Bleacher Report - Articles by Alan Schechter

A Crying Shame: A Fan's Day at the New Yankee Stadium

Alan Schechter — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:48:04 -0400

As a Mets fan, I am blessed with an interesting life watching baseball, because my wife is a die-hard Yankees fan. Life is interesting, especially around Subway Series time each year.

Be that as it may, we decided we wanted to see both of our new ballparks this year, the year they opened. The first one we were able to work into our schedules for a decent price was Yankee Stadium for the Twins game this afternoon, May 17.

We bought tickets off eBay and off we went. All I can say about the day we had was, what a shame, because I don't think they could have put together a less fan-friendly experience if they tried. So I have decided to give fans an outline of how our day went, just so you know what to expect if any of you are planning a trip to the Bronx.

I did my research before attending today's game. I know that my wife has never been to Monument Park, never went when she was younger, and she has always wanted to go. I went to yankees.com so I could get an idea of when we would need to arrive at the stadium in order to pay the park a visit.

According to the web site, the park is kept open until 45 minutes prior to the game, subject to capacity limitations. After further reading, we find out that the some of the gates open three hours prior to the first pitch, and the balance of them open two hours prior.

So, we get on a train early this morning, come into Penn Station, take a subway, and we are walking through the doors at 11:20 AM. We quickly locate the signs for Monument Park, and begin to walk to our destination.

Shortly after we have walked around the stadium to beyond the right field fence, the time being approximately 11:40, we find out that the Park is closed.

A security guard advises that the line was too long so they have had to stop having fans come in.

As we walk further along the route, another security guard advises that the park was never open, and that is further evidenced by the fact that when we arrive at our seats, still prior to the 45 minutes early mark, there is nobody in the park.

So first, the staff can't get their stories straight, and secondly, they apparently never even open the park. People travel from far and wide to see those monuments, and to not even make them available is shocking.

Now, we move onto the subject of batting practice. When the season opened, the Yankee Stadium rules stated that you had to watch batting practice from your own seat location, that you could not go near the field unless your seat was near the field.

This week, the policy was amended to state that you could watch batting practice from the bleachers and from certain sections on field level, which was a nice gesture by the Yankees.

However, we come to learn that this accommodation is only for Yankees batting practice. God forbid you want to see the other team's stars take BP, this is not allowed.

My wife and I tried to go near the field in one of the approved sections at 11:42 AM, Yankee BP ended at 11:40, and we were rudely told by Yankee security that "this was Yankee policy," and we had to leave.

My wife very politely stated we wanted to go down for about 2 minutes, take a couple of pictures and go, but we were again told we had to leave. So we did.

We were then walking around the concourse on field level, making our way to the first base side before going upstairs to our seats in section 416. As we passed behind home plate, I suggested to my wife to take some pictures from the great angle we are passing by, on our way to our seats.

She takes me up on my idea and walks over to the section behind home plate. She sets up her picture, and literally takes one stride into the aisle of the section. She is not obstructing any seats in the section mind you, just setting up one foot in the aisle, in if you can picture a stance almost like a runner at the blocks, lining up her shot.

The usher not only tells her she has to move, he almost grabs her and moves her out of the way. I was standing there so he was subtle with moving her physically, but you can you imagine how inappropriate that is?

We are standing in the aisle, and here comes the henchmen for the Steinbrenners, taking the enjoyment out of a day at the ballpark which could have been quite fun.

We did make a complaint at the Guest Services department, and we were told that the Yankees "make good" on customer complaints, so we shall see what happens.

Bottom line, don't go early if you are going to a Yankees game. The experience is not a pleasant one, and if you are taking your children, it will not be a memorable experience for them either.

Working for Bill Belichick Doesn't Make You Bill Belichick, McDaniels and Others

Alan Schechter — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:23:50 -0400

The Jay Cutler/Josh McDaniels situation is finally coming to a bitter end. Jay Cutler has no interest in playing for his new coach, or for the team that drafted him. This issue has brought to light a larger issue, an issue of coaches getting in over their heads.

Josh McDaniels is in over his head, and Eric Mangini was to a point, in over his head as well as New York Jets coach.

Furthermore, these coaches and future coaches coming from the Patriots staff will be better off if they learn one valuable lesson, working for Bill Belichick doesn't make you Bill Belichick.

Now I am not suggesting that his staff getting jobs is a bad thing. Some of the best coaches of our time have come off the coaching family trees of coaches past. Mike Holmgren from Bill Walsh, Tom Coughlin from Bill Parcells, and there are countless others.

Learning from a great coach can be invaluable in cutting your own niche as a coach. However, my point is that working on a great staff doesn't guarantee you a great career as a head coach. You have to earn it.

Let's start with Josh McDaniels.

We are all familiar with his work on the Patriots staff, through and including this past year when he turned Matt Cassel into a valuable starting quarterback. He follows that by being hired to replace a great coach in Mike Shanahan in Denver.

Now, riding the ego he has developed as offensive coach for Bill Belichick, what is the first decision he makes? He attempts to trade his starting quarterback to acquire his new found talent, Matt Cassel. That doesn't work, so what does he decide to do?

He goes around wearing a Jay Cutler jersey, telling the world that "He is my quarterback." Why would anyone believe this?

I ask you out there, if your boss was trying to replace you, and then when he couldn't, he tells you how you are perfect for the job and he loves you, would you believe him?

I wouldn't, and Jay Cutler can't be blamed for not believing him either.

He's not the only one who is afflicted with this disease. Take a look at Eric Mangini's tenure with the New York Jets. His issue was not so much handling personalities, as much as it was trying to force feed his system on his team.

The moment he arrived he tried to replace the team's starting quarterback, Chad Pennington.

Pennington hadn't played a down for Mangini before he drafted Kellen Clemens to be his replacement. He took a team that was built to play a 4-3 defense, changed the system before changing the players. As Jet fans we know, the result caused him to be fired.

Contrast this with the more successful coaches. Bill Parcells is a prime example. He arrived on the scene with the Jets in 1997, inheriting a team that went 1-15 the previous year.

He took that team with very minimal changes from 1996 to 1997, and coaxed them to a 9-7 record, staying in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. Now take a look at the styles of some of his teams. Take the Giants, for example, where his team made a living at ball control, smash mouth football.

He moved onto New England years later, where with Terry Glenn and Ben Coates, and Drew Bledsoe behind center, he was able to feature his aerial weapons and go to a Super Bowl with a contrasting style to his two Giant Super Bowls.

What's the secret? The secret is that Bill Parcells is able to use the players that he has, and the talents that they have to make them successful.

And then the question is, with examples of using existing players to be successful, why would coaches such as Josh McDaniels and Eric Mangini impose their systems on their teams, and treat their players as they please?

The answer is they feel they are better than they are. They come into these positions as big stars, simply because they worked on a great staff. They feel they can come in and do as they please, and that it will work because it worked for Bill Belichick.

Every team is different. What works for one team may be totally unsuccessful for another, which is why to be a successful coach, you have to work with what you have and adapt, and the longer you are in the position, then you make it yours with personnel changes.

Hopefully Josh McDaniels and Eric Mangini will learn this, as will future assistants as they ascend to head coaching positions. If they don't, we will see more and more of these problems, and less and less successful assistant turned head coaches.

Brett Favre Throws Costly INTs, Jets Fall to Chargers 48-29

Alan Schechter — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:18:19 -0400

The score of Monday Night Football tonight was reminiscent of the old AFL air it out days, but the score was a lot closer than the play on the field tonight in San Diego.

It started out well for the Jets early, on the first Chargers drive of the game. On a third down play from the Chargers' 20, David Barrett stepped in front of a Philip Rivers pass intended for Antonio Gates and took it the distance for an early 7-0 lead for the Jets. The ensuing drive by the Chargers lasted 12 plays, ending with Nate Kaeding hitting a field goal from 36 yards out to cut the Jets' lead to 7-3.

This is when the turnover bug hit the Jets.

On the very next drive, Thomas Jones fumbled on a second down play, and it was recovered by Quinton Jammer and returned to the 16. Five plays and a one-yard TD pass from Rivers to Mike Tolbert later, the Chargers were up 10-7 and never looked back.

On the next drive, Brett Favre was intercepted by Antonio Cromartie at the 48 of the Chargers, who returned it the distance to make the score 17-7.

Leon Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to the Chargers' five. Favre hit Laveranues Coles on a three-yard TD pass to keep it close early in the second quarter, 17-14. On the kickoff, Jay Feely attempted an onside kick which the Chargers' recover. The short field allowed Rivers to take it down the field quickly on a five-play 2:33 drive that ended with a 27-yard TD pass to Chris Chambers, running the score to 24-14.

Five plays into the very next drive, Favre was intercepted by Eric Weddle on a pass intended for Jerricho Cotchery, setting up a 10-play drive that ended on a six-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates, making the halftime score 31-14.

The Chargers came right out on the first drive of the third quarter, marching down the field on a seven-play 78-yard drive, capped by a LaDainian Tomlinson two-yard TD run that essentially put the game out of reach at 38-14.

The Jets tried to make it interesting late. Brett Favre led a 16-play drive that began on their own 17 yard line and ended with a four-yard TD pass to Chansi Stuckey, his third TD in three games. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, making the score 38-20. They then recovered the onside kick, and their next drive ended with a Jay Feely 32-yard field goal, making the score 38-23.

The Jets' defense could not stop the Chargers on the next drive, as they went 80 yards on seven plays, capped by a second two-yard TD out of LaDainian Tomlinson, running the score to 45-23 in favor of of the Chargers.

Jerricho Cotchery returned the ensuing kickoff to the Chargers'. Two plays later Brett Favre threw a TD to Dustin Keller, his first TD recorded in the NFL. The conversion attempt failed again after several penalties on the Chargers, leaving the score 45-29.

The Jets attempted one final onside kick, however, Jay Feely illegally touched the loose ball before it went the required 10 yards, so the Chargers took over on the Jets 40. Kaeding kicked a 49-yard field goal four plays later to ice the game 48-29. Kellen Clemens entered the game for the final drive and threw a meaningless interception in the end zone as the game ended.

The final score was 48-29 in favor of the Chargers.

For the game, Brett Favre went 30-42 for 271 yards and three TDs, with two costly interceptions early. Thomas Jones was limited since the team was playing from behind, carrying the ball only 10 times for 37 yards. Jerricho Cotchery led the receivers with 10 catches for 76 yards, with Coles right behind with six catches for 75 yards and a TD.

Philip Rivers was very efficient for the Chargers, going 19-25 for 250 yards, three TDs, and the early interception to David Barrett. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed 26 times for 67 yards and the two TDs. Vincent Jackson led the Chargers receivers with three catches for 74 yards.

The Jets return home to face the Arizona Cardinals next week.

Did Brett Favre's Arrival Set Expectations Too High in New York?

Alan Schechter — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:17:23 -0400

Brett Favre is a New York Jet—he has been for two regular-season games now.

There were a lot of opinions back and forth as to whether or not the team should get him. Most fans were gung ho about getting Brett here, and some weren't. I was one of those holdouts, as I was not in favor of trading for him.

I felt that he was too much of a "me" guy, and not into the Mangini "team" concept. I feared that too much attention would be placed on him.

I felt that Chad Pennington was the best quarterback for this team, as constituted. However, that was not to be. Favre was acquired, and Pennington was released.

Now that he is here, bleeding Green and White as I do, it is time to embrace him and welcome him to Gang Green. And it is also the time to hope beyond hope that both parties know what they are doing.

There is a great moment in an interview that Mike Francesa conducted with Mike Tannenbaum and Brett Favre from Jets camp at the end of the summer. In this interview, Francesa is discussing the fact that Brett was sent by Tannenbaum, to all of the different places there are to hunt in NJ—hoping to make Favre feel at home.

Brett mentions that now that he is here, he is having much difficulty in finding these locations.

This is a microcosm of my point here.

First, let's draw a recent parallel. This is the greatest quarterback the Jets have had since Joe Namath. But let's think more recently. 15 years ago, we had a similar situation in NY.

The New York Rangers had a team that was primed to make a run at the Stanley Cup. They were acquiring players such as Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish, and other veterans—guys with playoff experience, to put them over the top. Then they acquire the guy with the credentials—the legend.

His name was Mark Messier.

He was brought into the NY Rangers for one reason, and that was to win a title. It was not to improve, not to bring the Rangers credibility, nor to rebuild, but to win a championship.

In both cases, the teams brought in subordinate pieces of the puzzle. For example, MacTavish and Anderson on the Rangers, and Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, and Tony Richardson on the Jets.

The pieces both teams brought in were not young. They were pieces meant to win now. And in both situations, aging players with top championship credentials were brought in, Messier and Favre.

But most importantly, when Messier arrived on Broadway, all fans had visions of Stanley Cups dancing in their heads. They didn't have first-round playoff appearances, or improved seasons in mind—they had championships.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the situation is the same with Brett Favre. Whether any Jets fan will say so publicly, we have all had visions of Super Bowls and great January football playing vividly in our minds. Years of heartache coming to an end, the dream of all Jets fans.

We are not expecting 9-7. We want to go all the way.

If Brett doesn't play well, he will see the other side of NY. He has seen the glitz, the hoopla, meeting the Mayor, getting the key to the city, etc. And if he plays like the 2007 regular-season version of Brett Favre, he will be loved.

However, if he plays like the 2006 Brett Favre, he will see just how cold New York can get. If he doesn't play well, this isn't Green Bay, with a limited media presence. This is NY, where he will not be left alone if he doesn't play well. I hope Brett understands the magnitude of coming here, before he is forced to understand it.

Furthermore, I hope the Jets know what they are getting themselves into.

If you watched the Brett Favre introductory press conference last month, you would have seen that Mike Tannenbaum couldn't have looked happier sitting next to his new legendary quarterback. He had a grin on his face as if he just came out of his favorite candy store.

However, we have to remember that Green Bay very quickly made clear they didn't want him back. I know that part of it was the development of Aaron Rodgers. However, part of it must have been that they felt Brett Favre was done.

He didn't play well in the second half of the NFC championship game, and the rumor was that played a part in them not wanting him back.

I find it hard to believe that when Brett wanted to return, they would have sent him away if they thought he was the Brett Favre of old. Maybe they are correct about him. We will see.

The bottom line is this: I hope Brett knows what he is doing by coming back, and I hope the Jets know what they are doing by bringing him here.

Favre Throws Late TD, But it is Not Enough as the Patriots Top the Jets 19-10

Alan Schechter — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:46:24 -0400

No quarterback making their first start against Brett Favre had ever won against him before this afternoon, on a hot and humid day in East Rutherford, NJ. The Jets came in riding high off beating the Dolphins last week, looking to take advantage of life after Brady.

But it was not to be. After a Jay Feely missed field goal in the first quarter, the Patriots march down the field on a 12 play, 76 yard drive that ended with a Stephen Gostkowski 21 yard field goal putting the Pats up 3-0.

In the second, Gostkowski added a second field goal from 37 yards out to put New England up 6-0. The ensuing Jets' drive takes 11 plays over 5:48 before Jay Feely adds a 21 yard field goal, set up by a 54 yard completion to Laveranues Coles, closing the half at 6-3 in favor of New England.

New England breaks some space open in the game, set up by a Brandon Meriweather interception of a Brett Favre pass intended for Bubba Franks, setting the Pats up from the Jets' 31 yard line. Six plays and a Sammy Morris one yard touchdown later put the Patriots up by 10, 13-3. Another Gostkowski field goal put the score 16-3.

The Jets finally broke through for a TD, driving into the fourth quarter and ending a drive with a Chansi Stuckey two yard TD pass from Favre that cut the lead to 16-10. However, on the ensuing drive, the defense was unable to give the offense one more chance, with Lamont Jordan rushing for key yards, and Stephen Gostkowski capped the 11 play drive with a 27 yard field goal to put the game out of reach at 19-10.

For the game, Brett Favre was 18-26, 181 yards, 1 TD and the one costly interception. Thomas Jones led the rushing attack, rushing 17 times for 70 yards. Coles led the receivers with 3 catches for 72 yards.

In his first NFL start, Matt Cassel was 16-23 for 165 yards. Lamont Jordan led the rushing with 11 carries for 62 yards. The pesky Wes Welker led the Pats receiving troop with 7 catches for 72 yards.

Next up for the Jets, a Monday night matchup with the San Diego Chargers. It doesn't get easy for them in the first quarter of the season.