Yankees Warn Fans: Get to the Stadium Early or Else!

Heading to Yankee Stadium? It's going to take a considerable amount of extra time this year.

Metal detectors have now been installed at every stadium gate, as per new security measures put in place by Major League Baseball for 2015. The Journal News is reporting that ticket holders received a message last week from the Yankee organization, warning them that the entrance procedure may be "longer and more elaborate" than they're used to. That "elaborate" procedure will include screenings and bag checks, similar to the ones everyone dreads while going though airport security.

Before anyone is screened, all metal items and electronics will have to be taken out of pockets and put in containers for inspection by security. Bags will also be x-rayed and inspected. The only bags that will be allowed inside are ones that are MLB compliant, which means they must be soft-sided, and can only measure 16X16X8 inches or smaller.

Children will also need to be screened just like adults. Little ones who can't walk can be carried through the metal detectors. Individuals who can't go through the detectors can opt for the wand or a physical pat-down.

And before you get stuck at the gate with that selfie-stick... they've now been banned along with a whole host of other items including laptops, firearms, knives or weapons of any kind, laser pens, glass, cans or aluminum bottles or thermoses, video cameras, and hard-sided bags.

On opening day fans will be able to enter the stadium a full 2.5 hours before first pitch to give everyone a chance to make it through the new security lines. The Yankees are urging fans to take advantage of the extra time so they don't miss the game.

We want to know what you think. Are the new security measures a good thing or too much for fans to have to deal with?