FromThisSeat Blog

 

Welcome to the FromThisSeat Blog.

Here our editors will bring you plenty of news coverage on tickets, ballparks, stadiums and arenas as they pertain to the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA.  If you have any questions or suggestions pertaining to the articles, feel free to 'Contact Us' via the navigation bar.

Photo of Midwest Live at Ballpark Village.

Image Credit: Buzbeto - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The Budweiser Brewhouse hosted a gathering on Sunday titled “Eat, Drink & Chill” in which two people were tragically shot by an unknown suspect. One of those shot, 38-year-old Corey Hall of Florissant, Missouri, passed away while the other victim is still in critical condition. The suspect is still at large and St. Louis police have yet to give a description of the assailant. Corey Hall was a newlywed, the father of two young girls and was celebrating his birthday. The cause of the shooting was unknown and began when an argument broke out between two people attending the event.

Photo of a New York Yankees player standing in the batter's box at Yankee Stadium.

Image Credit: Shinya Suzuki (CC BY 2.0)

After several spectators were injured by foul balls at Yankee Stadium in 2017, the New York Yankees announced that they would be extending the netting to provide more protection to fans. The netting was not only raised higher but extended further down the first and third base lines. It didn’t take long for New York Yankees fans to complain about the netting’s support poles which obstructed their view of the field.

Photo of the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Home of the Calgary Flames.

Image Credit: 5of7/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

It’s been more than six months since the Calgary Flames announced that they were no longer pursuing the construction of a new arena in downtown Calgary. However, a Calgary city councilor (Jeff Davison) has filed a motion that could create a committee to revive arena negotiations between the team and the city. The motion will appear before city council on May 28, 2018.

Photo of the scoreboard at PNC Arena. Home of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Image Credit: Doug Kerr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In lieu of the Carolina Hurricanes’ 20th anniversary in Raleigh, the organization is hoping to add numerous upgrades to PNC Arena. New Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon had requested that a new scoreboard be added first and in time for the start of the 2018-2019 NHL season. The new scoreboard is expected to be so large that it “stretched from blue line to blue line” in reference to the markings on the ice below. However, structural changes would need to be made to PNC Arena before a new scoreboard could be added. It appears Carolina Hurricanes fans will be left waiting another season before a new scoreboard will be added to PNC Arena.

Photo of Arizona Coyotes fans painting the ice at Gila River Arena.

Image Credit: Tammy Rusk Hodson

The Arizona Coyotes allowed their fans to come onto the ice at Gila River Arena this past Sunday to paint personalized messages onto the ice. The gesture was a thank you to fans for their support throughout the 2017-2018 NHL season and resembles an event the Minnesota Wild offered to their fans back in 2014. The event was also an effort to increase season ticket sales for the 2018-2019 NHL season. Afterward, fans were encouraged to share their paintings on social media.

Aerial photo of the roof at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Home of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Image Credit: Nuria i JC - Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Toronto Blue Jays cancelled a home game earlier this week after large amounts of ice left a hole in the roof of the Rogers Centre. The ice was believed to have fallen from the top of the adjacent CN Tower which stands nearly 180 stories high. The ice was the result of a weekend of freezing rain that also struck the streets outside of the Rogers Centre. The falling ice also created a hazard for pedestrians in downtown Toronto.

Photo of a large crowd at an Oakland Athletics game at Oakland Coliseum.

Image Credit: Brian Cantoni (CC BY 2.0)

The Oakland Athletics will host a free game for all fans on April 17th, 2018 vs. the Chicago White Sox. The game will celebrate the team’s 50th anniversary in Oakland after relocating from Kansas City. Oakland A’s season ticket holders will have their tickets uploaded to their accounts and will be refunded their money. There have already been more than 200,000 inquiries for tickets as of today and the event will be the first free game in Major League Baseball history.

Photo of a Chicago Cubs day game at Wrigley Field.

Image Credit: Rex Hammock (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Day baseball is synonymous with the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. It provides the perfect excuse for Chicago area business professionals to play hooky or take a day off from work and head to Wrigley Field to witness America’s favorite pastime. But why do the Chicago Cubs play so many day baseball games? We found the answer to be rather surprising.

Photo of a poorly attended Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Image Credit: Greg Loesch (CC BY 2.0)

The Baltimore Orioles set an all-time low for single game attendance earlier this week when they hosted the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The official attendance was 7,915 which is just 17% of the stadium’s capacity. The previous all-time low for single game attendance was set on April 12, 2010 when the Orioles hosted the Tampa Bay Rays. If we wanted to get technical, the all-time low for single game attendance occurred on April 29, 2015 vs. the Chicago White Sox when all baseball fans were barred entry due to the ongoing Baltimore riots.

Photo of a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in the stands at the Air Canada Centre.

Image Credit: Grilled Cheese - Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the largest and most passionate fan bases in the National Hockey League. In fact, the demand for Toronto Maple Leafs tickets is so high that the NHL has even considered adding a second NHL team in Toronto. During the 2017-2018 regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs averaged just over 19,000 fans per game (102% capacity) at the Air Canada Centre. In lieu of the upcoming Game 3 of the 1st round series vs. the Boston Bruins, the general public were only left with 96 tickets to purchase. The reason?

Let’s be honest, in the grand scheme of things, work is not that important. Family and the memories we create are what matter most. That’s ultimately what we love about Major League Baseball; the ability to skip work or school and see games during the day. With the other three professional sports leagues, you can’t do that which is why we loved this story so much. And day baseball is synonymous with the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field! Earlier this week, a young boy in Illinois skipped school for the day to attend the Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game at Wrigley Field. Only to be seen by his principal who was also attending the game with his son.

Photo of the catfish tank at Bridgestone Arena. Home of the Nashville Predators. 

Catfish are to the Nashville Predators what the octopus is to the Detroit Red Wings. For decades, Detroit Red Wings fans have thrown octopus onto the ice as an ode to an old tradition that helped push the Detroit Red Wings to victory during the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nashville Predators fans have essentially copied that tradition and throw catfish onto the ice at Bridgestone Arena during games. The Nashville Predators organization have now even added a catfish tank to the concourse of Bridgestone Arena to the appeasement of Nashville Predator fans.

Photo of a poorly attended Miami Marlins game at Marlins Park.

Image Credit: Jared - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Fewer than 7,000 fans attended the Miami Marlins’ Tuesday night home game vs. the New York Mets. The attendance marked the smallest crowd to see a baseball game at Marlins Park since the stadium opened in 2012. Monday’s attendance was almost as bad with just over 7,000 fans in attendance. And vs. the New York Mets of all teams? How does that happen with so many New Yorkers living in South Florida?

Photo of Phil Coyne, Pittsburgh Pirates usher.

Image Credit: WPXI

If you’ve ever sat in sections 26 or 27 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, you may have been shown to your seats by legendary usher Phil Coyne. After serving 81 seasons as an usher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 99-year-old Coyne is calling it a career and retiring. Phil Coyne began ushering for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field in 1936 when he was a teenager. He went on to usher at Three Rivers Stadium until 2000 and then at PNC Park beginning in 2001.

Photo of a Los Angeles Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium.

Image Credit: Bunnicula - Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be hosting the 2020 MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers haven’t hosted the midsummer classic since 1980. 2020 will mark the fourth time that the Dodgers have hosted an all-star game; the first two were played at Ebbets Field (1949) in Brooklyn and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1959). The MLB All-Star Game is typically reserved for the Major League Baseball teams with the newest stadium but the Los Angeles Dodgers organization have recently renovated Dodger Stadium.

Photo of a poorly attended Chicago White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Image Credit: Amy Merideth (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The Chicago White Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday in front of a crowd of 974 people. The White Sox organization announced a paid attendance of just over 10,000 people, many of which chose to stay at home because of the cold temperatures. In all fairness, Chicago did get hit with snow on Monday and the Chicago Cubs even cancelled Tuesday’s home game at Wrigley Field. The White Sox game was also originally slated to be a night game but both teams decided to play the game during the day. Day games seem to appeal more to the Chicago Cubs fans across town.

The legend of Shannon Sailes, the Detroit Pistons’ dancing usher, began at the beginning of the 2011-2012 NBA season. Sailes was manning his post at sections 115 and 116 on the lower level of the Palace of Auburn Hills, when his section was featured on the arena’s jumbotron. The camera and the music triggered an impulsive burst of dance moves that drove the crowd crazy. The rest as they say, was history.

Photo of the Strasburger at Nationals Park. Home of the Washington Nationals.

Image Credit: Scott Ableman (CC BY NC-ND 2.0)

Major League Baseball stadiums offer some of the most creative food items in professional sports. (Ever heard of the "Churro Dog" at Chase Field?) Baseball stadiums also offer a wide variety of food offerings. What sets Major League Baseball apart from the other leagues when it comes to culinary offerings? Baseball is a very laid back experience for spectators and has twice as many home games as the NHL and NBA. Games can also be much longer than the other three leagues, which are timed, so fans have plenty of free time at baseball stadiums. 

Our staff wanted to provide a small list of some of the best food items we've tried in our travels to various Major League Baseball stadiums around the United States. Enjoy!

Photo taken from the outfield seats at Citi Field during a New York Mets home game. 

Image Credit: Doug Kerr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Sitting in the outfield for a Major League Baseball game is pretty amazing. Not only are the seats cheaper than the infield seats but they give fans the best chance at catching home run balls hit by their favorite players. And if you're a dad that brings young sons to the ballpark, all it takes is catching a home run ball in the outfield for them to be hooked on Major League Baseball for life. After reading up on Zack Hample and his travels to all of the Major League Ballparks, we couldn't help but notice that he knew exactly where to be in the outfield when certain players were up to bat. Here are the best sections to sit in if you want to catch a home run ball at every Major League ballpark. 

Photo of the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Home of the St. Louis Blues.

Image Credit: Paul Sableman (CC BY 2.0)

The St. Louis Blues announced earlier this week that the 2nd phase of Scottrade Center renovations will begin during the summer of 2018. The upcoming renovations will include replacing all of the seats on the mezzanine level of the Scottrade Center, redoing the concourse and adding new local food offerings to the concession stands. New food offerings for the 2018-2019 NHL season will include Lion’s Choice, Byrd & Barrel, Hi-Pointe Drive-In and SugarFire BBQ.

Photo of a luxury suite at the Prudential Center. Home of the New Jersey Devils.

Image Credit: Bari D (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Over the last decade, the National Hockey League's popularity has exploded. The explosion of a private suite rental market has coincided with the league's growth. The bulk of an NHL arena's private and luxury suite inventory are purchased by local corporations and small businesses that wish to entertain their most valuable clients and reward high-performing employees. Innovative companies like SuiteHop allow fans like you and I to rent suites at NHL arenas on an individual game basis when they're left unsold. Suitehop has the ability to hook fans and their guests up with a suite in as little as a few days notice.