Yanks Nearly Cause Riot With Foolish Reentry Policy

From the Daily News:

Hundreds of irate fans - some who claim Yankee employees told them the game had been rained out - stormed away from Yankee Stadium before Monday night's game against the Red Sox even got underway and couldn't get back in, resulting in a an ugly scene at one of the ticket gates.

With rain falling for hours and no start time announced until shortly before 9 p.m., hordes of fans began leaving the Stadium and heading home - some who said they had been advised that the game had been called by Yankee employees who walked the concourse holding pinstriped "How may I help you?" signs.

When a 9:20 p.m. start time was eventually announced over the public address system, a crowd on the sidewalk outside Gate 6 tried to get back into the Stadium, only to have the employees working the turnstiles promptly close the doors in their faces. Panicked fans began racing up and down the sidewalk, trying to find a way back into the ballpark, while others remained at Gate 6 either pleading or demanding to be let back in.

"We talked to the security personnel, who said there was zero chance they were going to play the game," said Tom Stuart, a 27-year-old from Astoria who waited out most of the rain delay before leaving with his girlfriend. "We spent three hours drinking beer - you can't drink much because they're 10 bucks apiece - now they're going to play a game in front of 35 fans."

Becky Wright, who flew in from Oregon for Monday night's game, had bought two tickets as a birthday present for her 16-year-old son, Seth O'Neil. They left the game because "the guys holding the 'How may I help you signs?' said they weren't going to play," said Wright. They were among the hundreds of fans outside Gate 6 trying to get back into the Stadium.

Jason Zillo, a Yankee spokesman, said the team has a firm no-reentry policy. He also said the NYPD and Stadium security hadn't let any fans back into the ballpark.

"We're a part of hundreds of people, if not thousands," said Martin Watson, a 39-year-old New Yorker who spent $800 for four tickets and tried to reenter through Gate 6. "This is not fan-friendly. This is B.S. You pay money for a top-of-the-line franchise, and you get bottom-of-the-line customer service."

"I built this Stadium and they won't let me in it," a man wearing a local union jacket said before storming off.

While fans were being rebuffed outside Gate 6, scores were having their tickets rescanned outside Gate 4 and being allowed back into the Stadium, but that lasted only for a limited time.

One fan, who was wearing a No. 2 Derek Jeter jersey and a backward Yankee hat, approached a reporter to say he had been let back in, but couldn't do so because the Yankees wouldn't rescan his father's ticket. A turnstile supervisor directed the reporter and several fans to the customer service window, which was locked.

At least one fan was arrested outside the Stadium. Roseanna Franco, 25, of White Plains, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after she allegedly kicked a New York City police officer after not being let back in.

Stadium security also threatened to revoke the credential of Daily News photographer Robert Sabo, who was shooting the scene outside Gate 6 - a location photographers weren't prohibited from working at on Opening Day.

"They were super-embarrassed and told me to go back to my position on the field or they'd take my credential," Sabo said.

After most of the crowd had dispersed outside Gate 6, turnstile workers opened the doors and began letting people back into the Stadium. But it was already too late for hundreds of fans.

Talk about treating your fans like crap. This is totally pathetic on the part of the Yankees.

I was at last night's game but was completely unaware of any of this while it was going on. The reason for that was because I was sitting in a bar waiting to find out if the game was going to start at all.

My advice for fans who show up to a game to a game that's being delayed by rain is to stay outside of the stadium, in a bar, a restaurant, bowling alley, whatever, until you know for sure the game is going to start or be canceled. Instead of wasting money on nine dollar beers, go around the corner and you can get three for $10 at Stadium Pizza.

Also, don't listen to the guys with the 'How may I help you' signs. They can tell you where a bathroom is but that's about all the information they're good for. So if you do decide to wait inside the building wait for an official announcement on the scoreboard.