According to an article that appeared in the New York Post last week, the most expensive seats at Citi Field next year will cost 495.00. These seats are in the first level in the first rows that surround home plate. For just less than 500 bucks, you can get food and non-alcoholic beverages included. I was wondering if I paid for that ticket, could I get 500 hot dogs and then distribute them to the less fortunate fans in the cheap seats. I could become the Robin Hood of Mets fandom.

If you think this is awful it could be worse. You could be a Yankee fan were similar seats are upwards of 2500.00 dollars. The Mets, according to the article, made a conscious effort to price their tickets lower than the Yankees. Hmm, 26 World Championships to 2 will make you do that.

If you are outraged about the cost of these tickets you are not alone. But know this, all of these seats have been sold. It’s a simple capitalistic principle known as supply and demand. If someone is willing to pay 495.00 for a seat, why should the Mets sell it for less? Apparently, there are a lot more people than we realize with the kind of cash to pay for these seats even in a slowed economy or do a dare say a recession.

As you move away from behind the plate and the dugouts, the tickets expectedly reduce in price but it appears the cheapest tickets in the field level are around 125.00 bucks a seat. And yes, these seats are still cheaper than equivalent seats at the new Yankee palace.

$125.00 per seat is still out of the price range of most fans. 500 dollars not including parking, concessions, transportation and tolls is a little above what the now squeezed middle class family of four can afford. But again, many seats and luxury suites have been sold out. In fact the Mets have said that 48 of 49 luxury suites have been sold already with about ten companies fighting over the last one. The luxury suites at Citi Field are going for a mere 275,000 to 500,000 dollars. One exec with the Mets thinks they under priced the suites. Equivalent suites at Yankee Stadium close in at almost a million dollars! Gees, is this baseball we are talking about?

So what is the average blue collar (even white collar for that matter) fan suppose to do? Well one thing is to watch more games on TV. With the money you save by not going to a game, a high definition TV at 32 inches or greater with a reasonably priced theatre system is a wonderful alternative. And many high definition sets have come way down in price. Brands like Vizio or LG offer great value without compromised picture quality. Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium should look just grand on a flat panel LCD high def TV.

Going to games at Citi Field is still not out of the question. The upper deck known as the promenade level will feature prices that average 19.00 a seat. That’s an average with the lowest tickets around 12 bucks. Now to most, that’s affordable and these seats will still be lower and closer to the field than the upper deck at Shea.

In addition, the Mets will offer multiple ticket prices depending on when and who they are playing like they do now. So a week night game against the Nationals in the upper level might be quite affordable.

As long as there are people willing to pay the exorbitant prices in these new cathedrals, don’t expect the prices to drop. Look at the bright side. If the Mets intend on keeping ticket prices high, they will do their best to field the best team possible. If the Mets fall back to the losing ways of the early part of the decade, new stadium or not, Citi Field will be empty and the seat prices will drop. The problem then is who would want to go?

So while there will be reasonably priced seats available, there is another problem. Shea Stadium currently holds 57,333 people when full. Citi Field will hold 42,500 people. While the capacity of Citi Field is listed at 45,000, that includes standing room for 2500 fans. Do the math, Citi Field holds 14,833 less fans. According to the comparison page on Mets.com, Citi Fields upper level will hold 15,500 while Shea’s upper deck total is 20,420. That’s almost 5000 less seats per game at the new ballpark. Or another way of looking at it, next year there are 5000 less opportunities to get a ticket per game. As of yet, there has been no word on the pricing of standing room.

Both stadiums will be beautiful venues to watch your favorite team. Citi Field will be a bit more affordable but not much. The hard core fan will still get to a few games but there will be less of the die hard fans in total than ever. There will be more corporate types, you know, the empty suits who are more interested in being seen than knowing what David Wright’s average is with runners in scoring position with two out. That’s a shame because the one thing the Mets always have had going for them is the passionate Mets fan, the most passionate fans in baseball. Now there will be less and less of them at each ballgame.