Last evening, I accepted a ticket from a friend to attend a Yankee game at the new Yankee Stadium
Now I have been to both new ballparks in New York, Citi Field twice, and Yankee Stadium once. I really wanted to not like Yankee Stadium and hoped that it was not even close to the niceness of Citi Field, a childish wish I admit. But in all honesty, as much as I do like Citi Field, the new Yankee Stadium is simply spectacular.
By comparison to Citi, it is enormous in size. It is majestic and grand. With the historic frieze back on the roof, where it always belonged, Yankee Stadium recaptures the aura of the original.
Like many modern ballparks as well as Citi Field, Yankee Stadium is open. You can maneuver all around the stadium on each level taking in different views of the field from the wide concourse. I sat in the Terrace level which is equivalent to the promenade box seats at Citi Field. In the right field corner, I was far from the field but it still was a good seat.
From my vantage point I could see the entire field except for the right field corner which is cut off from view because of height. This has been a common complaint at Citi Field down the lines and in the outfield. Even the opulent Yankee Stadium has similar issues. To me, and for the price, I don't consider it a problem especially when after a play occurred in that area, the replay on the most incredible video board I have ever seen showed the action almost instantaneously.
Because of Yankee Stadiums immensity, fans are not as close to the action as they are at Citi Field but the field still seems close and almost every seat in the house is a good one. The often reported obstructed bleacher seats is no joke. From there you cannot see half of the field but for the five bucks to get in you have the freedom to roam around the ballpark and watch from anywhere behind the seats. Not a bad deal.
You would expect Yankee Stadium to be a much grander venue than Citi Field simply because it cost almost twice the price to build. But that's not what really impressed me. What I liked so much more than the Mets home is how the Yankees incorporated their history into the new stadium.
I was very defensive of the Wilpons and Citi Field when it opened. I thought the criticism of not enough Mets memorabilia was very unfair. But when you see how much effort went into making Yankee fans feel at home in the new Yankee Stadium, it's hard to argue with the plethora of outspoken and angry Mets fans.
The Yankees had a completely different paradigm in front of them than the Mets did. While the Yankees had to recreate Yankee Stadium, the Mets wanted no part of Shea. From an architectural standpoint, who could blame them. Discarding Shea was appropriate but not eliminating the history and the many memories the late ballpark held.
It's true that some Mets fans outrage over Citi Field stemmed from being in a totally alien environment. But much of it was due to the fact the Wilpons neglected to brand the place with Mets glory. And even this much maligned franchise has had many historic moments.
Again, I feel somewhat hypocritical because I strongly defended the Mets after many criticism were levied by fans who were first into Citi Field. But in retrospect, would it have killed the brain trust to adorn the concourses with posters of great Mets moments and players. What Mets fan would not like to see a young Ed Kranepool or Wally Backman appear over one of the many Nathans stands. And why didn't the Mets follow through with a Mets museum as was discussed when the new ballpark was first announced?
In fairness, Citi is not devoid of Mets stuff. The outer walls of the building have banners of former Mets stars and Mets moments are displayed on the left field ramps. But inside the park there are only retired numbers (Seaver being the only player), championship flags, and a "Lets Go Mets" sign on top of the scoreboard. I do believe they could have done better.
This feeling of inferiority is compounded by the fact the Mets have had such a miserably slow start this season. For the past two seasons and the first month of this one we have seen a team completely underachieve. For whatever the reason, the Mets appear to be lethargic and uninterested, especially when losing. What is the message ownership sends to the fans when so little of the franchise's history is on display? Perception is everything and unfortunately, the perception the Wilpons and others have made is that they don't care. I do not think that is true. But it is a perception and generally, that's all that matters.
I must admit to feeling jealous as I walked around the new Stadium. It is a beautiful edifice that reminds baseball fans of a tremendous era of baseball in New York. When I saw a father walking the concourse with his young son it made me wonder. Why would a young fan gravitate toward the Mets when the Yankees do so much more to give fans a reason to go over to their side?
It doesn't have to be this way. But for it to change, someone in the Mets hierarchy must wake up and realize the National League club in this town is no longer the Dodgers or Giants. It's the Mets and it has been for almost a half century!
