Yankees: Anti-terror or anti-fan?

I'll let you decide, but let's just say I hope none of the Tribe's sales and marketing types see this.

It seems this past weekend at Yankee Stadium - with the temperature at 95 degrees and the sun beating down unmercifully - security guards greeted fans at the gates by taking away their sun block.

That's according to a story in today's New York Post.

According to the tabloid, Yankee officials say the move was part of the stadium security crew's anti-terrorism efforts.

But fans - as you might guess - were a bit frosted (well not frosted, but you now what I mean.)

"I was really pissed because, since I am Irish and I have a bald head, I need my sunblock," said Sean Gavin, 40, who had to toss his SPF 30 at the gate Saturday." -- fan quoted in NY Post

Team officials told the paper that sun block has been on its list of banned items for some time, but the reporter could not find it on a list of contraband on the Yankees' Web site.

When reading the story it seemed a bit odd to me that this is suddenly an issue, since we have encountered beefed-up security measures everywhere since 9/11.

Certainly security officials throughout the city - both public and private , and especially NYC's police force, - have been vigilant and extremely effective in their anti-terrorism efforts in recent years.

So, it seemed as though it made sense, even if it is an extreme disservice to the fans sitting out in the mid-afternoon sun.

Then I read the the following sentence:

"The Stadium does sell 1-ounce bottles of Arizona Sun SPF 15 for $5 - a huge markup that makes its beer seem cheap."

Ohhhhh!

You really hate to think it. But this is Yankee Stadium where you can't buy any seat in the lower deck for less than $55, but where you can buy a 12-ounce draft beer for $9.50 and a hot dog for $6.00.

It's also the place where bottled water is $5.00 while the water fountain pressure is so low it is impossible to ingest enough city water to quench your thirst in less than 10 minutes.

So is the sun screen thing an anti-terrorism measure or just another way to make a buck - or five?

I'll let you decide.

Just keep on taking it fans and they'll keep on dishing it out.