Certainly, both stadiums are sites deserving of admiration, like Jeffrey Maier's glove or Curt Schilling's bloody sock (just how did he reapply the ketchup in the dugout without a camera seeing?). Having a Shake Shake in Citi Field alone would cause me to act like a thirteen year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert.
But take a closer look at the new stadiums, particularly Yankee Stadium. Amid all the praise lauded to the architects, the owners, and the buildings, something's amiss that has appeared to slip through the nightly coverage: There's hardly any one in the seats.
And no, I don't buy the "official attendance numbers." When the Yankees versus A's looks like a Marlins vs Nationals game on Bingo night in Florida, I reserve the right to be skeptical.Even though the new stadium seats less than the old one to make room for all those new luxury boxes - which, ironically, may be even emptier than those pricey ground level seats - fans still can't fill out the stadiums.
Last week's Yankees games looked like bad Triple A games, where no one shows up because it's hot and the players suck. Considering both Chien-Ming Wang and Carl Pavano pitched, maybe that comparison isn't too far off. Tough jab, I know.
Blame it on the tough economic times. Blame it on the fans of New York having to use their taxes to pay for the stadiums and still have their ticket prices raised. Blame it on both. It doesn't really matter. All that matters is that seats are empty. Awkwardly empty.
Maybe it's not as bad as it seems. Maybe they're all at Shake Shack. Hell, if it's between Mike Pelfrey's pitching and a cheeseburger, how can you blame them?
