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Friday, February 27
Update On Obstructed Seating
by
Lou Di Falco
on Fri 27 Feb 2009 12:00 PM EST
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.
Thursday, February 26
Baseball Is Back
by
Lou Di Falco
on Thu 26 Feb 2009 08:51 AM EST
Baseball is back. Regardless of the fact the games are insignificant for the next month, baseball is here every day till the end of October, possibly into November.
The big question of course is how well will the Mets do. They won their pre-season opener by a score of 9-3. The only regulars to make the trip to Ft. Lauderdale were Luis Castillo who drove in four runs and Ryan Church who drove in three. Sean Green started and left the game after four batters because of a tear on a finger nail of his pitching hand. Daniel Murphy played too.
Today, the Mets will play at Port St. Lucie on SNY TV and MLB.TV. Other games are being televised by the new MLB Network so no excuse not to get an early fix on baseball. And don't forget that starting next week on March 5th, the second World Baseball Classic will begin.
I'm feeling confident the Mets will have a good year. I feel that way because the Mets players are exuding confidence. There seems to be a determination in camp this season we have not seen in a while. Manager Jerry Manuel (remove the interim tag) has his team focused and ready to go right out of the gate. It's way too soon to get excited about games but you have to like the fact that a large amount of Mets hits yesterday were of the opposite field variety. This, of course, is something Jerry preached about the last couple of weeks and was one of the reasons why he initiated the 80 pitch drill.
MLB Network aired their Mets 30/30 show the other evening. The panel likes the makeup of the team and in contrast to Mike Francesa's assessment, Harold Reynolds and the other analysts all like the Mets chances. Harold picked the Mets first in the division while Dan Plesac picked them second mainly because the Mets must prove something after two collapses.
I generally don't take stock in predictions but the one I am most thrilled about is Baseball Prospectus. They picked the Mets to win the division by three games. As many of the smarter analysts in baseball have discussed, the Mets problems the last two seasons was their bullpen. With the acquisition of Rodriguez, Putz, and Green, Prospectus feels Minaya did what he needed to do to fix the club. While the pompous Francesa continues to claim you cannot expect the Mets hitters to have the same statistical season they had last year, Prospectus thinks otherwise because of the age and ability of these players.
However, nothing is determined in February. The baseball season is long and arduous. It arcs from the cold rainy days of April through the hot humid days of July and August then back to the cool nights of fall. It's a journey with many chapters to be written. There will be surprises and disappointments, slumps and hot streaks. Classic moments and ones we will surely like to forget. To me, it's not all about game seven of the World Series. It's the joy of each regular season game. Baseball is a past time. I follow the team, the Mets, because I enjoy doing so regardless of the outcome. It's the risk we all take as fans.
If the Mets stumble this year, some fans will scream and swear they will never come back. So be it. That's you're right too. The question I have is why do fans like this follow baseball or any sport for that matter? If the only way to enjoy the season is for your team to win it all, you likely will be frustrated. That's a futile approach. The odds are always against it happening. But the odds are good the Mets will have a winning season. By that I mean they will win more than they lose. That gives us hope they will make the playoffs. Making the playoffs gives us hope they will get to the World Series. Getting to the World Series gives the Mets the opportunity to be World Champions.
It's a long, long season. Enjoy every moment of it.
Monday, February 23
Question Marks
by
Lou Di Falco
on Mon 23 Feb 2009 05:51 PM EST
I could not believe the discussion I heard on WFAN the other day. Mike Francesa was ranting on about how the Mets were an 84 win team because there were just too many question marks.
I don't necessarily disagree that there are question marks. I don't even necessarily disagree with the fact the Mets could win only 84 games. However, I really think they will win more. But how can we really know? There is so much to be played out. What I find so disturbing about such rants is how Mike can feel so sure of himself when it comes to questions relating to the Mets, yet similar questions regarding the Yankees are non existent.
First of all, what team does not have question marks in spring training? What club is the pencil-it-in World Champion for 2009? Is it the Mets, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, or Rays? I don't know. Do you?
You gage a teams chances on the talent they have on the field. Talent wise, I think the Mets fair much better than an 84 win team. That doesn't mean they will win more than 84 games, it means they should. Mike took the glass is half empty approach with the Mets' starting pitching, left field, and second base.
Francesa pointed out John Maine is coming off of surgery. True but his shoulder spur was repaired and so far, he feels great and is showing no ill effects. He is already throwing harder than he did last September. Santana had his knee scoped but is on track and feels fine. Francesa had no argument for Santana but inferred you can't expect Mike Pelfrey to have a great season just because he appeared to turn the corner last year. Why not? Scouts have said all along the pitcher we saw last season was the one drafted in the first round out of Wichita State. How come Joba Chamberlain's body of work is not met with the same level of skepticism and incredulity? Is it because he's a Yankee?
Mike questioned the left field situation with a platoon of Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis (this was before Jerry Manuel indicated Murphy could be the every day left fielder). There isn't a player in Mets camp that works harder at hitting than Daniel Murphy. He has already shown a natural ability to swing the bat at a maturity beyond his years. Plus all winter Murphy worked long hours in Florida shagging fly balls to prepare himself for left field. Give the kid a chance. At some point the stars of today were the rookies of yesterday. Not every star player in baseball was a sure fire can't miss prospect.
Another easy target is Luis Castillo. Hey, if I could snap my fingers and switch Castillo with Orlando Hudson I would do it. But what about the fact that prior to last season, Castillo was an all star second baseman? Do we discount that Luis went to Minaya after the season and begged not to be traded, that he realized he was out of shape and vowed to work hard over the winter. He lost 17 pounds and his knees appear to be pain free. He hates losing and seems determined to make amens. Does he not even get a chance?
In one breath, Francesa says you can't look at last year's performances and expect them to be automatic again this season. But yet, that's what he does when he points out all the negatives. You can't have it both ways. That's why I say you must base a prediction on talent and injuries. Right now, the Mets have talent with no injuries other than Tim Redding who has been slowed from surgery last November on his toe.
In regards to Mike's take on the Yanks, apparently 161 million dollars for CC Sabathia doesn't raise a question mark. After all, CC is the most fit of any pitcher I have ever seen. Don't you think so too? Add in another 65 million for A.J. Burnett, the poster boy for the disabled list. Can you say Carl Pavano? Well, he's not that bad but Burnett has certainly had his share of injuries.
Now CC is a great pitcher and so is Burnett. But if you are going to assume the Mets have questions surrounding their pitching staff, how can you not apply the same logic to the Yankees who also have a pitcher coming off injuries in Chien-Ming Wang.
This time of year every team has questions. But based on talent alone, the Mets have to be considered one of the clubs with an excellent chance of reaching the post season. Notice I did not say win the World Series. That's because I am a firm believer in the goal being to make the playoffs. I do not subscribe to the theory that winning the World Series is all that matters. To me, that's an exercise in futility. With eight teams making the tournament, as I like to think of the post season, anything can happen. The Mets were the better team in '06 but lost to the Cardinals, a team just above .500. The Yankees were an out away in '04 then collapsed and lost four in a row to the Red Sox. Unfortunately the World Series has become a battle between who survives the first two rounds of the playoffs, not necessarily the two best teams.
I don't see the Mets through rose colored glasses. Nor do I see them as gloomy as Mike Francesa and Joe Benigno might. What impresses me so far this spring about the Mets is not their talent, which they have plenty of. I see a confidence that I have not seen in a while. It's confidence without the cockiness from the last couple of seasons. In the long run, the Phillies winning the World Series last season might turn out to be the best medicine for the Mets.
Sunday, February 22
Citi Field Construction
by
Lou Di Falco
on Sun 22 Feb 2009 11:18 AM EST
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.
Friday, February 20
No Shea
by
Lou Di Falco
on Fri 20 Feb 2009 11:37 PM EST
Tom Kaminski of CBS Chopper 88 has posted pictures of Citi Field from the air. What makes these photos so unique is the absence of Shea Stadium. The big round ballpark is gone completely except for the remaining rubble that is being cleared away.
Once that is complete, drainage systems will be installed then the parking lot will begin to be constructed. The location of Shea's home plate, pitcher's mound, and base lines will be outlined in the parking lot. My goal is to park where Mookie Wilson's ground ball went through Buckner's legs. That would be cool.
Wednesday, February 18
Gone Forever
by
Lou Di Falco
on Wed 18 Feb 2009 10:43 PM EST
Shea Stadium: October 28, 1961 (first shovel went into the ground) to February 18, 2009 (last section torn down)
"And the pitch by Stanley…and a ground ball…trickling…it is a fair ball…gets by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame! The Mets win! They win!"
- Bob Murphy - October 25th 1986
Obstructed Seating
by
Lou Di Falco
on Wed 18 Feb 2009 03:45 PM EST
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.
Tuesday, February 17
A-Rod Spills His Guts (or does he?)
by
Lou Di Falco
on Tue 17 Feb 2009 02:26 PM EST
I'm watching this press conference with A-Rod and all I can think is I'm glad this guy is not on the Mets. He has a perfect opportunity to come clean yet he keeps digging himself further into a hole as question after question exposes that his story keeps on changing.
As I wrote last week, I don't really think Steve Phillips could have known it at the time, but he was 100 percent correct in the fact that A-Rod creates a one and 24 situation in the clubhouse.
Monday, February 16
Early On
by
Lou Di Falco
on Mon 16 Feb 2009 11:55 AM EST
Now that pitchers and catchers have reported, it's official. Mets baseball is back. Even though there are no games scheduled till February 25th, players are in camp and the regulars will be reporting in the next couple of days.
As far as the Mets go, you have to like what we have seen so far. The entire starting staff, including some relievers, were in Port St. Lucie a few days before they needed to be. That also goes for David Wright who has been in camp for a while. Daniel Murphy is in camp talking to anyone who will listen in regards to hitting. You have to love this kid. And of course Jerry Manuel is there stirring up trouble with ideas of moving Reyes out of the lead-off spot.
Compared to the circus that is setting up tent in Tampa, notions of putting Luis Castillo into the lead-off spot is hardly a controversy by comparison. That did not stop callers with insomnia from ranting on WFAN about the idea through the night.
I actually do not know if Manuel is serious or not. But the idea of talking about such a move is key to the message Jerry is trying to send. The team comes first, before individual stats and egos. If it's good for the team, then that is what Jerry intends to do. It's that simple.
Over the weekend, Jerry stated that although the bullpen was the primary culprit for last year's failure of getting to the playoffs, there were too many times where the offense did not do the little things to help win ballgames. This is the stuff I love to hear. Hopefully Jose Reyes agrees. The point being that 65 stolen bases a season might be sexy but 35 that are meaningful and appropriate to the situation are what wins ballgames.
Too often last season, the Mets did not make productive outs. Too often runners were left stranded. When a hitter reaches first, the next batter's goal should be to move that runner along, not to drive a double into the gap. The goal of moving runners does not require the pressure that getting a big hit does. With less pressure, the hitter is more likely to get the big hit. And if they do not, at least they should have achieved the result of getting the runner(s) into scoring position. It's the fundamental thing to do.
Another is hitting the cut off man. Outfielders trying for the big out at the plate has become an epidemic in baseball. More often than not, the run scores anyway with the runner moving up into scoring position. Why give the other team more opportunities to score runs? Defense is such an important aspect of baseball. That and situational hitting appear to be Jerry Manuel's mantra this spring.
Another thing I like is the camaraderie which already appears evident. Last Thursday evening during SNY's Mets Hotstove, newly acquired J.J. Putz shoved a cream pie into Kevin Burkhardt's face at the end of the show. Putz was a guest earlier in the program with Sean Green, the other relief pitcher the Mets received in the trade. Both appeared to be having a blast already. Their humor and chop-breaking style could go a long way of keeping the clubhouse loose. The whole team appears more confident this spring, like they have something to prove. In fact, they do have something to prove, don't they?
Of course it's way to early. This is the time of year that even the fans of the Kansas City Royals are excited. There is so much time and issues to flesh out before the season begins. But things are looking good, at least early on.
Saturday, February 14
Photo Tour of Citi Field and Shea
by
Lou Di Falco
on Sat 14 Feb 2009 11:21 PM EST
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