Grandeur of New Yankee Stadium Hurt By Bad Timing

I almost feel sorry for the place. It isn't the fault of the new Yankee Stadium, with its $1.5 billion price tag and $2,625 top ticket and sizzling party scene and ThinkPad computer in every clubhouse locker, that construction was completed amid the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. In another era, we'd be hailing it as appointment architecture, the most magnificent sports facility ever built, a shiver-worthy replica of the original that whisks us forward with every possible amenity, technological advancement and concession item, including tofu, calamari, edamame (edamame?) and taralli.

"We tried to reflect a five-star hotel and put a ball field in the middle of it," said Yankees executive Lonn Trost, whose description pretty much nails it.

But in 2009, the Pinstriped Palace has become an immediate pariah for the times, a target for those who condemn corporate greed and excess amid an 8.5 percent national unemployment rate. I'm not going to defend New York City for using more than $400 million in public subsidies to help the Yankees fund the project. Nor will I defend the Yankees for outpricing 99 percent of the world's population for the most attractive seats, meaning just a scant few can dream of a wonderful night directly behind home plate at baseball's Taj Mahal. Still, as an aficionado of ballparks large and small, I hope the ill-timed extravagance of the House The Boss Built doesn't obscure its grandeur. And keep in mind, the Yankees footed most of the bill and oversaw construction when the economy was quite healthy, wanting to maximize the financial advantages of being America's elite baseball franchise in the nation's largest market.

"We understand that a lot of our fans are struggling. I mean, this is the worst recession in most of our lifetimes," general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. "But at the same time, I think baseball has always been an escape for people, you know? And I think what we're going to provide is an unbelievable experience for thousands and thousands of our fans that, despite the troubles they're going through right now, might get away for two or three hours, get their minds off things. And we're going to make that experience, you know, tremendous."

Visits to the ATM machine also will be, you know, tremendous. The average ticket price is $72.97, nearly double last season's average of $41.40 in the old Stadium. The club does offer prices are as low as $5 for partial-view bleachers tickets -- "Hey, Dad, did you see what happened to the fly ball?'' -- but only a handful of cheap seats are available. It's impossible for someone in Arizona, where the Diamondbacks have a major league-low ticket average of $14.31, to understand that New York is another universe. And in that universe, the Yankees still aren't having much trouble selling tickets, other than a few hundred of the premium Legends Suites seats that were supposed to go for $500 to $2,500 per game in season-ticket packages and now can be purchased for individual games.


The common-sense incongruity of two new parks opening in New York during a wicked recession -- Citi Field, the Mets' home, is more amusement park than cathedral, but still a prize -- has sparked considerable media criticism. An ESPN report last week was particularly biting. It just looks bad to charge these kind of prices when so many people are out of work and trying to send kids to college. The Yankees, while sympathetic, say they have no plans to reduce prices. "I think if anybody in any business had known where this economy was going to go, they would have done things differently," Steinbrenner said. "Look, there's no doubt small amounts of our tickets might be overpriced. You know, we're continuing to look into that. But the bottom line is, the vast majority of them, it seems like they're right on because we've sold 35,000 full-season equivalents, and a lot of the tickets have, you know, sold quite well. And, well, despite what's out there all the time ... there's thousands of very affordable seats. And, you know, the public is excited, as excited as we are, I think."

He's right. When the new Stadium officially opens Thursday, resale prices will range from $100 to $6,000 for the historic event. The Yankees' starting pitcher for the home opener will be C.C. Sabathia, who signed a $161 million offseason deal that symbolizes how this franchise keeps trying to buy World Series titles, even if the strategy has failed comically since 2000. Everything about this day will ooze of Yankees' affluence, including the sight of The Boss, George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the empire and turned it into the ultimate U.S. sports monolith. The only missing piece of avarice will be Alex Rodriguez, he of the $275 million contract and steroids-scandal past, who is still rehabbing after hip surgery. I know what you're thinking. You're disgusted by it all.

Don't be disturbed by the mystique. Be amazed at the structure. The front entrance establishes the mood, greeting visitors with a granite-and-limestone blast that replicates a classic look from the old Stadium in its 1920s emergence. The distinctive, wraparound frieze is intact, visible from inside and out, adding an unmatched touch of dignity. There's a Hard Rock Cafe and steakhouse in right field, a sports bar and Bleachers Cafe in center field and a Tommy Bahama martini bar behind home plate, where I assume everyone is wearing flowery shirts. Folks in the first nine rows have a choice of three clubs and lounges. What, do you have to get past a bouncer and a velvet rope? Do they play "Poker Face'' and Lil Wayne inside the club in the fourth inning?

If you'd rather shop than drink, there's an art gallery, a 10,000-square-foot Great Hall, a memorabilia shop, a team museum and a farmer's market, though you'd have to drive an hour from the Bronx to find a legitimate farm. I think the clubhouse would be a good place to hide during a nuclear threat; it's a massive, oval-shaped compound that players can reach underground without having to pass an autograph-seeking fan, which isn't very cool. And, yes, they can hide from the media and use an escape hatch to avoid us entirely. Think the health club at a Ritz-Carlton, only 100 times larger.

"I think everyone is a little overwhelmed by it,'' team captain Derek Jeter said, "because if you're sitting down and thinking of how you're going to build a stadium, I don't think there's anything else you can really put in this thing.''

It's the first modern baseball cathedral, right down to a gigantic center-field video board that is 59 feet high and 101 feet wide. Oh, several terrific parks have been built in recent years, from the waterfront jewels in San Francisco and Pittsburgh to the retractable-roof gem in Seattle to the downtown park in St. Louis, all fitting the most important piece of criteria: feel like you're sitting in the city you're in. But we've also seen some duds the last two decades -- Phoenix, the South Side of Chicago -- while others are starting to resemble the retro version of cookie-cutters, with Cincinnati and Philadelphia guilty as charged. Stadiums that seemed extremely cool in the '90s, such as those in Cleveland and Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, are now old hat compared to the enduring classic in Baltimore. The domes in Milwaukee and Houston serve a purpose. San Diego's park is great, but it should be pointed toward the water, not a minimalist skyline. Detroit's park tries hard in a dying downtown. Washington's place can't be relevant until the Nationals prove they belong in the majors.

Anyone can build a ballpark in any city. The Yankees have built a miracle. Too bad it's being called a misplaced monstrosity.

And too bad only the rich can experience it.