New Stadium Insider has a photo up of a section of seats in Citi Field that have an obstructed view.
To me, it looks like it’s just those last few rows – but, still, it appears any one sitting in these seats will lose the ball on a high pop up.
By the way, I have been told by a few people that the New York Post will soon release a story exposing all sorts of flaws in Citi Field, which, considering the source, is not at all surprising.
To check out the latest photos from inside Citi Field, check out Island Extreme’s photo gallery, here, on Webshots.
The image in this post is of the giant Pepsi Cola sign that has been installed above the right-field porch.
My friends at Pepsi tell me the entire right-field porch will actually be sponsored and called The Pepsi Porch. The sign in this picture is inspired by the one in Long Island City. The area will have tables and chairs above the seated section and will serve antique Pepsi products, whatever that means.
Speaking of Island Extreme, who I’m starting to think lives inside Citi Field, he took the following pictures, here, and video, here, from inside the cement cannister that will house the new Home Run Apple.
Lastly, I keep getting questions about where the original Home Run Apple will be. According to the team, eyewitnesses and pictures, the original Apple has been installed in the Bullpen Plaza, which is open to the public behind the bullpens, at Citi Field.
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I far prefer Coke, but that didn’t stop me from going to Shea and it’s not going to keep me out of Citi. Anyone remember the RC days?
It’s probably best to leave the ‘coke’ days behind us.
Although they were some of the best days in the history of the franchise I have to agree with you. Lets Go Pepsi!
Wow, those seats look TERRIBLE!
I’ll have to be careful when buying tickets.
Did you read the article with the seats pic? Something to the effect of “what if as a Yankee fan a Met fan takes you to a Met game and you get those seats?” My gosh, better not obstruct the view of a Yankee fan at a Met game.
You guys also say it like there were no seats that you didnt lose pop ups at shea… last game of the season I had to duck down just to see the ball go over the fence
While that’s true, this is supposed to be a state-of-the-art stadium with great site lines that should have been confirmed via virtual reality models, etc.. Shea was designed and engineered from a pencil.
Exactly, for the price of this place, the idea of “obstructed view” seats is disgraceful.
With my seats last year at Shea i couldnt see almost all of RF I had to wait for either applause or groans to know whether or not the ball was caught / a hit.
I have to say, it seems there are thousands of seats with some sort of obstruction. I say this having looked at many photos, so I guess it’s possible the camera is playing tricks (but I doubt it).
Any photo I have seem from the outfield seats seems to have large swaths of field you cannot see.
I’m not sure how specific you’re being in your “obstructed seats” description. Every baseball park, if you sit in the OF, you can’t see the full warning track. Does that count as “obstructed?”
I consider “obstructed” to be if a support pole, or a scoreboard, or an overhanging deck are in your way, not if from any seat you can’t see every inch of the field.
Try the first four seats on the aisle in the first two rows in the PR Infield seats…
Try the first row behind on LED ribbon board in the PC or PB seats.
I apologize for my ignorance but I have no idea what you’re getting at with this post. If you would, please elaborate.
The seats I discussed in that post are also obstructed view seats… Just search baseball fever, you’ll understand.
OK I will, thank you.
yeah gravedigger, you’re right that i needed to qualify my statement. they are not obstructed. but, there does seem to be many seats that will not be able to see in the corners in the outfield or the wall.
my comments are more about the decision to put so many seats in the outfield, i guess.
i don’t know. i can wait to actually visit the stadium and see for myself.
You make a valid criticism, and I agree that we’ll actually have to “experience” some of the seats to come to more firm conclusions. I wanted a better understanding of what you considered, I guess rather than “obstructed,” “problematic” and now I have it, thank you.
I think they went with more in the OF to keep the overall profile “lower,” eliminating “nose bleed” seats. Although some of my fave seats at Shea were the first few rows of the UD behind home plate, moving up from there or out from there I hated being up that high, but I realize that’s just my subjective feeling and I respect others with different seating preferences.
You’re welcome and, yes, problematic is a good word. I totally agree with you about the UD reserve sections at Shea.
I will say this: I went to Camden Yards and sat in LF and didn’t like it.
in regards to the obstructed view, from the little you can tell from that picture I believe it will need to be a major league pop up in order for that to go lost…
it appears to be in right field… so you might lose the pop up to the catcher or to first, but for the most part you will be ok
what’s with the artificial terf in the home run apple area behind center field?
The artificial turf is pretty bad there… I hope that the Mets might condier putting in real sod at some point this season.
I fine it interesting that no one (not Matt or even media) are talking much about the price increases at city field.
At Shea, only Field was cost prohibitive. Loge and Mezzanine were not cheap but affordable. And upper deck was very affordable, though your view was that of an eagle looking down on its prey.
At Citi-Field, the affordable seats in loge and mezzanine have been elimited. The new level above field (which is basically where Mezzanine use to be) now costs three times what Mezzanine cost last year. Above that are the suites and above that finally is the upper deck (that is where all the mezzanine season ticket holders were moved). Thats right they got moved up a level, but still asked to pay 10% more than the prior year.
I beleive there are a few upper upper deck seats left that perhaps remain very affordable.
I think we need to better understand this. I wish someone would write a detailed analysis of this. Because remember, there are 15,000 less seats at Citi-Field. And almost all of the seats eliminated were the inexpensive upper decks.
If you have ever been at Arthur Ashe stadium for the US Open you will understand what Citi Field will be like. Yes, you will feel like you are watching from above the trees. And you will wonder who are in the suits below you and why the seats in front of them are empty (unless you are lucky enough to get a gift of the corporate seats).
My Promenade Infield seats cost less than my Upper Box seats from 2008… I seem to think that’s a big plus for me.
The second deck is all Club Level. So in the price of the seats in included the price of club admission. Expensive…
i don’t know…
maybe it’s because i don’t live in the ny area anymore and when i get home to see a game i don’t care what i pay. or, maybe it’s that i make a decent living and paying for good seats is not a big deal anymore (like it was when i was in my 20s).
i just don’t get worked up about the price of tickets anymore. that’s why i don’t talk about it.
I agree with casey on the overall point and I am happy to pay a premium to be somewhere in the first dozen rows behind the Mets dugout on the 6-9 games I make each year from the West coast.
But to Kickedinthemetsicles point, I think you have your stadium comparison wrong. As others have stated, the second level at Citi is the Club level – common in new parks. The Promenade level (the new UD) at Citi is the only section above the press level, like the old Mezz AND UD at Shea.
Also, they used to have comparison cross-sections on the Mets web site, but it seems to be gone….anyway it showed that the very worst seats at Citi were akin to the very front of the old UD at Shea. In other words, the Promenade level at Citi is equivalent in height (but closer to the lines) to most of the old Mezz at Shea.
Thus, if you had great Loge Reserve seats and got bumped to Promenade in Citi, you have room to complain (this seems unlikely, given the larger number of seats on the Councourse (field) level at Citi). But not so much if you go from Mezz to Promenade…and certainly an improvement for UD to Promenade.
The new park looks beautiful, but I think there’s going to be a lot of media out there bashing it just because the Mets built it. You can close your eyes and almost envision that first “it’s no New Yankee Stadium” column (my money’s on Harper or Madden for that one).
The right field fence looks crazy with all those sharp angles. It looks like Reyes could get a few inside-the-parkers with the ball taking some crazy caroms. Also, do they plan to put some padding on that aluminum bullpen fence? That corner is sharp and dangerous the way it is constructed right now.
LOL, see my post below! I was thinking the same thing. What? Do they want to skewer these guys?
That IS odd….I have to think they will pad it. The renderings do show a clear view into the pens, which is troubling. Didn’t Beltran tweak a knee in a chain-link fence in Houston last year?
anyone worried about that bullpen fence out in right-center? i really hope there are plans to pad that thing. i mean, we have a gold-glove, middle-of-the-lineup, three straight 112+ RBI seasons, $18.5m/year guy patrolling centerfield.
wrightistoopc and casey s.:
I caught that too. Thought maybe it just looked that way but I guess if you’re seeing what I’m seeing it apparently is not padded.
They can’t possibly be thinking about leaving it like that….
There are plenty of new ballparks with that chain link fence look…
Matt based on your comment about the Post, I’m thinking your a New York Times guy. The New York Times is a disgrace of a paper. In know some will say the Post is as good as the inquirer, I’m thinking those folks are NY Times people as well, haha. You can’t get a more biased and skewed point of view then the NY Times.
No doubt; I remember when the Times told the Mets to move to Salt Lake City (without a tongue in their cheek).
But I think Matt may be referring to the Post originally reporting on the rust stains on the Citi exterior (which I believe were normal for that stage of construction… which of course didn’t stop the Post from making a hysterical deal out of it).
This is why I think Mets fans should brace themselves for everyone telling them how terrible the stadium is. This is the Mets we’re talking about – the world will find a way to **** on this place.
The Post is a hack Yankee paper. I don’t think anyone reads the Times for the Sports section. I’d guess if you’re not a Post reader, then the Daily News or Newsday is where you get your sports from.
I second your “Post is a Yankee hack paper” sentiment. To me, that’s what Matt was getting at in his original post. They’re simply inclined to rip the Mets unless/until they win the World Series then they’ll do a bunch of commemorative covers and inserts.
in addition to haplo’s reference, you have to remember that the post is considered a “yankees” paper, while the Daily News is considered a “mets” paper. Both papers have their Mets and Yankees beat-writers – i like Hubbuch well enough so far, but thats where the paper’s have allegiances have generally been. Don’t forget, SNY even has some sort of deal with the Daily News (they have Daily News Live with commercials for the DN mixed into the programming)
The DN is a “Mets” paper? On average we get maybe half the column inches during the regular season. Geez, what do the “Yankees” papers do, put the Met results in agate type with the box scores?
Oh, for the good old days (mid 80s-early 90s) when the only news the Yankees made was Steinbrenner crying that he couldn’t draw any fans and wanted the city to move him to Manhattan.
Newsday is a Mets paper
The Pepsi Cola sign looks like it says Phillies from far away. don’t like it. although I do prefer Pepsi over coke
If anyone has tickets in the first 2 rows in the Promanade at Citi your SCREWED. They have the LED board blocking your view of the field. Unless your 6′4″ you better bring a booster seat!
hxxp://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo225/BluthBananaBaseball/IMG_3072.jpg
hxxp://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo185/saltzy23/Citi%20Field%20Tour%202-13-09/?action=view¤t=Picture136.jpg
Replace the xx with tt, and you’ll see what we are all talking about. They are $75 seats for Christ’s sake as well.
That is awful!
Anyone buying tix at Citi better be careful, their are some HORRIBLE seats. Obstructions everywhere. I cant believe that this couldn’t be avoided
At least they gave you cupholders. JK, that’s bad. I’ll consider myself lucky to be 6′1″ and try to avoid those seats anyway.
Try being 6′3&240 and finding a comfy seat!
b/t/w, Hebner you were right on!
Pepsi tastes like flat Coke!
They had some excellent pictures of the old homerun apple in it’s new home at stadiumpage.com. Look at the pics from February 16th under CitiField.
It looks like Matt is right about it being located in bullpen plaza.
They have some of the best Shea demolition pics on that site that I’ve seen anywhere.
StadiumPage has been fantastic and the credit to a lot of those pics are the folks from the baseball fever board…
It’s the best place to pick up on a lot of stadium information too…
They do a good job, but when going to be biuying tix to new stadiums for me (I see lots of Mets games out here in the West – in LA, SD, SF, SEA, AZ, etc)…I use the great “seat data dot com” site for views from all the different seating sections.
When I clicked on the link it showed me a shot of other stands. I think it is difficult to determine whether it will be obstructed or not. However if they are, that is a DISGRACE. They lowered the seating capacity from 56000 to 42000 with an additional 3000 standing room. I don’t understand how in modern era construction you could have this. I mean wouldn’t that be a major consideration?
As far as the Post is concerned, they do love the Yanks but give them a lot of crap as well. AROD is getting cremed everyday and they weren’t light on them when they missed the playoffs. The Post basically attacked rusty areas at Citi Field and the Citi name itself. I think both are justified. In fact you have to wonder if Pepsi putting their sign up months before opening day is a sign of things to come. Will we hear about financial difficulties from them?
All new stadiums have their qwirks. That is why many say going year number 2 is always a better experience. But if these seats indeed are obstructed, that will be just another Joke about the Mets and their stadiums.
I have been a consistent defender of Citi….and frankly, the pic in the link doesn’t look that bad….but when you add in what appear to be obstructed views in the frist row or two of the entire Promenade reserved section? That is a LOT of obstructed views. I mean, those are $75 seats with no view of home plate!!!!
The pic in the link is not the issue… THE issse are the LED ribbon boards… That’s a huge obstruction…
Agreed…the ones in the Promenade Reserve infield first row or two are horrid! You can’t see home plate!!
See (delete the “mets” between the h and ttp):
hmetsttp://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo225/BluthBananaBaseball/IMG_3072.jpg
and:
hmetsttp://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo185/saltzy23/Citi%20Field%20Tour%202-13-09/?action=view¤t=Picture136.jpg
and:
hmetsttp://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo185/saltzy23/Citi%20Field%20Tour%202-13-09/?action=view¤t=Picture135.jpg
For the record, I’m a Post subscriber and a huge Mets fan. The Post does a great job all around, including the set up of their paper. I enjoy their Mets coverage and I think they are fair. They covered the BS rust story, but they also covered the Yankees city loan and stadium appraisal incident. The Daily News is sloppy and barely legible. Newsday isn’t a true New York Paper, so I don’t count them and the NY Times is the biggest joke wether your reading it for sports or politics.
Plus(thankfully)the Post retained some journalistic integrity by not openly and continually rooting for Obama while blindly
bashing Bush for the last two yrs..
7train: Sorry to point this out to you, but if you wish to make a clear and personal position on how you consider the New York Times to be “the biggest joke” of a newspaper and that the New York Post “does a great job all around,” you might want to consider this: You are what you eat or in this case, you are what you read. So in your defense, you should hope that poor grammar and spelling aren’t a reflection of the New York Post as it is with you and your particular posting. Granted this is quite an informal blog, but please don’t insult a literary publication when you yourself have trouble with basic spelling. See and refer to your usage of wether and your. Perhaps it was careless, perhaps it was a mistake on your part and perhaps even I am biting your bait, but really, its quite a glarring err to your statement and above all else funny and ridiculous to my eye.
PJDKELLEY: EZ guy, why so harsh, the Messiah has cometh and he will lead u. NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR SPELLCHECK HAHA
The Mets definitely ended up with more obstructed view seats then they thought. I have a Saturday Ticket Plan and they actually called me a few weeks ago to say the seats (unexpectedly) ended up with an obstructed view. To their credit they rectified the situation by offering us different seats (we ended up reaching a happy compromise after they initially wanted to send us further out in the OF. They also offered a full refund).
That said, I think everyone is going to have to get used to the idea of a stadium with GOOD SEATS BEYOND 1B/3B. Shea simply has a ton of IF seats, and whatever OF seats it had were far off the field (and pointed in the wrong direction). That’s not the case at Citi. As someone who has sat in RF at PNC in Pittsburgh, I can tell you that it is possible to have a good seat even if its not behind the plate.
first time back since last season. sorry if all of this has been stated already, but i just wanted to point out that the story about the views at citi came from the great bunch of guys at basball fever (one did take the lead and he contacted the paper) who have a thread about 600 pages long regarding citi field.
the thread is years old and they have many, many views of what i would consider truly, truly horrible views at the stadium. there are whole first and second rows that have the led board obstructing the view, the out of town scoreboard is a problem with views, railings in general and the stairways (since there are no tunnels) have a high number of rails and glass panels which make clear sight lines of the field impossible.
obviously, it is early on, but these people were on tours and have pictures to document all the claims. it looks like it could be an issue. i am hoping it is just a case of it looking worse than it actually is, but i am somewhat worried. also, the out of town scoreboard appears rusted already and let us not even discuss the astroturf around the apple (really, too hard to cut the grass???? lame lame excuse)
just figured i would pass on the info. regardless, i just want the season to start already!
I have been told by a few people that MetsBlog will soon release a story debunking reports of flaws in Citi Field, which, considering the source, is not at all surprising.
Is it just me or is the “C” in “Cola” broken on the top?
it just hasn’t been put up yet. There are other pictures out there, where you see the sign is put up in pieces.
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