The latest episode came during the weekend series with the Angels. Paul O'Neill, a revered former Yankee, now an analyst for the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, was asked by security to leave the indoor batting cages, where he was watching Yankees hit, prior to one of the games.
A security guard told O'Neill, the man George Steinbrenner called "warrior," he could not loiter in the area. O'Neill had another reason to be perturbed. Security would not allow his wife, Nevalee, into the Stadium "wives room." She was told by security it was for "current" wives only.
Think about it. Here's O'Neill, a guy who bled for the franchise, trying to prepare for a broadcast. Not only is he told to take a hike, so is his wife. O'Neill was not the only broadcaster ejected from a part of the Stadium over the weekend.
I hope I'm not alone when I say that whoever the idiot was that asked O'Neill to leave should be fired immediately.
Apparently they also insulted a few members of the Angels' broadcast team.
The Angels bring multiple announcers (including voices who work Spanish language broadcasts) on the road. The mouths rotate between radio and TV. At times, some of them are not on the air. During those breaks, they need a place to watch the game. There were two empty Stadium broadcast booths during the series. Angels voices, not on the air, used one of them to chill.
Until they were booted by security.
The Angels broadcasters were told they weren't allowed to sit in the empty booth. When asked Monday if the voices had been mistaken and were sitting in a private box reserved for patrons, an Angels source said: "No, it was a broadcast booth." When asked if security invited the broadcasters downstairs to sit in those empty seats behind the plate, the source laughed and said, "no."
What's happening to this organization?
17 Comments:
Wow all the class got left across the street.
The answer is quite simple... George is no longer in charge and it really shows... From the overpriced seats to the product on the field... A real shame... It is going to be a long year
I think a lot of this has to do with the move. A lot of new people working at the stadium now and I am sure a lot of them are just trying to do what they are told so they can keep their job.
It's only the 2nd homestand and people are still probably learning.
Girardi kind of explained this to him a couple of weeks back live on TV. Paul was complaining about something similar and Girardi said, "You're media now."
He wasn't joking. He was explaining the situation. And he's right. It would be different if he was there because he was invited to something like old timers day.
But what are they supposed to do? Have a separate set of rules for media guys and media guys who used to be ball players? That would involve training their employees.
Actually I think these rules for the media are brand new and stupid. I even think the Yankees made it a point to let Kenny Singleton watch the indoor BP and made him say it on the air last night, which he did.
I just think there is no communication between the workers and their bosses at the new place and it's leading to many embarrassing moments.
This is outrageous. We are becoming a laughing stock. Frankly, I don't know how much more of this I can stand.
I'm going to blow off a little steam by calculating some final grades....
Mike
You're right greg, what is this organization turning into? These arent the yankees that I remember from back in the '90s. It seems as though theyre more worried about running a business than a baseball team. Sad
You guys are funny. So because Paul O'Neil played for the Yankees (never mind he IS part of the media now) he should be allowed to just roam around the batting cages? Or his wife in the "wives room"? Should Kay's girlfriend be allowed to be with the players wives/girlfriends too?
These facilities are for the PLAYERS and some for their family. NOT the media and their family.
Another thing David Wells was saying Opening Day that he was not allowed in the clubhouse. Why wasn't he allowed? Because he's NOT a player anymore. He is now part of the media. Unless he had credentials he wasn't getting in.
You don't get special treatment just because you USED to play for the Yankees.
Anon,
What you don't seem to understand is that they do allow the media down by the indoor cages. Kenny Singleton mentioned it on the broadcast last night that he was standing by the indoor cages watching somebody hit.
"You don't get special treatment just because you USED to play for the Yankees."
In the past you did.
I don't think it has anything to do with the move to the new stadium. After all, I would read on blogs that the workers at the OYS acted like assholes to people sometimes.
But, I do think Greg has a point when he says the Yankees are embarrassing themselves. In my mind, things seem to have gone downhill for the Yanks since 2004, when they traded for you-know-who. The Red Sox have clearly enjoyed the upper-hand since the A-rod trade, not only in terms of wins, but from a general PR perspective.
I really wish they would have let A-Rod walk when he opted out, he's more trouble than he's worth. Just my opinion. I remember when the Yanks first made the trade with Texas to get him and my friend stated at the time that the Yanks will never win a World Series with A-rod. I didn't believe it at the time, but now I think it may be true.
Only took ten comments for someone to make this about A-Rod.
A-Rod is also responsible for the starvation in Africa, and the Armenian Genocide. He hates little kids, and burns American Flags in front of the White House in his spare time. He's the reason you didn;t get promoted.
On topic: Greg you said it best when you said:
"You don't get special treatment just because you USED to play for the Yankees."
In the past you did.
Not only did you get special treatment, you were royalty. The attitude of the current heads of state is that of commerce. They heard the media calling them a corporation and they believed it. I mean sure this is a business, and the Yanks want to make money, but its a business with a face, and a responsibility to its customers and its community. The Yankees are missing the boat at every turn.
Its Levine
he's cancer
i feel like ranting
ever since he got here the team has lost.
it was his idea or the yankees to lose all common sense and decency
to alienate fans and
to turn the yankees into a corporate monstrosity with no respect for the grassroots foundation of this team or its history
Levine is the guy telling people to kick oniel out of the batting cage or booting his wife from the wives room..
shortsighted ego maniac who still think legends seats were a good idea
im not going back to the stadium until the legends seats are destroyed
sox series and the front row is completely empty?
way to go levine
where are all your rich and powerful buddies
how come all the seats in the infield all the way to the outfield grass are roped off empty and make the red sox feel like they are playing in a second home?
francona was like
"its just not imposing anymore"
real fans r in the upper deck miles away from the field
$ and greed took over winning
this team used to be about winning at any cost
the spend whatever to get players
its about making money and this is NYC you have to cater to super rich people
but it was about winning above all
now its just about marketing
making money
the yankees enterprise
but its the yankees how do u not make $ w/ this team
this team would be profitable no matter who was running it
how much more profit does hank & hal have to make
what #
w/o the boss having a truly im i the clubhouse
hands on
things have changed
its actually making me question my allegiance to the team
which is just crazy to me
i just cant get over the homo aspect of the field level this year
i want to kno how many season ticket holder in field level all the way out to the outfield grass
u know regulars who have had the seats for years
how may of those guys re-uped and bought there season tickets this year
cuz i just dont get why its empty and its making me sick
Lonn Trost is on a power trip. The security in the stadium is over the top. Even Paul O'Neil and Reggie Jackson couldn't get into the yankee clubhouse.
Thats what made the yankees special the old players are always around the team. That what George wanted. It could be spring training or a regular season game the old yankees were always around the team.
The insults to Paul O'Neill and his wife shouldn't shock anyone. I've been a Yankee fan for over 50 years, but I will never attend a game at the new stadium. The organization is all about enriching the owners with no regard for the fans. The grotesquely overpriced tickets have turned me totally against these weasels. The only reason I watch them now is to revel in all the empty seats — even though the cameramen are choosing their shots much more carefully after all the bad press.
Peter Maloney
As a class organization, I'm afraid we are dead. I'll say some more in the future, but the downward spiral should be apparent to all.
Former players should indeed be treated as honored guests, and they should be given VIP treatment when they come to the stadium and allowed to visit wherever they want to visit. And the Yankees have the gall to always speak of their history??
I'd better stop now....
Mike
It all flows from the top and right now that's Levine and Trost.
The Yankees are great at placing blame on some poor low level employee or anywhere but where it should be, at the top. Levine and Trost set the tone for the organization and that tone is: "There is no customer service because we don't care about the customer."
Look at all the public relations blunders just since opening day (forget all the mistakes prior to opening day i.e., the relocation process, ticket pricing, the stadium design).
Not once have Levine and/or Trost taken responsibility for any of the problems or more importantly empower employees to resolve customer problems. There is no sense of customer satisfaction, there appears to be no employee who can resolve a customer complaint, they have their rules, most of which they should throw out and there is no one on site who can or will think outside the box to make the fan experience a good one. The mission statement should read in part:....to make visiting Yankee Stadium a positive, enjoyable experience (regardless of the score) by demonstrating respect to our fans and helping them whenever possible.
It's Levine and Trost that have taken down the Yankee organization.
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