Yankee opening day. I guess MLBN is still a little biased.

Why are they introducing the Yankees with the Star Wars main theme? Is this their response to Baltimore introducing them with the Evil Empire theme? But why something so trite and boring? Why not something cool like Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 or Shostakovich's Leningrad?

Also, can someone tell me what is so beautiful about a building like Yankee Stadium? Or do I have to be there? Citi Field looked cooler than this.

All I've got is questions.

almost 3 years ago mazoboom 31 comments 0 recs |

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They use the "Evil Empire" music from Star Wars even at Yankee Stadium

I’ve walked around the new Yankee Stadium. It is anything but beautiful. It is architecturally very boring. The outside looks positively institutional (much like old Yankee Stadium). I’ve been to Citi Field too (again, the outside, but not the inside) and it looks much, much better. Basically, the old Yankee Stadium was a cold, grey, institutional-looking building. And the Yankees decided to make a new one which looks much like it, but with nicer amenities and more bathrooms.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 1:26 PM EDT reply actions

apparently thats what the yankee fans wanted...

there was a mini outcry when they said they were gonna tear it down, so they figured they’d appease everyone, while making a shit ton more money by building a bigger, much nicer replica. im just excited for a new stadium that isnt in the cincy/stl mold…those stadiums blow ass

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Apr 16, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

i think they should use

quartet for the end of time. waaaay more appropriate for the ticket prices they’re charging.

"red bull is amaZing" -Coco Crisp

by grantfunk on Apr 16, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions

kudos to costas for being wrong almost immediately

there isn’t a bad seat in the house, and they’re all closer to the field now

there are obstructed view seats in the bleachers and most of the bad seats are further away

by Freneau on Apr 16, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions

That really is inexcusable

In this day and age, having obstructed view seats is unimaginable.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 16, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Frankly

I’m surprised he was able to utter a sentence that didn’t involve Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris or Joe DiMaggio.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 16, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

or Three Nights in August

by Freneau on Apr 16, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions

or to plug

wash u.

"red bull is amaZing" -Coco Crisp

by grantfunk on Apr 16, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions

or how he pees standing up

Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 16, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

i haven't seen a lot of actual finished photos

but the renderings i saw a couple years ago made it appear there was little to no overhang of the upper deck over the lower levels. that would make for terrible sightlines and extremely distant seats up there.

by SSmanque on Apr 16, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Yankees bullpen implodes

and fans chant “We want Swisher”

Kansas City Royals: your 2006 and 2007 NL Central champions!

by mazoboom on Apr 16, 2009 4:03 PM EDT reply actions

Love it

Couldn’t happen to a nicer team.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 16, 2009 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm sure that

somehow this is all A-Rod’s fault!

Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel! - Homer Simpson

by aHorseWithNoName on Apr 16, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Embarrassed on their special day

How awful.

How could a team have a $200M+ payroll and have such a poor, half-assed bullpen? Their bullpen construction appears to have been an afterthought.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

perfect use of sarcasm font.

"red bull is amaZing" -Coco Crisp

by grantfunk on Apr 16, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

They can have the Professor back

by sterlingice on Apr 16, 2009 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, they don't work on it much, it seems

but here’s some the CHONE FIPSstuff from Fangraphs, for the curious

Joakim Soria 3.04
Mariano Rivera 2.72

Juan Cruz 3.20
Edwar Ramirez 3.36

Ron Mahay 4.36
Damaso Marte 3.69

Kyle Farnsworth 4.50
Jose Veras 3.87

I have to admit I don’t follow the Yanks signings that close, what are they paying those guys? Rivera’s contract is huge, of course. I remember Marte’s seeming too big, as well.

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by Matt Klaassen on Apr 16, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Mariano $15M per year through 2010
Marte 3/$12M (through 2011 plus a club option for 2012)
Veras and Ramirez are at league minimum. And if they hit those projections, I’ll eat my hat. Edwar isn’t that good, and projections based on 76 MLB innings are what they are. And ZiPS doesn’t like Veras as much as CHONE. I’d bet a good deal of money that the Royals bullpen is more than a little better than Yankees this year (by FIP or tRA) even considering that they’ll likely make a trade or two to upgrade it in the summer.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't really get why they didn't go after Cruz

It would have cost them what, a fourth round pick?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 17, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions

they would have had to release Jose Molina, thus hurting their depth

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by Matt Klaassen on Apr 17, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Good point Mellinger.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 17, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Aren't there like, a small army...

of cloned “Molina Brothers” kept in the basements of MLB parks all over the country? Just waiting to satisfy the purpose of their creation (to be major league catchers)? If not, then where do these beings come from?

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 17, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't think it was possible to fellate a baseball stadium

But Bob Costas has proven me wrong once again.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 16, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions

And it is so undeserving of praise

I mean if what you really want out of a baseball stadium is lots of restaurants, then it’s great. But if you care about seating, views and aesthetics, it is no better than merely ok. And given the money spent, they could have made a truly spectacular facility. Instead, they re-built the same crappy stadium, with room for lots of restaurants.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions

a baseball stadium isnt really designed to be an architectural marvel...

it is there to maximize revenue and maximize fan enjoyment. casual baseball game attending fans are quite obviously attracted to things like restaurants and ferris wheels and putt putt and the such, so they’re put into every stadium. luxury suites make the yankees and every other team huge sums of money, so they’re put in. thats just how it is

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Apr 16, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions

It's there to be whatever you/they want it to be

When you are rolling in money (which the Yankees are, plus they got some public money to help fund it as well), they could easily have had all of the revenue maximization and fan amenities they wanted and made the place look attractive too. It’s not like any team has to choose between revenue enhancement or amenities vs. attractiveness. Many other ballparks manage to be attractive. It’s not that hard, especially when you can afford the best in sports architects. And I’m sure they did use top sports architects. They just chose to go with a re-do of old Yankee Stadium instead of something that looks attractive or even impressive.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah...they came out from the beginning and said that they...

wanted it to be modeled after the old stadium b/c thats what the fans wanted. i think thats a stupid idea as well, but hey, its not my money. You may have a different opinion b/c it actually may be some of your money

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Apr 16, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not saying they should have done X or Y because something else makes the most sense for them financially

I’m just saying the place looks boring and crappy. They could have made it look better; they chose not to. It looks like a really nice parking garage from the outside.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions

yep...

they went straight retro look rather than the retro cool look that is prevalent in every other new stadium

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Apr 16, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I"m not sure what "straight retro" means

…but it has the same “retro look” as the old Yankee Stadium, which is — in all honesty — the nondescript, nearly featureless, concrete look of large institutional buildings like prisons built at the same time. That’s not really retro. That’s just not trying.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 16, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions