Recent Yankee News

Just some recent news from the Yankee universe and the MLB:

• Team president, Randy Levine, was subpoenaed today by a state assembly committee investigating the public funding that is being used for the new Yankee Stadium. Levine is supposed to report at the hearing on Wednesday.
• Rickey Henderson got elected into the Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot. Congratulations to him, he really deserves it considering how great a player he was. He ended with over 90% of the vote, but many analysts expected him to get more than he did.
• Former Boston slugger Jim Rice also made the Hall, in his last year of eligibility.
• Mark McGwire, in his third year on the ballot, actually saw a decrease in number of votes. It isn’t looking good for the performance-enhancing drug users- thankfully.
• The final decision on the Cubs sale should be coming later this week.
• The Braves sign Derek Lowe to a $60 million deal
• The Red Sox sign John Smoltz to a $5.5 million deal
• The Yankees will win the World Series in 2009- at least I’m hoping.

Yankee Stadium: the Legacy

And here we are. The last game at the historic Yankee Stadium has just begun and emotions of all sorts are swirling all around the stadium as well as in the hearts and minds of Yankee and baseball fans across the world. It is a day that we have been dreading, yet looking forward to, a day that brings happiness, but also sadness. It is a gate to the future, but it is not the exit to the past. The edifice may no longer stand, but it will live. It will live on in all of us and will be passed down through stories and memories until it becomes immortal.

We will never forget the “house that Ruth built,” a place that has been host to so many great moments, both baseball and history related. From the rise of baseball to three papal visits to George Bush’s opening pitch shortly after the September 11th attacks, the stadium has been more than just a place. It has been spirit. It has been life. It has been the world. The stadium is more than a building, it is a symbol.

Yankees in HD

Today it was revealed that the Yankees will be putting a 5,925 square foot HD Diamond Vision scoreboard in the new stadium. It will be Major League Baseball’s first true high-definition scoreboard. The Yankees decided to go with the Diamond Vision brand due to their long relationship with Mitsubishi (which dates back to 1983, when the company installed the first Diamond Vision screen in baseball for the Yanks.) The new screen has 8,601,600 LED lamps and is almost 101 feet wide and 59 feet tall! Compare that to the current scoreboard and your jaw will really drop. The scoreboard that sits at the current Yankee Stadium has 486,400 LEDS and measures 24.9-inches X 32.8-inches. Just imagine how big the new one is compared to that. It is going to be awesome. The scoreboard will be able to simultaneously show several things including the score, videos, and different stats all in brilliant HD. The Yankees definetely went all out on this one, as this is the latest and greatest out there at the moment; I am sure it cost a pretty penny, but then again with current ticket sales they can afford it.

The Yankee Legacy

With New Yankee Stadium just around the corner, people have really gotten a glimpse into what the Yankee name really means. It is one filled with history, with glory, and with an equally bright future. In many ways it transcends simply being a sports team’s name; it has a sense of honor which many other team organizations just don’t have. It may be due to the time it has been around or because of the success had under it, but whatever the reason is, it is clear that it is remarkable.

I think it is because of these reasons that the Yankees organization has decided against selling the name of the new stadium to a corporate sponsor. Most people assumed it wouldn’t go to a corporate sponsor once that gold sign was put up, but it wasn’t officially announced until yesterday. Actually it was more than announced, it was promised. Promised to every fan that follows the greatest franchise in sports history.

Sure selling the name would bring in a good sum of cash, especially since the Yankees are one of the most famous clubs on the planet, but it just wouldn’t feel right. Not only that, but in a way keeping the name as Yankee stadium is like a corporate sponsorship, the only difference being that the Yankees are subsidizing themselves. I mean think about it, the Yankees are more than just a ball team nowadays; they are a multi-billion dollar corporate empire. And what’s a better place to get advertising than to a 100% targeted audience of New Yorkers? Plus, it gives the ballpark more sophistication, which many other parks lack.

Not only is the name honoring the Yankee legacy, but so is the physical stadium. It is a tribute to the past, laced with the technology and comfort of the future. Some Yankee fans are upset because the old stadium will be demolished, but I believe that those memories will still live on in the history books, in the hearts of fans, as well as in the new stadium. People will never forget what was accomplished in the old stadium. Sometimes it is just time to look to the future and what the organization is doing is designing a more modern stadium, which better caters to fans’ needs.

Recent News

I decided to do a quick summary of some of the recent headlines concerning the Yanks. I have taken liberty in making the main ideas bold in case you don’t want to read about that topic (especially the first one.)

First is the Clemens-McNamee situation (part one million). I have tried to refrain from posting about this lately because it is just the same old back and forth again and again. I thought I would give a quick overview to you guys instead in this post. Clemens went in front on Congress last Tuesday for several hours talking about how he did not use steroids. We don’t know much about what happened behind the scenes yet, but the latest news is that McNamee’s lawyers have said they have evidence that will prove the Rocket is guilty. The form of the evidence? Old syringes, gauze pads, and dried up blood that are 8 years old. Sounds a little fishy that someone would keep all this for that long, but that is for the court to decide. Personally I don’t know what to believe right now because this is just a back and forth argument between Clemens and McNamee. What is clear is that whoever is lying will face severe penalties, for lying under oath. Some think that the medical supplies are made up, which definetely doesn’t bode well for McNamee if its true.

Ok, thats already more than I wanted to write about that. Moving on to other news, Tino Martinez is back with the Yanks as a special instructor. His first assignment is to help Shelley get better suited for the first base position. I think that hiring Tino was a great move for the organization and staff because he definetely is familiar with the system and he will be able to teach Duncan (and other players) how to be more successful with the Yanks.

In one last piece of news, the stadium costs have been upped to $1.3 billion from the original estimate of $1 billion. It is a lot, but I definetely think it will more than pay out in ticket sales and the boost it gives to the revenue line.

Last Game at Yankee Stadium

As the last year of Yankee Stadium approaches, the Yankees are heading towards a new era with their exciting new pitching trio and a new manager. It’ll be sad to say goodbye to the stadium where so many memories have been formed and where the franchise has had unrivaled success. The last game that is played in the stadium will certainly be a moment to remember. Wouldn’t you expect the Yankees to play the final game at Yankee Stadium though? Well, that might not be happening. With the immense success of the first outdoor NHL game between the Sabres and Penguins, the NHL is looking in that direction more for next season, including a game involving the New York Rangers. The NHL is trying to cut a deal with the Yankees which would allow the Rangers to host a game at Yankee Stadium next winter, making that the last pro sporting event in the historic edifice. Many Yankee fans are unhappy with the possibility. I see where they are coming from because you would expect the Yanks to be the last to play in their stadium, but such an event certainly wouldn’t diminish the sentiment of the Yankees’ last game, or any game they played there for that matter. Personally, I am borderline on the whole issue. The deal isn’t set in stone just yet, as the Yankee organization has to accept such an offer so for those of you against this move, just keep praying