Never Forget 69

Citi Field Work

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:24:16 -0500

During the first week of play at Citi Field last season, the San Diego Padres complained to Major League baseball that it was almost impossible to see the field from the visitors’ bullpen.

The visitors’ pen was behind the Mets bullpen. The Mets pen was at field level right up against the glass paneled outfield fence. In addition, the Mets added two while tarpaulins above the pen to protect the pitchers from the elements. The visiting pitchers were protected by the bridge that is right over their bullpen. The bridge and tarpaulins made visiting pitchers feel as if they were in a cave.

Nothing could be done about the problem during the season except to install TV screens to see the action. However, this off season, the Mets have already gutted the entire bullpen including the higher tier.

The bullpens will be revamped so that the visitor and home bullpens are side by side giving both clubs the ability to see out to the entire playing field. Pitchers will now throw toward the playing field instead of parallel. On bad weather days, both club’s pitchers will be protected from the elements by sitting under the bridge making the white tarpaulins unnecessary. This will give fans over the bridge and surrounding area a bird’s eye view into the bullpens.

Also of note, a friend of mine, a devout Yankees fan, traveled to Citizen’s Bank Park to see game three of the World Series. He sat in the upper level in right field. Remember the home run A-Rod hit that was first challenged? If you recall, it hit the camera above the railing. Well, my friend could not see that play. In fact, as the right fielder moved back on the ball, any ball for that matter, he disappeared from view. Sound familiar?

I had written about this phenomenon early in the season when many Mets fans complained in regards to not seeing parts of the outfield from the higher outfield grandstand seats. I even included illustrations supporting the notion that this was not uncommon in many new parks with lots of outfield seating. I recall a fan complaining on talk radio saying that the Phillies ballpark had no such obstructions. Apparently he was wrong.

Give the Mets credit for listening to the complaints and taking action. Mid way through the season, the Mets installed a video board in the right field corner for anyone in the left filed grand stand to see. Plus, when balls are put into play, the action on the three video screens including the new one in right field is live. By contrast, Citizen’s Bank Park showed hardly any action on their video board according to my friend.

Most Mets who complained were simply not use to the idea that in the outfield, some areas of the playing field are out of view. This is also true in Yankee Stadium. Earlier in the season, I sat in the right field stands in the second level. Every time Nick Swisher went back on the ball, he disappeared.

At the Mets season finale, I sat in the left field corner in the Promenade boxes. I could not see the left field corner. However, my view of the diamond and the majority of the outfield was still spectacular. Plus I did not have to pay a king’s ransom for the tickets. The equivalent seat at Shea Stadium would have had me pushed much further back from the majority of the action. It’s a tradeoff I am willing to accept considering I am closer to the action and the seats are fairly affordable.

I guess the point I am trying to make here is while our team may need some overhauling to get to where it needs to be, our ballpark is second to none.

Citi's Dimensions Could Change

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:04:29 -0400

Yesterday it was reported that the Mets will not alter the dimensions at Citi Field for the 2010 season. However, in a report in Friday’s New York Post, the Mets deny that and stated they will wait till after the season to decide.

That’s good news to me because in my opinion, the Mets should change the dimensions to some degree. The Model Zone should go away. I am all for the quirky dimensions and homage to the ballparks of years gone by, but even Ebbets Field had no such bizarre cutout. More importantly, the ballpark wall dimensions should have been constructed to the strength of the Mets hitters.

The Yankees built the new Yankee Stadium’s wall to match the older ballpark now being torn down. In doing so, they insured that their left handed power would not suddenly become neutralized by not being able to reach the fences. Although the new Yankee Stadium has shown to give up more homers than ever, it was the right approach to build the park to the team’s strength.

The Mets, by contrast, have done the opposite. They took the power away from their hitters. I do applaud the Mets for wanting to create a pitcher friendly park, one that is fair unlike Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Bank Park. However, a better balance could have been struck.

The face of the franchise is David Wright. Wright, not unlike former Met Mike Piazza, has great power going the other way. But the Model Zone has stripped Wright of this advantage. Wright’s home run numbers are way down although he has hit more at Citi Field than he has on the road. But who knows if the psychology of hitting at Citi Field has altered David’s approach on the road too.

There has been much talk of the Mets developing a team that is faster and plays small ball better and not rely on the homerun. That’s fine but as Earl Weaver, the great former Orioles manager, use to say, there is nothing like a three run homerun. This is especially true late in the game trailing by a couple of runs. Without the threat of a homerun to get back in the game, a non power team must rely on a series of hits, walks, etc. to get it done.

I don’t think the Mets should radically alter the field dimensions of Citi Field but I do think they should do two things. One: get rid of the indented cut out called the Model Zone and two: lower the left field fence to something more reasonable, say ten feet. The result would still be a pitchers park but a bit fairer to the hitter.

Here’s another thing to consider. Good luck trying to attract a free agent power hitter to Citi Field. If you were in the lucky position of signing with the Yankees or Mets and you were a power hitter, what team would you pick? It’s likely not the Mets because no hitter wants to see his power numbers go down. There is always that next contract to think about.

Note: You know it’s a bad year when – former ace left handed pitcher Jerry Koosman was sentenced to six months in jail for tax evasion. How sad.

Collapse in Brooklyn?

After two seasons of losing a playoff spot on the last day, the Mets won’t face that prospect this year. However, the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets short season class A affiliate might. The Cyclones led the McNamara Division all summer until a couple of days ago when the Staten Island Yankees, of all teams, went ahead of them in the standings. The Yankees have won 13 in a row while the Cylones have been struggling. At the very least Brooklyn should win the wild card.

Bad Upper Deck

Lou Di Falco — Sun, 24 May 2009 07:00:00 -0400

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.

The Ballparks Are The Problem

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:40:06 -0400

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.

New Yankee Stadium

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:08:58 -0400

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!

In Defense of Citi Field and The Wilpons

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:42:09 -0400

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.

Picky, Picky, Picky

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:45:13 -0400

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

Citi Opening Finally Here

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:06:16 -0400

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.

Citi Field Slide Show

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:35:21 -0400

Here is a slide show of pictures I took last Saturday at Citi Field's first professional day game.

Citi Field 4-4-2009

Citi FIeld is Magnificent

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:39:39 -0400

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.

Seat With A View

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:01:27 -0400

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.

Opening Day and The Economy

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:55:13 -0400

Update -

Yesterday on WFAN's Miked Up, Mets Executive Vice President of Business Operations David Howard was interviewed by Mike Francesa. In the interview, Howard admitted that although season tickets are selling better this year than last, they have not sold as many complete season ticket packages as they had expected. About 200 seats were still available for opening day and were being held for season ticket packages not yet purchased.

In an effort to stimulate sales and to sell out opening day, the Mets decided to create a new package offering left over opening day tickets with four additional games from April and May. The pack is called the Opening Day Pack and gives the buyer the choice of games to pick from during the first two months of the season.

Howard pointed out that the cost of many of the 15 game packages are less than the five pack being offered. His remarks were in response to fans who were angered over having to purchase the 15 games to get opening day tickets only to see a five game pack released at this late date. Another point Howard made was that with the 15 game pack, the games are spread accross the entire season and not just in April and May.

Howard is correct. There are 15 game packs remaining whose ticket prices are lower than the five packs being offered. In fact, some of the 15 packs remaining appear so affordable, I'm considering one myself.

Original Post - March 26

Just when you thought you were shut out of opening day, low and behold you can go to the Mets home opener at Citi Field after all.

Back in the winter you could have obtained opening day tickets by purchasing some sort of season ticket plan. There was the full 81 game plan, two forty game plans, and several different 15 game plans, some that included opening day. Then the Mets held a lottery and selected a number of lucky applicants that received the opportunity to buy tickets to the home opener. When single game tickets went on sale, I checked and the Mets website showed me that indeed the home opener was sold out.

Yesterday, the Mets announced that additional opening day seats are available and they can be had by simply buying an additional four games. The four games must be selected from games in April and May. Just for the heck of it, I went on to the Mets web site to see what is available.

On the ticket page, the Citi Field Opener pack is laid out nicely. You can choose seats in the Metropolitan Box, Field Box (both on the field level) or Caesars Club Bronze (second level). Being not of much funds, I plugged in two seats for the Caesars Club Bronze, the cheaper of the three choices. I also picked games featuring the weaker clubs to drive down the price as much as possible. In other words, I did not select games against the Phillies or Braves as much as I would rather see those teams than the Nationals or the Marlins.

When all was said and done, the cost of my two tickets for five games was $950.00. That's almost a thousand dollars for five games, two hundred dollars per game, one hundred a seat. Selecting the Phillies and Braves for the additional four games raises the price over an additional 200 dollars. I'm not saying the price is not reasonable, it's just not reasonable for me. I would guess not for a lot of other people either. You may think I'm not a die hard fan. I would say that is not true. I, like a lot of other people in this bail out economy, am simply not in the position to pay that kind of money for five games which does not include travel, parking, and concession costs. And if you think I am bashing the Mets, I am not.

The Mets are also feeling the pinch of this economy. They are simply trying to stimulate ticket sales by offering the home opener as an incentive. The point of all this is the Mets are moving into a state of the art, brand spanking new ballpark, having not sold out opening day. That has more to do with the economy than the last two failed Septembers do.

It is very likely that once opening day passes, each game of relative insignificance will be played before a number of empty seats. If you have not noticed, the economy is still bad even though the incentive plans put forth by Obama and the congress are starting to show some positive effects. However, major economists on both sides of the aisle agree that the recovery will be slow and expect it to take a year or perhaps even longer. Given these facts, new park or not, I can't see every Mets game will be a sell out.

And it's not just the Mets. Boston Red Sox tickets are available for certain games. This is historic considering the Red Sox have sold out every game now for a number of years. The Red Sox fans have not grown tired of their team and Boston is still expected to content for another championship. Therefore if Sox tickets can be purchased, you know the economy has something to do with it.

If you happen to think the Mets are out of control with their more expensive tickets ($495 per game), get a load of this.

A friend of mine, a Yankee fan, loves to take his family of five to a game on the Fourth of July. I watched him enter ticket information for the game against Toronto. He made the mistake of selecting best seats available. When the five available tickets came up, we could not believe our eyes. The cost of one game for five came out to be $13,423.50, $2600 per seat plus service charges. That's college tuition for a semester at some colleges. Who in their right mind would pay such an outlandish price for a single baseball game?

Those seats are the most expensive the Yankees have to offer. So the fact they came up suggests no one is buying them. With corporations being looked at with a scrupulous eye, don't expect too many CFOs to approve corporate tickets. Not at those prices.

We may be witnessing the pendulum beginning to swing back the other way. The most expensive seats at the two new ballparks are not selling because the economy is so bad. That means less revenue which will translate into less money being offered to players. At some point, the bubble has to burst. Whether that is happening now or not still remains to be seen but make no mistake, the pin has been pushed into the bubble.

More Pictures Before the Park Opens

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:04:25 -0400

With Citi Field opening to the public in just six days, there are two new slide shows available from WebShots. The first is from a user know as Citi_Field and the second is from Chris Swan who goes by the moniker of Islandextreme26.

I personally want to thank both of these people for doing an outstanding job of documenting the construction of this new world class ballpark. Not to be forgotten is Eric Okurowski whose site, Stadiumpage.com, has chronicled the construction as well.

It's hard to believe that the Mets are about to move into one of the most advanced baseball stadiums ever built. The early reviews have been good by people who have taken ticket tours. It seems like just yesterday that Fred Wilpon and company held a press conference in the Diamond Club of Shea Stadium announcing the plans to build the new park.

On Sunday, March 26, Citi Field's doors will open for the first time. Not the Mets but a college game will be played in an attempt to work out any last minute kinks before the Mets play the Red Sox in two exhibition games the following weekend. So very likely the next set of pictures we see of the new digs will include people (lots of them) sitting in the seats.

Even after the park opens, there will be work to be done. There still is quite a bit of rubble from the Shea site that must be removed. It is likely the parking lot where Shea once stood will not be completed till sometime in May.

Enjoy these new photos...

Citi Field 3/21/09

Citi Field 3-21-09

Citi Field Interior Photos

Lou Di Falco — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:31:13 -0400

Stadiumpage.com has posted brand new interior shots from Citi Field. The photos were taken by Chris Swann. In them, you will see the skyline from the old scoreboard at Shea Stadium has found a new home. Plus, the Apple has grown a stem, the grass looks recently groomed, more signage is up, and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda is nearly complete. Oh, and who is Ben?

Outside of Citi Field

Lou Di Falco — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:15:15 -0400

On Friday, Yankee announcer and talk show host Michael Kay was given a personal tour of Citi Field by COO Jeff Wilpon. On his afternoon radio show, Michael was raving about the ballpark, saying that Mets fans will never feel like second citizens again when it comes to their home. His only criticisms were of the chop shops next door and seating capacity at only 42,500. I agree about the amount of seats but the Iron Triangle will be rebuilt over the next ten years.

The latest from the camera of Citi_Field from Webshots...

Citi Field Construction 3/7/09

Citi Stock

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:51:32 -0500

Citigroup Inc. (c) stock went under one dollar yesterday and is now hovering just above at 1.02. A stock that had a 52 week high of 27.35 is now hanging by a thread. How much longer do you think Citi Field will be called Citi Field?

There are two sides to this argument and both are good ones. Citigroup Inc. is one of many corporations that have accepted TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) money. The cry from many has been how does a company using U.S. Taxpayer money to bail themselves out of financial catastrophe have the nerve to give the Mets 20 million per year over 20 years? How can they lay off employees but yet give the Mets all this money, money they have received from the government?

The other side of the argument is that Citigroup is not the only company receiving TARP that has naming rights deals with professional sports teams. In fact, there are 44 other companies in similar deals as the Mets have but not as lucrative. Also, a corporation should be able to spend money on advertising otherwise they will surely go out of business. The association with the Mets gives Citi a huge profile that could eventually help turn things around.

But regardless of what argument you want to side with, the fact is Citigroup is suffering and things are not turning around fast. Through it all however, the Mets and Citi have remained adamant about keeping their deal in place.

You cannot fault the Mets here. Some have criticized them for not breaking the deal with Citi. Why should they? What have the Mets done wrong here? They negotiated a good deal for themselves. It would make no sense for them to break it off. Plus both parties have signed a legally binding contract. It's not as if a simple phone call would terminate the relationship. Ending the deal would likely involve many lawyers and a court case or two.

Never the less, Citigroup Inc. may not be in any reasonable financial condition much longer and they could be acquired by another entity. If that were to happen, it is likely the deal would be restructured as part of the process of acquisition. Such a deal could give the Mets an out to seek a relationship with another corporation. But it is unlikely the Mets would find anyone willing to fork over the kind of cash they negotiated from Citi. To date, the Citi-Mets deal is the largest ever.

The Mets new ballpark will likely be called Citi Field at least for this season. But a year from now, don't be surprised if you will be returning to see the Mets at Morgan Stanley Field or Wells Fargo Park. Perhaps we might even be going back to Shea Stadium. Now wouldn't that be something.

Two New Slide Shows

Lou Di Falco — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:05:30 -0500

There are two new slide shows of the interior of Citi Field from WebShots users islandextreme26 and citi_field. Citi_field, who was there on tour on Friday, sent me an email indicating that the view from behind the ribbon board is nowhere as bad as many of the stories wandering around the Internet. Admittedly, I have been writing about this problem as well based on previous photos I have seen. The pics from citi_field point out that just leaning an inch or two forward allows the front row fan to see the entire infield without obstruction. So if anything, the problem is not as big and will be easier to solve for children who might be sitting in the first row in the three sections on the first and third base side.

There are some wonderful shots here...

Citi Field 2-28-09

Inside Citi Field 2/27/09

Update On Obstructed Seating

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0500

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.

Citi Field Construction

Lou Di Falco — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:18:37 -0500

Enjoy this slide show from WebShots' Citi_Field. The pictures show construction around the new ballpark including leveling the parking area that was once Shea Stadium. Inside the park we see the work going on to complete the Pepsi sign at the right field Pepsi Porch.

Citi Field Construction 2/21/09

Also, click here to view the latest aerial shots of the site from Tom Kaminski's chopper.

Obstructed Seating

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:45:39 -0500

A post on Metsblog.com yesterday suggested the New York Post is soon publishing an article detailing flaws within Citi Field. I agree with Matt Cerrone that the source should be judged before we begin condemning the new Mets home. However, there are several photographs out on the Internet that do show some disturbing seating locations. Like anything else in life, buyer beware when purchasing your tickets.

Yesterday, I purchased my first tickets to the new Citi Field. I plan on taking my son on his 15th birthday. I purchased the tickets on StubHub and they were reasonably priced. For $23 dollars each, I obtained two tickets on the aisle behind home plate in the promenade reserved level. In height, the seats are roughly equivalent to the first row of Shea's upper deck but are positioned closer to the playing field. One thing I did was to verify our site lines by using the Citi Field Seats-3D tool found on Mets.com, a practice I strongly suggest.

The view from these seats appear to be excellent. You can see the entire playing field with nothing obstructing your view except a bit of railing blocking an area behind the plate. If a ball is hit in either the right or left field corner, you will not see it bouncing around because the lower field level stands stick out hugging the foul lines. Other than that, the seats are perfect. Now are these seats as good as the field or club level? Of course not but my last name is not Trump.

Are there bad seats in the ballpark even when Jeff Wilpon claims every seat is a good one? Yes there are. When you build a stadium that is cozier and smaller than Shea Stadium, there are bound to be seats that do not have the best of views contrary to all the hype. While most of Shea's seats allowed you to see the entire playing field, a great many of them were a mile away from the action. That's the trade off.

Bringing Citi Field's promenade level (upper deck) closer to the field is where most of the bad seating will be found. In particular, there are a whole bunch of seats in left field behind the out of town scoreboard that will not allow those seated there to see the flight of the ball. This is likely limited to the last five or six rows of the upper level (17 rows in all). However, these seats are no worse than sitting in the last row of the mezzanine at Shea which were probably worse. What could have been done different?

In the original computer rendering, the out of town scoreboard looked a bit smaller and not as obtrusive. I'm no engineer but I do not see a reason why the board was not installed above the canopy instead of below.

Another area of concern involves seats in the first couple of rows of the promenade reserved. The promenade level is split into two sections, one up and one down. From the open concourse, fans step down to the box seats. Fans must climb stairs to the upper reserved seats. A number of fans sitting in the first couple of rows on the baseline sides of the reserved seats above the split are going to have to look through the landing railings of the stairwells that reach these seats. Again, this was a design change from the originally released renderings. If you look at a current photo of the upper level behind home plate, you will see six access tunnels to the seating area. These tunnels originally were in every section of the promenade as illustrated by another originally released rendering. A design change was made for some reason.

Later drawings showed the newer access stairways having metal railings with posts. These were changed to Plexiglas when they were eventually installed likely because engineers realized that some of these seats would have obstructed views because of the railings.

I can only assume the stairs at the split were added to reduce the amount of steps fans would have to climb to get to their seats. Plus the concourse would be much more open than if there were access staircases every so many feet. The trade off however is to create some seating at a desired location with less than desired results.

While everyone seems to be touting the Pepsi Porch in right field. Realize that the right field corner will not be visible by any fans sitting there. You can't see something you are sitting on top of. The quirky and retro section comes with a retro view. Yet when you check StubHub, these seats are hard to come by and expensive. Go figure.

Fans sitting in the Left Field Landing also have a similar obstructed view of left field because the height of the wall. The outfield corners are hard to see from the promenade the further you sit down the lines. Another consequence of offering an upper level that is so much closer to the field than Shea's.

No matter how you shake it, there will be some less than desirable seats at Citi Field. But nothing can be definitive until the park opens and the shakedown begins. And in all fairness, it's a bit difficult to be critical when judging from photographs and computer annimations. I'm sure when the Post article comes out they will have a field day trashing the place because that's what they do. The truth is the majority of the 42,500 seats at Citi Field will be fine and superior to any seat Shea Stadium had to offer. But retro and quirky designs can't be created without some goofy seating.

The good news is if you have a bad seat, nothing is to stop you from walking around the place where there is plenty of standing room to get a better view. Plus the large scoreboards, both with playback capability, will aid in seeing things you missed because of a bad seat (unless of course, you cannot see the scoreboards from your bad seat). The Mets may have to adjust the pricing of the bad seats as well. I certainly would not be happy if I put down several hundreds of dollars for a season ticket plan and then have to dodge fans climbing to their seats while looking through Plexiglas the whole game.

In the computer world, things that don't work or are convoluted are sarcastically referred to as features. I guess in the stadium design business, seats with obstructed views can be referred to as charm.

Photo Tour of Citi Field and Shea

Lou Di Falco — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:21:29 -0500

Here are 137 photos from the inside of Citi Field thanks to Islandxtreme26 from Webshots...

Citi Field 2-13-09

...and check out this slideshow from what is left of Shea Stadium.

Shea Stadium Demolition 2-13-09

"Citi Field" May Not Last As Long As Shea

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:45:46 -0500

New York Newsday reports that two members of the House of Representatives, Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Ted Poe (R-Texas), are demanding that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner dissolve the Citigroup-Mets deal for naming rights to the new ballpark. The demand is being made because of the fact that Citigroup is accepting federal bailout money while planning to spend 400 million dollars for naming rights. Kucinch was quoted as saying "It's just totally unacceptable that Citigroup should be able to spend $400 million in naming rights when they're the recipients of a massive federal bailout".

Honestly I can't say I disagree. We are in the worst financial crises since the great depression. Jobs are being lost at a record pace. Many of those jobs are Citigroup workers themselves. How would you like to be a Citigroup employee recently laid off but know that the company you worked for is still going to spend hundreds of millions to have their name plastered on the Mets new ballpark.

This is the world we live in. Gone are the days of naming teams after the ballclubs that play there, or the areas where they reside, or after a person responsible for the ball club's existence like attorney William A. Shea. Today, and for the past decade, it has been revenue at all costs. I guess that's fine in good economic times but these are not good economic times. The Astros new ballpark was originally named Enron Field. Is there a need to say anything else? Now it turns out that Enron was just the tip of the iceberg.

I had no problem with the Mets naming their stadium Citi Field before this current economic mess. I would paint Coca-Cola on the front of my house if I received a monthly check. But the federal bail out money is our money. It is money from taxpayers that we, are children, and our children's children will be paying back. I agree with President Obama, that the money is needed to stimulate the economy. The depression of the 1930's was prolonged because the government did not act. That said, the money needs to be used to create jobs, not name stadiums.

The Mets and Citigroup are adament that the deal will continue. Geithner has said that all Tarp money should be returned if the deal with the Mets is not dissolved. This is going to be interesting.

In the current economic times, I would like to see the Mets do the right thing. I know I'm being idealistic and as long as Citigroup continues to pay the Mets, the name will stick. But it makes me a bit disgusted. When I go to a Mets game, I freely give in to paying for tickets, parking, food, souvenirs, and anything else that comes with attending a baseball game. The money I pay to the Feds every year should benefit the public trust, not be given to the Mets.

As the article points out, the claim that Citigroup makes, that no bailout money is going to the Mets is a bit gray. Money is money, from what pile of cash do they pay the Mets? Does it really make a difference?

Once again, the Yankees trump the Mets. Their new park is named Yankee Stadium, no chance of controversy there. The Mets should do the right thing. I have an idea, why not name the new park Shea Stadium?

Photos of Citi Field and Shea Stadium

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:00:02 -0500

Citi Field Work and Shea Demo 1-27-09

The Colorful World of Citi Field Seating

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:50:31 -0500

There are more colors on the seating chart of new Citi Field than there are in a hundred count box of Crayolas. If you are considering a season ticket plan or will be purchasing tickets to individual games, here's an overview of the many different seating choices at Citi Field.

By comparison, the now demolished Shea Stadium was easy to understand with its four decks. There were box seats and reserved seats and the prices were pretty consistent throughout the park. Citi Field has only three decks but each is broken down into many different levels and sections. Pay attention because there could be a quiz at the end. It's quite confusing.

I recommend viewing the seating chart while reading this. Click here--> http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ticketing/seating_pricing.jsp

We will start at the bottom, field level, and work are way up. Behind home plate the first two rows of seats are known as Delta Club Platinum. I don't expect to be sitting there any time soon since these seats will be the most expensive in the house. On the seating chart, Delta Club Platinum is designated as a pale yellow color. Probably because your face will turn that shade when you see the price of these seats.

Delta Club Gold, rows 3 through 8, are directly behind the Platinum section. Then comes Delta Club Silver, rows 9-14. On the seating chart the shade of yellow gets darker with each section. What's a color blind person with money to do? Rows 15 on up are simply referred to as the Delta Club section and are represented by a shade of orange. The Sterling Suites are right behind the Delta Club. You must be a Wilpon or have a similar bank account to watch the game from there. Remember, the Delta section is only behind home plate, from inside of the third base dugout to the inside of the first base dugout. When you venture left or right along the baselines, you have a whole different group of seats.

Behind both dugouts you will find the Metropolitan sections. Like Delta, the Met section is broken down into Platinum, Gold, Silver, and just plain. I'm sure the pricing starts out at exorbitant working it's way down to extremely high. The color coding is also the same as Delta. You following me camera guy?

Beyond the dugouts is the Field Box section, well at least it sounds familiar. The Field Box section is broken up into Gold, Silver and just plain Field Box. Field Boxes are designated in a pink color. Down the lines, beyond the Field Box section, is the Baseline Section indicated as a darker pinkish red. On the third base side, the Baseline Section wraps into fair territory in left field. This is not the case on the right field side.

Unlike Shea, there are seats in the outfield beyond a picnic area. On the first level, these seats are simply known as Right Field and Left Field Reserved, nice and simple. However, the first two rows are labeled Reserved Gold. These seats are designated as a bright pink while deep red represents the majority of outfield reserved seating.

In center field, just to the right of the batter's eye, is the Big Apple Reserved section and is designated on the chart as a dark red. Next to the Big Apple Reserved is the Bridge Terrace, a bright red. Presumably, this is a standing room section. I think it's a clever idea. The bridge evokes many of the steel truss bridges in New York City and can be used by many Mets fans to jump off of when the Mets implode in September (I admit it, that was just down right mean).

Now we can finally move up a deck to what is known as the Club Level. The entire Club Level is known as the Ceasars Club. Right behind home plate, the Ceasars Club is broken down into platinum (first two rows) and gold (row three and higher). Ceasars Club, is this were Mr. Wilpon will come out and turn a thumb up or down after the game? A light purple distinguishes Platinum and a light blue is used to represent Gold. I should point out that the seating chart does indicate a ring of luxury suits right below the Club level but you can not click on them the way you can with the other sections of the park. In other words, keep out!

Fanning out to the baselines is the Ceasars Club Silver (dark purple, first two rows) and behind is the Ceasars Club Bronze (light blue). Further out past first and third base respectively, a darker blue designates the Ceasars Club without further qualification. In left field beyond the restaurant (Acela Grill) in the second deck is the Left Field Landing Gold and non gold. Once again, the first two rows are Gold. Here the colors are a grayish blue for the first two rows and a dark blue for other seating. I'm getting blurry eyed. The shades are beginning to blend together.

Now we can move up to the top level where the last row is about as high as the first few reserved seats in Shea's upper level. As you might predict, the rows and sections are broken up into multiple designations but generically the entire upper level is known as the Promenade. Sounds like it belongs in an opera house. Behind home plate, the first two rows are Promenade Club Gold. I guess they felt if you are sitting in the upper level, platinum would not be a prudent adjective. A dark green indicates row 1 and 2. Behind the first two rows, a light green designates Promenade Club, basically an upper deck box. Above the split is the Promenade Reserved Infield. No first two row designations here. A dark green is used for these seats. The Promenade Infield Reserve goes from dugout to dugout.

Beyond first and third base is the Promenade Box and Promenade Reserved. A light green and a dark green are used to differentiate the two sections. In left field, the Promenade Box and Reserved seats stretch all the way around to center field while in right field it ends down the right field line in foul territory.

The one last section to mention is the overhanging deck in right field which is accessed on the second deck. And according to the seating chart, it has been named the Pepsi Porch. I guess a Coke is going to be hard to come by at Citi Field. The first two rows, colored yet another shade of light blue, is called Pepsi Gold while the seats behind are simply Pepsi Porch, another shade of dark blue.

So 42,500 seats and about 17,000 different colors to depict the many different prices that will be offered at Citi Field. It is unclear what the prices will be for the different seats until individual game tickets will be offered some time in February. At the moment the Mets are offering season ticket plans. Some are already sold out. Season tickets for all 81 home games and the two exhibition games against the Red Sox are still available. For $1,550, ($19 plus per game) you can have a Promenade Reserved seat for every Mets home game (now what color are those?). A year ago, that price might seem reasonable but in the current economic state our country is in, I'm not so sure now.

There are other plans too. There are 40 game plans that offer every other home game and there are also 15 game plans. Many of the latter are sold out. The 15 game Saturday plan has prices as low as $285.00 per seat. That's $19.00 per ticket to sit in seats that are closer to the field than at Shea and no higher than Shea's upper level reserved third or fourth row. Creative fans could go in on a package like this and split up the games. Split three ways, this plan amounts to $190.00 for two seats for five games. Most people pay more for that on beer in a month. The 15 game weekend plan (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) are completely sold out but there are many other plans available. And as I said above, individual game tickets will go on sale soon.

The section numbering is different than it was at Shea too. At Shea, odd numbering was on the first base side of the stadium and even numbering was on the third base side. That is not the case at Citi Field. Numbering starts in right field and works its way around the park. Field level starts with one, the luxury suits start with two, the Ceasars club is qualified with three then the split upper level starts with four for below the split and five above.

If you look carefully at the seating chart, you will notice many areas that feature handicapped seating. Unlike Shea, there is handicapped seating all over the place. Every level including the Pepsi Porch is wheel chair accessible.

The economy will have some say in seat availability at Citi Field but if there is a will, there is a way. I have been looking forward to seeing the Mets at their new park since shovels first went into the ground during the summer of 2006. I don't care if I sit in the Promenade Reserved in left center field in the back row or on the new home run apple itself. I will get to Citi Field this summer. Now if I can just figure out what color my seats are.

Demolition Progress

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:49:33 -0500

Here are some brand new pictures of Shea Stadium and Citi Field. From this slideshow from WebShot's user Citi_Field, you will see the upper deck on the left field side has been completely removed to about third base. Now the stadium from the outside takes on a different look as observed from the Van Wyck Expressway.

Shea Demolition/Citi Field 1/10/09

The website Stadiumpage.com has posted new demo pictures too as well as exterior shots of Citi Field.

www.stadiumpage.com

Shoddy Patch Work

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:53:05 -0500

During this coming season, the Mets will wear a new patch commemorating the inaugural season of Citi Field. I do not know if it will be on the away jersey but it will definitely be sewn on the home jersey right sleeve. The patch is simply pathetic. As you can see here, it is totally devoid of any imagination.

What I find so disturbing about this patch is that there is no inkling of any of the many beautiful elements that are in the new ballpark. Why are the arches reminiscent of Ebbets Field not on the patch or the bridge in right field or some steel work? Or why not have a picture of the ballpark itself on the patch? It doesn’t even include the words Citi Field!

I get it, the shape and colors are representative of the Citi Field patch itself, another exercise in design futility.

Meanwhile, from what I can gather, the Yankees have a patch they will put on their unis for 2009. But unlike the Mets bland attempt, the Yankees patch will be classy and include design elements.

Even the Shea Stadium patch from last year's final Season, was a much better patch. The ballpark was actually on the thing. If you recall, half of the stadium was decorated in it's original form and the other half showed Shea as it was in it's final years.

I know this is small potatoes and not worth blowing a gasket over but for crying out loud, the Mets really blew it on this one.

Homeruns Dying Is a Bit Premature

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:27:01 -0500

There was an interesting article on the blog Amazin’ Avenue yesterday in regards to Citi Field being a ballpark where homeruns will go to die. I highly recommend reading the piece. I hope Greg Rybarczyk of Hit Tracker, the writer who conversed with Amazin’s Eric Simon, is more correct about Citi Field than I predicted. Greg claims Citi Field will be much more a pitcher’s park than Shea Stadium was while I was fearful homeruns and offense may be front and center at the new ball yard.

I would like to point out some things that need to be considered in combination with Greg’s take on the new outfield dimensions at Citi Field.

First off, there are many intangibles. There is far less foul territory in Citi Field as opposed to Shea Stadium. That favors the hitter giving them another opportunity to crank one out or into the gaps. Secondly, unlike Shea, Citi is mostly closed in with the three tiered grandstand extending out to center field. The administration building in right field in combination with a huge scoreboard and a double tiered deck will also block the wind. Plus there is a huge scoreboard in center field further keeping air currents to a minimum.

Greg makes a point that the cutout in right field could be filled in with seats to make the fence closer but the overhung deck would no longer stick out into the field. That overhang is going to capture a few homeruns. It would take quite a laser type line drive to get into the lower seats traveling from home plate. The trajectory of most fly balls to that right field wall is going to end up in that overhanging deck.

Another thing to consider is the orientation of the new field has changed. Shea faced east, Citi Field faces northeast. All of these factors must be considered before we make an assumption of how the field will play. As I said at the outset, I hope Greg Rybarczyk is correct and that Citi Field is a pitcher’s park. The Mets have always won with good solid pitching and Shea always played to that strength.

In the worst case scenario, if homeruns do become extinct at Citi Field, something can be done about it. Unlike Citizen’s Bank Park which was built too small, the Mets will have the ability to bring the fences in for future seasons if necessary. That is not an option in Philadelphia’s band box.

The point is no one really knows how the air currents and wind will behave in the summer months at Citi Field. Hopefully and probably, Citi Field will be a fair baseball stadium.

Aerial View

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:42:56 -0500

Tom Kaminsky from Chopper 88 has posted some great aerial shots of Shea Stadium (what’s left of it) and Citi Field.

Also, can someone in the Mets ticket department come up with a simpler scheme for their new seating plan? What is a color blind Mets fan to do?

New Parks: A Holiday Present For New York Baseball Fans

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:00:00 -0500

After almost three years of work, both New York ballparks are just about complete. These photos of Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium were taken by Tom Kaminkski from Chopper 88.

I wrote a review a couple of years ago regarding the new ballparks. Then, I could only display the artist renderings. But after two plus years of construction in Queens and the Bronx, we see the results.

Perhaps it's my ignorance to the construction process but it always amazes me that there are those that know how to take engineering plans and turn them into the real thing just as they appeared on paper.

As I wrote in my original review, the HOK architects employed by the Mets had the freedom to create something brand new. There would be no need or want to create a park that evoked memories of Shea Stadium. Actually, I'm sure the effort was to create something as far from Shea's design as possible. In doing so, the Mets followed the pattern of many new ballparks since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. While the Mets new baseball facility would be modern in many ways, it would also include elements of ballparks from long ago. Nooks and quirky angles in the outfield walls, exposed steel beams and trusses reminiscent of the many bridges in New York, traditional green seating and coziness are all a part of Citi Field. And the outside facade of the new stadium is modeled after historic Ebbets Field. And like the Brooklyn Dodgers fabled baseball park, Citi Field has a rotunda too, but on a much grander scale. The rotunda is dedicated to the memory of Jackie Robinson. A nice touch considering the pressure to name everything in a ballpark after a corporate sponsor.

While the Mets had the freedom to create something brand new, the Yankees wanted to recreate Yankee Stadium. Unlike Shea, Yankee Stadium, originally opened in 1923, was a ballpark from the classical era of baseball. And with the Yankees rich history of greatness, to alter the feeling of Yankee Stadium would be criminal. So the Yankees goal was much different than the Mets. The Yankees set out to recreate the original Yankee Stadium but also incorporated some of the characteristics of the rebuilt stadium from 1976. Fortunately, more of the original was borrowed than from the renovated. And like Citi Field, there is plenty of modern in the new Yankee Stadium. Gone is the narrow dark concourse replaced with much wider walk ways with many more amenities.

Citi Field appears to be the quainter and cozier of the two ballparks while Yankee Stadium has more majesty. Citi Field's facade is red brick with limestone arches while Yankee Stadium's shell is limestone that hearkens back to when the Stadium first opened in 1923. What I like most about the new Yankee Stadium is that they have returned the famous frieze to the roof surrounding the upper level of the main grandstand. That's where it belongs and in my opinion it was a mistake to have removed it during the 70s renovation.

The Yankees also kept the same field dimensions as the renovated stadium and the monuments have already been moved across the street. And while Citi Field has the Jackie Robinson Rotunda as the main entrance way, the new Yankee Stadium has the Great Hall that will feature banners and displays of great Yankee players from the past.

While the footprints of the two ballparks are about the same, Yankee Stadium has the the larger seating bowl with a capacity of 53,325 including standing room. In comparison, the Mets stadium will hold 45,000, also including standing room. The Wilpons purposely wanted a smaller venue to bring the fans closer to the action. Both parks have more luxury suits than their predecessors but Yankee Stadium will have more than Citi Field.

It does appear from the photos, that Mets fans in the upper levels will be seated a bit closer to the action than their Yankee counterparts. The upper level at Citi Field, known as the promenade, appears closer to the field than the upper level at Yankee Stadium. And while both ballparks have less foul territory, it appears that Citi Field has less than Yankee Stadium as foul lines hug the field level down the left and right field foul lines.

Both ballparks upper levels incorporate a split level design that allows fans to continually view the field while they go to the restrooms or concession stands. The upper levels of each ballpark differ however, in the way fans will get to their seats. At Citi Field, access is via stair cases at the foot of the top half of the upper tier right at the split while the more traditional tunnel entrances are used at Yankee Stadium. Citi Field does have six tunnel entrances behind home plate.

Citi Field and Yankee Stadium offer dinning while watching the game. Citi Field has a glass enclosed restaurant in left field in the Club level. Yankee Stadium's large field viewing restaurant is in center field bisecting the bleachers.

The second level in Yankee Stadium appears much bigger than that of Citi Field. Likely that is where the Yankees have an additional 5000 seats.

The distance to the foul poles is farther from home plate at Citi Field when compared to those at Yankee Stadium. But Yankee Stadium's left center field fence is at a much greater distance than at Citi Field. Here is a comparison of dimensions.

	Yankee Stadium	Citi Field
Left Field	318'	335'
Left Center	399'	379'
Center Field	408'	408'
Right Center	385'	383'
Right Field	314'	330'

Citi Field's seats are green to the dismay of some Mets fans who feel they should have been royal blue and orange. Yankee Stadiums seats are blue, like the older stadium across the street, not like the green of the original Yankee Stadium.

The lighting at Citi Field is mounted on the more traditional light towers which are actually higher than the lights at Shea Stadium. And in keeping with the bridges theme, the lights are arched in an homage to New York's Hell's Gate Bridge. The Yankees, on the other hand have chosen to use ring lighting above the frieze. Ring lighting was first used at Shea Stadium in 1964. I would have preferred that Yankee Stadium used banks of lights like the original Yankee Stadium to further recall the look of the original stadium. However, that is the only negative I can find with the Yankees new home. And in fairness, the one negative I have in regards to Citi Field is the number of seats. I would have preferred to see the Mets new park seat around 48,000 to 50,000. It would give Mets fans that much more of an opportunity to score tickets without giving up much in the design.

The outfield sections, between the foul poles, of the two stadiums are quite different. The grandstand at Yankee stadium curves around the foul poles much the way it does in the old Yankee Stadium. With the bleachers in right and left fields, there is a massive scoreboard above the restaurant in center field which will be used to replay the action.

Citi Field's three tiered grandstand extends around the left field foul pole all the way to center field. There is a picnic area in center and a double decked section of seats in right field. The top tier hangs over the outfield by eight feet further awarding Citi with the more quirky ballpark.

Citi Field has two scoreboards. The one in center, a video board, is not as big as the one in Yankee Stadium. The other scoreboard is in right center above the administration building and will serve to display statistical information. It is also capable of producing graphical displays.

Another nice touch to the new Yankee Stadium is the scoreboards on the outfield wall like they used to have prior to the renovation. I'm not sure if these are going to be hand operated or electronic. I'm hoping for the former. Citi Field's out of town scores will be provided on a board high above left field hanging from the canopy over the seats. Each game section has a diamond to show player activity as well as the score and number of outs.

I'm sure there will be debate over which team has the better ballpark. Mets fans will favor Citi Field while Yankee fans will claim there is no comparison with new Yankee Stadium. But in reality it's a silly argument. They are both different and both magnificent. They both feature more amenities than their predecessors with more restaurants, bars, and shops. The concourses are wider and the sight lines are better. With more restrooms and space to walk around, it should be a lot of fun to catch a game at each facility in 2009. Now, getting the cash together to accomplish that is another story.

Tom Kaminski has posted yet more pictures of both Citi Field and the New Yankee Stadium. In these pictures the fields are covered with snow. There are also some pictures of the incredibly shrinking Shea. Click here to view.

The Latest From Shea's Demolition

Lou Di Falco — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Citi_Field from WebShots has published some outstanding pictures of the demolition process of Shea Stadium. There are Citi Field pictures here as well.

Shea Demolition/Citi Field 12/13/08