Yankee “Mascot” Barred From Stadium Over the Weekend

Another day, another piece of bad PR for the Yankees

The next positive story about the new Yankee Stadium will be the first one. The park's been called unfriendly to fans, too expensive and too quiet. It's been criticized for having too many empty seats and mocked as the East Coast's version of Coors Field. And, now, the Stadium's employees are being painted as heartless for refusing to let Freddy Schulman, the one-eyed, pot-banging "mascot" of the Yankees, into the park over the weekend.

Freddy complained to the New York Post that he was forced to beg fans for tickets to games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday because he wasn't allowed into the park with a wink and a nod. That's the way it went at the old Stadium, and the way it went at Thursday's home opener, but no one would budge over the weekend.

"The Yankees say I am a part of the stadium. What part am I, the toilet bowl?" Schuman said. "But the fans have come through. They gave me $40, and even $100 tickets."

The Yankees told the Post that it was a "miscommunication," and that he'd be accomodated from now on. And while the Yankees deserved to get banged for several of the things listed above, they don't really deserve to get banged here. It's a new stadium, with new employees who might not know Freddy Sez from any other guy who comes up to the gate looking to get in to the game. He was still at the games, and he'll continue to be at the games and will continue to go to the games for free. 

That he gets in for free may bother some, but it's hard to get too worked up about an 84-year old, one-eyed sign waver walking around a Stadium. It's hard to get too worked up about him not getting into the Stadium, either. Overall, it's for the best that this story's shelf life is brief.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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