Regarding the high number of home runs he said
The Yankees will continue to study wind patterns and how they affect home runs, Trost said. He added that the team has been told the winds during the first few homestands were “the least likely” to have occurred at that time of year. He also pointed out that the removal of the old Stadium — slated to begin in June — could also affect the winds.
About fans interfering with balls hit to the fences:
Trost did admit fan interference on fly balls near the walls has been a concern. “We’re going to have to look at that,” he said, but added he did not expect any changes would occur this season. Possibilities could include moving back a row of seats or adding a restraining bar.
The sale, or lack of sales, of premium seats:
Trost said it’s too early to tell how the revised pricing is affecting sales, but said he is not concerned. “I’m never satisfied with any plan,” Trost said, adding that the Yankees will continue to monitor seating sales as well as pricing points.
And now for the real kicker, the reason I titled this post Lonn Trost is a Weasel, here's what he had to say about fan access to the field level seats during batting practice:
Trost said there are no plans to change the rules regarding fan access to the lowest level of the stadium. “If you purchased a suite, do you want people in your suite?” Trost said, referencing the pricey Legends Suites that are closest to the field. “If you purchased a house, do you want people in your house?”Back before I started going to games myself and sitting in the bleachers, my father and I had seats in the second row behind first base for about five seasons. I'd usually show up around 6:15 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. game and there were always kids my age and younger in and around my seats waiting for autographs. Nobody seemed to mind. Once the players finished BP and went back into the dugout and clubhouse they kids were told to please return to their seats by the ushers. Again, nobody seemed to mind and I never heard anyone, not one person in four years, complain about these kids. Maybe the type of fan in these sections have changed, after all the prices have increased from $55 dollars when I had the tickets, to $500 dollars today. However, most of these people aren't even at the stadium until the second inning anyway so it shouldn't be an issue. And I'd also hate to believe that just because you're rich you hate kids.
Let me pose this question to you, and answer honestly. You own $500 dollar seats and you show up early to a game, would you care if there were kids in your section waiting for autographs?
62 Comments:
No I would not care. Its part of the GAME. You get there early to see your favorite player and hope to get an autograph. My little cousin was devasted when I told him we were not allowed to go behind the dugout, and he was even more confused to why we were not allowed behind the outfield fence to attempt to get a bp ball. I miss the old stadium, and the old rules.
Yes, I would. If I could afford a $500 seat, you can be damn sure I'd want to be able to sit in the the first second I got there.
It's no different than any other seat in the ballpark. When I get to my seats in the 300 level, why should I expect to have a bunch of people milling around when I'm trying to sit down and enjoy a hot dog and a beer?
It's a moot point, as I never get into the Stadium much before first pitch anyway, and there are no kids at Stan's.
It is a shame that the seats with the best view are either empty or might as well be empty because they are being waisted by those non fan rich bastards. I thought that the reason why they have luxury boxes was so we can put them there and not have to deal with those ass holes.
Absolutely not. What if it was your kid? I know that I would want to do anything I can to make my kids happy. The game is for the fans, and these players are heroes to the children. Heck, sometimes they bring out the kid in all of us. They are taking away from the children, an experience they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. How often do we here ball players mention how getting an autograph or being close enough to touch a player was such a amazing and inspiring moment of their childhood? You know what I'm saying...the line that starts out "I'll never forget when..."
What am I supposed to tell my kid, why we can't go down and get closer. Sorry, daddy doesn't make enough money to be allowed into that section. How dare the Yankees turn their backs on those who have made them what they are today. It's disgusting.
What are the Yankees gunna do when the next generation of baseball fans in NY are mostly Met fans because their park is a lot more fan freindly? Don't they know that the kids that go to games and not have a good time will keep that impression for the rest of their lives.
Anonymous,
I was a Yankee fan before I ever set foot in Yankee Stadium because that's what my family is.
When I got to go to Yankee Stadium it only confirmed that. Kids will be a fan of whatever stadium they go to more. My parents wouldn't take me to Shea to save their lives, and when I have kids I won't take them to Queens either.
This whole "think of the children" argument is such crap. Tell you what, next time you see a family of four in the last row of the upper deck, you offer them your seats to move down.
NYSJ,
"Tell you what, next time you see a family of four in the last row of the upper deck, you offer them your seats to move down."I don't think that argument doesn't make sense. Nobody is saying give anything to the kids. And I'm not saying they should be able to sit in other people's seat either. But standing by the wall waiting for an autograph should bother nobody.
The "think of the children" argument is not "crap" if you look at it right. Really what you are trying to do is keep you team viable in the future. If you only cater to the corporate set then you will get a backlash from the family of 4. If the parents are not feeling welcome with their kids they will stop going to games. They will say some choice things about the team, based on management and the kids will retain that. They will not feel connected with the team as much and won't have good arguments when other kids that are Mets, or (God forbid) Red Sox fans put down the Yankees. With out a welcome feeling from the team they will turn to the teams that do welcome them and then the brand will be ruined. If the Yankees want to really survive into the future they have to remember that the fans are the ones that will buy the tickets and the murchandise and do the right thing for them. Field a team that is not only exciting to watch but that is also accessable.
Greg,
You're saying they should be able to go wherever they want during BP.
If I have a front row seat that I paid for, why should I have some obnoxious kid there in the event I want to get to the game and watch BP myself?
I'm no defender of the Levine/Trost wing of the Yankees organization, but to act like this is the greatest injustice of all time is just absurd.
For one thing, there is no longer a walkway in front of the seats out by the poles, so where are you proposing the kids all go to stand and watch BP?
Yes, I think kids should be able to stand by the front row during batting practice while they wait for autographs. If people complain, then they should be moved, but if nobody complains they should be able to stand there. That's how I feel.
Also, most of those fans aren't there during BP, so I don't think it would be that big of an issue.
i completely agree with you Greg. if I had the $500, or even the $1200 seats, I wouldn't care if anyone stood there to get autographs. hell- im still a teenager, ive only gotten three autographs ever and it was amazing. I had field championship seats for the 3rd to last game at yankee stadium, best seats of my life. I got two autographs, no baseballs, but I did shake harlan Chamberlain's hand. Think about it. How many other people have sat in those seats? Have touched those seats? And if your not there, why do you care if someone's trying to get autographs? It's ridiculous, and I hope it is changed in the future.
NYSJ is a d-bag
exactly, no one is there anyway...it's a few hours before a game....the place is empty during the game...so having kids down there during BP is no big deal...
"For one thing, there is no longer a walkway in front of the seats out by the poles, so where are you proposing the kids all go to stand and watch BP?"
That is the point the disconnect of the team and the fans. They were more concerned with making the corporate empty seats closer to the field and less concerned with making the team more accessable to the normal fans. It is the same argument against the moat that is there. The ballgame experience has changed for the worse. My son will never have the same experience that I had to my first ball game and the countless other kids have in all the other stadiums in the country. Besides Trost's argument is moot anyway because noone is in any of those seats.
are all kids that obnoxious that they can't get an autograph? You sound like a really stuck up person and generalize the new attitude of the people behind the amazingly expensive seats.
It's not that big of an issue to begin with, it's just that every blog is turning this into the biggest insult in the history of the world.
I was lucky when I was a kid, my father's company had seats 2 rows behind the tarp on the 1st base side, so we'd get to go to several games a year ... here's a list of the autographs I was able to get:
1) Andy Stankiewicz
2) Bernie Williams in his rookie year when he was a nobody
3) Jim Abbott on an off day
The fact that Mattingly never came over didn't make me like him any less, the guy is my favorite Yankee to this very day.
Point being, it seems like people have an overly romanticized version of how things used to be at the old stadium because they've decided they hate the new one.
I've been reading these blogs for several months as the stadium was being built, and it's been one complaint after another. The first time I went in to the new stadium, I didn't like it, probably because all I'd been reading was the negatives.
The second time I went, I liked it much more, and from my seat up in the 300s, it's still a great place to watch a ballgame. All the other stuff is just finding reasons to be critical.
Like it or not, those big money ticketbuyers are why the Yankees can spend what they do. Life isn't fair, and so forth.
No its the 40,000 other people that built the team and made it what it is today. There were no corporate boxes when the Yankees won championships in the 40s 50s 60s and even 70s. They won, got more regular FANS and built up. Now they're being greedy jerks.
Greg,
The problem is LOGISTICS!! The way they set-up the Legends section is such that they give you a wristband when you enter which gives you access to that section (and all free food and beverages). So you cannot just let people down an hour or so before the game because people would try to stay and the Legends Club is very crowded by 5:30-6PM. And with KIDS comes PARENTS, so lets not pretend that we are talking about a few 8 year olds waiting along the dugout for autographs. You have just as many fat middle age guys trying to do the same. I had tickets at the old stadium about 8 rows off the field at the on deck circle and even then (before the MOAT), the guards wouldn't let kids down. Bottom line, I think Trost is right (call me an elitist). If you are looking for that kind of fan experience, then I seriously suggest catching a Rock Cats game in CT or a Thunder game in NJ. There is a reason minor league baseball had 42 million fans last year!!!
Yes, it was cut off, but you could get down to the field by the baselines, you can't even do that.
Joeyankee26,
Have you ever spent any time with an 8-13 year old kid that wasn't your own? They are obnoxious.
Listen, I wouldn't care if they changed the policy back, they probably should ... but the whole act like this is the greatest injustice the world has ever known is just a little bit tiring.
I'd argue that they never should have gotten a new stadium in the first place, but now that we have one, make the best of it. So little Timmy doesn't get an autograph from the bullpen catcher at 5:30. That's quite a loss.
I'm not saying it's the greatest travesty because its not but, my brothers (10 and 8) want auotgraphs- there not obnoxious. When I had great seats last year, there were kids from a different section who went under bars to get there- they weren't obnoxious, they were trying to get autographs like I was. Honestly, it's not a huge deal to let a few REAL fans down to get autographs.
Jesus, I'm jaded and cynical as hell.
Maybe I've forgotten about what it was like to be 10 years old at Yankee Stadium, or maybe I never had the luxury of getting to a game 2 hours early like some people apparently have.
The point is this, if getting an autograph was the difference between me being a Yankee fan or hating baseball, I'd hate baseball.
Go ahead and hate it then.
NYSJ is right to an extent. This by itself is not the worst thing in the world. But when you put it on top of the much higher ticket prices, obstructed views, and messed up communications and policies that would let houndreds of people think a game is postponed and then not even let them back in when an offical announcement is made. Then things look a little worse. To compound matters the very existance of a New Yankee Stadium is to many a sacralige. I am sure that there is a lot to this new stadium that is better then the old. I just wish that the Yankees showed a little more consideration to the average fans then they did. Maybe it is nitpicking. Maybe it is magnafied. But the truth is when you are THE franchise and you spent $1.5 billion on the place it should be perfect or at least pretty damn close.
Way to miss the point. I don't hate it. The fact that I didn't get to meet Don Mattingly didn't make me less of a Yankee fan, nor does the fact that I haven't been able to afford to sit down low at a Yankees game in over a decade.
None of that bothers me. If you're bothered by the Yankees being a souless corporate entity, I suggest you change your rooting interest, because that's not going to change.
That's what I've been trying to say, just in a different way, lol.
i meant anon
Ok, so here's what I'm wondering, who is this "average" fan people keep talking about.
I've gone to about 20-25 Yankee games every year for the last 10 years or so, and have NEVER been able to afford field level seats.
This new stadium has changed literally nothing about my Stadium experience, except that it's a bit longer walk from Stan's and if I want a pulled pork sandwich in the ballpark I can get one.
Other than that, nothing is different for this average fan.
The real fan is one that treasures everytime they go to the stadium, acting as if it's the first time. The real fan is one that loses his/her voice every game the go to. The real fan watches every game on TV, stays up to watch games like Jeter's dive into the stands, and wakes up to watch games in Japan. The real fan is speechless when they get a ball, or autograph, and understands that most other real fans feel the same way, and should allow them to stand by the precious sent down from heaven Legends seats.
That didn't really answer my question, and I'm sorry I don't fit all of your criteria for a "real" fan.
I've never gotten a ball at Yankee Stadium. I detailed my less-than-impressive collection of self-acquired autographs.
Frankly, if you knew more about these players, you wouldn't even want to shake their hand, let alone revere them to this degree or let them anywhere near your kids.
Great conversation guys. Keep it up.
As for me, I just wish the Yankees cared a little more about fans who cannot afford $500 dollar seats. Because it seems the only fans they do care about are the ones who can.
There is nothing wrong with having some people standing at the wall for BP and then being moved as soon as someone wants them to move, or BP has ended.
They still reached a level of baseball that many people have tried for, and failed. They can say they played in the majors, something me and you can never say, and that's good enough for a real fan.
Exactly my point.
NYSJ, you want an average fan, well here i am. i'm a loyal yankees fan. true to the blood. i've only been to one yankee game in my life, and it looks like i'll never be able to go now since lookin' at ticket prices is asking for pigs to fly, too expensive. to me, the yankees lost their swagger with the fans, and the stadium, you can somewhat say is the icing on the cake. one day i wanna be able to take my future kids to a yankees game, meet the players, get autographs, and the whole nine. but how can you when you got asswhipes like lonn trost, doin' things for these suites, and not caring about the average fan like myself. that's nice and dandy they have the $5 seats, too badd there obstructed. and for you to have beef about kids gettin' autographs, and sitting up front during bp, is just wrong. think about it like this: what if you went somewhere and took a bus. you wanted to sit upfront so badly, but couldn't because you don't have enough money? you'd be hurt. now, don't get me wrong. there are some highlights to having a new stadium, but from everything i've been reading, it's all wrong. the yankees lost touch with the fans. the common fans like myself. the fans who want to be able to spend time with fellow yankee fans and rejoice in cheering for the yankees. this new stadium is dead. dead to the core. look at it from my perspective, a guy who makes minimum wage and just wants to relax at a yankee game. trost, levine, and whoever else needs to go, because they are killing the yankee atmosphere. you see how every other team in the majors have that player to fan experience, the yankees don't have that and it hurts. ok, so they wanna make more money, fine with me. they're the yankees, they got all the money in the world, and when they do get money, they spend it on the wrong things. do anyone of ya'll remember when the yankees were winning in the late 90's? when anywhere you go, everyone had a yankee fitted, jersey, pennant, or some type of merchandise? those days are gone, and it hurts because of how we've overcome. i'm a average fan, and i feel like i can't afford to stand in front of the new place, and look at it. the yankees need a extreme makover. and need it quick!
i've spoken my peace!
(greg, what's up homie?)
Joeyankee26 - that doesn't make them worthy of your respect as people. I've spent too much time around athletes to ever be a "real" fan in the way you are.
Greg - The only way they'll start to care about the "average" fans is if they stop showing up. Are you going to stop going to the Stadium to prove your point?
I agree with you, the Yankees only care about turning fans upside down and shaking them until their pockets are empty, but tell me why they SHOULD care when people are willingly handing over their cash anyway?
I'm a sucker too, and I'm not going to stop going to games because I happen to think the front office are a bunch of scumbags.
As for the BP thing, it wouldn't kill anybody for them to change their policy back, just like it won't kill anybody to keep it as is. I just hope you realize that all the complaining in the world isn't going to matter until you stop handing them your cash.
"As for the BP thing, it wouldn't kill anybody for them to change their policy back, just like it won't kill anybody to keep it as is. I just hope you realize that all the complaining in the world isn't going to matter until you stop handing them your cash."
Fair enough. And believe me, I know nothing will happen. But that won't stop me from speaking my mind.
What's up Bentton?
man, frustrated over the yankees! other than that, i'm just tired from workin' so much lol
Why in the world would you not respect someone who has spent there entire life going for this goal, and is willing to ride the bench for the greatest team, on the brightest stage. I have the upmost respect for anyone that can make the majors, and I don't know why everyone else would not.
Bentton - no offense man, but you've been to one game in your life, why do the Yankees need to cater anything to you if you've never been in the ballpark?
And there are non-obstructed tickets available for this weekend's games on StubHub for $15, and I know because I just bought a pair in the 400 level at that price for Friday night.
If they did cater to people like him, and me, and millions of other people, they would eventully get more fans because many people will not pass on their passion for the Yankees do to the crap goin on right now.
And by the way, 400 level is SO much farther away from the field than the old stadium, another flaw of this stadium.
"Why in the world would you not respect someone who has spent there entire life going for this goal, and is willing to ride the bench for the greatest team, on the brightest stage. I have the upmost respect for anyone that can make the majors, and I don't know why everyone else would not."
They're human beings, just like you. They cheat on their wives, drink too much, and while you respect them for wearing the uniform, MANY of them couldn't care less about it other than the fact that they get paid a ridiculous amount of money.
I wish I could see it as simply as you do, I really do.
There's a great line from a Bronx Tale ...
"Is Mickey Mantle going to pay your rent? Mickey Mantle makes $200,000 a year - he don't care about you, why care about him?"
They're just regular stupid guys who happen to have a skill we don't. That's all.
If you have the balls to say that to Derek Jeter, or Ramiro Pena for that, I'll think exactly the way you do.
I don't want you to think the way I do. It must be awesome to still hold professional athletes in such high regard.
It is. And that's what kids like me do, and should do.
Tross is delusional. Who in their right mind refers to a general grandstand seat (even a nice one) as a "suite"? Unless your seat has three walls around it, it ain't a suite.
Well, where do I begin? It didn't sound like anyone on this page has any kids. As a parent, I have to tell you that you will do almost anything to try and make your child's experience at a ball game a great one. A parent's mind set is very different. The idea is not to get drunk and curse. The idea is to enjoy the game with your kids and pass on your love of the sport and your team.
True in the old stadium the seats around the dugout were always off limits but much easier to navigate during batting practice than now. Also, in the early 90's the seats cost $25 near the dugout(good money but not crazy money) and every once in a while I would get a pair on day of game through the Yankee ticket office. My daughter loved seeing the players up close and those times helped shape her experience as a fan which grew over the years. Where now she is a season ticket holder herself. Regardless of what was happening by the dugouts, we always had the chance to hang out in right or left field to try and catch a ball during batting practice. Again, the idea was just to see the players up close. I did the same thing as a kid in the early 60s. Many of you have indicated the same memories, seeing the players up close, some getting autographs. That's what it is all about, creating memories. By restricting the "Legends" seating area during batting practice you rob future generations of fans those same positive experiences. Those great memories.
The Dodgers did the same thing as the Yankees when they re-modled a few years ago but quickly changed the policy when fans protested the class distinction. They did not want to appear as an organization that promoted the rich over the poor, the well connected over the average fan. So they changed the ploicy and allowed fans to go in the exclusive section during batting practice. They leave after it's over. No problem.
This is not "brain surgery" to have a system that allows fans in these exclusive sections and then have those without a ticket leave the area when batting practice is over. It can be done and it is done in most stadiums throughout baseball. Unlike the Yankees, most teams recognize that its the fans, especially young fans who are their lifeblood. Teams go out of their way to make the whole experience of going to a game a positive one so you want to come back again and again. When I went to a game in Atlanta a few weeks ago, my seat was in right field and after the 6th inning, I ended up behind home plate. No problem. No issues. And the guard thanked me for being at Turner Field (he knew what I did).
Think about it, if the only way you can go to a game is to sit a mile away with no chance ever to go and see the players up close even for a little while, are you really going to continue to go later on in life? And if you do, how often? Chances are no,and not that much, you might as well watch on TV
As for having another fan "in your space" during batting practice. It's not the same as having them in your seat during the game. Relax, you won't get infected.
Fans buy tickets, hats, all sorts of merchanise based on the positive experiences they've had being a fan. The single most important experience a fan has is at the ball game. Ruin that experience, and you lose that person as a paying customer. They may watch on TV, but they will rarely if ever go to a game. And as more and more fans are pushed out and taken advantage of by the Yankees, attendance will begin to drop. Don't be surpised if its less than 3.5 million this year and if they keep it up, less than 3million the next.
and Trost is a self serving SOB with no guts! he takes no responsibility for the mess he has created. Every time he opens his mouth he denmonstrates that he has no use for the average fan and is only looking for the corporate fan with the money to waste.
I said this on NSI, the time has come for a boycott. Let 30,000+ fans who sit in the bleachers and grandstands stay outside and send a message that we're not going to be taken for granted anymore. It's time for action. Pick a game when most plans are in effect, (weekend??) and lets just hang in Stans, or Billy's or McDonalds, or the parking lots. Listen and watch the game on TV outside the stadium. Believe me, the press will be looking for us to find out what is going on.
Lonn Trost can suck a dick, I'm sure he's used to it.
I agree with a couple of other posters that have said that how fans are treated when they are young does influence their opinions of the team or a player as they get older.
When I was a child, I went to an exhibition game where the Yanks played against their AAA affiliate. I asked Reggie Jackson for an autograph, and he told me to "take a hike kid". To this day, more than 30 years later, I can not stand Reggie.
Now imagine that you are 8 years old, and you realize that the entire organization is telling you "take a hike kid". Are you going to remain a fan of that organization?
Whooo hooo! boycott!
Boycott! What's the down side, the price of a ticket? Season & plan holders don't go to every game anyway. We just pick a date where we all stay out together. Hang out and tell the Yankees - no more!
Scott's got it right, the whole organization is telling us to take a hike, Trost is saying, I don't want you in my house.
What if they scheduled a ballgame and nobody came?
Even if a few thousand walk in; 20,000 or 30,000 fans out on the street will send a message.
Baseball is meant to be a cheap experience and only about baseball. Do you think it's fair that the average fan who owned good seats back in the day (1998) for $30 a game can't even dream of owning the same seat? $30 tickets are now $500 people! The field level seats, meant for real baseball fans, are now only affordable to the corporate elitist jackasses and Bernie Madoff who don't even care about the game itself (Sorry to the rich fans who do care about baseball,though)
I don't want a gourmet experience, I want a cheap and friendly experience. I'm sure baseball's founding fathers didn't envision for this. A good baseball experience should be affordable to everyone, not just the rich and lucky ones.
The Yankees used to be such a great franchise, where you can look up to guys like Mickey Mantle and buy bleacher seats for $2. Where you can go to two games for the price of one every Sunday. I'm sick of this robotic and emotionless organization and I hope people stage a protest. Hal, Trust, and all of the bufoons have been shoving this crap up our asses for long enough. They don't deserve fans until they make the Yankees human again. I want role models like Tino and Paul, not rich, self-absorbed stat-geeks like A-Rod and Giambi. I want Gene Michael and sometimes George back.
Cashman doesn't know how to run an organization. Just give huge contracts to losers with good stats and ignore the farm system. Nevr mind players like Bernie, Jeter, and Paulie when you can have Big Tex and C.C. Any Yankee fan, name one pitcher since Andy Pettite who has won 70 games with the Yankees. The Stick left us with a cheaper, younger, and more effective team with the best farm system in baseball. What has Cashman done of late, besides capitalizing off of Michael's success in the late '90s?
You hit the nail on the head: "...most of these people aren't even at the stadium until the second inning..."
Lower level$: partions between urinals
Upper level: no partitions
Maybe it's nothing, but to me, there is something real wrong about that.
Oh that's Mr.Whitefolks. (stupid iPhone keypad)
It really is two different stadiums; the one downstairs for the rich, and the one upstairs and in the bleachers for everyone else. I understand you get what you pay for, but the Yankees have taken it to a such an extreme that it's ridiculous. I never felt that way at at the old place.
To be honest Greg, I can't imagine to afford those seats but If i had those seats, I would be annoyed as heck to see people in front of me, trying to get autographs while i'm there. Of course, if i'm not there, it doesn't matter but as long as I'm in my seat, i want to be able to soak everything in. People make too big of a deal with the kids but people forget that alot of the persons asking for autographs are also adults. with kids come the adults and that makes it even worse! Since those seats are NOW classified as "suites" rather than "seats", i can't blame Trost for implementing that rule. People pay alot of money for those seats to have all sorts of distractions from people who didn't pay to sit there. I really don't have an issue with Trost at all on this. Maybe because i don't find any little thing to complain about. I think the new place is great and its a great place to watch a ball game. especially a Yankee game. people are just jaded that the old stadium is no more and can't let go. that's the way i see it.
The classification of the seats as suites is part of the problem. It's a ridiculous concept in it of itself.
Anyway, as I said before, if there are people near the seats and somebody complains then the ushers should tell the people to move. But if nobody is there complaining how does it hurt anyone to allow people there?
Having sat in this area for one game, I can tell you that most of the people who have seats, are in the Legends Club eating and drinking, not worring about watching batting practice or getting an autograph. So the vast majority of the area is empty. If a ticket holder comes and wants to sit in his/her seat, we will move. The real story here is Trost's comments and his distain for the average fan. he has tarnished the Yankee brand too many times to even have a job never mind be aloud to speak to reporters.
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