April 10, 2006

Yankee Stadium primer

On the eve of the Yankees' first home game of the season, NewYorkology contributor Scott Ross offers up a Bronx Bomber guide to everything you need to know about buying tickets, how to get there, where to sit and what to eat. Ross is the East Coast editor of Sploid.

The Stadium
In the decade preceding the arrival of Babe Ruth, the Yankees were a so-so team. Their performance at the gate reflected their play on the field, as average attendance at the Polo Grounds was only about 5,000. With the addition of Ruth the Yankees in 1920 started winning and immediately their attendance tripled. The influx of cash from gate receipts allowed team owner Jacob Rupert to put up the money for "The House That Ruth Built," as the stadium came to be known.

Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. That season the Bronx Bombers captured their first World Series title. Since then, the stadium has been home to an additional 25 championships, more than any other team in pro sports.

With the announcement in June 2005 of a new Yankee Stadium slated to open in April 2009, there are now less than 250 more opportunities (not including the playoffs) to see a game there. If you haven't seen this historic coliseum, get on it.

How to Buy Tickets
Tickets are available online at the Yankees official website or through Ticketmaster. You can print your own tickets off the Internet, so you needn't fall victim to the capricious ways of the U.S. Postal Service.

You can also visit one of the Yankee Clubhouse Stores around the city. Don't bother getting your tickets through the Clubhouses in an effort to avoid the Ticketmaster surcharge, they still get you. ... Yeah, I don’t get it either.

You can buy tickets at the ballpark, but it's in your best interest to get them before you head up there. You'd be wise to call and check availability before making the trek up there ticketless.

Of course you can always buy tickets from scalpers, but you do so at your own risk.

Where to Sit
Ticket prices range from $12 for the bleachers to $115 for "Field Championship" seats, what dad used to call "box seats." All the really pricey tickets for 2006 are sold out; the most expensive section still on sale is "Main Box" for $52.

I typically sit in the upper-deck behind home plate (Tier Reserved, between Sections 7 and 8). The tickets are cheap, $18-$20, usually available and you can see the whole field. The more expensive the ticket, the harder it is to come by, so you need to decide what's important to you.

If your priority is not having your child surrounded by blood-hungry drunks, let me suggest the bleachers or Tier Reserved sections 13 & 14, where the sale of alcohol is forbidden.

There’s no escaping the thunderously loud P.A., though I find it particularly bad in the upper decks.

How to Get to Yankee Stadium
Subway - Yankee Stadium is easily reached by taking the 4 train if you’re coming from the East Side or the D train up the West Side. Both trains let you off at the 161st Street station. (Be advised the 4 train will not be crossing between Brooklyn and Manhattan on weekends until the fall of 2006.)

Car - If you just have to drive, the Stadium is at exit 4 off of Route 87 (aka, The Major Degan). There are parking lots, but isn't going to a game expensive enough? And getting out of there after a game can be a nightmare. In "A Pitcher’s Story," Roger Angel tells of how the police allow Yankee P.A. announcer Bob Shepherd to make an illegal left turn that cuts 30 to 45 minutes off his drive. You are not Bob Shepherd.

Ferry - NY Waterway's Yankee Clipper costs $18 roundtrip and makes several Manhattan stops. The trip takes about an hour and a half and leaves you about a 7-10 minute walk from the Stadium. Really, what's more magical than a cruise along the East River?

Riding the Yankee Clipper from Pier 11 (near South and Wall streets) takes considerably longer and is more expensive than the train, but it's not without its merits. The chief advantages of the ferry are the full bar and the comfort, with the later truly becoming an issue on the ride home. Rather than jostling with 50,000 other hot, tired fans on the dank, sweaty subway platform and trains, you've got plenty of fresh air and seating as you float down the East River. It's a far more civilized way to travel.

Where to Meet
Mercifully, we all have cell phones now, so finding one another is far easier, but you still need a location. Everybody who doesn't know the area meets at The Bat. As you get off the subway and walk west along 161st, you'll see a giant bat, maybe 30 feet high, surrounded by a couple hundred people looking as lost and confused as you.

Before the Game
Unless you're sitting in the bleachers, your ticket also allows you to take a walk through Monument Park in centerfield, where the team pays tribute to its former greats. The park is located by Section 36 and is open from two hours before game time to 45 minutes before game time. It's pretty cool; check it out if you have time.

If you'd rather grab a beer or a nosh beforehand, there is no shortage of bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, all of them teeming with fans.

Getting Into the Stadium
The gates open two hours before first pitch and you're permitted to seek autographs until the end of batting practice. Give yourself a minimum of thirty minutes to get through security, buy a hot dog and find your seat.

Before you get into the park, you will be subject to a search, typically a cursory patting down. Be prepared to turn your cell phone on, take off your hat or open your purse.

Outside food is permitted, though cans and bottles are not. If you’re carrying anything in an opaque bag, you may be asked to transfer your belongings into a clear one provided to you by security.

Any bag larger than a purse (this is a purely subjective determination made by the security guard taking into account your gender, demeanor and bra size) will not be permitted (diaper bags are OK).

You can check your bag for $5 at many of the bars across River Avenue. The lines move pretty quickly and I’ve never heard of anybody losing anything, but there are no guarantees, so if you can avoid it, don’t bring a bag.

What to Eat
The Stadium has your standard ballpark fare; vendors troll the aisles with beer, dogs, peanuts, soda, popcorn, Cracker Jack, ice cream. ... If you want pizza, fries, nachos or a sandwich, you have to walk quite a ways and wait in a long line; you’re looking at a minimum of 30 minutes, more likely 45.

Miscellanea
If you feel compelled to wear your Red Sox hat, be ready for catcalls and mockery, but don’t take the bait. You can’t win.

There are only four ATMs in the whole ballpark, so you’d be advised to get money in advance.

Listen for the mellifluous sounds of Bob Shepherd on the P.A. I’m holding onto the hope that someone will have the good sense to record Shepherd pronouncing every syllable in the world so we can create a Shepherd see-and-say, and hear him for all eternity. The sound of that man saying "Shigetoshi Hasegawa" makes my knees weak.

Watch out for Freddie, the crazy old guy with a sign that reads "Freddy Sez ..." The man has been trolling the aisles of the stadium forever, carrying his sign and offering people the chance to clang his bell with a spoon. If you get close enough, ring the bell, have your picture taken with him and be sure to ask for a copy of his newsletter. Bad jokes, recipes, ads. ... It’s incredible. A stapled mess of photocopies, it may be the original zine.

Listen for the chant at the start of every game that rains down from the bleachers. In the top of the first inning the fans in the bleachers chant the name of each player on the field and clap (Der-RICK! Je-TER! ... clap ... clap ... clap-clap-clap) until the player acknowledges them with a tip of the cap.

Whether you’re visiting from Smithtown or Boston or Manhattan, Kansas, the idea of spending the day in the South Bronx can sound daunting. Do not be afraid. The neighborhood is completely safe. Don’t think twice about heading up early for a beer or to take the tour of Monument Park.

Corrected: This entry was modified after a commenter pointed out that the phrase "(i)n hours leading up to the game and for about an hour after, the neighborhood is perfectly safe" made it seem the Bronx may be perpetually burning when not under the soothing spell of a Yankees' game. Writer Scott Ross concurs with the commenter and the phrase has been deleted.

Update: Writer Scott Ross took a mid-season trip on the Yankee Clipper and provided more details on the sail for the entry above. Also, this new info on security changes: After 9/11, security at Yankee Stadium was cranked up quite a bit. In the wake of the terror plot uncovered in London last week (Aug. 10, 2006,) the Yankees have again raised the bar. As always, the Yankees remain one of the few -- if not only -- ballparks that graciously allows outside food and drink, however you now must take a sip of any liquid before it'll be permitted. As a friend noted, this new protocol may keep liquid explosives out of the stadium, but it won't keep you from smuggling in booze. Hooray for freedom!

April 10, 2006 06:32 PM in Out of Manhattan, Sports

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