Home Opener

The stadium opens 3 hours before game time this year compared to 2 hours early in previous years. This gives you time to walk around and see the stadium. Now you're there before batting practice starts.

My seats in the stadium are in left field instead of right field where I sat the previous years in the old stadium. The view is very good from left, but I preferred right field. It is great to have front row seats in the second deck because I get a good perspective of the field and no blind spots.
For the opening ceremonies many former Yankees were there including Yogi Berra, Joe Pepitone, Ron Guidry, Mel Stottlemyre, and more. John Fogerty and Bernie Williams each performed before the game. Kelly Clarkson sung the National Anthem and at the conclusion 3 military jets flew over the stadium. It was great to see the jets from my seats because in the old stadium I was in the second deck and couldn't see the sky because of the upperdeck overhang.

That also poses a problem with my new seats. They are in the open and we are no longer protected from rain and sun. The weather forecast was mid-50s for opening day, but in my seats it felt like 70s since we had sun on us the whole afternoon. By the end of the day I had a nice sun burn. I'll certainly remember sunscreen for now on for any day games. I'll also be prepared to bring ponchos for rainy days.

There are a lot of choices for food at the new stadium. So far I have tried the garlic fries, the cheesesteak, and Johnny Rockets. Prices are a little higher than old Yankee Stadium but that doesn't stop the crowds. There were lines at every food stand. A larger garlic fries was 9 dollars and the cheesesteak was about 10 dollars.

It would have been a great day if the Yankees had won.
Johnny Damon enjoys interacting with the fans. He often throws balls into the stands. He's always been a fan favorite and still is. This is the last year of his contract and it would be ashame if he doesn't stay.

I'll write a bit about the new stadium in future postings.

Workout Day

Workout day was my first day working at Yankee Stadium. It was the real opening day for the ballpark. We met up with our supervisors outside of the stadium and they brought us inside when it was time to start work. We all received Nike polo shirts with interlocking NY and Columbia windbreakers also with the NY. Unfortunately on the back of the windbreakers it says How may I help you? Obviously this windbreaker will not be worn outside of work. By using this phrase on the back of the windbreakers the Yankees are trying to be more fan friendly. Initial feedback from all of the fans about the Yankee Stadium employees has been positive.

When the doors opened the fans quickly began to explore the stadium. Almost everyone was raving about how nice the new stadium was. The food lines filled up fast. Everyone seemed excited to try out all of the new foods at the stadium.

The only thing people seemed to have a problem with in the new stadium was Monument Park. They felt it was too closed off and not in the open like it was in the old stadium. It is kind of hidden under the restaurant above it. This didn't affect the lines for Monument Park. People were standing in line for duration of the entire workout.

My job was roaming the field level of the stadium answering any questions fans had about the new stadium. Some typical questions were the location of the ramps to the upper deck and the entrance to Monument Park. Fans also were looking for the Hard Rock Cafe.

Overall the workout day seemed to be a success with the fans.