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Friday, April 17
In Defense of Citi Field and The Wilpons
by
Lou Di Falco
on Fri 17 Apr 2009 11:42 AM EDT
I have said all I need to say in defense of Citi Field in previous posts. I'm not going to write it over again except to say that Citi Field is a beautiful ballpark, one of the best in the country. In time we will embrace her because that's where the Mets will play for many years to come.
I do not quite understand the attitude of Mets fans. Now I admit to being an older fan (53) and I probably don't relate to the younger set these days. But I find the attitude toward the Mets by many fans to be quite disturbing. There are many Mets fans that have voiced or written logical and reasonable remarks in regards to the Mets and their new ballpark but some of the things I have read I have trouble understanding.
There seems to be this underlying hatred toward the Wilpons. I'm not quite sure where this comes from. The perception out there is that the Wilpons are cheap and love the Dodgers more than the Mets. Another perception is that the Wilpons do not cherish Mets history.
Yesterday I wrote, somewhat tongue and cheek, that Mets fans have an inferiority complex, especially when it comes to the Yankees. Perhaps I'm closer to the problem than I think. It seems to me that many Mets fans want the Mets to be just like the Yankees. What I don't get is if these fans are so enamored with the Yankees, why don't they just root for them? Why not get rid of all the Mets gear and buy a Yankee cap and jacket and be done with it.
I know people that have done that. I remember friends of mine wearing Mets garb in the eighties who traded it all for Yankee gear 10 years later. I have no problem with that, after all it's only a game.
But getting back to my perceptions. I do not understand how any Mets fans can think the Wilpons are cheap. Once again this season, the Mets have the highest payroll in the National League, and that's after the Bernie Madoff scandal. Only the Yankees and Red Sox (the Mets payroll maybe higher than the Sox this year, I'm not sure) have a higher payroll. There's those darn Yankees again.
Fred Wilpon grew up rooting for the Dodgers of Brooklyn. He pitched batting practice when he was sixteen to his heroes at Ebbets Field. He has fond memories of going to Dodger games with his father. In Citi Field, he wanted to recapture many of his memories for the rest of us to enjoy. How is that somehow disingenuous? I know Fred and Jeff want to make money and last I checked, capitalism was still legal in this country. But the idea that Fred Wilpon is some awful person who wants to denigrate the Mets and somehow bring the Brooklyn Bums back to life (and somehow still make a profit) is simply unfair and ridiculous.
From everything I have read, Fred Wilpon is one of the most decent people on the New York scene. I have never heard or read anything bad about Fred. What baseball owner in New York threatened to take his team to New Jersey, Yonkers, or mid town Manhattan if he didn't get his way? Was it Wilpon or was it someone named Steinbrenner? From the moment the New York Post first broke the story in 1997 that the Mets wanted to build a new ballpark, Fred maintained it would be in Queens next to Shea Stadium. Wilpon, the Brooklyn kid who loved the Dodgers, was always committed to keeping the Mets in Queens.
What was the cleaner ballpark deal, 800,000 million for Citi Field or an unprecedented 1.5 billion for Yankees Stadium? And what happened to the park land the Yankees were supposed to have returned by now?
The Mets are cheap, really? Since 2005, they signed Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Billy Wagner, Johan Santana, Frankie Rodriguez, and others to multi million, multi year deals. They have maintained a payroll of roughly 140 million dollars for three years now. As I said above, only the Yankees and perhaps the Red Sox have spent more. Don't forget the Mets would have had the rights to sign Dice-K had the Red Sox not have made such a ridiculous bid for him. The Mets were second in line with their own ridiculous bid beating out the Yankees. Cheap? I think not. Mets fans are simply being lazy and not doing their homework if they think this is what is wrong with the Mets.
I agree that the one area where Mets fans have a legitimate gripe is how the Mets treat their history. I was not bothered that Citi Field is not draped in Mets lore. To say it has nothing about the Mets is another lazy talking point. Outside Citi Field, there are drape like banners hanging of many different Mets players of the past. There are large canvasses hung over the left field ramps of many great Mets moments. Inside the stadium are signs for direction with Mr. Met on them. It says "Let's Go Mets" on top of the scoreboard and there are championship banners hanging in right. On the left field wall are the retired numbers. Could there be more? Yes and I am sure there will be. Personally the thought never crossed my mind when I went to Citi Field a couple of weeks ago. I go to a ballgame to see the game. I don't need to be reminded constantly of past glory. But that's just me. Again, I think this feeling comes from jealousy of the Yankees history. I say just let it go.
The lightning rod for all this history stuff is the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Mets fans are not separating the man from history vs. the man from the Dodgers. If Jackie Robinson had debuted for the New York Giants, there still would be a Jackie Robinson Rotunda. The honor is in what he did for civil rights and all minorities, not that he played for the Dodgers. Had the Yankees built the JRR, Mets fans would be screaming that the Mets dropped the ball again.
This country owes Robinson for his tremendous courage. Baseball should thank the Mets for this incredible monument for what Robinson accomplished 62 years ago. As a Met fan I am proud they did this. They put an historically significant event that happened on the National League stage in New York ahead of their self interest.
And in regards to Mets history, yesterday, Fred Wilpon said there will be some sort of museum or Mets Hall of Fame in center field in the near future. This was always planned by the way. I recall reading about this in 2006 when plans were first laid for a new ballpark. And you know, had the Mets put up a Hall of Fame, fans would criticize it because it would be dwarfed in comparison to the Yankees. I think some times the Mets cannot win. I do think, and have written about this before, the Mets should re-institute an old timers day. There are plenty of Mets players and opponents Mets fans would love to see in a pre-game ceremony.
To some all this up, because frankly I'm tired of writing about it, in time Mets fans will grow to love Citi Field. I really feel what has fostered all the hatred this week is the fact that the Mets have disappointed so greatly the last couple of years. From the moment the Mets lost game seven of the 2006 NLCS to last night's loss to the Padres, Mets fans are frustrated. I share that frustration. I want the Mets to win as much as any Mets fan. But I refuse to pick apart everything the Mets brass has done as a way to channel my anger.
The Mets have spent the money on players, made trades to get key players (some bad of course) and funded their own beautiful new ballpark. The fact is it's the players who are not performing. You can argue that the Mets should have signed Manny, a popular complaint this spring. However, I think the Mets have a team that can win. For some reason, these players have gotten off to a slow start, something is not clicking, they lack the killer instinct. That's what has me alarmed and upset, not that there is not enough blue and orange paint in Citi Field.
Tuesday, April 14
Picky, Picky, Picky
by
Lou Di Falco
on Tue 14 Apr 2009 09:45 PM EDT
The complaining I heard about Citi Field on WFAN today was deafening. My goodness, to listen to some of these people, you would think the Mets built a complete dump.
I honestly think there are some Mets fans that will never be happy. Maybe they are unhappy because the Mets so often disappoint or maybe some Mets fans gravitate toward a team like the Mets because they are unhappy to begin with.
This all proves one thing. Some people are happy with everything. Many people are indifferent. And some people will never be pleased no matter what you do for them. That's the sad fact of life. Many of the things complained about will get better with time. It will likely take the better part of the season to work out all the kinks.
I was at Citi Field for the Saturday game with the Red Sox. I walked all around that park on every level and I just don't get what these people are complaining about. I think their complaints say more about them than it does about the Mets new ballpark.
Here are some of the major complaints I heard on Mike Francesa's radio program.
It was hard to get out of the place after the game. Yeah, so what else is new? It's always hard to get out of a packed stadium after an event. Ever try getting out of Giants Stadium after a game? Shea was no picnic getting out of the upper deck either. Now in fairness, it took me a while to get out too but that's because I am simply not as familiar with this new place like I was with Shea. Neither is anyone else. In time we'll know what to do when the game ends.
The concourses were too crowded. This will change once people explore the place and the novelty wears off. Right now people want to walk around the concourses and take the ballpark in. That was true on the game that I went to. In fact, I was one of those people crowding up the halls.
Here's a good one. There isn't enough Mets stuff around the park. Did these people get confused and think they were at Wrigley Field or Citizen's Bank Park? I don't quite understand this mentality. It's says "Let's Go Mets" on top of the scoreboard. There are banners hanging outside with famous Mets players on them plus the championship banners hanging inside. And perhaps most importantly, the players on the field were the Mets! In time, I'm sure there will be more Mets stuff hung up. Now I am the first one to say the Mets do not do enough to celebrate their history. But in this case, I think some fans are being a bit silly and very unfair. And that includes Evan Roberts and Joe (who will never be happy) Benigno from WFAN.
The park pays to much attention to the Dodgers. This is simply not true. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is a tremendous place. It honors Jackie the Man and what he endured for the advancement of Civil Rights. It doesn't focus on Jackie the Dodger. Personally, I am proud the Mets dedicated part of their new ballpark to this great American hero. To me, that's way more important than some additional orange and blue banners hanging there. And like it or not, the Mets have an obligation to educate the public on the history of National League baseball in this city. They inherited that birthright when the Dodgers and Giants left New York in 1957. If that did not happen, there would be no Mets. Remember, royal blue from the Dodgers, burnt orange from the Giants.
Here's another one I love. The place just doesn't feel like the Mets home. How does any new place feel like home? That takes time. Did you ever move to a new house? Did it feel like home the moment you moved in? People, give the place some time.
Many people are complaining about the outfield wall. I kind of agree. I do think the Mets went a bit overboard with the quirky height changes and angles. On the other hand they did something smart that they should have done in Philadelphia. The Mets have enough room to move the fences in if the field truly plays too big. Personally I think that could happen at some point (not during the season though, rules do not allow that). The Phillies have no such possibility because the structure they built is too small.
Now before you start berating me over the sight line issue in the outfield (because obviously that cannot be changed) here me out.
I wrote about this a couple of times already. Seats in the outfield have sight line issues in every new ballpark. This is not something unique to Citi Field. One caller in particular said that the entire field can be seen at Citizen's Bank Park from any seat. That is not true. The Phillies park has the same sight line issues in the right and left field corner. You lose the left and right fielder depending on how far up in the upper levels you are seated. Yankee Stadium also has seats where outfielders disappear. I sat in the upper level boxes down the first base line where you cannot see the right field corner. Also in the middle tier in right field Nick Swisher went back on a fly ball and caught it unbeknonst to us as he disappered from view.
VP of Business Operations David Howard, on Mike Francesa's show, articulately explained the Mets reasoning for accepting partially blocked views in the outfield. When you design outfield seats that are multi tiered, some of the outfield area in front of the stands will not be visible the higher you go. This is because of two things: height and rake. The rake is the angle, or pitch, of the seating deck. For fans to see the entire field, either the rake must be extreme which would cause many fans to experience vertigo or the stands must be pushed back significantly in order for the outfield fence to be seen. Pushing the stands back would have greatly increased the footprint of Citi Field creating a different problem, fans would be two far away from the action. This was something, according to Howard, the Mets were unwilling to do. That decision would have destroyed the intimate feel they wanted.
A good example of the alternative approach is Commerica Park in Detroit. By comparison to Citi Field, it is huge and many fans there hate it! That's because the Detroit design team chose to move the upper level way back. Detroit has a fan base that loved Tiger Stadium's upper level in right field that hung over the field and was the inspiration for Citi Field's Pepsi Porch. As far as outfield seats go, there is no perfect solution.
HOK's ballparks have all been designed with intimacey in mind. Here is a sampling of other major league ballparks as illustrated by these images from 3D Seat Viewer.
Above is Busch Stadium III in St. Louis. The view from the left field corner in the upper level is similar to the Promenade in Citi Field. You will not see the left fielder if a ball is hit deep to left. These seats, like at Citi, are priced accordingly.
Here's another view from right field in St. Louis...
The 3D seat viewer does not move down far enough but again, you can tell by the railing in the foreground that in the right field upper level, the view of the corner and most of the right field wall is blocked.
Here's a view from Petco Park...
Now this view would piss me off. However, if I did not take a tour of the ballpark before picking my season tickets, then shame on me. Another view from Petco from right field...
Like Busch Stadium, the right field corner and most of the right field wall are hidden from up here. The Nationals new park in Washington also has limited sight seating in the outfield. Here's a view from the upper level in left...
Unless you are in the first or second row, you are missing action below and up against the wall. Here's another shot...
A common theme, the left field corner is hidden. Below is a view from the new outfield pavilion at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City. This involved a 250 million dollar renovation.
Citi Field has nothing as bad as this. Here's one final picture. This is from the new Target Field that will open up next year in Minneapolis.
The 3D viewer will not pan farther down but you can still see how the railing and height give an indication that left field is not entirely visible. So David Howard is correct. All of these ballparks were designed by HOK. Howard maintains they knew there would be some sight line issues in the outfield and decided that was okay based on all the data HOK presented to them from the many other parks they designed. In other words, they preferred the trade off of seats closer to the infield to create the intimacy they were looking for as opposed to building a humongous stadium pushing fans further away from the action.
Other stadiums with outfield seating obstructing part of the field include Miller Park, Coors Field, Minute Maid Park and probably some others. And if you take a close look at the design for the new Marlins ballpark, you can even see potential problems there.
Now just to show you I am not on the Mets payroll, I think the Mets could have done a better job of informing fans that outfield seating does not allow a 100 percent view of the field. Perhaps on the tours, they did. My suggestion is if you don't like your seats, see if the Mets will move you. Howard hinted that was a possibility.
All in all, I think these complaining fans must calm down a little and give themselves time to adjust to the new ballpark. It almost sounds like some of these fans would prefer to have Shea Stadium back. Maybe I'm an idiot but I liked sitting in left field and the Pepsi Porch as I moved around the ballpark on April 4th. Even though I could not see the entire outfield, I loved feeling like I was close to the action. I think many of these fans bought these seats without first going to Citi Field. The Mets had offered many tours for prospective customers. And by the way, many of these seats range from $11 to $27 so they are a decent value if getting into the park is a financial challenge. And once you are in, you are free to walk around the entire place and get different views of the game. I did that and I had great seats when I went.
I really am curious to how many people had a bad experience. The fact that Francesa claims that 70% of the calls were negative proves nothing since most people without a gripe are not motivated to call in. I also have a feeling had the Mets won on Monday, the complaints would not have been so bad.
See for yourself --- 3d Seat Viewer
Monday, April 13
Citi Opening Finally Here
by
Lou Di Falco
on Mon 13 Apr 2009 11:06 AM EDT
It was just over three years ago, April 6, 2006, when the Mets held a press conference in Shea Stadium's Diamond Club. The purpose was to announce plans to build a brand new ballpark in the parking lot east of Shea Stadium. Before the '06 season began, an image was released that depicted the new ballpark. Today, after three years of construction that was intently followed on the Internet, that new ballpark opens at last.
Except for some minor differences, Citi Field is exactly as the video portrayed at that press conference. The Mets new home is an open air baseball only facility, 180 degrees from the design of Shea Stadium. In fact, the Mets took great pains in not referring to their new home as a stadium. Unlike the new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field is cozy and intimate. It's a warm place to watch a game even when a cold wind is blowing off of Flushing Bay.
By now, anyone that cares, has at least seen photos of the new digs in print or on the Internet. I attended the Saturday game against the Red Sox and can tell you first hand, the place is first rate and takes a back seat to no other facility in baseball including the shiny new stadium in the Bronx.
Mets fans will feel closer to the action than they ever did at Shea. And even though Citi Field holds 15,000 fewer seats, it does not feel that way when looking around. There are seats everywhere and they all are close to the field.
Citi Field has an open feel to it that Shea's design never allowed. When walking on the concourses of any level, the seating bowl and game are plainly evident. You can move around the entire stadium and watch the game from just about everywhere. And if you are in a spot where you can't see the field, there are flat panel TV screens and audio so you won't miss a beat.
There is food everywhere too and it is ten times better than anything I ever ate at Shea. And I am not just talking about the exclusive clubs and restaurants. My ticket did not let me in those places. The concession stands for the rest of us are definitely a step up from what was offered across the parking lot. Nathans Famous are all over the place, as is sausage and peppers, and pizza. There is a tremendous food area behind home plate in the promenade level that includes Mama's of Corona. "Taste of the City" behind the center field scoreboard has Blue Smoke, Shake Shack, and more. While you could go broke, you won't go hungry at Citi Field.
I can tell you first hand, the Mets new home is beautiful. I had a hard time believing this new ballpark was ours. I think the vast majority of fans will love it. It's the next generation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It is the anti-Shea.
Of course, being Mets fans, there will be some that will complain about something (if not everything). There are some seats with limited sight lines. Such is the case in left field where the corner and warning track are not visible. While I make no excuse for this blemish, limited views from outfield seating are typical in all the newer retro parks including Citizen's Bank Park, Petco Park, Busch Stadium III, Chase Field, Miller Park, and even Kaufman Stadium that just underwent a 250 million dollar renovation. The trade off is being a lot closer to the infield at an afordable price. Ironically the Pepsi Porch advertises seating over the field and these tickets are hard to come by.
Another complaint I have heard is that there is not enough Mets iconic stuff around the park. I do not necessarily agree with this complaint but there likely will be more Amazin' ornamentation soon including championship banners that will be raised this evening.
Some have complained that it looks too much like Ebbets Field. The outside facade closely, but not entirely, recalls the look of Ebbets Field. Once you are inside, there is no comparison. A simple image search of both Ebbets and Citi on Google will attest to the vast difference between the two Fields.
Citi Field is the new Mets home. And no matter how many banners, retired numbers, or Mets colors are placed around the park, the only thing that will make it feel like home are the memories that will be created there. Unlike the Yankees, who move into their new Yankee Stadium facsimile this Thursday, the Mets are truly embarking on something completely different. It all starts anew tonight. The first game ever at the Mets knew home. It's hard to believe it is finally here.
Wednesday, April 8
Citi Field Slide Show
by
Lou Di Falco
on Wed 08 Apr 2009 03:35 PM EDT
Here is a slide show of pictures I took last Saturday at Citi Field's first professional day game.
Citi Field 4-4-2009
Monday, April 6
Citi FIeld is Magnificent
by
Lou Di Falco
on Mon 06 Apr 2009 11:39 AM EDT
There have often been times to be disappointed as a Mets fan. Countless free agent signings and trades over winters gone by failed before our eyes. Promises of making the playoffs dwindle season after season. And when the Mets do win, the likelihood of it becoming a yearly happenstance has never come true.
There is one event this year that will not follow suit. It is the opening of Citi Field. I was there on Saturday. While it was a miserable meaningless game played in miserable conditions, I can tell you first hand the Mets new ballpark is magnificent. I had to keep reminding myself, as I explored every nuance of the park, that this was the Mets new home. It's truly hard to believe.
Entering the park is a completely different experience from that of Shea Stadium. You scan your own tickets now in a Disney-esk type of turnstile. You enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda which is truly awe inspiring. From there, either take the escalators or climb one of the beautiful sweeping staircases till you find yourself on an incredibly wide concourse filled with concessions, shops, and restrooms.
As we walked along the concourse on the first base side, the first view of the field and seating bowl made me feel like I was nine years old again. It was then I asked myself is this place really ours. Is it really the Mets new home?
What is not captured in all the pictures we have seen on the Internet, mainly from Stadiumpage.com, Islandextrem26, and Citi_Field from WebShots, is how intimate, yet big, the ballpark is. The seats are truly close to the field. Our seats were in promenade reserved section 508 along first base, a tremendous view of the entire field. I was perhaps as high as the mezzanine reserved seats in old Shea but much closer to the playing field.
The park (I promise Jeff, I will not refer to the place as a stadium) is extremely well thought out. It is open and invites you to walk around. The seats are comfortable and there is more leg room than at Shea. I am not a tall person but even I was uncomfortable in Shea's upper levels. This is not a problem at Citi.
A great thing about Citi Field is when you walk around, you get to see the field from all different angles. I walked counter clockwise around the park, moving from level to level. At any point on the concourses, you can walk over behind the seats and see a great view of the game. There are wide screen TVs all over the place too. So even if your back is to the field while you are waiting in line at a concession, you can still catch all the action. On the club level, there are TVs that hang over the seats. Miss a play, no problem, the SNY/PIX broadcast is right there to see. There are over 850 flat screen TV's throughout the ballpark. On the promenade level, a lot of them were not on for some reason on Saturday. I'm sure they will be come opening day.
Late in the game I wandered around the park, when it started to thin out, sitting in various locations. There really is not a bad seat in the house. I loved the Pepsi Porch. Even though you cannot see the right field corner (because the stands hang over it) you feel as if you are on the field. It's an unbelievable view. These are going to be very popular seats.
I worked my way down to the field level concourse and walked across the bridge over the bullpens. Here too is another spectacular place to watch an inning or two. The view from the Apple Seats in center field is like nothing ever experienced at a Mets game because Shea had no seats in center. It reminded me of my college days in Boston where I spent many a game in the bleachers at Fenway Park.
The area behind the center field scoreboard is like a game long party. Lots of places to eat including the Shake Shack and Blue Smoke. The line for the kids to play wiffle ball in Kiddie Field was amazing. And while all this was going on, the game on the field could be viewed from a large video board on back of the main scoreboard.
Continuing on my journey I found myself watching from the left field reserved seats, a great view and plenty of cover if it's raining. From there I went up an escalator to the Left Field Landing section. This is the middle tier along the left field fence. Like the Pepsi Porch, these seats make you feel right in the middle of the action.
I took a staircase back up to the promenade. Unlike Shea, there are many stairways instead of ramps although there are a set of ramps in the left field corner. Even in left field and up high, the feeling of closeness and intimacy is not lost. You still feel close to the action. Now it is true, as a caller pointed out on WFAN last week, from these seats, the left field warning track and wall are obstructed. There is two reasons for this, the height and closeness to the field. Had the architects pushed these stands back further so the warning track could be seen, the seats would have been much farther away from home plate and the closeness would have been lost. Personally, I would have no problem sitting in these seats.
One of the really nice features of Citi Field is it's openness. As you circle the ballpark, the field is always present. All concession stands, restrooms, and shops are located on the outside walls. Another great area if you are sitting in the promenade is behind home plate, or specifically behind the promenade club. It's actually an open area on top of the rotunda. There are many concession stands with picnic tables. This is a great place for a family to take a half inning to get something to eat. And while you are eating you can here the TV broadcast through speakers in this area. There are speakers in the restroom too so you will always be aware of what's going on during the game.
Speaking of speakers, the new sound system is light years ahead of the one from Shea. Instead of a mountain of speakers in center field, Citi Field has speakers mounted all over the ballpark. Unlike Shea, the music played prior to the game and between innings is at a more comfortable level. It's not blasting to the point of not being able to hear.
The scoreboards and video boards are superior too. The center field Sharp video board is 70 feet long by 50 feet high. Not as big as the behemoth in Yankee Stadium but it still gets the job done. Stats and the score appear on the 90' by 40' right field board mounted on top of the administration offices. Auxiliary boards appear on the LED ribbons surrounding the promenade facade.
There is handicapped seating all over the place and in good locations on each level. The public address announcements appear in text for the hearing impaired on the ribbon boards as well.
I have fond memories of Shea Stadium. It was the first ballpark I went to as a kid. I never liked hearing Mets fans refer to it as a dump. Maybe it was a dump but just the same, I never felt that way. But yesterday I felt something magical about this new ballpark. The Wilpons, HOK, and whomever else responsible should be proud of what they have built. Citi Field is a first class facility. Now if the Mets can live up to expectations, this truly will be a special year.
Thursday, April 2
Seat With A View
by
Lou Di Falco
on Thu 02 Apr 2009 09:01 AM EDT
Update - From Newsday 4/2/09
Original Post - 4/1-09
A caller into WFAN, who was at the St. John’s game, complained that his promenade reserved seats in left field did not allow him to see the fence in left field from the foul pole to center field. Welcome to the world of cozy, tight, seating in retro style ballparks. It’s amazing to me that Mets fans complain after years of trashing Shea Stadium. For all of its negative press, Shea did one thing very well. The vast majority of seats allowed fans to see the entire playing field. The trade off was that most of those seats were miles away from the field.
So finally after years of bashing the big round park, Mets fans get their wish and now have a jewel of a yard in Flushing right next door to where old Shea use to stand. The fact is there are many seats in Citi Field that do not allow fans to view every square foot of the field. Is that a bad thing? Hard to say but it is not unusual by any means where retro ball fields are concerned.
In the case of the reserved section in left field’s third deck, it’s true, you cannot see the fence. That’s because the rake of the stand is set at a reasonable pitch and the deck is close to the field. The only solution would be to tilt the stands at an uncomfortable angle (something fans at Chicago’s Cellular field (1990) still complain about) or push the deck so far back that Citi Field would begin to resemble Shea Stadium or the over sized Commerica Park in Detroit.
Here is the view this particular fan was talking about from the 3D Seat Viewer…
 Balls hit into the left field corner or up against or over the left field wall will not be seen from here, no doubt about it. For those plays, fans will have to rely on replays from the huge center field and right field diamond vision boards. Also, these seats are priced accordingly. Most are in the 20 dollar range. Again, the closeness to the infield does not come without a trade off. As stated, this is not a unique problem to Citi Field.
Citi Field is not the only ballpark with this issue. All of the new retro style parks have similar views. After all, retro style means the park resembles those from the past. You know, the ones that did not allow fans to see the entire field. At least there are no obstructing columns anymore.
If you think that Citi Field has a bad view from the outfield looking in, take a look at this view from Petco Park in San Diego…
Here’s a case of retro being taken to the nth degree. In an attempt to keep an old building as part of the ballpark footprint, fans in this section miss much of left field. At least at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the warehouse is behind the stadium.
I can't imagine New Yorkers not going ballistic over a view like this. Perhaps in laid back San Diego, it's okay.
Busch Stadium III opened in 2005. Like Citi Field, this park was designed by HOK, the same architects that started the trend in Baltimore.
From this vantage point in the right field upper level, the railing gives a good indication that fans sitting in the mid to back sections are not going to see much from the right field corner to center field.
It's simply another instance of the intimate close seating proximity versus the canyon like arenas built in the 1960s and 1970s.
 This photo from Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia also demonstrates that tighter seating configurations lop off some of the playing field.
The railing you see is not the outfield fence. It is the railing of the third level. Fans seated here like those at Citi Field will not see plays in the corner or up against the wall. That's why the outfield seats tend to be the cheaper ones available.
 The highly sought after Green Monster seats at Fenway park also come with a chopped off view of left field. Fans cannot see anything going on down by the warning track in left field or in the left field corner unless they lean over the wall and that’s only if they are in the first row. Plus at 37 feet high, it's dangerous.
That brings us to the Pepsi Porch at Citi Field. These seats come with a built in obscurity. You cannot see the right field wall or corner because the deck hangs over them. Yet these seats on StubHub are some of the highest priced tickets available.
Keep in mind that seats in the outfield sections of Citi Field tend to be cheaper than the rest of the park except for the popular Pepsi seats and the Left Field Landing. If it is imperative to see a complete view of the field and budget is an issue (these days, budget is an issue for almost everyone), I would recommend Promenade Reserved Infield. These seats are still fairly reasonably priced.
For my money, I don’t think I will be bothered too much if I cannot see a corner of the outfield or even the wall or part of the outfield. But of course I cannot say for sure until I go there to see a game in person.
The the newer retro parks are intimate. The closeness of the seats to the playing field is not without some trade offs. I sat through a game at Shea Stadium last season in the upper deck in right field. I could see the entire playing field (except for the right field corner) but the infield seemed like a mile away.
With all the amenities and closeness to the game at Citi Field, I am willing to give up a corner of the outfield if I can get in for a reasonable price. But that’s just me.
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