A Yankees-Red Sox marathon

Fri August 7

My three-week stadium tour across three countries and 11 stadiums ended tonight in the most memorable fashion, with Chloe and I attending a sell-out clash between traditional Major League Baseball rivals New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

That we were able to obtain tickets at all – excellent second level seats looking over the first base umpire’s shoulder – is testament to the kindness of Ben Fuller and his colleagues at the Melbourne and New York offices of Ticketmaster. Thanks Ben!

Having toured the stadium two days earlier, it was ideal to then see it in event mode, which certainly provided some interesting insights.

After taking the subway from our hotel to the stadium, we successfully collected our tickets at the VIP Will Call office before approaching Gate 6 for the obligatory bag/body search that accompanies most New York venues (we had gone through airport-style security at the Statue of Liberty ferry entrance the previous day, which took forever).

On arrival at the gate, I was informed that my backpack was not allowed into the stadium. Not because it contained any prohibited items, but because it was apparently too big, which I found flabbergasting. My only option? Walk two blocks down the street and cloak it at Stan’s Bag World for US$7 and collect it afterwards.

Perhaps the owners of Stan’s also have shares in the stadium, because it seemed like a nice setup they had going, as dozens of people paid their money and left their belongings in the hands of strangers. Unfortunately it meant Fred the Ted spent the evening in a bag storage office across the road from Yankee Stadium rather than at the game!

After settling into our seats, it was time to consider our food options. Generally, it seems that the food at Yankee Stadium is more expensive than at the New York Mets’ Citi Field and not necessarily better.

A hamburger costs US$9, a double burger US$12, plastic bottle of beer US$9, bottle of soft drink US$5 and so on. I had a slice of cheese pizza (US$5) and an Italian sausage in a roll with onions and peppers (US$8) – as did Chloe - which wasn’t too bad. But it seemed there was no food court style area to sit down and eat, which was a feature of Citi Field.

Vendors sell beer in the seats at Yankee Stadium although, like elsewhere in the stadium and much of the USA, everyone has to provide identification to show they are over the legal drinking age of 21. This seems a little silly and does make for funny moments as patrons in the centre of a row of 20 seats passes his/her ID card along the line of people to the vendor, who then passes it back along the line, followed by the beer and change!

The vibe of the 48,262 crowd was certainly different to my visit to Citi Field. Perhaps it was because of a contest between two fierce rivals, but the Yankees crowd was more vocal than the Mets the other evening. A bit like the difference between a Richmond-Collingwood match compared to St Kilda v Hawthorn in terms of “feralness”.

The game itself will go down as one of the longest in Major League Baseball history (five hours 36 minutes) and tested our resolve as non-baseball aficionados. The match was dominated by the teams’ respective pitchers, with the score locked at 0-0 after normal time.

The match had started at 7.05pm and did not conclude until 12.41am when Yankees star Alex Rodriguez hit a walk-off, two-run homer to break the scoreless deadlock at the bottom of the 15th inning, with two out and two strikes. We were that close to deciding to leave so it was quite lucky that we hung around long enough to see the winning hit.

The whole night was a great experience and capped off what has been a memorable three weeks. All that is left is a spot of weekend shopping and taking in a Broadway show (Wicked) before commencing the long flight home.

I hope you have enjoyed these updates – see you all soon!

A tour of Yankee Stadium

Wed August 5

No list of stadium tours would be complete without a visit to Yankee Stadium, home to US Major League Baseball behemoth the New York Yankees.

Having pre-booked our 9.40am stadium tour tickets through Ticketmaster the previous day, Chloe and I got up early and caught the subway for about 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan to the Bronx, a trip that drops you right outside the front door of the stadium.

The new Yankee Stadium, which opened in April this year and cost US$1.5 billion, is super impressive. It has a capacity of 52,325 that is down from the 56,500 in the old stadium that sits across the road, which was built in 1923 and is set for demolition.

Because the Yankees have built the new stadium on parkland, they have been forced to knock down the old stadium and put a park there – which will be known as Heritage Field.

From a customer service perspective, the tour did not get off to a great start. The actual tour departure point was not very clear (no signage) and there appears to be no actual tours reception/service area – rather, the venue is in event mode at all times, so you scan your tour ticket at the turnstiles, have your bags checked and then waltz in and wait until someone herds you in for the tour.

Today, we were joined on the tour by a group of 20 schoolgirls on summer camp which, while it made it more challenging to hear the guide, provided a different perspective (all they wanted to do was meet the players!) The tour itself was very good. The guide, Taylor, gave a good overview of what we were about to see, while a security guard and another staff member chaperoned us the whole way.

First stop was the Yankee Museum, which although not very large, pays appropriate tribute to some of the biggest names in baseball – Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Bera and Micky Mantle among them.

Highlights include several championship trophies and jerseys, Ruth’s first home run bat, the locker of former captain Thurman Munson, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1979, and sculptures of catcher Bera and pitcher Don Larsen replicating the last pitch of World Series Game 5 in 1956 when Larsen became the first player to pitch the perfect game.

Then it was downstairs to ground level behind centre field to visit Monument Park, a series of plaques and monuments that Yankees greats. There is also a monument dedicated to the victims killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Centre. It says:

“On September 11, 2001, despicable acts of terrorism were perpetrated on our country. In tribute to the eternal spirit of the innocent victims of these crimes and to the selfless courage shown by both public and private citizens, we dedicate this plaque. These valiant souls, with unfettered resolve, exemplify the true character of this great nation. Their unity and resilience during this time of distress defined American heroism for future generations.”

Indeed.

Next stop was the dugout, where we got to sit and experience the view and the feeling of waiting for our turn at bat on the big stage. We were informed of a view things about the stadium, including that it holds the largest scoreboard in baseball – when laid out from home plate, it would go past first base by 10 feet. It is seriously huge. Other points of note:

• The turf consists of Kentucky blue grass.
• Like the Mets, the Yankees have a merchandise store and range catered specifically for females.
• Around the stands, there are evaluation forms that fans can fill out and provide feedback on their experience at the event.

The tour then took us into the player change rooms (where photography was not permitted) and is basically a massive player lounge, with each player having a computer in their locker and couches to rest on. It is a wonderful facility. We saw Yankees captain Derek Jeter’s fan mail, inside seven shoeboxes stacked five feet high from the floor!

Like every tour I have been on during my visit, we ended up in the huge merchandise store, which has anything and everything to do with the Yankees, surely one of the biggest franchises in the world of sport.

New York Mets - Citi Field

Mon August 3

“Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd…”

For some weeks now I had been looking forward to today’s visit to Citi Field to see a Major League Baseball match between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks. It didn’t disappoint.

Citi Field opened in April this year, replacing the famous Shea Stadium as the Mets’ home ground for the 81 home matches it plays in each regular season. Its capacity is 42,000 – down quite significantly from Shea Stadium’s capacity of 57,000.

But, like the MCG a few years ago, was not to build a bigger venue but to produce a more comfortable experience for fans, better quality food and to generate new revenue streams. From tonight’s observation, they’re on track in each of these areas.

I took the subway from Grand Central Station in Manhattan to the borough of Queens where Citi Field is located, about a 30-minute train ride. The stadium cost more than $800 million to build, half of which has been recouped in a naming rights deal with Citi Group.

Arriving a little while before the gates open, I wandered across to the adjacent Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, home to the US Open tennis tournament. Unfortunately, because the year’s final grand slam begins in a fortnight, the venue was in setup mode so I was unable to get inside.

So it was back to Citi Field, where outside n the car park they have installed plaques to signify where the old home plate and bases were located in the old stadium. It is a nice connection to the past and was clearly a popular photo opportunity for fans on their way into the stadium (including Fred!)

I entered the stadium through the fantastic Jackie Robinson Rotunda, complete with escalators, merchandise store and walls of photos that showcase the immense history of the one of the game’s oldest clubs.

While the fans arriving early took the chance to watch the players warm up, I befriended one of the event staff (Howard) and asked a few questions about the venue. Given I have been unable to secure any meetings with representatives from stadiums on my New York leg, this is as close to new information as I’m going to get. While he was very helpful, he seemed keenest to tell me he has worked at 50 of the 58 matches this season!

There are scores of food and beverage facilities in the new stadium, including the very popular Shake Shack, although the food is as expensive as you’d expect. A beer is $7.50, soft drink $4.95, $6.50 chips, etc. More disturbingly, they list the number of calories in each item on the board, which makes you think twice when selecting your food of choice! Although by looking around at the fans, it might be too late for some…

There are plenty of fan zones out the back, including interactive areas for kids to play modified baseball games and a hitting net for any fan to face up to the speed of a real-life pitcher.
Interestingly, there is no Allianz Arena-like cashless smart card which, given the stadium only opened this year, is quite surprising. Other points of interest:

· When the ground announcer speaks over the PA system, the scoreboard has subtitles listed.

· The text message system for fans who spot something suspicious or requiring security attention is promoted on the scoreboard.

· There is a lot of fan involvement during the game via the scoreboard, including a sing-off between fans where the rest of the crowd votes on the winner by SMS, giving a cake to a fan whose birthday is today, asking any couple featured on the screen to kiss (“Kisscam”) and emailing your photos in during the game and seeing a selection shown on the screen during the eighth innings.

· The acoustics are excellent. At no stage did it appear too loud or soft.

· TV commentary is played over the PA on the concourse, so you’re never far from the action.

I had great seats right behind home plate on the top level, which were a steal (pardon the pun) at about A$40. The game itself was really interesting, with Arizona racing to a 6-0 lead after just two innings, forcing the Mets to replace their pitcher as they tried to stem the tide. It worked, as they slowly worked their way into the game.

At the bottom of the ninth, it was 6-5 to the visitors with the home team needing to score twice in its final inning to win the game. Despite some strong support from the 35,000-strong crowd, the Mets fell at the last hurdle.

Like the rest of this tour, attending today’s match was a once-in-a-lifetime experiences that lived up to expectations.

On Wednesday I'll be touring Yankee Stadium and (hopefully) attending the following night's Yankees v Boston Red Sox match.

But for now, it's time to catch up with the wife!

Madison Square Garden

Sun August 2

With the rain pouring down, today seemed like the perfect time to take a look around the world’s most famous (and busiest) indoor arena, Madison Square Garden or simply “The Garden”.

Incredibly, given the venue holds 400 events a year with more than four million visitors, I managed to find a day on which there were no events being held, with the main arena being prepared for a Depeche Mode concert tomorrow night.

Madison Square Garden is home to basketball teams New York Knicks (men) and New York Liberty (women), as well as the New York Rangers ice hockey team and, of course, numerous concerts and other events.

This is the fourth building in its history, and the current venue has been on the present site since 1968 and is owned by the Cable Vision company.

The unique thing about the complex, apart from its magnificent location in central Manhattan, is that it has two arenas on top of each other that are soundproof which allows, for example, a boxing match down below and a basketball match above it.

The tours leave every half an hour and I joined the first available tour of 30 people (no video allowed). Each of us was given a fact sheet about the venue, a shop discount voucher and a discount voucher to buy tickets to any of the remaining New York Liberty basketball matches this season. Shame I can’t use it! We were then given an introductory brief by our guide, who was young but very impressionable.

First stop was the former Paramount Theatre, now called

WaMu Theatre, which holds 5600 people and has hosted boxing, conferences, religious gatherings and two weeks ago held the NBA Draft day. It sits directly above Pennsylvania train station, the busiest station in North America – a great location for a venue!

Next was the Play-by-Play restaurant, where we were sat down and shown a five-minute video about Madison Square Garden’s history, with some great highlights and a narrative that included former basketball and ice hockey players taking us on a video tour through the dressing rooms.

This is a great concept and one we should look to introduce for the MCG Tour. Although it is worth keeping in mind that Madison Square Garden has its own media company (MSG Media) and actually broadcasts its own events, meaning far greater access to event footage than we would have at home.

Before we left this room, though, we were greeted by Amy, a cheerleader with the

New York Knicks City Dancers, who proceeded to tell us about what the dancers do, the training involved, their performance at charity events, how famous they are (they have performed in a dozen countries) and then happily posed for photographs and took questions. I couldn’t resist…

We then headed to the Club Bar and Grill, a 500-seat dining room for corporate, complete with a scrolling news ticker on the wall with the latest sports news. Lots of photographs and artefacts adorned the walls in this room and all the way into the suites themselves, where we got a look at the main arena.

After walking through the Music Memorabilia Hall – where Fred the Ted met Elton John’s platinum album cover – and then the players’ dressing rooms, we ventured down to the main arena for a better look.

The main arena holds 20,000 people and is very similar in appearance to Rod Laver Arena when in concert mode. The speed of turnaround between events in this facility is quite amazing, with numerous surface changes that sometimes sees two different events being held in the one arena on the same day.

Visiting Madison Square Garden was a great experience – next stop tomorrow is Citi Field (formerly Shea Stadium) to see a Major League Baseball match between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Can’t wait…

Allianz Arena – The Germans!

Wed July 29 - Fri July 31

I bid farewell to London this morning, taking a two-hour flight to Munich, home of Allianz Arena and our good friends, Sabrina and Bastian. For those who don’t know, Sabrina came to Australia and worked at the MCG as an intern for three months in the summer of 2006-07 and with boyfriend Bastian made an immediate impact on the MCC social scene. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again.

It did not take long to get into the swing of things. After landing at 4pm and being collected by Bastian, he proceeded to drive home, drop off my bags, hand me a large bottle of beer and it was off on the train to Allianz Arena for the AUDI Cup, the first night of a two-night soccer tournament between Bayern Munich, Manchester United, AC Milan and Bocca Juniors at the home of the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

The trains to the stadium were packed and very hot. Once you alight (with bottle of beer almost completed), there is a 10-15 minute walk to the stadium, similar to walking from the Tan and over Rod Laver Arena bridge and ending up at the MCG, but probably longer.

We were body searched at the gate, which was an interesting experience! We then queued to get our Arena Card, a cashless payment system similar to a smart card concept we have been looking into for our members, except this does not link back to a central database and collects no information about the purchaser.

The idea of the system, introduced when the venue was built five or six years ago, is that the patrons top up their card upon arrival, and then simply scan it when buying food, drinks, merchandise or car parking (more on that later) and minimises queuing and cash handling. When I met with the CEO of Allianz Arena two days later, he declared it “the way of the future” and couldn’t believe we didn’t have it at such a big venue as the MCG.

After sampling the local brew (and a schnitzel of course!), it was time to meet the fans, as we took our standing room tickets almost behind the goal at one end – even though it is a standing area, there are seats too, so you can sit down but understand that those around you will stand and you may miss the action.

My beer and food was washed down with a haze of cigarette smoke that wafted around the venue as it seemed every second person was smoking in the seats. No smoking restrictions over here, so it’s like a trip back to the 1980s! Also, the segregation of supporters continued, while there was permanent netting behind the goals at either end to stop the ball going into the crowd.

There was a great atmosphere, as Manchester United won the opening match 2-1 against Bocca Juniors, with a crowd of about 61,000 in attendance. Sabrina joined us after work for the main game between the locals, Bayern Munich, and Italian giants AC Milan. The chanting and signing was just what I expected, with great passion from the home fans and a very catchy team song. Much better than Freo, heave ho, that’s for sure!

Bayern Munich beat AC Milan 4-1, scoring two goals in the last two minutes. So the local fans went home happy. Well, except those who then sat in the car park for the next hour…

Firstly, Sabrina forgot where she parked the car on the five-level, 11,000-space car park, which is similar to walking out of Chadstone before Christmas and having no idea where you parked. After finding it, we sat in the queue for ages as this rather poor post-game egress situation evolved.

Parking is paid for upon exiting the venue, rather than on arrival, and anyone who didn’t have €10 left on their Arena Card had to top up before getting out of the car park, which meant huge delays for everyone behind them. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise great night.

Afterwards, we met a friend of Bastian’s for a quite beer near their house, before turning in for the night at around 3am. Bastian departs for Greece in the morning, so it was good to see him before he left.

The next day was spent exploring Munich on foot, with many spectacular parks, monuments and quirky features, including an area of the English Gardens where men of all ages and sizes feel the need to “nude up” and lie naked in the park for the afternoon. Quite a strange sight, but none of the locals seemed to bat an eyelid!

Caught a late-afternoon train to Augsburg, about 45 minutes from Munich, for a night on the town with Sabrina and two of her friends, Toby and Yasmina.

Beforehand, I visited Impuls Arena in Augsburg, home to one of Germany’s second division teams. It is a new stadium that opened last Sunday and Sabrina is selling the corporate suites and signage space for the venue. There is a very steep walk up the stairs to the top of the only level of seating, which immediately reeked of a safety issue.

After dinner, it turned into quite a large night, which made the following morning’s obligation to catch an 8am train to Munich and two connecting subway trains to Allianz Arena rather daunting. Feeling somewhat seedy, I made it on time and was shown around the stadium by their marketing manager, before meeting with him and the CEO, Jurgen Moth, on a range of issues. It was most interesting to discuss their carbon emission targets, but I won’t bore people with that here.

Finally, it was out to dinner on Friday night with some of Sabrina’s university friends, for a very unique barbecue by the river – a lot like a barbecue on the Yarra, except the river here actually flowed, it is BYO cooking grill and you lay on stones and pebbles, rather than lush, soft grass. I must admit I was still not feeling too flash after the previous evening and faded pretty quickly. But the food was fabulous and provided another insight into how Germans live their lives.

Another late night and then early to rise to bid farewell to Sabrina (we’ll see her in September when she and Bastian come to Melbourne) and catch my nine-hour flight to New York City…