Anyone who has been to Yankee Stadium in the past couple of years is familiar with the Zales Yankees Fan Marquee. If not, bless your lucky soul, but we're about to ruin your day:

The true level of annoyance doesn't come across in that video, but anyone who regularly visits Yankee Stadium cringes at the thought of the Zales Fan Marquee. In fact, it proved to be so annoying that the Yankees actually toned it down in the past month, with the announcer cutting out some of his ridiculous schtick.  At the end of the day, the only fans who come away with positive thoughts about Zales after witnessing the "fan marquee" are the people who were featured on it - and they paid $100 out of pocket for it to happen.

The point we're driving at here is that brands need to rethink their ad spending at live events (sports, concerts, etc). The first step is to make better use of mobile marketing and engagement. If you look around Yankee Stadium on any given night, almost everyone has a phone in their hand for large chunks of the game.  Instead of wasting huge sums of money on disruptively loud ads, why not try to engage fans via the mobile devices that are ALREADY IN THEIR HANDS? Next time you are at a game, take note of HOW MANY PEOPLE have their smart phones in their hands for most of the game.  If we're the marketing folks at Zales, we're looking at the negative reaction to the "Fan Marquee" and we're brainstorming ideas on how to connect with all of these consumers with smart phones at the ready.

MLB's "At Bat" app for the IPhone seems to be the most likely avenue for marketers to tap into this potential.  The current version of the app has integrated "At The Ballpark" features that allow fans to see game check-in history, view final scores for every game attended, see a list of ballparks visited and see how well their favorite teams have fared when checking-in at a game.  With location based services and social networks becoming more ingrained in culture with each passing day, it is only a matter of time until we are marketed to in completely new and hopefully more effective ways.

UPDATE: We have selected a winning entry.  The entry played up the "Buster Olney on Twitter" meme:

Heard this - I'd like to use this certificate for the Take Me To The Vino tour at the end of (more) #Contests

(2/2) September. Thanks!

And the winner is Dan Rodriguez. A representative from Goldstar will be contacting you with your prize shortly.

We realize that we haven't come through with much content lately, so we're hoping a little bribery will get you back in our corner.  Thanks to a strong partnership with Goldstar.com, we are able to introduce the first ever NYY Stadium Insider contest and are offering a $50 gift certificate to the winner.

Goldstar.com is free to join, and they offer significantly discounted tickets to leisure activities such as live entertainment, theatre, concerts, dance, film screenings, sporting events, and spa services all over the country.  Earlier this year, we discussed some great deals that Goldstar.com was offering on Audi Yankees Club tickets and batter's eye tickets at Yankee Stadium. We even snagged some of the batter's eye seats for the significantly discounted price and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Right now, there aren't any Yankees tickets left for the 2010 season, but they do have some other sports-related events that might be of interest to you such as New York Rangers preseason tickets, craft beer tours and even a Rocks Off booze cruise to Citi Field.

Today's contest is simple; head over to Goldstar.com, locate an event that you'd be interested in putting a $50 gift certificate toward (it can be any event in any city) and add your response in the comments section below.  Pro tip: if you weave humor into your response, you'll have a MUCH higher chance of winning the prize. That being said, everyone isn't funny, so be sure to enter and give a good reason why you should win the certificate!

We can check IP addresses, so please, no shenanigans.  Feel free to "like" this post, re-tweet it, digg it, do whatever you have to do.

Looking forward to reading your entries!

Did that provocative title draw you in? Take a look below:

Apparently this happened in section 420B, and it seems like it happened in the past week or so. If any of our readers were sitting in section 420B on that fateful night, we're wondering the following:

1. How did this all start, and how does it involve the weird beard guy in the ESPN shirt at 0:27 of the video?
   
2. What did the old guy do at 1:48 to provoke the NYPD officer to throw him down the stairs? Was something truly offensive said? Were those last two ugly minutes preventable?
   
3. Most importantly, isn't there an age limit on getting drunk and acting like an idiot?

We realize that posting Yankee Stadium fight videos will go a long way in cheapening the NYYSI experience, but that video just left us with so many questions.

Feel free to chime in with any knowledge of this incident via the comments section.

Editor's Note: The following post comes to us from Bobby Calise, formerly known on New Stadium Insider as "Fake Ian Kennedy" (don't even ask). Bobby has brought us such gems as "The Ice Cream Of The Future - We'll Miss You" (about Dippin' Dots) and "Free Souvenirs" (about the downfall of traditional tickets in the StubHub age).  Bobby was also our in-house reviewer for a while, bringing us his opinion on books such as Peter Golenbock's "George" (part 1 and part 2) and Marty Appel's "Munson: The Life and Death Of a Yankee Captain" (link).  After a long hiatus, Bobby is back with a discussion about what your jersey or player t-shirt says about you.  This list only includes current players, and it is one man's opinion.  Feel free to chime in via the comments. Bobby tends to get sad when nobody comments on his posts.

As the Yankees head into the last two months of regular season, the playoff chase is heating up.  And so in a David Puddy-like effort to support the team you may find yourself shopping some new Yankee gear to wear at games or just for watching from a barstool.

Whether it's a simple navy player shirt (about $15-$25) or an authentic polyester jersey ($165-$200), deciding which number to buy can be a daunting task.  When making your selection, bear in mind that player whose name and number you wear on your back might say more about you than you think.

Player: Derek Jeter, #2

Resume: Yankee captain, five World Series rings, spotless reputation, lifetime Yankee

What it says about you: You're a traditionalist.  Like Captain Clutch himself, this jersey has staying power and won't ever go out of style.

See also: Mariano Rivera, #42 - A sparkling resume just like DJ, Mo's number stands out among other Yankee paraphernalia, as he's the only active player still sporting #42.

Player: CC Sabathia, #52

Resume: Cy Young winner, carried the Brewers on his back into the playoffs in the second half of 2008, arguably the game's best pitcher

What it says about you: You're cool as a cucumber.  CC's got game and the swagger to match.

See also: Nick Swisher, #33 - A holdover from the Moneyball era, Swish was a first-time all-star in 2010, and has infused some of his carefree persona into the Yankees' corporate culture.

Player: Brett Gardner, #11

Resume: Deemed by some to be nothing more than a track star in a baseball cap, Gardner has shown that he can get on-base with the best of 'em and steal bases at will

What it says about you: You root for the underdog.  Criticism about Gardner's weaknesses only made him work harder to prove his detractors wrong.

See also: Francisco Cervelli, #29 - Questions about both his offense and defense beleaguer the Cisco Kid, and with minor league catching prospects like Jesus Montero knocking on the door, Yankee fans will find out fast if he'll sink or swim.

Resume: Two-time all-star, budding superstar, 2010 Gold Glove favorite, effortless style at the plate and in the field

What it says about you: You're a progressive thinker - for you it's out with old, in with the new.  Young Bombers like Robbie "Dontcha Know" Cano are poised to become the new faces of the franchise.

See also: Phil Hughes, #65 - A hot start to 2010 has Yankee fans remembering that Hughes was touted as a can't-miss pitching prospect just a few short years ago.

Player: Alex Rodriguez, #13 Resume: One of baseball's most talented-and polarizing-figures, will tear through the record books over the next five years (asterisk or not)

What it says about you: Depends on when you bought it, as in pre- or post-steroids "revelation."  Pre: You're a connoisseur.  Even at age 35, A-Rod's still one of the game's best.  Post: You're loyal.or you've been living under a rock.

See also: Mark Teixeira, #25 - While Tex's quiet demeanor makes him seem like the anti-A-Rod, his eight-year, $180 mil deal didn't come without some controversy.  After bouncing around from Texas to Atlanta to Los Angeles, he turned down his hometown Orioles in the off-season to come play in New York.

Other Notables:

• Curtis Granderson, #14 - Underwhelming so far as a Yankee, Granderson's shirt seems like an odd choice unless you're related to him.
  
• Lance Berkman, #17 - Might be a fun to have as a collectible, but there's really no way to tell if the former Astro has any desire to be in pinstripes after this year.
• Jorge Posada, #20 - Hip-Hip-Jorge is still dangerous at the plate, but his best seasons might be behind him.
• Vazquez, #31 - A free agent after this season, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pick up a Javy jersey at this point.
• Andy Pettitte, #46 - Would be in the Jeter/Rivera category if not for his three-year stint in Houston.
• Joba Chamberlain, #62 - Joba's inconsistency over the last few years as both a starter and a reliever has fans wondering whether they should invest in a new shirt.

In what was surely an accidental tweet meant to be posted on a personal Twitter account, the @YankeesPR Twitter posted the following TwitPic (sure to be deleted soon) a few minutes ago:

"Here is a photo of me in the dugout @Old Timer's Day. I look very confused. Who are all these old farts? LOL"

Sooooo, yeah. That happened.  Good to see the Yankees are hiring PR folks who truly care about the storied history of the franchise.  Also, nice ring. We're sure you did a lot to deserve it.

To be clear, we're not offended at all that someone would say this. In fact, there are probably many people who would say "who are these old farts" on Old Timer's Day..  However, you wouldn't expect them to be working for the Yankees, especially as their PR person.  Embarrassing.

UPDATE:

Reading our above post, we realize that our snark level was probably over the top.  Some on Twitter rightfully called us out for somewhat of a personal vendetta.  The fact is, the Yankees media relations staff makes NO effort to reach out to (or have open communications with) any writer/blogger/author who is not well-established and part of a major organization.  We all read about this in Jane Heller's Confessions Of A She-Fan (and if you haven't, we HIGHLY recommend that book).

This type of policy doesn't work in PR.  The job of PR (or media relations) professionals is to build relationships with people who can somehow change the public perception of your brand. By ignoring us when we make an innocent inquiry about sunblock policy, it makes us far less likely to overlook a blatant PR faux paus like the one we saw above.

The only reason this blog exists is to better the fan experience. Sometimes,we could use official comment to clarify a situation that we're reporting as FAN ADVOCATES. We'll use the recent sun block issue as an example.  We saw sun block being taken away at the gate,  we tweeted about it, and all of a sudden we had beat writers following us on Twitter and emailing us for more information. We had the NY Post contacting us, asking us how many families we saw having their sunblock taken away.  The NY Post wanted to write a story (like they did back in '08) about how the Yankees were banning sunblock. We didn't hear back from the Yankees media relations staff, but we had enough integrity to explain to the Post that the story was really the incompetent security force and not necessarily Yankees policies.  That wasn't a juicy story, so it never ran in the NY Post. 

An "old farts" comment shouldn't cost anyone a job, but it illustrates an ill-advised social networking strategy that goes right along with the bad PR policies that we outlined above.  How is someone who manages the PR Twitter account for a name as big as the Yankees allowed to also manage their personal Twitter account via the same client?

Have you felt buyer's remorse after paying anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000 for a pair of old Yankee Stadium seats?  Did you pay for a specific pair of unrefurbished Yankee Stadium seats only to unknowingly receive a refurbished pair of generic seats?  Do you despise Steiner Sports and would love nothing more than to see them take a bath financially?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll want to take a look at the class action settlement released last week (link to Google Doc), entitling some fans who purchased old Yankee Stadium seats a full refund, or a $65 - $95 coupon for Steiner Sports Collectibles.

Back in October, the New York Post profiled one Yankees fan who felt especially slighted in his dealings with Steiner Sports.  In fact, he had proof that the seats Steiner sold to him (and presumably other fans) as unrefurbished and their own were falsely advertised and realized his only choice was to sue.

It has been nine months since the New York Post exposed the story, but those who purchased seats from Steiner finally received the class action settlement papers last week.  The key details are as follows:

• Those eligible for the settlement must have purchased the seats between May 1, 2009 and August 15, 2009 and have a sales receipt
• The settlement offers two choices:
  

1. A full refund for the purchase of the seats (of course, you'll have to return the seats)
2. A $65 or $95 coupon for a future Steiner Sports purchase ($65 if you originally bought a generic pair of seats, $95 if you originally bought your specific old Yankee Stadium seats

• Settlement hearing is set for September 22, 2010
• All members of the class action lawsuit must file their claim by December 21, 2010

There is the potential for Steiner to take a huge loss on this class action lawsuit, since all fans who purchased in that three and a half month window have the right to a full refund (as long as they are willing to part with their seats).  Those who ordered their exact seats and are happy with the purchase are unlikely to take advantage of the full refund option, but many who bought generic seats have an opportunity to save some money and still have their coveted seats.

These seats often pop up on secondary markets such as Ebay, and sell for much less than the current Steiner asking price of $1,500.  It should be noted that there isn't a huge supply on the secondary market, so this option might be more of a hassle than it is worth.

In any case, this is a great story about one fan who was unwilling to be ripped off, and as a result, many fans are better off.  We here at NYYSI encourage everyone who purchased seats in the three and a half month window to dredge up their old receipts and at the very least claim your Steiner coupon.  They falsely advertised the product you were buying, and they should have to pay for that.

UPDATE (8:30 PM): A source tells us that only 2,000 seats were purchased within the date range outlined above, so the company is unlikely to be too badly affected by this class action lawsuit.  Of course, it still shows that they misled fans and it was proven in the court of law. Not exactly a feather in the cap of Steiner Sports.  This same source tells us that 30,000 seats are still available for sale, so the seats aren't exactly a hot commodity.

Earlier today, we caused a bit of an uproar on Twitter when we observed that Yankee Stadium security workers were taking away sun block as fans entered the stadium.  The fact that temperatures were soaring toward 100 degrees with bright sunshine made this something to talk about.  Of course, there is more to the story.

Via the NY Post's Brian Costello (no link, he told us via email), when reached for comment, the Yankees stated that there are absolutely no policies against sunscreen at Yankee Stadium and that security must have made a mistake. However, regular visitors to Yankee Stadium know that this Yankees spokesman is wrong. Sunscreen in aerosol cans has always been banned.  Or perhaps the aerosol ban was no longer policy and the security force really was doing a poor job.

Either way, it is easy to understand why an aerosol can of sunblock would be banned from a sporting venue or a concert.  Those cans are heavy, and if thrown toward the field of play, can hurt someone.  In addition, they bring with them an inherent fire risk, being highly flammable.  You get the point: a ban on aerosol cans can be justified.

But here is the real problem: the Yankees don't budget enough money for their security company, SECURITAS.  As a result, they get really cheap, poorly trained workers who pass along a message about canned sunblock and apply it to ALL spray sunblock.  So there people were, being forced to throw away full bottles of sun block.

Interestingly, nobody was making a stink out of this policy as they entered.  It seems that fans going to Yankee Stadium have adapted to the idiocy of the SECURITAS security force, similar to what airline passengers have done with the TSA. The only way this will be addressed is if people like us recognize how dumb it is when parents are forced to douse their children with spray sunblock out of a PLASTIC pump bottle and then throw away perfectly good sunblock that they could have used in the future.  It's up to us to make sure that the Yankees clarify their policy in the near future and communicate it better, or adjust the policy altogether.

In official comments about securities issues, the Yankees will never blatantly spell out the underlying problem of poor security throughout the stadium, causing fans to be inconvenienced.  We certainly hope that they take notice of issues like this and take action behind the scenes to correct the problems.

A couple of months ago, it made blogosphere headlines when the Yankees banned iPads from Yankee Stadium.  There really isn't a good reason for this policy, but the security personnel checking belongings at the various entry points were able to point at the "no laptop" rule to justify their behavior.  After the initial outrage, the chatter died down, but the team stood firm with the rule.

Being that we don't own an iPad and see no reason to bring one to a Yankees game, we never really got riled up about this policy.  After all, the rules specifically stated that laptop computers weren't allowed, and the iPad is pretty close to a computer.

Then, on Thursday evening, we headed directly to Yankee Stadium from work, unable to drop a messenger bag off at home containing a Barnes & Noble E-Reader called "The Nook".  For some perspective, here is a photo of "The Nook" next to a full-sized hardback novel:

As you can see, this thing is small. Roughly the size of four iPhones melded together. The main function of the device is reading books, but it does have some basic games and wi-fi capabilities for its beta web browser and it plays music.  In other words, the functionality of the device is far more basic than any of the thousands of iPhones at Yankee Stadium on any given night.

Yet there we were, trying to enter Yankee Stadium at Gate 8 and being treated like terrorists for being in possession of this scary E-Reader device.

We waited in security line after security line and each time our bags were searched and we were denied entry into Yankee Stadium. We asked the security guards for the reasoning behind this rule and they simply state that no Kindles were allowed.  When we pointed out that there was no rule against bringing E-Readers into Yankee Stadium, the security guards vaguely pointed to the back of our tickets where we could "read the rules" (in two-point font, that would require a high-powered magnifying glass to read, and surely don't include the word E-Reader).

Eventually, we reached a gate with a longer line and a laid back security guard who didn't search the back pocket of the messenger bag.  Our 15 minute nightmare was over, and we were finally able to enter the stadium halfway through the first inning.

This whole ordeal left us dumbfounded by the utter stupidity of this policy.  Shame on us for not dropping the messenger bag at home, inviting the idiocy upon ourselves.  However, when fans are allowed to bring bigger and heavier hardcover books into the stadium along with an iPhone and can't bring in a Kindle or Nook, something is seriously wrong.  People bring their E-Readers to work for their commute, and if they go directly to Yankee Stadium, they're pretty much screwed. Someone, ANYONE needs to explain this policy to us.  We've got nothing.  There is absolutely no security concern with e-ink.

We have reached out to the Yankees media relations team for comment.  Until then, please let us know in the comments if you've been subjected to this ridiculous policy at Yankee Stadium.

Almost exactly three years ago, Alex Rodriguez was stuck at 499 home runs, on the precipice of history.  It was 10 grueling days before August 4, 2007, when he finally yanked a ball down the left field line at the old Yankee Stadium for his milestone 500th home run.  During the home stand,  beginning on Tuesday, July 31, 2007, Yankees fans had excitedly awaited their chance to see history.  Four hyped-up games and 18 camera-flash filled at bats later, A-Rod finally delivered in the bottom of the first inning off of then Royals starter Kyle Davies.  The best part?  Every single person in the ballpark on that day had a chance to catch the historic blast.

During those games, the atmosphere was nothing less than electric at Yankee Stadium.  Each time A-Rod stepped up to the plate, a "wall of sound" (sorry to steal your line, Michael Kay) built throughout the stadium and camera flashes were going off everywhere.  On the field level walkway, fans from all parts of the stadium scurried to the right and left corners to position themselves for a chance at history.  Here is a cell phone video we captured on July 31, 2007 that shows the sea of humanity awaiting A-Rod's magical fly ball (that wouldn't come for another four days):

In the bottom of the 8th inning on Thursday night, much of what we described above repeated itself.  After hitting his 599th home run in the 7th inning, it seemed unlikely that Rodriguez would get to bat again.  But then the Royals lowly bullpen worked their magic and A-Rod strode to the plate just one inning later, with a shot at hitting number 600.  Many in attendance had already left, but those still there understood the significane of the moment and whipped themselves into a frenzy.  There were A-Rod chants, there was yelling, there were thousands of photos taken.

Unfortunately, there was no scurrying to the left and right field corners for a chance at catching a piece of history.  Sadly, the new Yankee Stadium doesn't have any publicly accessible areas in home run territory.  A-Rod ended up doubling to right-center in this particular chance at number 600, but if he does end up hitting his 600th at the new Yankee Stadium, the person catching the ball will have forked over more than $100 for the chance to catch it.  And the common folk (us) were stuck in the upper deck, reminiscing of a simpler time when Yankee Stadium was built in a way that allowed the average fan to get somewhat close to the field of play.

Now in its second year of existence, we've come to accept the shortcomings of the new Yankee Stadium experience. We enjoy our Lobel's Steak Sandwiches, wide concourses and elevators to the upper deck, but we lament the fact that we can't ever enjoy the thrill of catching a souvenir unless we pay top dollar for field level seats.  We're not suggesting that Yankee Stadium security allows people to cram into the home run sections for A-Rod's chance at history.  We're just nostalgic for the charm of the old Yankee Stadium.  We miss the chance of being close to the action even though we only paid $15 for a tier reserved ticket.  There isn't a solution to this problem for the common fan, we're just going to have to grin and bear it.

During today's Fox Saturday broadcast of the Yankees vs. Rays, Tim McCarver randomly launched into an anti-Yankees, pro-Joe Torre rant. The diatribe eventually meandered into weird territory, basically equating the Yankees front office to nazi Germany. Don't believe us? Check out the videos below:

Look, both sides are wrong in this Torre vs. Yankees dispute, but McCarver is blindly taking Torre's side.  He claims that there is no representation of Torre in the stadium which is wrong. There are murals on the field level concourse, at least one of which features a smiling photo of Torre.

Does McCarver want there to be a Joe Torre statue while Torre is managing another team?  Does he want a Joe Torre day while Torre is managing the Los Angeles Dodger?

Some of the old baseball people don't understand why the younger generation of fans hates Tim McCarver.  Look no further than the video above. And McCarver should be glad that we didn't post video proof of his idiotic theory that AJ Burnett's hand lacerations were caused by his walkoff whipped cream pie routine. (Turns out Burnett cut his hand tripping up a set of stairs slamming his hand on a set of double-doors.)

Tim McCarver is off his rocker.