A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

yankees

The Yankees could learn some customer service skills

The New York Yankees are worth approximately $3.4 billion dollars.

Yes, $3.4 BILLION.

That’s a lot of cash, right?

Most major sports franchises are worth a ton of money, but when talking about American sports, two teams really rise to those amazing values – the Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys.

But this is about the Yankees.

A couple of weeks ago, three of us made the trek to Yankee Stadium. It was the first time I was at the new stadium. As many of you know, I am part of a baseball passport program, where you get stamps at each stadium you visit. There are two versions of the passport for MLB – one I use for my first visit to each stadium, the other that I use when I go to any MLB stadium.

This is the "ticket" I was told I could get at Yankee Stadium. Dated and timed all funky.

This is the “ticket” I was told I could get at Yankee Stadium. Dated and timed all funky.

I was excited to see the new stadium and also get a stamp here. And it was also Mariano Rivera Day, which is cool because he’s one of the few Yankees players I’ve truly liked over the years.

I also like to collect tickets from the games as they stay tucked in a pouch inside the passport. Unfortunately, there won’t be a Yankees ticket in that pouch.

Let me explain.

Usually when I order tickets online, I get them held at will call, thus guaranteeing an actual ticket. When I ordered the Yankees tickets (for three of us), there wasn’t an option for that and it was too close to the game to have them mailed. Heck, I chose the print out option and I ended up with eTickets.

So, it was left to fate and hope.

Game day was a hot one. Early in the game, one of the people I was with went for a stroll around the stadium. He decided to see if his e-ticket would get him a real ticket. It did. He went to one of the fan service spots and asked. They asked him to show the e-ticket and his ID and boom.

I went down a few innings later and got a fully different response. I talked to the fan assistance people, got my stamp, and asked about the ticket. We don’t do that, he told me. He explained there was a kiosk where I could print a receipt out. I did. It wasn’t a ticket. In fact, it was dated 1969 AND late at night – both inaccurate.

I went back and told him that a friend had just come down – to this spot – and got a ticket. He said not at that spot as they didn’t do that.

Apparently, there’s a ticket place at this same spot – that was the answer. I didn’t realize that. When we went back in the seventh – that had been closed. We asked the one person there, who said they didn’t do it. When my friend said yes, they did as he had it done, she backtracked and said the ticket office was now closed.

So apparently fan services does know they do this.

I was, obviously, a bit peeved.

I e-mailed the Yankees that night. And then responded to an e-mail I received the next day that asked for feedback. I received an email back but it seemed like a form response. I responded again and I got a phone number I was to call between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

I call three times. The first was four about 5 minutes before I was disconnected. The next one was for about 25 minutes before I was disconnected. The third one went for about 30 minutes, which went beyond 5 p.m. and I finally hung up as I knew they were all likely gone.

Throughout each call, there was a message that constantly said that all customer service representatives were all busy and my call would be answered by the next available agent.

Never happened.

I tried to e-mail two more times after that, asking why something like this couldn’t be handled via e-mail. No answers.

So, I gave up. I didn’t get a ticket from that day. I realized how bad the customer service at Yankee Stadium was (a couple of other things that day made me think that) and I left with a bad taste in my mouth.

A twitter search showed others had bad experiences with customer service at the Yankees, so I know I’m not the only one. But hey, I’m sure the Yankees and their 3.4 billion don’t care about one guy in upstate New York.

In the end, no ticket is fine and I’ll deal. I just think customer service should be on the same page and maybe they should learn to answer the phone. If they have that many calls coming in each day, hire more people. They apparently have the money.

Just not for a ticket.

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Summer of Baseball: Trenton provides some thunder

If you are a fan of minor league baseball, I’m sure you’ll see what I did with the headline.

If not, read on.

This stop on the 2015 Summer of Baseball Tour took us to Arm & Hammer Park, home of the Trenton Thunder, the AA affiliate of the New York Yankees.

All ready!

All ready!

This is one of those parks I’ve heard a lot about and have wanted to visit, so it was nice to be able to get to a game. Even better was this completed a weekend with back-to-back games in Lakewood and Trenton.

First, it’s not a hard place to find and the area seems nice. It’s right next to the Delaware River, so if you are there before a game, you can wander down to the water and take in a relaxing moment or two.

Once in, the stadium is a nice spot for a game and it’s definitely a baseball atmosphere, which is nice.

First, the concessions are quality. There are a lot of solid choices, which is good. Besides the normal, there are a couple of good selections for one to grab. The hot dogs are quality, which is an important aspect for me.

Seating is solid at this stadium and the sight lines are great. You are close to the action and feel like the game is definitely the focal point. Everybody wasn’t up and down the whole game, which I appreciated. It seemed like the Thunder crowd is a baseball crowd. That’s always a good thing.

You can see me on the big screen!

You can see me on the big screen!

The stadium isn’t a full wrap concourse, but that was OK as there was enough room for the more than 5,000 people here this night.

We also got on the big screen, so that was cool.

The fans were into the game (it was a close game, too, so that made it fun) and made the atmosphere solid.

The team store is also pretty solid. It’s a tad small in regard to space, but there’s a decent amount of things to grab.

In the end, I’m glad I finally had the chance to get to see a game in Trenton.  It’s a nice stadium. There is plenty of parking available and it’s easy to get into and out of before and after games. Prices were average.

If you are looking for a baseball experience and are close to Trenton, it’s well worth going there to watch a game.

Park Notes:  

Arm & Hammer Park
Trenton, NJ
Home of the Trenton Thunder (Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees)
Visited on: July 11, 2015
Opponent: Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 8/10
  • Concessions: 8/10
  • Parking: 8/10
  • Ambiance: 8.5/10
  • Friendliness: 9.5/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Saying goodbye to the greatest closer of all-time

I only went to Yankee Stadium once and my chance to see Mariano Rivera was blown by a meaningless home run.

Let me start this by saying I’m not anywhere close to being a Yankees fan.

I never have been. I never will be.

Most Yankees, I can honestly say, I don’t like. I’m not a fan of Derek Jeter. Definitely not A-Rod. There are many who have come through (Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte etc.) who I didn’t like on the field, but away from the game I couldn’t care less about. It’s one of those things.

Then there’s Mo.

Without doubt, Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all-time. As a fan of baseball — and its history — it’s tough not to be a fan of Rivera, unless of course he’s entering the game against your team.

But it’s hard not to appreciate what he’s done and what he’s meant to the game.

His dominance is bar none. By all reports, he’s a class act in the clubhouse and off the field. Heck, look at how he handled his retirement year. He talked with people at each city he visited this year. Heck. every team did something special for him, too.

If that doesn’t tell you something about how classy he is, I’m not sure what would.

The stats will speak as they are. The Yankees have one more series — at Houston — to end the year.

Watching the final home game of Rivera’s career on Yes Network was quite wild. His final entrance into the game was incredible, especially with the Yankees having a recording of him being announced by Bob Sheppard.

Have a peek:

But it gets better. Again, as a non-fan of the Yankees, I have to tip my hat to this one. He was getting pulled with two outs in the ninth, which makes total sense as it gives him a chance for the full ovation and final tip of the lid. But what made it better was not Joe Girardi going out and getting him, rather sending Jeter and Pettitte out.

A class act.

Rivera broke down and understandably so.  Have a look:

At the end of the game, Rivera stayed in the dugout and as the crowd continued to chant his name, he slowly walked out to the mound. He kicked some dirt around, then bent down and scooped it up. He then walked off the field, waving as he did before being interviewed by Yes.

I’ve only ever seen the Yankees live once. It was 2008 and the fifth-to-last game at old Yankee Stadium and we had some awesome seats. In the eighth inning, the Yanks led Chicago, 4-1. With two outs (I believe), A-Rod hit a meaningless home run to make it 5-1.

Rivera, who was warming up, sat down. Insert Edwar Ramirez. I’ve never been so irritated at a baseball game. So, about the best I can say is I saw Mo warming up.

I would have liked to have seen him pitch, alas A-Rod decided it wasn’t to be (another reason to dislike him).

Anyway…

Who knows if Rivera will pitch this weekend. (Honestly, why? His career should end where it did on Thursday night — Yankee Stadium). No matter what, he ends his career as the best closer of all time.

And despite not being a fan of the Yankees, it’s hard to not appreciate all of this. It’s history and if you love the game, you had to love this.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!