the moment with the new building being built where Macombs Dam and John Mullaly Parks once lied. This was more apparent as today for the unoffical start of summer, Memorial Day, many residents who used to grab the barbeque grills and get their neighborhood ball leagues going had to pack themselves in either the temporary park that was built by the City on the other side of the Macombs Dam Overpass - which was actually a parking lot - or further away in other neighborhoods.
There is a swap where there are going to be several smaller parks built (paid for by the City) and there would be a couple more acres created from this swap than the two original parks combined. Yet, there is a delay in when these parks will be built along with increased costs that have yet to be completely determined.
Personal politics and profession aside, you can only hope that this is rectified without further controversy and financial burden on the City, State or the Yankees themselves. Yet, too many cities around the world have been down this road before. We'll see what happens.
This is from the Macombs Dam Bridge approach in Harlem.
These were taken while passing the construction on the downtown 4 train between the 167th and 161st Street stops. If you thought that the new Stadium would not have a wall to block those watching from the 4 train platform at 161st Street/Yankee Stadium, think again.
I think it's kind of funny to believe that fans who probably couldn't afford to get a seat anyway would try to take away potential revenue. Besides, unless you're going to grab a lawn chair and look for someone selling Poland Springs for a buck, you're on the train to go home anyway. That and neither the MTA nor the NYPD are having it.
From across the street at the current Stadium. It's a magnificent façade, without a doubt.
For more on the parks controversy, I'll refer you to this article in the New York Times. Below are photos where one of the replacement parks - a rooftop park on top of an underground parking garage - will be built.
On the way to the old Yankee Stadium to cover today's Mariners-Yankees tilt, I took these photos of the new Stadium next door.
This was the first time I've been in the area since last year's Game 4 in the Division Series and since then, the new building has come along quite well. I know that there has been well over a billion dollars from public funds to get this going - something that doesn't make me very happy, despite my freelance profession - but for those of you who are going to miss the House that Ruth Built... this place should have been built years ago.
There will be more photos tomorrow. After all, this Scribe just lives over the bridge.
For more on the parks controversy, I'll refer you to 
