Joe Brackets: My Visit to Citi Field

Thanks to Coach Slingbox, I went to the Mets-Diamondbacks game last night. It was my first game at Citi Field this season and just the second time I've ever been there. I didn't go to any Mets games last year (other than one Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium), but I made it a point to go to Citi Field when it opened in 2009.

Two years ago, I wasn't impressed with the place. The Mets desperately needed a new ballpark, and it was certainly a drastic improvement over Shea Stadium, but I thought it was really weird that the stadium in Queens where the New York Mets play paid homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers, a different franchise that played in a different borough. (It was made even weirder by the fact that the Mets' opponent that night was the Dodgers). I'm not a Mets fan, but I don't dislike the Mets either. Even still, that really bothered me and left a sour taste in my mouth. The Mets have won two World Championships and have plenty of their own history.

I was pleased to find out that after Citi Field opened, a lot of Mets fans had the same criticisms/complaints about the ballpark as I did. And I give Fred Wilpon a certain level of credit for listening to them, even if it was a year too late. Fred, you own the New York Mets, NOT the Brooklyn Dodgers. You were a Dodgers fan growing up. Good for you. That has nothing to do with the Mets or their fans, many of whom are too young to know the Dodgers ever played somewhere other than Los Angeles. They were rightfully confused as to why the stadium honored Jackie Robinson basically everywhere you looked (the big 42 in the main entrance is completely ridiculous), but had nothing recognizing Tom Seaver or Dwight Gooden or Gary Carter, let alone current players like David Wright.

So it was a really pleasant surprise to visit Citi Field and see the changes that have been made, which are all definite improvements. The Mets Hall of Fame is what I really wanted to check out, and it lived up to the billing. The Mets obviously don't have as much history as their American League counterparts in the Bronx, so the Mets Hall of Fame and the Yankees Museum are completely different. That's the point. The Mets aren't the Yankees, just like they aren't the Brooklyn Dodgers. They're the New York Mets, and they've done a lot of stuff and had some really great players in their 50 years. The Mets Hall of Fame appropriately recognizes those 50 years.

When you walk in, you're greeted by the Mets' version of Monument Park, bronze plaques honoring the members of the Mets Hall of Fame. They also have the 1969 and 1986 World Series trophies and championship rings on display. Other stuff includes a display of all the awards won by Tom Seaver, the greatest player in franchise history, a pair of those awesome ugly orange seats from Shea Stadium, and tickets stubs from both the first home game in franchise history and the first game at Shea. My favorite part, though, was the two gigantic display cases celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1986 Mets, one of the most talented, most entertaining baseball teams ever. Among the items included were Jesse Orosco's hat and glove (the one he threw up in the air after the final out of the World Series), Gary Carter's catching gear (can you tell Carter was my favorite player growing up?), ticket stubs from all seven games, and autographed jerseys from virtually anybody on the team you can think of. The Brooklyn Dodgers jerseys and t-shirts were in the gift shop, which is where they belong.

The Mets also get bonus points for keeping the museum open after the game, which the Yankees don't. They also get bonus points for having much more reasonable concessions prices (my $6 slices of pizza notwithstanding) and ticket prices that are generally cheaper (and much easier to get). Subway access is also a lot easier than it was at Shea.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still like Yankee Stadium better and there are still plenty of flaws with Citi Field (including the team on the field). We were sitting along the first base line and there was no scoreboard anywhere in left field. I also still don't understand why the right field wall is 15 feet further back than it should be or why they have seats in there when the people with those tickets can't really see anything. But my overall impression of Citi Field is much higher now than it was after my first visit. I didn't get a chance to explore all of the other features that Mets fans rave about, but I know I'll make it back there at some point. And who knows, maybe the Mets will make it worth my while at some point, too.