I can’t believe I’m focusing on the one glaring negative of an otherwise brilliant victory, but what the heck happened to the crowd at Yankee Stadium last night? The very first playoff game in new Yankees Stadium history, the first playoff game since the Yankees missed out on the postseason in 2008, the first playoff game for the restructured, 103 win NY Yankees: all these facts would make one think that you’d get a crowd as fired up as any in the last 10 years. MMMMmm not so much. Instead they get… robots -robots programmed to sit on their hands.
That was clearly the lamest playoff crowd I’ve ever seen. At first, I thought that maybe the telecast was deliberately damping down the crowd noise, but in the YES postgame, Kay and Flaherty bemoaned the disappointing and passionless crowd. The Yankees fall behind: no reaction. Jeter ties it up with a blast: no reaction. Matsui steps on the Twins’ neck with a monstrous opposite field blast: no reaction. Joba comes into the game: no reaction. Kay said that he kept waiting for the crowd to explode, but they never did. This just hours after I heard Tino Martinez lauding the Yankee Stadium playoff atmosphere as special and completely different than other venues. Is it possible that Yankee fans are no longer special? Do we just no longer have the passion we had 10 years ago to make the stadium shake from its foundation? What possible reason could there be for such an embarrassing showing? What do you guys think? Here are some possible explanations:
- The Yankee fans are spoiled. Like the Brave fans got after making the playoffs every year: the Atlanta fans simply lost interest. Yawn, another playoff game. You’d think that after missing a year, however, the fans would come back with renewed fury.
- The early start time. Too many late arrivals somehow messed everything up to the point where the crowd just never got going? Not sure I see the rationale in this, but it was mentioned on the YES postgame.
- Ticket pricing and distribution. The original tickets were not terribly overpriced, but they were pretty much impossible to get. Yet anyone scanning Craigslist or Stubhub will find thousands of obscenely overpriced seats for his or her taking. Rich fans and corporate fans = boring fans (in general – there are exceptions to the rule).
- Overconfidence. Maybe the Yankee fans are taking this series for granted and will show up against the Red Sox or Angels? If so, we should be embarrassed. You never know what can happen in this game – I guarantee you that the Twins fans will show up. It will be really humiliating for the whole country to see the difference between real fans and the passionless robots that filled seats in last night’s contest.
- Three words: Stepford Yankee Fans. Rabid, frothing at the mouth Yankee fans go into the stadium gates, are pulled aside by security, only to be replaced by an exact replica that is quiet, mannerly, cleans up after itself and purchases four times the concessions and memorabilia! Scary stuff, my friends.
What do you guys think the reason behind this shockingly poor showing is? Are you worried that it might become a trend or do you think it’s just recession related or something similar? Maybe the best fans are just saving their pennies for the biggest games? Also let us know if you were at the game and if you agree with what it seemed like to Kay, Flaherty and TV viewers.
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25 Responses to Top 5 Reasons the Crowd Sucked Last Night
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This post surprised me. I’ve been bragging all day how alive the stadium was last night. Definitely the best showing of the 15 games I’ve been to this season. Last night was the first time I forgot I wasn’t in the Ruth’s house. Maybe it was just my section. I was field level and had a difficult time hearing my neighbors. The whole section was up w/ 2 strikes all night. Between innings the fans were talking baseball and not Braylon Edwards. I even hi-fived a stranger when Jeter homered. I saw roll called spill over into most of right field. I normally sit on the main level so maybe it was my section, but I was proud the fans. Have I seen it louder in the playoffs? Yes. Almost every playoff game I’ve seen has been louder. But this is the first time I’ve seen the best team in baseball send their ace to face a tired team tossing a kid who only had 80 innings under his belt. So maybe the overconfidence explanation holds some water. But one thing you did not bring up…the acoustics of the new park. The open concourses on each level may just be where Yankee chants go to die.
Not just your section. I was up in 414 and it was definitely loud as hell all night.
Acoustics were definitely mentioned early in the season as the crowds were a little dead in that period. I thought that was debunked during the Red Sox series in July/Augustish. I remember several comments where people said it was just as loud as the old Stadium. Perhaps it’s a combination of acoustics and a crowd where some sections were not as loud as they traditionally are in a playoff game? Good to hear that some sections, at least, were rocking.
If anything I would agree with the overconfidence… Going into last night if the Yankees lost it would have been a huge disaster, and after the Rockies got two I was just waiting for it to get tied up again so maybe everyone else was expecting it too.
I think you will see a lot more motion in AJ’s start because it isn’t as guaranteed as Sabathia’s was.
HAHA Rockies, that’s what I get for watching one game and talking about another…. I mean when the Twins two…
This stadium is going to be different.
-The bleacher creatures are set back further than in the old place, so you don’t hear them as much.
-The overhang of the 2nd and 3rd deck is recessed further back, so those fans can make the same amount of noise and be heard less since they’re further away.
-Playoff crowds are always going to be filled with rich guys and businessmen who are entertaining clients. Neither is typically a real hardcore fan, though some are.
-There’s a bazillion things to do in this facility. Hang out at the bar, get a steak dinner, go shopping, etc. All year long, I’ve been amazed at how many people are walking around the corridors the entire game. At the old place, it was just between innings. During the game, the corridors used to be empty.
I think the crowd was real nervous and therefore didn’t make a lot of noise. They were afraid of the other shoe dropping.
I could see that for everything up until Matsui’s HR that pretty much sealed the deal for the rest of the night.
That makes me wonder if they had watched this team at all this year. 15 walkoffs and they have no faith?
Maybe everyone remembers the Yankees of the past? I agree however Steve if you have watched this team all season you never feel it’s over. I was watching the game with a Red Sox fan and once the Twins went up 2-0 he just said enjoy it because he knew the Yanks were coming back.
I was at the game last night and thought that after the second inning the crowd was great. The early start time made player introductions weak, but the crowd was very alive. Everyone was standing and yelling their heads off at every big moment, so I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one, and I was there.
Thanks Greg. It definitely sounded dead on TV and Kay\Flaherty thought it was dead, so there’s some discrepancy. It could be a relative thing. Kay could be comparing it to the glory days – I know from experience that during the dynasty days it was frighteningly, frighteningly loud. The stadium actually shook most of the game. Are you saying it was like that, or that it was just a solid, good crowd? Have you been in Yankee Stadium during a playoff game before?
Don’t forget, that shaking is part of the reason we have a new stadium. The new house is way more solid. And likely safer.
Aw, c’mon Steve. Where’s the fun in a “safe” stadium? There’s a little extra that’s added when you’re just a tiny bit worried that the whole place is going to come down around your ears, right?
Seems as though it may have just been the way the fans come across on TV and to the guys in the booth who aren’t actually in the crowd.
I was also at the game (section 414 too!) and I also have to disagree with the post — the crowd was pretty good, and lively, throughout.
That said, I went to some playoff games at the old stadium and last night’s crowd didn’t match the best of those nights. I attribute it to a mix of overconfidence by some fans and (conversely) nervousness by others.
Good to know – that was what I was wondering. I can’t wait to see the new park rock like the original.
I think this post totally mis-read last night’s crowd. I was in section 133 and my section (and the rest of the stadium from what I could tell) was rocking. Everyone was on their feet on two strike counts, people were loud and having a good time. Not sure why it didn’t come across on tv, but it certainly had an old stadium feel from my seat.
At the game as well, in the Main. As I perceived it, the crowd was pumped to start out, but quieted down pretty precipitously after an inning or so. It did rise to the occasion at various moments later. Still, many chants died out rather than taking over the stadium. 2 strike clapping was inconsistent. Certainly was not the worst crowd ever. It was better than all but one or two of the 15 or so games I attended this season. What did get me though was how many people were leaving by the 6th. Sections were down to 2/3 full. There were still people leaving as Mo came in and even once he had 2 outs in the 9th. Guess, they got to save a minute or two – of what I have no idea. I saw it during the regular season, but seemed worse last night. It was what you used to read about LA fans.
That maybe smacks a little of over confidence? It could have just been a bit more of a family crowd, wanting to get home early?
It was a school night after all…
Those I saw leave, for the most part, did not have kids in tow.
I was in 205, that was pretty rockin too. being right on top of the bleachers may have had something to do with that, but people were definitely on their feet and cheering for good chunks of that game
I miss the old stadium. The acoustics there were so much better. Sound just doesn’t travel as well in the new ballpark. It’s pretty and shiny and costs more though, but games in the new ballpark are just not as raw. IMHO.
Is ‘cuz of this new, cheezy stadium and the clientele. The hard core fans are fed up of being moved from a good spot at the real Yankee Stadium to the last rows of the upper deck of the lifeless shopping mall where they now play. Home field advantage will forever be limited. The upper deck seats are way too far from the field. It’s a horror show. Drop dead Lon Trost and the filthy rich that took the seats of the most dedicated fans.