Is the New Yankee Stadium Cursed?

Lately, I am beginning to wonder what ghosts the Yankees may have disturbed by moving across the street. Unexplained incidents, scandals and unYankee like behavior have occurred since ground breaking including the following:

• Steinbrenner became semi-retired with rumors surrounding his health and weight loss.

• Bobby Murcer was diagnosed with brain cancer and subsequently passed away after a brave battle.

• The youth squad of pitching prodigies, Kennedy, and Hughes, along with staff ace Wang all succumbed to injuries that sent all to rehab and left the pitching in disarray.

• The Yankkes didn't even make the 2008 playoffs.

• The NY Attorney General and the US Attorney are investigating the financing and land appraisal for the new stadium.

• Leon Trost flipped the bird to the Yankee ticket licensees and relocated most to subpar seats so he can have plenty of expensive great view empty seats for his kind of people, rich.

• Jason Johnson, a pitcher with good potential acquired from the Red Soxs was diagnosed this past week with cancer of the retina, a career ending injury.

• And now of course in the latest saga of the A-Rod Steroid drama, Alex has been subpoenaed to testify before Congress and also before US Attorney regarding international trafficking in controlled dangerous substances. And of course A-Rod's admission means the drug dogs will be all over the Yankee charter for the next year. Maybe one of them will pee on Leon Trost's pants and luggage.

It makes you wonder if some Indian chief is buried in the Bronx or is it just a protest from the ghost of Yankee greats. Maybe Magic and Mystique don't want to move.

Anyway I am hoping the new Archbishop brings plenty of holy water to his first game, there seems to be something ominous lurking in the soil of the new digs.

Stains on the New Yankee Stadium

On Sunday, the ESPN program , "Outside the Lines" did a piece on the tax assessment scam the NYC Government of Major Bloomberg did for the New York Yankees. Seems concrete hardness is not the only problem with the New Yankee Stadium.

For those who missed it, the land the new stadium is built on was reassessed at 60 times it's worth. This was done to enable the New York Yankees Organization to qualify for US Government bonds to build the new digs. Yes George Steinbrenner and family are footing the cost, but on one of the greatest financing scams perpetuated on the Americans since Peter Minuet bought Manhattan for $24.00 in beads from the American Indians.
The issue of concrete hardness, much like the issue of financing of the new Stadium will not halt construction. However both elements loom bad for Major Bloomberg when he has sought to circumvent the law.

For those that care or those that don't, NYC Major Bloomberg is seeking a 3rd term. Three consecutive terms are not allowed by the NYC Constitution. Bloomberg, because he thinks he is the only one who can save NYC in our depressed economy feels the city needs him. As such he has won approval of the NYC Council to run for a 3rd term. The council has no legal authority to canhge the law, lawsuits are now being filed to overturn the vote. But apparently Bloomberg believes he can make law any way he wants; God forbid the citizens actually vote on the subject. The voted to ban 3 terms, they shoudl have the say in overturning it.
I find all the negative things unfolding around the new stadium scary. The scariest of which occurred today.

This morning I got a phone call from Joe in the Yankee Ticket Office. He explained the call was courtesy call, to inform me I would receive my invoice in Early January for the seats in the new Stadium. He asked me if I had any questions. I had plenty:

• NET ?: "Where are my seats"
• NYY Joe's Reply: "They will be assigned in a few weeks, we are too busy and overloaded to let each seat holder know their individual seat location personally. This will be your only call till you are invoiced."
• NET ?: "What if I don't like them"
• NYY Joe's Reply: "Reject them and you will be reassigned to a pool with other ticket holder who rejected their first assignment, then you will be given another assignment in order of seniority."

The concrete didn't bother me, that NYC construction.

The money game by Bloomberg's administration and the Yankees to inflate the land value to get US Gov't financing didn't bother me, because that's also NYC Construction.

The attitude of the Yankees, of not having time to call ticket holders to tell them their set options, that bothered me. It brothers it's not about the fans; if it were, I'd be getting a phone call before being invoiced asking me if I accepted my seat assignment.

At the ground breaking for the new Stadium, George Steinbrenner, said he was doing it for the fans. He lied, he's doing it for his self; and it got me to thinking. With all the lying and cheating around the new stadium , I hope it does not make it cursed. The honorable tradition of the NY Yankees, the mystique may prefer to stay at the old site. Why would the ghosts of historic Yankees want to inhabit the new place when it is shrouded in some much dishonor?

Old Yankee Stadium may be called the House that Ruth built, but it was more than Babe Ruth. Their was Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra and scores of honorable Yankees. For an team that prides itself in it's tradition and honor, it's management has a few lessons to learn from the ghosts. Yankee Management has not been honorable, at least not with fans.

It's time for Yankee Management to become honorable, because all the payroll in the world won't keep the fans in their seats if they play poorly and lose games. And besides Management should practice what it preaches. If they want the players to honor tradition, then Management must also honor tradition.

The Curse of the Papal Mass

As Yankee Stadium is set to host another Papal,Mass, I have resigned myself to kiss the season goodbye. While God might be a Yankee fan, the Papal Mass brings a hex to all who play where his holiness has prayed.

Don't believe me go back and look as the records for all Papal Masses and see what happened to the teams whose stadiums hosted them. All but one, the San Francisco Giants never saw the playoffs.

When Pope Paul VI held a Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium in 1965, the first; it tossed the Yankees into the middle of the pack. The Yankees had finished first in the AL in 1964 but lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. In 1965 they finished 6th behind: [Minnesota Twins (102-60), Chicago White Sox (95-67) , Baltimore Orioles (94-68), Detroit Tigers (89-73), Cleveland Indians (87-75), NY Yankees (77-85)].

In 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated masses at both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium.

• The Mets finished in the cellar, and the Yankees tanked and finished 4th, never making the playoffs.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass September 16 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and September 18 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

• The Dodgers finished 4th in the NL West and the Giants, the favorite to win the World Series went down 4-3 to the Cardinals who went on to lose 4 games to 3 in the Fall Classic.

In 1993 Pope John Paul II held a youth rally at Mile High Stadium where the fledgling Rockies played. The Rockies finished 6th with a 67-95 record. The Denver Broncos finished 3rd and never made the playoffs.

• In 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The Orioles have done miserably until late last year.

So the New York Mets should thank their lucky stars Pope Benedict XVI passed them by. They have enough issues, they don't need a Papal Mass to add to them. As for the Yankees and Nationals, better get those rabbit feet going now. Both are having problems, for the Yankees it's a typical April, but if things don't improve, maybe George can blame it on the Vatican.

New Yankee Stadium Notes

For those that are season ticket holders or who have ever registered and bought tickets online from the NY Yankees, know you get the annual ticket publication. Mine came with my season tickets last week, and I finally got around to reading it this morning. It contains some interesting facts about the new stadium.

The publication has some lively rendition pictures of the new lounges, restaurants and public area. It brings an excitement of I can't wait till it's done. It also gives a place for you to see showcase mock ups of some of the new stadium. The NY Yankees have set up a 4000 square foot showcase at Rockefeller Center to show of some of the new luxury boxes and suites and some of the private lounges. It is meant to sell the new private seating but is open to the public. For those too curious to wait, it probably is a good sneak peek if you can deal with the sales pitch. I intend to check it out myself.

Also listed in the publication are some of the public features of the new stadium. There will be 3 non subscription restaurants on top of the traditional subscription pubs and restaurants at the current stadium. A new steakhouse, a martini lounge and a sports bar. I don't know about the martini lounge, that would be better served as some food establishment for children. Also there will be a Yankee Museum showcasing Yankee memorable as well as some of the heavy hardware acquired by the team in it's long history. Really want to psych out the opposition, walk them past those 26 World Series Trophies which will now be on display for all to see.

While some of us are apprehensive about the new home, the preview in this year's ticket publication really wets your appetite for the new digs. I will be a little sad when they move across the street, but their new home appears to be fit for true baseball royalty; and the Yankees are the undeniable kings of baseball. In good times or bad, everyone wants to be a New York Yankee, most baseball players will agree; even some ex-Boston Red Soxs.