Japan Openers, MLB Teams

[Wolf Hopper]

see: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20031202&content_id=610979&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

How does this work for full season ticket holders, do you get 80 games now instead of 81?

Anyone have any knowledge of how clubs handled this in the past?

[gyb13]

mmm...never thought of that...it does seem like that would make your per game cost even higher, huh

[Wolf Hopper]

Just got the bill yesterday - and, they are charging me for the full 81 games now - money is due 1/5/04. I guess they would give a credit. I should try and call the Yanks.

[gyb13]

they'll probably blame mlb scheduling and tell you there's nothing they can do. hopefully i'm wrong.

[Wolf Hopper]

I called the Yankee ticket office today and spoke the usual rude person.

She actually insulted me - "Sir, I don't know what you would call that game in your country; but, where I come from, in the Caribbean, we call that game [in Japan] an exhibition game. You will not lose a game."

STG, that's what she said to me.

I told her that those were regular season games - in addition to exhibition games in Japan and asked her to check.

She said, after coming back to the phone, that any regular season games in Japan come off of Tampa's home schedule - not the Yankees - and that we (Yankee tkt holders) would have 81 home games in NY. Looks like TB gets screwed.

The 2004 schedule for NY has yet to be released, FWIW.

[JamesI]

Does anyone actually have season tickets in Tampa?

[Wolf Hopper]

Does anyone actually have season tickets in Tampa?

Believe it or not, Steinbrenner does. Really.

[Wolf Hopper]

I called the Yankee ticket office today and spoke the usual rude person.

She actually insulted me - "Sir, I don't know what you would call that game in your country; but, where I come from, in the Caribbean, we call that game [in Japan] an exhibition game. You will not lose a game."

STG, that's what she said to me.

I told her that those were regular season games - in addition to exhibition games in Japan and asked her to check.

She said, after coming back to the phone, that any regular season games in Japan come off of Tampa's home schedule - not the Yankees - and that we (Yankee tkt holders) would have 81 home games in NY. Looks like TB gets screwed.

The 2004 schedule for NY has yet to be released, FWIW.

Just got this off an AP report - -

interesting.........

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Major League Baseball plans to flip-flop the first two April series between the Yankees against Tampa Bay, having New York return to Florida from Japan instead of opening the North American part of its season at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees would play a two-game series against Tampa Bay at the Tokyo Dome on March 30-31 under the plan the commissioner's office is negotiating.

Before the Japan trip was proposed, New York's original schedule had the team opening at home against the Devil Rays on April 5 and 7, then playing a four-game series at Tampa Bay from April 12-15.

Under the new schedule, the Yankees would return from Japan to their spring training camp in Tampa, play exhibition games that weekend, then play at the Devil Rays on April 5 and 7, a baseball official said Saturday under the condition of anonymity.

Tampa Bay would go to Yankee Stadium the following week, the official said.

An agreement for the Japan trip could be finalized next week, according to the official. Thus far, the talks have been between the commissioner's office and the Yankees.

``No one has spoken to us about it,'' Devil Rays owner Vince Naimoli said Friday night.

The commissioner's office expects the Devil Rays to agree to participate.

``I'm on the international play committee and have been in favor of international play,'' Naimoli said.