There have been a lot of complaints about the upper level at Citi Field known as the Promenade. While Shea Stadium's upper deck raised complaints of being too high and too far away with a rake causing some fans to experience vertigo, the Promenade at Citi Field has the opposite problem.

The third deck at the Mets new home is too close to the field and its rake is too comfortable. For those of you who have not visited Citi Field, you may ask why is this a problem? It's an issue because the closeness of the Promenade to the field, a great idea on paper, has caused there to be many seats with obstructed views. Most notable obstructions are the staircase railings and Plexi-Glass that blocks views of the infield. Another issue, and perhaps not so obvious, is that the geometry, a term Mets Vice President of Operations David Howard likes to use, causes certain sections to miss portions of the outfield. These site line issues come from a front office who sold us on the idea that Citi Field would have unprecedented site lines, the best in baseball. 

Many, and perhaps most, of the seats at Citi Field have unprecedented site lines and maybe some of the best in baseball. I can tell you that is not true of all seats at Citi Field, especially in the Promenade. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the ballpark that kicked off the retro stadium design craze in 1992 has a superior upper level in regards to views from the seats.  So does Progressive Field (formally Jacobs Field in Cleveland) and AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The Mets brass wanted a cozy ballpark. That they got but with some modifications during the design phase of Citi Field, they could have hit a home run. Instead, they hit a ground rule double but unfortunately many fans could not see it.

In a recent interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa, David Howard admitted that some of the fans complaints stemmed from not having outfield seats in Shea Stadium. In other words, the experience was something new for Mets fans. To some degree, he is correct. Coors Field's upper level in right field, and Rangers Ballpark's Tiger Stadium inspired seats in right field do not allow fans to see the entire outfield for the same reason as Citi Field. The rake of the stands is gradual and the vertical proximity to the outfield fence is very close. It's impossible to see the fence, warning track, and part of the grass because the grand stand is too close and not swept back enough. Even the New Yankee Stadium has some of these problems not to mention the blocked views from the bleachers. 

Sitting in the right field seats on the middle deck of the new Yankee Stadium earlier this month, I noticed Nick Swisher disappeared every time he went back for a fly ball. The same is true of the Pepsi Porch in Citi Field. However, at least the Mets have advertised that those seats hang over the field. Buyer, beware. If you think you will have an unprecedented view of the entire field while sitting in a deck that hangs over the field, I don't know what to tell you. Well, the same is true when sitting in the Left Field Landing as well as the Promenade in left field. Even though these seats are not over the field, they are close enough so the outfielders disappear when they travel back on a ball.

Okay, not a problem unique to Citi Field. Neither is the corners that get lost as you sit further down the third and first base line when seated in the Promenade. This is also true at Citizen's Bank Park, NYS, Petco Park, Busch Stadium III, The Great American Ballpark, Nationals Park, and others. But should these other parks have dictated the site lines at Citi Field?

A point of view from some architects is hard to argue with. Old ballparks, that retro parks attempt to emulate, had weird and quirky site lines because the structure had to fit into the foot print of an urban location. How do you justify building quirkiness into a ballpark where there was loads of room for construction such as the parking lot of Shea Stadium. Now, in fairness, I like the non symmetrical style of Citi Field vs. the cookie cutter blue print of a Shea Stadium. And although Shea never filled in the outfield with seats, it was virtually the same design as the Astrodome, Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, and Busch Stadium II. They were all big, sterile, and very far away from the action. But I do believe a compromise could have been reached that would have created better sight lines but still maintained the coziness desired.

So how could Citi Field have been made better? For one, they should not have created the sideways staircases to access the Promenade reserved seats. The first computer generated video and photos illustrated Citi Field's Promenade with the portal style access tunnels leading to the promenade reserved (I have the video from the first press conference in April of '06 to prove it). The final design left the portals (six of them) behind home plate but replaced the rest with the staircases with the Plexi Glass railings. I would like to know why the Mets changed this.

David Howard claims there are no obstructed seats at Citi Field. If you believe him, then stop over to Metspolice.com and see the videos and photos from these seats. In one case, the entire infield is blocked by a staircase landing. Not only do you have to look through the Plexi-Glass, you also have to deal with fans going up and down the stairs. Who ever was responsible for this design change was not thinking about the paying customer.

Also, when the issue was first raised by fans touring the park for season tickets, the Mets made a statement that seats near these obstructions would not be sold as part of ticket plans and would only be sold when no others were available. Why would the Mets make this concession if they truly felt there were no obstructed seats?

Moving the upper level back perhaps ten to fifteen feet would have eliminated many site line issues. Well, obviously that can't happen now. What's done is done. But the Mets can do some things to attempt to correct these problems. If the Mets could re-invent the staircases on the promenade level, a lot of seats would have better views. But how could they do so?

One way might be to replace the existing stairs with an L shaped staircase. Move the first steps out closer to the back of the promenade box seats then have three or four steps up to a landing, and then turn the stairs to go straight up to the Promenade reserved seats. In this way the landing would be lower and less likely to block fans' views. I'm sure this is not a perfect solution but it could improve views for fans seated in those areas. A more expensive solution would be to go back to the original design. But this is likely improbable and a very expensive project. It would require cutting through pre-cast concrete risers filled with rebar. Unfortunately the design that was created is the one we will likely have to live with.

There is another solution however. Admit the design was flawed and charge accordingly. Do like the Yankees did with those ridiculous bleacher seats in center field that block half of the playing field. Charge customers five bucks for any seat that is obstructed by the staircase landings. Also, lower the prices of outfield seats, at least in Promenade reserved, where one or two outfielders disappear. A value price gives fans with not a lot of money access to the ballpark. You don't have to sit there the whole game or not even at all. One of the great things about Citi Field is there are plenty of places to stand and watch the game. But there is no way I'm paying 100 dollars or more for me and my family to look through smudged and scratched Plexi-Glass. I would rather watch the game in the comfort of my living room in crystal clear high definition. But if my family of four could sit in those obstructed seats for 20 dollars total, I might consider it.

Admitting there are problem site lines is a good way of showing fans the Mets care. New Yorkers are not stupid. David Howard and company can preach till they're blue in the face claiming there are no site line issues. That's because many of them likely have not sat in these seats. Charge accordingly. Admit the short comings of certain seats, and the Mets public relations with the fan base would improve.

So as I said earlier, buyer, beware. Don't purchase your tickets without first knowing what you are getting into. Go to www.seats3d.com to get a very accurate computer representation of the view you will get from your seats. Be careful, though. Each view is from the center of a section. Pan left and right to gain a perspective of where your seats actually are. The seats are numbered in each row. Seat 1 is always closest to home plate. Aisle seats are great if you want to get out of your seat a lot. But if you prefer to sit the entire game, get something closer to the middle so fans going up and down the aisles do not become a distraction.

While I might sound like I am bashing Citi Field, I am simply pointing out some of its flaws. I like the park very much. I like it better than Yankee Stadium because it is more intimate and appeals to my middle class tastes. Plus the food for the average consumer is superior. I am disappointed however, that the design of the upper level did not live up to the hype. Yes, the Promenade is way closer to the field, as the Mets claimed, when compared to Shea. But Shea, with all its criticisms, provided views of the entire playing field (except the corners in the extreme reaches of left and right field).

In the last SNY special on Citi Field, Jeff Wilpon told Kevin Burkhardt that Citi Field is a work in progress. He said there are things and ideas they would like to incorporate over time. Hopefully, the obstructed views in the Promenade are one of them.

Apparently the problem with the Mets and Yankees this season has to do with architects, marketing, and sales management. Whew, now I feel better. I thought maybe it had to do with the players on the field.

Two of New York’s preeminent sports talk radio hosts claimed, yesterday, that the new buildings the New York teams play in are part of the problem.  First Evan Roberts, of the mid-day show on WFAN complained that the atmosphere at Citi Field stinks. There is no enthusiasm, no life.  Mike Francesa, who airs in the afternoons, never at a lost for an opinion, complained that the new Yankee Stadium lacks the excitement and party atmosphere as the old one. The point made by both hosts is the fans in these “expensive” seats are not true Yankee and Mets fans and are not there cheering on their heroes.

Hmm, and here I thought the problem with the Mets was related to poor starting pitching and not being able to hit with runners in scoring position. The Yankees middle relievers, masquerading as major league ballplayers is also misleading.  I really need to study up on baseball.

This is a classic case of the cart being before the horse. What if either the Mets or Yankees had gotten off to a start like the Los Angeles Dodgers? In case you are not aware, the Dodgers have won every game at Dodger Stadium this season. Last night they set a major league record of 13 straight home wins to start a season. But I digress. The point is the excitement in the ballpark is generated by the team on the field. It doesn’t come from the concrete and steel sitting under the fans.

In fairness, the two new ballparks in New York have, to some degree, contributed to the problem of fans being into the game by creating buildings that have lots of distractions. On TV, a lot of seats, not just the absurdly high priced ones, appear empty because fans are walking the concourses checking out various eating options, getting different views of the field, or simply hanging out. However, had either team played with the promise we all expected, I think the seats would be filled more to capacity. However, I would be totally naive to assume that the expensive seats do not prohibit the rabid fan from being close to the field. But I really have difficulty believing this is why the Mets or Yankees have struggled this season.

Francesa, the subjective Yankee fan, spent most of his four and a half hour show yesterday raising his blood pressure over the two game sweep  by the Red Sox. In part of his diatribe, Mike bashed Yankee management for destroying the home field advantage the Yankees enjoyed for so many seasons. Gee Mike, do you think the malaise witnessed at Yankee Stadium has anything to do with the fact that the Yankees are doing their best impression of the Mets by not getting a big knock when necessary or the fact the bullpen can’t hold a lead if their life depended on it?

I admit I could be wrong. Both fan bases, at least the louder mouthed ones, have not given unconditional endorsements of their team’s new homes. Part of that is being unfamiliar with the new buildings and the perception that it is too expensive to get in*. But with the new edifices came unrealistic expectations. I know that is the case for me. I really thought the Mets would get off to a great start this season. I have been very negative about the team since they have not. It didn’t help Mets fans either, still reeling from two seasons of getting eliminated on the last day, that their new park could have been called Generic Field for lack of Mets history. Mets fans got off on the wrong foot before the season began.

The fact is both teams possess the talent to get to the World Series. They also have enough shortcomings to end short of that goal. But the idea that the new stadiums have anything to do with how these teams are playing is silly. How did the new Yankee stadium cause the Yankees to lose three in a row at Fenway Park? The Mets were swept earlier last month at Busch Stadium. I guess that was because of the angry fans sitting in Citi Field. While some may argue the Mets have not hit home runs in Citi Field, the opposition has. That is also true in Yankee Stadium. The short porch in right field has helped the opponents hit lots of home runs too.  

Watching the 1-0 win by the Mets last night, it seemed to me, at least on TV, that the crowd was into the game. With Johan Santana striking out ten batters in an exciting close game, and the Mets winning all of a sudden, I don’t think fans care so much about the seat prices, sight lines, and amenities of the new ballpark.

*Can’t afford a seat to Citi Field or Yankee Stadium? Go to StubHub on game day. You could have gone to last night’s Mets-Phillies game for as little as $10.00. The Yankees-Rays game could have cost you less. As game time draws closer, owners of tickets reduce the prices to unload them. Obviously, the cheapest seats do not have the best sight lines, but they get you into the parks where you can walk all over the place and if you don’t mind standing, you can get a great view of the game.  Last week I stood just to the left of behind home plate on the field level at Yankee Stadium. Thirty feet in front of me were tickets costing hundreds of dollars. Makes no sense, does it.