The Corporatist and the Peasants

The House that George Built. That's what they are calling the new 1.5 billion dollar Yankee stadium these days. A homage to the previous home's nickname and at the same time a blatant slap in the face. Last season, we all were bombarded by the fact that Yankee Stadium would be hosting it's last ________ there. However, as television and radio outlets tried to celebrate Yankee Stadiums past, little did we know that it would wind up being a funeral as the new stadium would absolutely suck.

This thing is ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. The place has become more of a hotbox than Coors Field. They might need a humidifier to keep balls in the park (or better pitching CHIEN MING-WANG!!!) .  As we've heard, bomb after bomb has flown out of this place. Balls have been flying out as fast as they would be at Lorena Bobbitt's house. The Indians, who are awful this season, but up a 14 spot in one inning there in it's glorious opening weekend. I can't wait to see what Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau do there next week.

However, the most important thing about this stadium is the fact that the rich people have their own castle in the first 7-10 rows of the stadium entitled "The Champions Suite." These seats are valued at about $2,625. I could sit here and whine about that price, but I'm not going to do that. Instead I'm going to talk about how there is a concrete moat between the rest of the lower level and the Champions Suite. Really? Apparently, the bleachers at Yankee Stadium are more dangerous than I thought because we wouldn't want the Dark Knight to get in the Champions Suite!

The worst part about this is that the fans are not allowed to get into that area at all. This includes batting practice. In normal stadiums, such as Miller Park, fans are allowed to get in close to catch a glimpse of their favorite players and, if they're lucky, get an autograph. Not at Yankee Stadium! The defense for this rule was that "If you bought a suite, would you want people in your suite?" Well, let's see...there's a huge difference between a suite and the first 7-10 rows of a PUBLIC stadium. If these corporate hotshots want to be left alone and discuss business matters, do it in an enclosed, private suite. Not right behind home plate. Most of these people probably have no clue who Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez is!

So hopefully, we can all learn from the Yankees mistake. The Yanks have gone from having one of the most euphoric experiences in baseball at the old Yankee Stadium, to building a 1.5 billion dollar pile of dog crap complete with a castle around the playing area. The Twins will open Target Field next year and will have the "Champions Club" which will cost people $275 per game. Still pretty spendy, but at least they aren't treating it like a private suite...we hope.