Yankees cut ticket prices from outrageous to 'merely' absurd

Empty premium seats

The Yanks' action is in response to a truly embarrassing predicament that saw the new Stadium mostly full... except for about 2,000 premium seats closest to the infield.

The Yankees had forecast that a pennant-contending team and a new ballpark with almost every fan amenity possible, would lead to sell-outs: it has not happened. More than 3,000 seats -- mostly the aforementioned premium seats -- have been available for most games so far in the early stages of the 2009 season. However, it should be noted that the Yankees, whose attendance has exceeded 4 million for four consecutive years, continue to draw very well: the club has sold 37,000 season ticket equivalents for 2009.

Bottom Line: The Yankees' action is welcomed, but it's not enough. In addition to a still-absurd top ticket price of $1,250, there are still way too many seats priced at levels few fans can afford: $525, $375, $350, $300, and $275.

To show how far out of whack the Yanks' ticket prices are, as late as 1999 a Main Level Box seat cost $26 in1999 dollars, or about $33.20 in today's dollar.

(The price of my Saturday plan seats, which I've had for 15 years, a Main Level Box in back of first base, remained the same, at $125.)

I can afford $125 box seats, but the typical fan can not, hence the Yanks are still pricing the typical fan out of the ballpark. And that's why the Yankees must decrease the price of Main Box seats and the park's Grandstand Reserved (Upper Deck) seats, which currently cost $30 and $23. Those seats should be reduced to $20 and $15, respectively, to enable the typical fan to attend a game. Baseball, the national pastime, must always remain accessible to the typical person.

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Financial Editor Joseph Lazzaro, a lifelong Yankee fan, is based in New York.