Since opening day, many folks have e-mailed, asking if I have listened to the FAN or heard any of the backlash from outraged Met fans, complaining about Citi Field.
I have not tuned in. I gave up on outrage long ago.
Loge13 started over two years back because we were Outraged. Saddened. Confused. The Mets were tearing down a perfectly fine stadium to erect a smaller, less personal "Field" with less seats for fans and no announced plans to migrate longtime season-ticket holders to that new ball park.
Two years ago, no one wanted to talk about the fiscal irresponsibility of it all. Or how fans were getting a bit of a shaft. Times have changed. Outrage is now in bloom in Flushing. Meanwhile, our Outrage has melted, or given way to bemusement.
Others now are raging about what we chewed up and spit out since 2007. I have had time to move through various stages of outrage and grief...and been twice to Citi Field...so I think I can write somewhat objectively about my first thoughts re: the new place. I'll get to the positives in another post but for now, here's what's not to like, in no particular order:
There are no Mets here. I think it is great the Wilpons are honoring Jackie Robinson. Maybe it's a bit over the top for a guy who never played for the Mets or had anything to do with the franchise but as a figure of history, he deserves a tribute.
But so do the Mets. As
Faith and Fear more elegantly put it, where are the honors to Seaver? To Stengel? Joan Payson? I have seen alot written lately implying that Met history is really not that memorable. Rubbish. This is just Yankee envy talking again. In NY, people equate baseball history with winning the World Series. That means the Phillies don't really have a baseball legacy to be proud of. Or the Cubs. This lack of homage to the past is something I guarantee will be corrected in the next couple seasons.
There are no Mets colors here. Most of the blue and orange you see in Citi Field are in the logos for Citi Field. Otherwise, the tones are neutral: brown and green and gray (kinda like the old Shea hamburgers...more on food later). This living tribute to Ebbetts Field is decorated to the point I feel like I'm in a black and white movie walking around...
...Until I saw the red grounds crew jackets. Red. As in Phillie Red. Not only are we ignoring past history, but apparently we are also ignorant of current history. It must have occured to SOMEONE that red is not a good color for anything Met. What happened to bright orange? Even lime green? Lets change those colors.
And lets change those seat colors. Otherwise I have no idea what level I am on.
There are no restaurants here. I keep hearing about these seven great restaurants for the fans in Citi Field. What they don't tell you: most fans can't get into any of them. Unless you are seated in specific sections, you are denied access...something no one told us when we bought seats in Promenade 427. We can't even eat in the Promenade restaurant, which forbids visits from any of the unwashed seats beyond Prom 421.
Of course, all folks can eat in the open stands, including Blue Smoke, Shake Shack, etc. The lines for those places have been prohibitively long so far.
There are some limited view seats here. Ask Keith Hernandez. From where we sit, we cannot see plays into the left field corner and anything about 20 feet off the left-field foul line. That's a slight problem, but not earth-shattering. As I have walked through the stands, I have seen (or not seen) much worse.
I think the worst, though, is watching on TV. Wednesday night, one of the Padres hit a shot up the right-field line. Couldn't tell if it was fair or foul because the camera loses sight of the ball when it hugs the asymmetrical right field walls. Keith Hernandez said on-air that he can't see what happens up the lines from the broadcast booth. That's a problem. Good to know I have one thing in common with Keith (soon two things, once I determine the best "Just for men" color for me).
There are no big beers here. I looked all over the Promenade area Monday night for the wonderful
24 oz beers that were sold in Shea Stadium last year (truly one of the best innovations at Shea since the Home Run Apple). I could not find these buckets of pleasure anywhere. This is a serious problem. If anyone knows where they are in Citi Field, please tell me.
That's enough for now. I will post soon on what there is to like about Shea Field, because there are some cool things to enjoy. I'd love to hear what y'all are thinking...
Come to the Bronx and see how it should be done =))