A Yankee Partial Season Ticket Holder’s Rant

OK, you are forewarned about what is going to happen in this posting ... but ... please take a deep breath and stay with me ... because Billi Pod needs to vent because he is really pissed off ...

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my new Season Ticket Sales and Service Account Executive, Chelsea Duffy, advising me that shortly I would receive the renewal information for my 41-game season ticket package.

In response, I sent her an email advising that I was very very interested in moving my seat location, Section 212, row 5, seat 17, to a location underneath an overhang. And, yes ... I deliberately brought the “age-issue” into play. Whorish, yes ... but I did it ...

We later had a nice telephone conversation, leaving me with the definite impression that my request would be honored. That made me feel good although I didn’t like the idea of leaving the friends that I had developed over the past 3 seasons.

Well, the renewal package arrived Thursday and guess what ...

(1) The same seat location (with no explanation)

(2) An increase in ticket price from $70 to $80 per game.

(3) A Byzantine new ticket exchange policy that limits the number of exchanges and the games for which they may be exchanged. Plus, the exchange must take place at least 14 days before the date you want to change.

(4) No reference to post-season privileges. I assume it will be the same as last year, which was 1/2 of what it was originally, something we 41-gamers have been majorly pissed about.

The things that attracted me to the 41-game package in the first place were the generous exchange policy and the right to buy the same seat for all of the home post season games. Both of these privileges are now gone.

All of this harks back to my gut feelings from Day One in dealing with Yankee management==>they really don’t care about anyone with less than a full season ticket plan.

They know that for the most part we partial season ticket holders are pretty frugal with our expenditures at the games. For example ... I spend absolutely nothing at a game. I buy a bottle of water outside the stadium for $1.00 and bring it with me into the stadium.

Management would much rather have someone in my seat who is there for the first time, who will be buying beer and hot dogs and popcorn at horribly inflated prices.

Oh, management gives lip service to our “loyalty” but it is really just a bunch of bullshit ... they know it ... and we know it.

I decided to let several days pass before responding, so ... today I sent Chelsea an email detailing my disappointment and displeasure. Have not heard back from her but I feel that I probably will.

After walking around the apartment sucking my thumb for these several days I have concluded that unless my seat relocation request is honored, without making me jump through a bunch of hoops and stuff, I will not renew my 41-game season ticket package.

OK, now calm down a bit ... this does not mean I have stopped being a Yankee fan or that I will not be seeing games in the 2012 season. NO!!

I love the Yankee team, but ... I HATE Yankee Management.

It means I will see fewer games and will see them totally on my own terms. Once the season starts I will go out to the stadium to purchase individual game tickets (probably 4 or 5 games at a time), thereby saving the horrendous service fees for purchasing online. Remember, it ain’t a big deal for me to go from PHC to Yankee Stadium via subway.

Why am I posting this rant now? Well, because I want to and because it makes me feel a little better.

Is there a risk of "retaliation" from Management? Possibly.

Will keep you loyal and faithful readers advised.

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-98

The Season Ended With A Whimper

Well, my loyal and faithful readers, this will be shorter than usual (hold the f**ing applause ... Billi Pod knows who you are and ... where you live) because Billi Pod is still reeling from the abrupt end to the Yankee season last night at the hands of the Tigers.

Yes, the Fat Lady sang last night and our season ended with yet another A-Rod strike out. He had a terrible game, going 0-4, striking out 3 times, once with the bases loaded and then to end the game and the season.

Once again we couldn’t get hits when it counted. It was an extremely difficult game to watch, trust me on this.

When the final out was made the sold-out crowd was stunned, to put it mildly. We had witnessed a promising season end with a whimper. It was also, in all likelihood, Jorge Posada’s last game in pinstripes.

The subway back into Manhattan was crammed but eerily silent. It was 12:45am when I opened the door to PHC and began processing the fact that I had invested a lot of time, money and energy into this season, and now ... it was all over ... and ... WTF ... we hadn’t advanced past the first playoff round for the second season in a row ... WTF!!

When I woke up this morning I have to admit that I was, and still am, in a blue funk.

In the name of fair and unbiased reporting Billi Pod has to share with you loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands the following story lines in the local papers ...

A-ROD DOWN, YANKEES OUT - Alex goes woe-for-4 as Tigers dance on - The Daily News

‘K’PUT - Tiger pitchers send whiffing Yanks packing - NY Post

EXITING OCTOBER - Tigers Get Two First-Inning Homers; Yankees Can’t Get Big Hit - New York Times

If and when I get into the mood to post this, I will spend a lot of time today scheduling entertainment events to fill the “Yankees Suck” void in my upcoming calendar.

Oh well ... moving on ... I guess ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is ...

7:30==>SONS OF THE PROPHET - “If to live is to suffer, then Joseph Douaihy is more alive than most. With unexplained chronic pain and the fate of his reeling family on his shoulders, Joseph's health, sanity, and insurance premium are on the line.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Several friends, including John Scott Reed, have recommended this so-called “dark-comedy.” They better be right because it certainly doesn’t sound very funny to me.

Enough ...

GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-44

Billi Pod Is Pissed Off With Billi Pod!!

Yes, Billi Pod is pissed off with himself. Why? Well ... listen up ...

Yesterday, a few minutes after 7:00pm, as Billi Pod was about to walk out of PHC to head out to Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, he received a text message from a season ticket buddy who was already at the Stadium. The guy said it was pouring and that the game, if played, would be delayed at least 2 hours.

Billi Pod immediately went to the tube and the announcers on YES were doing their pregame under umbrellas and opining that we would be lucky to get the game in due to the predicted non-stop rain. Of course, the tarp was on covering the infield.

Billi Pod took a deep breath and decided that he would stay in. The key factors in this decision were that, as you loyal and faithful readers know, his seat is out in the open and unprotected from the elements, and he knew that the game was a total sell out, meaning no seats would be available beneath an overhang.

So Billi Pod took another deep breath and settled in to watch the 8:00pm GATORS/’BAMA game on CBS. When the Gators scored on the first play of the game Billi Pod knew he had made the right decision, but ...

At 8:30 he switched to TBS to get an update on the status of The Yankee game and was shocked ... and I do indeed mean ... shocked ... to find out that the game was about to begin. The tarp was off. No rain.

OMFG!! Friday they had predicted no rain and==>rain. Saturday they predicted rain and==>no rain. WTF!! Well, nothing he could do because the decision had been made and he had to live with it ...

As you know, it turned out to be a lousy decision because The Gators suffered an ass-whipping, losing to ‘Bama 10-38. Our defense could not contain their running game led by Trent Richardson, who was a human tank.

Our QB, John Brantley, left the game just before halftime with a leg injury. As I post this his status unknown.

It was extremely frustrating toggling between the two games. It highlighted the difference in the pace between the two sports.

The Yankees won the “suspended” game 9-3 behind an excellent performance from rookie Ivan Nova and the bat of Robby Cano, who hit a grand slam in the 6th inning.

As stated earlier, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, Billi Pod must admit that he is still pissed off with himself over his decision not to head out to the stadium. Had he done so he would have been a part of an exciting victory and missed the horror of witnessing the Gator’s destruction in The Swamp in the second half of the game.

Mea Culpa ... Mea Culpa ... Billi Pod is sorry, GeorgeS, up there in your skybox in the heavens ... Billi Pod begs your forgiveness ... Mea Culpa ... Mea Culpa ...

Anyway ...

This afternoon @ 3:07 is Game 2, with Freddy Garcia on the mound. This was supposed to be a travel day but the bad weather on Friday took care of that. Unfortunately, this year my season ticket package did not include this game, so Billi Pod will be in front of the tube. The weather is excellent.

Tonight I probably will catch a movie, either MONEY BALL or 50/50.

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-39

Naked Boys Singing & The Wrath Of Billi Pod!!

First of all, Billi Pod is happy to report to you loyal and faithful readers that after yesterday’s posting something interesting came up on one of his ticket services. What, you are no doubt breathlessly asking? Well it was ... tada ...

7:00==>NAKED BOYS SINGING - “The adorable cast of 8 "hunks" display their "special charms" as they celebrate the splendors of male nudity through comedy, sixteen songs and some dancing.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

How could I pass this up? A comp. ticket. No way. Seen them several times and always fun ... so ... this was my entertainment event for last night and I am happy to give Billi Pod’s report card ...

NAKED BOYS SINGING==>H<==for hung full of fun as talented boyz swing it back and forth for 75 minutes. As the story line dictates, they let it all hang out, with no holds barred. They lived up to their theatre endowments and packed a punch.

Now on to something else ...

Let me share something different with you longtime loyal and faithful readers ... this time about writing a blog. As you no doubt remember, Tuesday I posted a very very negative review of TRICKS THE DEVIL TAUGHT ME. I didn’t pull any punches. Billi Pod hated it.

Well a couple of days later someone posted the entirety of my review on the theater-related website

http://broadwayworld.com/board/

and as a result my page views for that posting increased dramatically and that was nice. It did, however, generate a very snarky response from an asshole named “ghostlight2” who had the audacity to opine ...

“Why do I care about the opinion of someone who speaks of themselves in their own blog in the third person?”

WTF!!

Sir or Madam, while you are entitled to express your opinion on any topic, no one ridicules Billi Pod on the internet without suffering the direst of consequences.

Beware Sir or Madam of The Wrath of Billi Pod==>Billi Pod’s people are now after your ass.

Prepare ghostlight2 to meet your maker. You can run but you cannot hide. You will be found.

Anyway ... on to other more pleasant things, like ...

Last night the Yankees swept the White Sox behind yet another outstanding performance from Ivan Nova (now 10-4). How can management even consider sending Nova back to the minors and keeping AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi in the rotation??? Jus askin’...

Tonight-7:05pm==>YANKEES vs. BOSTON FUCKSOX @ the ancient and fetid cesspool known as Fenway Park.

We are tied for first place in the AL East. Bartolo Colon will be on the mound for The Yankees.

Billi Pod will stay in and watch the game even though it is a Friday night in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

BEWARE==>ghostlight2<== you are soon-to-be smelly dead meat.

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

Billi Pod Goes Ballistic!!!

A nasty rainy day in The Big Apple and that is fitting for my mood because yesterday afternoon I got a ridiculously high rent increase proposal for my lease renewal on PHC.

It was a proposed 17% increase for a one year lease and 19% for a two year lease.

BILLI POD WENT BALLISTIC!!

Went down to the rental office in the building to talk with the leasing agent, Doug Goodenough (yes, that is his correct name) and he immediately blamed everything on the rental office staff, and the conversation quickly turned into a “good-cop vs. bad-cop” thing, with Doug being the “good-cop.”

Bottom line - he told me to calm down and that he would contact the rental office to see what, if anything, could be worked out.

So, the battle is now on and I have already projectile-vomited twice in the past 24 hours.

Will keep you loyal and faithful readers advised as I begin exploring my relocation options.

Now, on to more pleasant things, like ...

Last night’s CIRCUS INCOGNITUS was a lot of fun. As expected, lotta kids in the audience and they had a ball.

The performer did some amazing things. See it if you can.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>CAPITOL STEPS @ Town Hall - “Back by popular demand with fresh new material--is the wacky group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employ them.” (Off-Broadway - discounted TDF ticket).

I have seen this group perform several times in the past and they are very very funny. I will definitely need to laugh.

Well, my loyal and faithful readers even though Billi Pod is in a bad mood, he will close with one of the last musings (come on ... you know you are gonna miss them) ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Why was the scene in “Star Wars” showing Jabba the Hut mooning Hans Solo deleted? Because once seen, the scene will never ever leave your mind.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Billi Pod Is Pissed Off!!!

It was 12:45am this morning when Billi Pod finally got back from the stadium, tired and majorly pissed off==>AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi, who has spent a career breaking hearts by throwing the pitch he absolutely should not at the wrong time, had done it yet again. It was a bitter 3-10 loss.

Once again we could not get hits with runners in scoring position, something Billi Pod has commented on numerous times during the season. And, to make matters even worse, in the 5th inning Mark Teixeira left the game with a season-ending hamstring injury. And, in the late innings our bullpen once again imploded. And, Manager Joe Girardi made several very questionable decisions, including the one to keep Loser Boi in the game. It was not a fun time in The Bronx, to put it mildly.

Bottom-line==>the Yankees face elimination this afternoon. Can Sabathia save us? We will CC. Billi Pod will be there, of course.

Can the Yankees win 3 straight games? I seriously doubt it, but we avid fans will hope and pray for a miracle.

Now get this my loyal and faithful readers==>there is a very real possibility that the World Series could be: The Rangers vs. The Giants. Who in their wildest dreams could have foreseen this one? No f**king one.

I have other things to report, but I am not in the mood to do it today, so ...

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.” BMS-8