Sunday, April 5, 2009

Some Fan Tricks, Tips and Hints for the 2009 Season

With the new baseball season upon us, there will be not just new faces on the team, but new fans as well. Here are a few tips that will hopefully make the Stadium experience that much more pleasant for you and the fans around you:

  • Take public transportation. I don't care if you can afford your own chaffeur; unless you have a pass to the players' lot, the mess of stadium parking is just not worth it. Besides, public transport is that much cheaper, even with the Doomsday Budget of Doom. The other thing about public transportation: other fans going to the game will usually be on the same subway or train; if you don't know what to do, look for the people in Yankee shirts and follow the herd. Even if you get lost, you will not be lost on your own.
  • Seats in the center of a row are better than aisle seats--less people will be trying to climb over you to get to the aisle. It's one of those really obvious things, but it still bears repeating.
  • Decide how much money you think you're going to spend, and bring double. It's not just that you never really know what unexpected thing you're going to want to buy, but it's always good to have extra cash on you. On Friday, many stalls were cash-only, and you never know when the credit card machine is going to crash.
  • Leave the Gucci at home. You're going to a baseball game, not a board meeting or charity gala. Unless you're sitting in an executive suite and have many people to impress, a t-shirt and shorts or jeans is perfectly acceptable attire.
  • While getting to the game early enough to catch BP is a great thing to do, don't shy away from visiting Stan's before a game, either (as long as you're over 21, that is). A major league game is about much more than just what happens on the field--it's the entire experience.
  • For the love of all things holy, don't let the camera catch you reading a book at a game. The program or the media guide, sure. Even Baseball Prospectus or Baseball America is okay; they're at least relevant. Would you bring a book to a play or musical? To the opera or ballet? No? Then why bring one to a baseball game? Baseball players may not understand a libretto from a pas de deux, but they're still being paid to entertain you.

Derek Jeter was right last year when he said that it's the fans that help make the Yankees who they are and Yankee Stadium what it is/was. If you keep that in the back of your mind, it's a bone chilling, but true, notion.

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