In yesterday's Newsday , Mets vice president David Howard indicated they are aware of promenade level obstructed seating. Because of the LED ribbon boards mounted on the railings of the promenade facade on the first and third base side, fans may have a partially blocked view of the infield if seated in the first row.
Howard indicated this may only be a problem for fans that are vertically challenged (short). He went on to say that a booster seat of some type may be necessary. I'm thinking for $75.00 a pop to sit in those seats, a booster seat is not the best solution. Howard also said that they have the means to correct the problem but he did not elaborate. That either means they can move the seats for complaining individuals or they can do the right thing and mount the LED ribbon boards lower.
The Mets, always concerned about what the media has to say, are playing with fire here. There will be a number of fans who will be effected by these ribbon boards on both the first and third base side. It's hard for me to believe they did not think this through before installing these message boards.
In case you don't know what a ribbon board is, they are all the rage at stadiums and arena's these days. They are very thin message display boards that use LED technology. They mostly display advertisements but can also display team related stuff like slogans and cheers. The content on these boards are animated graphics in nature using brightly lit colors. Shea had them too the last few seasons.
At Citi Field, the ribbon boards are mounted on the third and first base promenade facade. In drawings and also in the 3d-Seating tool, the ribbon boards appear to be hung just below the railing but in reality they are in front of the railing. Fans seated in the first row in three sections on both sides of the park will need to look through the railing to see the entire infield. It is not uncommon in newer ballparks, where the upper levels are closer to the field then their cookie cutter counterparts, to have to look through a railing to see part of the field. In the case of Citi Field, fans will be staring right into the back of the ribbon boards unless they sit far forward in their seats. Doing so will like effect the fans sitting in rows behind.
It's late in the game as Citi Field is slated to open in a bit more than a month. The Mets need to figure out how to get those boards moved down about a foot and a half and settle this problem. The last thing the Mets want is for the media to start ripping apart their brand new ballpark, one that has been touted to have impeccable site lines.
The Mets made a conscious effort to build a very intimate setting at Citi Field. Fans will be much closer to the field than they were at Shea Stadium. The footprint of Citi Field appears to be slightly larger than Shea but the seating bowl is much smaller. Bringing seats closer is not without its problems. For example, the out field seating which includes the Pepsi Porch has built in obstruction. Since the porch hangs over the field, anyone seated there will miss the action when a ball is hit into the right field corner. The difference here however, is this built in "quirk" is obvious when looking at the view from the 3d Seat Viewer. And it's uniqueness has apparently become popular since tickets in this section are selling well.
Fans seated in the three tiered left field sections will also be hard pressed to see the action in the left field corner. Again, that is to be expected since the stands are so close to the field. The only way to have avoided this was to create a much steeper rake in the upper level. A steep upper level is something Chicago White Sox fans still complain about at Cellular Field.
Some seats at Citi Field will have worse views than others but the infield and most of the outfield should be seen from all of them and they are. But when prime seating is effected by a device mostly used for advertising, then something must be done. This is not a design flaw, it's a placement flaw and if the Mets do not straighten it out, the fans will let them know about it.
The Mets are not alone here. While the Mets can solve there issues by moving the ribbon boards, the Yankees have their own problems. About three hundred bleacher seats have a huge obstruction. Fans seated next to the center field restaurant can only see half of the field. The Yankees are giving the excuse that those seats are only twelve dollars and they are putting up flat screen TVs. I'm not putting up with the hassle of going to Yankee Stadium to watch the game on TV. Sorry, that's just me. Either don't sell the seats or correct the problem.
Yankee Stadium also had some seats behind beams but the Yankees have indicated they will be removing those seats. At least, that's what they are saying.
It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I have been a big fan of Citi Field and have written about the new digs often. I certainly hope the place is everything we have been led to believe it is. In this economy, regardless of how expensive or how cheap a ticket might be, the view from your seat should be a good one.
