TiqIQ VP/Data & Communications Chris Matcovich said that Yankees’ Opening Day ticket prices listed on the secondary ticket market are "down a smidge" -- 6.3% -- from last year, with the average ticket price dropping from $208.13 to $194.99, according to John Brennan of the Bergen RECORD. The average price for all Yankees games is $139.41, up 39.2% from '13. The peak for the Yankees is SS Derek Jeter’s "likely last home game of Sept. 25" against the Orioles, with an average ticket price of $549.82. Meanwhile, the Mets' opener at Citi Field Monday is "listing at an average of $148.30," up 2.2% from '13 (NORTHJERSEY.com, 3/27). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes in terms of ticket sales and revenue, Jeter is "extremely important to the organization, which saw its paid attendance drop by 262,817 last season." The Yankees' "ticket-selling pitch has a heavy dose of Jeter," as fans are "urged not to miss out on coming to the Stadium to see him play during his farewell season." Fans last year for Mariano Rivera’s farewell tour "knew they couldn’t always count on seeing the greatest closer in baseball history." But Jeter is "supposed to be an everyday player." If he is "benched for any extended period of time, there will be a fan backlash," and it could "adversely affect the box office" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/28).
THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT: In N.Y., David Waldstein reports the Yankees have created a new internal app that will "make all the club’s scouting material, including videos and written reports, readily available through the players’ iPads." The app, which was developed by Baseball Operations Assistant Brett Weber, "enables players to access the information wherever they are." Jeter said, "You can look stuff up whenever you want and you don't necessarily have to wait for a video screen to be free in the clubhouse." Waldstein notes if a player "loses his tablet, the Yankees can just wipe away the information." One additional benefit of the new system is that the Yankees "hope they will no longer have to print out daily scouting reports" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28).
