It is Their Home Lonn!!!

It wasn't that long ago that the New York Yankees had what every Major League Baseball team could only dream of...great, young ball players, a loaded farm system, a packed to the brim stadium and management that would make most Fortune 500 companies take notes. Now the team and the Steinbrenner family and its associates are agitating and alienating their legion of faithful fans.

First, they built a billion dollar cathedral with obstructed seats, then they asked people to refinance their mortgages to afford the best views in the house and now they aren't allowing fans to walk amongst those sections to catch BP before the game. To top it off, they announced yesterday that remnants of the old stadium...grass, seats, dirt, etc. will be auctioned off, some for outrageous prices. Who's giving these guys financial advice? Bernie Madoff???

Have any of the Yankee head honchos opened up a newspaper within the last few months to read about the economic crisis this country is facing? Did they forget that the people who sit in the Legends Suites a) don't show up till the bottom of the 3rd and b) usually don't show up at all because their wallets aren't fat enough. And if that's not enough, their PR Department appears to be getting advice from old friend Roger Clemens. At least The Rocket has convinced himself that his lies are truths though.

Yesterday, Yankees' Chief Operating Orifice Lonn Trost remained steadfast on fans not gaining access to the Legends Suites for BP. Trost didn't stop there though. He said and I quote, "If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?" Ahhhh Lonn, last I checked your bandbox was financed partially by tax payer's dollars; by my calculations that would indeed make it their home sweet home.

For once, the Yanks should look to their New York counterparts for help...I Need a Bailout Field allows it's patrons to go down to field level for John Hancock's and batting practice.

Something for the Yankees brass to consider...you're hurting the real fan fellas, the fan that you should really care about, the fan that has and will forever remain loyal, the elementary school kid who's dying for a quick glance at Derek Jeter, the kid who's vocabulary doesn't include economic stimulus, thousand dollar seats or million dollar contracts. All he knows is that he can't get up close and personal with a game and team he loves because Mommy and Daddy can't afford the tickets.

The Yankees are heading down a very slippery slope, one that may lead a new generation of fans to opt for the 7 train instead of the 4.