The Yankees failed to sell out ALCS Games 1 and 2 and the team now "appears concerned that it will be unable to sell out next weekend, either, if the Yankees do make it to Games 6 and 7," according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. While it is "unclear how many tickets are for sale, an online map of Yankee Stadium shows that seats are available in nearly every section of the first two decks." The lowest-priced seats in those sections are "in the far reaches of the upper deck and cost $113." More seats "appear available for a deciding Game 7 than for Game 6." The average online asking price for tickets for Games 6 and 7 "is now 20 percent below the online prices for the 2010 ALCS games in the Bronx" (NYTIMES.com, 10/16).
BRONX BUMMERS: SI.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote, "Here is the problem with being a Yankees fan: You're cheering for Goldman Sachs." The Yankees are either "obscenely rich and extremely successful, or extremely rich and not quite as successful as they planned, forcing them to hold a conference call with reporters in which they apologize for 'not meeting expectations,' and then they resume being obscenely rich and successful." With the Yankees, it is "a lot harder to fall in love." There is "no enjoying the journey. At times, there isn't a journey at all." Rosenberg: "I understand why people cheer for the Yankees. I just don't understand how anybody gets joy out of it anymore." The Yankees "could have gone in a hundred directions with the new Stadium." Instead, they "built the world's largest Automated Teller Machine: Every corner is designed to pull cash out of customers' wallets." The "final, distasteful touch was that enormous plaque for George Steinbrenner in Monument Park, as though Steinbrenner was a more important historical figure than Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio." This Yankees era "is more about bigness than greatness" (SI.com, 10/16).
