So, this is what it’s come to for the New York Yankees. The 75th edition of the annual Old Timers Day, a day that Yankee fans have always looked forward to, was turned into an utter embarrassment. These ugly days shouldn’t really come as a surprise to Yankee fans, me included, but this insult was particularly galling. I was in attendance Saturday, along with my dad, and despite the disastrous turn the season had taken we were looking forward to the occasion as lovers of Yankee history.
Our frustrations with the planned event started a few weeks back when it was announced that the Old Timers Day game would not be played for the second consecutive year. The Yankees have offered no explanation for this decision, a fact that remains all the more puzzling. While moving the event from its usual date in July to September to beat the heat certainly made sense, cancelling the game for what is now a largely younger alumni group is pretty hard to understand.
The disappointment over the game was tempered by the news that Derek Jeter would be making his Old Timers Day debut along with several other members of the record setting 1998 championship team. While it’s a bit of a cheap ploy for the Yankees to send Jeter out to distract the fans from the mess that is the current team, it’s refreshing to see the old guard back in the fold. They are needed now more than ever as it feels like the “Yankee way” has been lost. The mission was simple, give the fans a nice day at the ballpark with their favorite players and celebrate the past that Yankee fans love to brag about.
But this is the 2023 Yankee season and executing the “simple” and “good” things a normal organization does has been nearly impossible. The franchise has turned into a clown car featuring drunken assaults in the club house, bizarre press conferences, and inability to diagnose an injury. They can’t maintain the level of class we have been used to when it comes to making a roster move, most recently shown by the ugly release of Harrison Bader who found out he was no longer a Yankee from the media.
So, with that in mind, cue the first agent of the chaos for the day in the person of former starting pitcher and world champion David “Boomer” Wells. Known for his hard partying nature and outspoken personality, the fan favorite was always a lightning rod for headlines. Boomer decided to make Old Timers Day about himself with a wild series of comments that covered everything from the current state of the Yankees to the current social and political landscape.
I am not including his political and social thoughts here; I am not interested in discussing those whatsoever. Whether I agree with him or not he is allowed to speak his mind, something he has been known to do on Twitter. My issue really stems more from the fact that he chose Old Timers Day to be his personal negative forum. While there is certainly some truth to his comments about the Yankee players and their poor culture, his entire approach to the day was flat out wrong. Old Timers Day is much more than just a celebration of the Yankees past, it is a solemn day where the Yankees recognize members of the franchise they have lost. The widows of Whitey Ford, Billy Martin, and Thurman Munson represented the husbands they lost over the years, two of whom through tragedy. The occasion shouldn’t be marred by a loudmouth interested in furthering his own agenda.
As the ceremony began, it was evident via social media that general manager Brian Cashman, would not be in attendance. Cashman, who was in charge of the 1998 squad, decided to play a game of Where’s Waldo on scouting trip to Japan.
This is not the first Yankee event Cashman has skipped. Last summer Cashman was nowhere to be found at Paul O’Neill day and Derek Jeter Hall of Fame night. While he can use the convenient excuse of “doing his job,” this was an event he should attend given his relationship to the 1998 team. His cowardice left Aaron Boone, the most shockingly loyal servant in all of sports, to take the beating from the fans – as usual.
So, to review to this point, we’ve had a loudmouth former player launch a rant before the ceremony, and the current manager get booed by a crowd of about 5,000 fans at a celebration event. With the vibes at a major low, in stepped Joe Torre, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Derek Jeter to rescue the proceedings.
With the negativity seemingly on hold, the Yankee legends gathered to wave to the fans and thanks them for the love and appreciation they were showered with. The event ended at that point last year, and while it was underwhelming, it still felt special to witness. But the Yankees decided to triple down on the mess, with one of the most bizarre choices I’ve ever seen a team make on a special event day.
Following the ceremony, the skies opened up, turning the outfield into a lake and the infield into a muddy mess. During the rain delay I realized my seat was broken and asked for assistance from an usher. I would have happily moved down the row, but it was filled entirely (one of the few) so my father and I were moved to a pair of folding chairs behind our section. We were told the seat would be “fixed” while the usher argued with me with that the seat was not actually broken.
While the rain came down, we waited to be told the seat was ready, only to have a second usher come over and inform us they needed the folding chairs. We explained we were given them on a temporary basis, only to be shouted down and told “the chairs were needed,” it’s worth noting no one sat in them. You may or not believe me when I say this, but my father and I are not the type to raise hell in some vain attempt to get what we want but already aggravated by the ceremony, my father went off to find guest services.
To guest services credit they were helpful and understanding when it came to his frustrations with our seats. Of course, being the angry Yankee fan he is, he tossed in a jab at Brian Cashman (as if there was anything the employee could do about the roster) and went on his way. I am not relaying this part of my experience because I want a handout. I’m not sitting here writing this in righteous indignation, vowing to never go back to the stadium. My father and I both know we’ll be back next season, it’s something we’ve done all our lives, and we’ll do it again. Call us both spoiled Yankee fans, which frankly only applies to me – he attended games in the CBS ownership days and witnessed the illustrious careers of Yankee mishaps like Celerino Sanchez.
This to me is about the fan experience. It’s about being treated with respect for the money spent and time given to the teams we love. Being a fan is an irrational, borderline psychotic, behavior which my girlfriend can attest to it after watching me yell at the Jets on Monday. But without us the games are nothing, something the pandemic taught us very well when our teams played to empty stadiums.
I have felt in recent years that the Yankee Stadium fan experience is one of the worst in sports. It’s third worst venue to go to in the New York metro area, behind Barclays Center and the giant AC unit in the swamps of Jersey. Sure it’s nice and well kept. It preserves Yankee history with reverence and care. But the entire atmosphere is unwelcoming, and its staff is unhelpful. Additional concession stands on the second and third levels remain closed during games, leading to lengthy wait times that cause you to miss entire innings. Several traditional ballpark favorites have been pushed to side in favor strip mall food court chains.
Their only unique item is the “99 burger”, a basic cheeseburger with “secret sauce”, styled after slugger Aaron Judge, of which they only make 99 per game. Their tickets prices are among the highest in the sport, as they drive the “non-premium customer” (credit Randy Levine and Lon Trost), parking is $50 and that’s after the expensive George Washington Bridge toll if you drive. Not to mention the extreme traffic you sit through to reach the stadium by car.
All of this pales in comparison to other venues around the sport. I have been to several major league parks and just about all of them are more enjoyable than Yankee Stadium. You only need to look across town to compare them to the Met’s wonderful Citi Field. Citi wasn’t always perfect; it was actually rather disliked when it opened in 2009. But after a few touch ups and a change in ownership, it’s a first-class venue. It feels like a “ballpark” that is focused on maximizing the fan experience. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the concessions feature ballpark favorites and unique treats that are worth the wait. I have genuinely enjoyed my trips to Citi Field over the years, much more than Yankee Stadium. It should come as no surprise, since Steve Cohen is extremely invested in every aspect of his franchise.
You could even look to Boston and historic Fenway Park. I know its sacrilege for me to praise the Mets and the Red Sox in back-to-back paragraphs, but here we are. Faced with a similar situation to the issue with my seats on Saturday, last summer a member of the Fenway Park’s stadium staff moved me to an improved seat, without even notifying him of the problem. I said it wasn’t necessary and his response has stayed with me since, “I want to make sure you enjoy the game.” Call me an angry old man but that’s what it should be all about.
The Yankees have put everything that should matter to them second to the almighty dollar for some time now. Winning championships and a commitment to excellence, an enjoyable fan experience, running a first-class organization and respecting their history are all irrelevant to everyone in charge in the Bronx. Instead of “The 27 Time World Champion New York Yankees” we get a shallow, poorly put together imitation that uses occasional thrills to make an extra buck while playing on a diamond inside a mall.
If you thought Saturday was a new low, Sunday hit the absolute depths of the abyss with the announcement of the Jasson Dominguez season ending UCL injury – while the team was no hit for ten innings (yes, you read that right). Dominguez was the lone bright spot outside of Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, and Anthony Volpe, but now he is out for the rest of the campaign and likely a large portion of next season. To add insult to this injury it was revealed the medical staff, shocker, mismanaged this injury and its diagnosis as well. Forget Old Timers Day, it’s Groundhog Day.
There is much more Yankee content to come here on the breakdown. I will review the season, when it mercifully comes to an end. I also have a special series on General Manager Brian Cashman and his years long journey to becoming the ultimate Yankee villain. You can follow me on twitter @YNWA9623 and you can subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering you email address.
The Broadway Breakdown 
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