Thoughts on the New Yankee Stadium

There is much anticipation over the opening of the New Yankee Stadium this April. I, like many Yankee fans, am unsure what to think about the new stadium. I figured that in this post I will go through the many positives and negatives that the New Yankee Stadium will bring. First lets start with the negatives.

Negatives
1.) Atmosphere- Despite the resemblance to the old stadium, I believe that the atmosphere of the New Stadium will be different than the old. For starters, the new stadium lacks history. The Yankees greats such as Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and Mattingly have never played a game inside the new park. Part of the mystique of the old stadium was the people associated with it. You could almost visualize the great ballplayers on the field as you were watching a game pan out. For alot of us watching a game at the old Stadium wasn't just about what was happening on the field. It was an all encompassing feeling that every part of the Stadium was somehow connected to the events that took place inside it. While walking the corridors you can't help but think that someone was walking the same corridor after Aaron Boone's ALCS home run or David Cone's perfect game. Even the little things such as the peeling paint, or ancient bathrooms showed the stadiums connectedness to hundreds of great Yankees moments. Bob Sheppard's voice will also be sorely missed from the New Stadium. Despite his contract to announce the opening game at the new stadium, it is unlikely that Sheppard will be there for long. Unfortunately for me, the memories of old Yankee games won't be able to transfer over to the new stadium. However I am optimistic that there will be great new moments in the New Yankee Stadium for years to come.

2.) The Bleachers- One of the biggest blunders of the New Stadium was the design of the bleachers. The old Yankee Stadium had nearly 7500 bleacher seats. The New Stadium will have only half as many. This number will be offset somewhat by a standing room area that can hold 2,000. Despite this, the Stadium will still be nearly 2,000 bleacher seats short of the old stadium. Although the Bleacher Creature will surely establish themselves in their new section, the removable of bleacher seats will surely disperse the once cozy section. That means less affordable seats for poor college kids such as myself, or any other Yankee fan who is on a budget. Being able to see a Yankee game for under 20 bucks is a great thing, and I think that the lack of bleachers in most new stadiums (at least compared to the older stadiums such as Fenway, Wrigley and the Old Yankee Stadium) has partly contributed to the rising ticket costs. A second problem that I have with the bleachers is the sports bar which I like to call "That really ugly black box" that they put in center field. First of all it is an eyesore. Architecturally it doesn't fit in with the rest of the Stadium, which to its credit has done an excellent job of retaining many of the features of the old stadium. Second it is located right above monument park, which could somewhat hamper the experience. Rather than looking up and seeing the bleachers, or the facade, fans get an eyeful of drunk patrons who have nothing better to do than look at monument park from the confines of their air conditioned, padded bar chairs. Anyways, the removable of "cheap seats" has really pissed me off, and has not only decreased the likelihood of me ever sitting with the bleacher creature but has also prevented thousands of fans from seeing a Yankee game at an affordable price next year.

3.) Cost- 1.3 billion dollars later......we have a new stadium. This number is absolutely outrageous when you think about it. About 450 million dollars will be paid by the tax payers, while an equal amount will be contributed by the Yankees. The remainder of the money has been paid for by the city or state and has included funding for infrastructure improvements, replacing McCombs Dam Parkland, and building parking garages. Anyways, I think that this is an outrageous cost, and unless A-Rod is willing to play for free for the remainder of his career, we will continue to see higher than average ticket and merchandise costs at Yankee games.

Positives
1.) Design- One of the successes of the stadium (besides the aforementioned center field monstrosity) has been the incorporation of multiple elements of the Old Yankee stadium. In some cases the New Stadium looks more like the pre-renovation stadium than the older one did. The facade around the entire upper deck, as well as the beautifully done exterior have created a ballpark that is gorgeous from inside out. In addition, wider concourses, more restrooms and better handicap accessibility have made the stadium easier to get around. I am happy that things such as field dimensions and monument park have been preserved in the new stadium. All in all, I think that the architects did a good job at trying to recreate the Yankee Stadium experience of old.

2.) The Big Ass Replay Screen- That thing is huge! It will not only replay the highlights of the game, but also be able to entertain us between innings with clips of classic Yankees moments, Yankeeography, etc. I'm just hoping that it doesn't take too much away from the game and hopefully fans can keep their eyes fixed to the pitcher and batter and not the replay screen.

3.) Improved Sight Lines- One of the big advantages of the New Stadium is that it offers near perfect sight lines for nearly every seat in the house. In the old stadium, especially in the upper deck near the foul poles, it was difficult to see down the lines. Now, with improved sight lines, fans won't have to miss a double down the line or Jeter diving into the stands to make a game saving catch.



This sums up my thoughts for the New Stadium. Although they are mixed, I still look forward to seeing the Yankees in their new home. Feel free to add your own thoughts and opinions on the New Stadium.