YES! HB can see the Yanks on TV

By Denáe Brewer
Editor-in-chief

For 3 million Cablevision subscribers in the Bronx, Westchester, New Jersey and Connecticut, “Play ball!” has a whole new meaning.

After a bitter year-long dispute between the New York Yankees’ media company, Yankees-Nets, and Cablevision, Yankee fans throughout the area now have an option to see all cable televised games.

“It’s about time!” exclaimed Hector Ramirez, a longtime Yankees Fan. “Now I can see all the games, not just the 30 or so that come on regular TV.”

The problem arose last year when the Yankees-Nets — which own the New York Yankees, the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils — formed their own network, Yankees Entertainment Sports (YES). With the YES network, all games previously televised on the Cablevision-owned Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network would be pulled.

Instead of offering the YES Network as part of the basic-cable package, Cablevision wanted to charge customers an extra $2 a month.

Yankees-Nets cried foul and sought a court injunction to make Cablevision show the games for free. Cablevision refused, citing the right to charge any fee they wanted.

Both sides were at an impasse, leaving Yankee fans in Highbridge with the echoes of the crowd and the looped strains of Sinatra’s “New York, New York” as a faint reminder that a game was played at the stadium.

“It was a stupid fight,” lamented Jason Hayward, a 17-year-old Yankee’s fan. “My friends in Manhattan could see all the games, but I couldn’t and I live right here, right in [the Yankees’] backyard.”

Mr. Hayward was not alone in that sentiment. Affectionately called the Bronx Bombers, Yankee games in their home borough were few and far between. “I think I saw 20 or 25 games on TV last year,” said one fan. “Don’t they play 160? I mean, it just didn’t add up. We got shafted.”

Politicians throughout New York were concerned about the stalemate and are pleased that both parties have come to an agreement. José E. Serrano, the representative for the 16th Congressional District, which includes Highbridge, released this statement last week: “As an ardent Yankee fan, it was very painful last season not to be able to watch the games on television in New York . . . Now, I won’t have to answer questions as to why fans from the very neighborhoods surrounding the home of the Yankees were not able to watch their favorite team.”

There is a monthly fee for the new network—$1.95, or $4.95 as part of a package deal with MSG and Fox Sports New York.

Cablevision announced Opening Day, March 31, as the launch date for the YES Network. There has been no channel allocation yet, but Yankee fans in Highbridge can’t wait.

“I’m glad we have the chance to see the Yanks again,” said Eddy Santos. Triumphantly predicting the Yankees winning the World Series this year, Mr. Santos concluded, “The only reason why they didn’t win it all last year was because they didn’t have the Bronx cheering them on the whole season.”