Craig Carton was taking the Mets to task this morning for opening up new Citi Field to a college game. He felt the Mets once again bumbled their way through instead of doing the more classy thing like opening up with the Mets playing in the game. After all, that's what the Yankees are doing this weekend.
Honestly, I never saw anyone make more out of nothing than Carton. I really liked him when the show first went on the air but during the last few months, he has become somewhat irritating. But that's a story for another day.
So after almost three years of construction, Citi Field finally opened to heralded reviews. I was not there so I can only report on what others have said. Most everyone I saw on television, heard on the radio, or read in the papers or Internet agreed that the Mets new home is simply spectacular.
Of course not everyone is happy. One fan I saw on ABC News said the park was very cold looking and it would take time for her to warm up to the place. Was she kidding?
A more alarming piece was on the Stadium Insider site, a site devoted mostly to the Yankees. A streaming video showed an obstructed view seat in section 523, row 3 seat 1. The stairways that lead up to the promenade reserved seats have glass barriers and brush aluminum railings. If you are seated near them, it's possible your seat will have an obstructed view. The streamer made mention that if your season tickets are in this seat you will have a miserable summer because the railing goes right through home plate. Also, people coming up and down the stairs all game long will make it difficult to see the action. What he did not mention, and to the Mets credit, is that those seats will only be sold for single games when absolutely necessary and likely at a discounted rate. They have not been made available to season ticket holders. The Mets are well aware of the few seats that have partially obstructed views.
Contrary to Carton's assessment, I think it was a great idea to feature a college game at Citi Field and I would hope it is not the last time. There is no reason the new home of the Mets cannot be used for other baseball activities. This is nothing new. Shea and Yankee Stadiums have often hosted college and city high school tournament games.
What is so strange is to think that we Mets fans have such a fantastic new home. Most of us are cynical and always expect the worst. We bashed and dumped on poor old Shea for so long, what are we going to do now? When I saw the lady on TV complain that Citi Field looked so cold, I felt she was a real Mets fan. Only a true Mets fan could look at this marvelous new facility and say something negative about it.
Let's face it. We Mets fans have been stepped on, kicked, and beaten for years. At the hands of Yankee fans, who enjoy playoff baseball just about every year, we have felt like second class citizens. It's hard to believe that we have such a tremendous ballpark to call our own.
Sure, I know the new Yankee Stadium cost almost twice the price of Citi Field. Many will say it is superior to Citi Field but I don't see how. One person I know, a die hard Yankee fan, told me the seating bowl of Citi Field is much more interesting than Yankee Stadium. The Yankees were forced to recreate the old stadium. The Mets were under no such restriction-thankfully.
Hopefully the Mets new home will give us fans a bit more self esteem. But to be honest, I really don't need my baseball franchise to make me feel better about myself. If it benefits the Mets players in that way then so be it. I certainly hope Citi Field inspires the Mets to play as much as it will inspire us to root.
