The New Yankee Stadium
After attending the opening exhibition game vs. the Cubbies on Friday, here is my take on the New Yankee Stadium. Amazed? Yes. Blown away? Yes. In awe? Yes. But…there is one thing that baseball taught me, “respect everything, be in awe of nothing.” So after my excitement level returned to normal I started to pay attention to my surroundings and many of you won’t be surprised.
The most enjoyable part of the experience was how the park seemed to bring the old Yankee Stadium into a new generation. Keeping the dimensions the same (which will cost ARod approx. 5-7 homers a year for the next 10 years = 50), a new version of the bleachers (which have flat panel TVs everywhere), and the way the upper levels are structured around the foul polls (1 homer off the right field pole, 1 off the left…wonder if that has ever happened in another MLB game before?) all seemed to update yet remind you of the historic park across the street.
Blending nicely with the historic aspects, Mitsubishi is saying is the most advanced, high-definition Diamond Vision display ever constructed is in center field. They are not lying. I was mesmerized by the size (100-feet wide and nearly 60-feet tall) and clarity of the screen from all angles of the park which eliminates the excuse of having a better seat to the game at home. When I first saw graphic drawings of the stadium, I was sure that having this screen in center field above the batters eye would cause major problems for hitters. But the way the Yankees have hit the ball in the past couple of days I guess we won’t hear any complaints.
My 3 missing parts of the new Yankee Stadium:
3.) The condiments table location and selection was lackluster. No cheese for your pretzels!! What’s with the spicy mustard everywhere?!?! I emphasize the condiments section but that was only a symptom of the service problem. Disorganized lines, wait staff and selection proved to be a bad experience. I hear the new Mets’ Citi Field has people at the condiment table to squeeze the ketchup for you…..but we’ll discuss that below.
2.) The men’s bathroom does not have a shelf to set a beverage down above the urinal….so leave your drink in your cup holder at your seat.
1.) No display of the current pitcher anywhere in the park. I noticed this when Aaron Heilman entered the game for the Cubs in the 5th. Recognizing his mechanics left me frustrated and my mind blank when I couldn’t remember his name. The interesting thing is I knew who was pitching and currently at bat in the Royals/Rangers game on the game cast “around the league scoreboard” to the right of Diamond Vision….but nowhere was it posted who was pitching in front of me.
I always try to teach the kids I work with the fine line between being confident and cocky. Confident in your abilities to be the best with a respect for the game, its competitors, and your teammates. Do the Yankees cross this line of being arrogant and cocky? Do they think they are better than the game? Where does this tone come from? Jeter is confident not arrogant….Tex (although brand new) is confident not arrogant….Rivera is confident…ARod…Steinbrenner’s????
My point is although I absolutely think this was the most incredible stadium I’ve ever been in, for whatever reason the stadium has this character and personality that is so arrogant it makes you not fully enjoy the experience. An attitude that says “hey welcome to the new Yankee Stadium, you should be happy and thankful to be here…..see you next time (no hope to see you again soon)”
Although my extreme dislike for the Mets, rumor on the street is that for 1/3 the money Citi Field dominates the new Yankee Stadium by making it all about your experience…..stay tuned for that report sometime this summer…
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