RUMBLE IN THE BRONX
Boro beep, Yanks big in war of words over tix
BRONX BOROUGH President Ruben Diaz Jr. went to bat for Yankees fans Wednesday, crying foul over the team’s new ticketing policy.
Diaz fired off a letter to Yankees president Randy Levine Wednesday, slamming the team’s “draconian new ticketing policy,” which disallows print-at-home tickets.
Diaz accused the Bombers of going for the “blatant money grab” with a policy that would bar fans from using ticket resellers such as StubHub.
In the letter, Diaz zeroed in on Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost, who has faced criticism for saying on WFAN talk radio last week that the new ticket policy was done with the idea that some fans might feel frustrated if they were sitting near others who did not pay a premium price for certain seats.
“Yankee fans have always been the best in baseball,” Diaz said in a statement. “The idea that some of us would recoil in horror because the person sitting next to them paid less than face value for their seat is absurd, and represents the very definition of elitism.”
But Levine accused the Bronx-bred politician of being a fair-weather fan — who’s only throwing heat out of spite.
“We cut off (Diaz’s) funding re- quests,” Levine told the Daily News. “The only time he comes to Yankee Stadium, when he comes for official ceremonies, he doesn’t stay for the games.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat and big Yankee fan, didn’t take a position on the dispute between the Yankees, Ticketmaster, and StubHub. But the legislative heavy hitter went to bat for Trost.
“I know Lonn and I don’t think he meant anything terrible behind it,” Heastie said of Trost’s comments about the fans. “But you do have to be mindful when you’re talking about different constituencies of people. But I know Lonn, and I don’t believe he meant anything.”
Levine also issued a statement Wednesday confirming he had met with StubHub president Scott Cutler, and said that the two men “had a good and productive meeting.
“It lasted about an hour and we agreed to continue talking. There is nothing to announce at this current moment, but we will update everyone when we have news,” Levine said.
Three years ago, the Yankees partnered with Ticketmaster, a rival to StubHub, to create the Yankees Ticket Exchange, which establishes a price floor for tickets that are resold by fans.
“I have been a Yankee fan my entire life,” Diaz wrote. “Without the everyday, working-class fans who make up the vast majority of their fan base, the New York Yankees would not be the successful franchise they are today.”