Daily Archives: March 27, 2009
Update, 9:43 pm:
The Mets will reassign Jose Valentin to Triple-A, if he is unable to find a job with another team on a major-league roster.
Original Post:
The Mets released Ron Villone prior to today’s game, while Nelson Figueroa, Rene Rivera and Andy Green were sent to minor leagues camp.
Also, Cory Sullivan and Carlos Muniz were optioned to Triple-A.
…in other words, Jeremy Reed and Marlon Anderson look likely to make the bench, with Ramon Castro, Fernando Tatis and Alex Cora… i still believe Nick Evans will travel north, but be replaced on the roster with Livan Hernandez on April 11…
…also, this would suggest Robert Parnell and Brian Stokes are likely to join Francisco Rodriguez, JJ Putz, Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano in the bullpen on Opening Day, with Darren O’Day competing with Fernando Nieve and Elmer Dessens for the final spot… i’m guessing it will go to o’day… so, feliciano will be their only left-handed reliever, in a division with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins…
Tagged Mets Spring Training |
This photo is of stacks and stacks of tickets to Citi Field, sitting on the desk of a ticket broker in New York City.
Meanwhile, I am scrambling to find any two tickets to Opening Day, April 13, for my Dad and I; yet here is a mile-high chunk of tickets for the season, most likely selling for astronomical prices, all while reducing supply through the team at face value.
According to Adam Rubin of the Daily News, “Fernando Martinez has resumed throwing after being shut down since the Caribbean Series with an elbow strain.”
…i believe martinez will start the year in Double-A… he needs to stay healthy, and hit… last season he played in 90 games, the most in his professional, three-year career… he has yet to really have a full, healthy, productive season, which he has going to have to do before the team truly commits to him as an every-day, major-league outfielder… in other words, this is a big season for him, to say the least…
Mike, from Planet of the Geeks, has designed a new Lego figurine to resemble Keith Hernandez.
…this is one of the coolest things i have ever 
seen… no, mike doesn’t sell these, which is a shame, because people would snap them up in a second…
…great work, mike…
Mike has also designed Lego figurines of David Wright, Kevin Youklis, Jason Giambi, and Bret Favre, among others.
Speaking of Mets announcers…
The crew from Amazin Avenue have been running an online Mets Announcer Tournament.
Today is the final battle, between Bob Murphy and Gary Cohe
This week on SNY’s Mets Weekly, Julie Alexandria and I break down what will likely be the Mets Opening Day roster.
Also during the show, Julie battles Daniel Murphy in a game of Wii Tennis; and Razor Shines will be mic’d during a Grapefruit League game.
…i have seen clips of the tennis segment, and murphy shows up wearing small, blue tennis shorts, wrist bands and a head band, like John McEnroe…
Mets Weekly airs Saturday at 12:30 pm, then repeats at 6:30 pm.
Tagged Mets Spring Training |In St. Lucie, my producer, Jeff, and I took time to film a video of tour of Port St. Lucie, Florida, for those of you who have never been.
To watch the three-minute video, complete with an homage to Rocky IV, click play below:
…by the way, i have to say, my swing is looking better, as you can see from my efforts in the batting cage – look out Wiffle Ball Tournament…
For additional Mets videos, go here.
According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, “If the Yankees face the Mets in a Subway Series, 55 percent of New York City fans back the Bombers and 42 percent pull for the Amazins.”
“Except for Queens,” Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, explains, “New York City still is the home of the Bronx Bombers, who are favored in the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island, too.”
Among fans who say they are ‘very interested,’ or ‘somewhat interested,’ in Major League Baseball, 56 percent say they are Yankees fans, while 33 percent side with the Mets; three percent picked the Red Sox.
…this sounds right to me… my hunch has always been that the city is divided in three, equal parts Yankees fans, Mets fans and front-running fans… the team that is winning rings, picks up the middle third… and so, the above numbers make sense to me…
Tagged Yankees |
In an article for SNY.tv, Ted Berg gives odds on who will make the back-end of the bullpen by Opening Day, writing:
“Bobby Parnell (1:7): Somehow, the 24-year-old fireballer whose name sounds like it was pulled from the cast list of Grease has become a heavy favorite to make the Mets out of Spring Training. Most of the reports out of Port St. Lucie have Parnell as a lock to crack the squad, and it’s no secret that team brass is high on his abilities.”
Neil Best at Newsday relays that WFAN radio personality Mike Francessa may get in the dunk tank at Citi Field for charitable purposes.
…i’ll just let the comments section have fun with that one…
Eddie D’Anna at the Staten Island Advance thinks the Mets should retire Mike Piazza’s #31 no matter what.
Flushing Faithful discusses “The curious case of Nicholas Evans”, noting, “the Mets have a logjam right now so Nick Evans SHOULD go to Buffalo but he may force his way onto the roster.”
And it’s prediction season, so the guys at The Daily Stache offer up their ideas on how the lineup will perform in 2009, and I give my thoughts for the Phillies’ blog, Macho Row.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
Congratulations, Jason Mollica, on being named the new PA announcer for the Mets Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.
If you recall, Mollica was a writer for MetsBlog.com in 2006.
Speaking of the Bisons, SNY will televise five of their games this season, the first of which will be on May 28.
Tagged Mets Spring Training |
In November, 2008, following a media tour, I left Citi Field thinking it was very sterile, cold, ‘cookie cutter,’ and much too similar to PNC and Citizen’s Bank Park.
This is no longer the case.
Citi Field will have its own unique feel, and Mets fans are going to love it.
The organization continues to trumpet the words cozy and intimate.
However, I felt the opposite; and in a good way.
There will be a strong feeling of community in Citi Field, mark my words – more than was ever the case in Shea Stadium.
There are endless spots to hang out with friends, fans and family, grab a hot dog, grab a beer, watch the game, and walk around experiencing different angles and elements, with ease, and lots of freedom to move about, yet always feeling connected to the game and the team, which is unlike any ballpark I have been to. In fact, there are large, flat-panel monitors that can be easily be seen throughout the Promenades, so at any given moment you can look up, and catch a highlight or 
score from the ‘850 screens,’ and keep moving.
I always got lost in Shea Stadium. I attended 163 games in that building, yet even on the last day, I got lost trying to get from the Upper Deck to Field Level, because I kept using the wrong ramp.
In Citi Field, it is a breeze to get from right field to left field, or to get from the Promenade to the Field Level – all the while, should you need to, you can suddenly stop off, regardless of your ticket level, lean on any railing, and watch the on-field action.
That said, when you do stop and settle in your seat, the team is correct, Citi Field suddenly takes on a 
more intimate, cozy feeling.
Speaking of seats and angles, a) the seats are all slightly angled to face the field, which, until you actually sit and experience it, is hard to convey just how awesome and comfortable this is, and b), despite it feeling rhetorical, the team is correct, even when sitting in the worst seat in the house, I felt closer to the action than had been the case in a comparable seat in Shea.
The only concern I have will be for fans sitting behind home plate, up in Promenade Reserve, towards the back, because it appears, though you can see home plate, if there is a pass ball or a pop up behind home, the landing and railing may obstruct your view… I think.
There are plenty of bathrooms. However, what I think will limit long lines 
is not the actual number, but that each level, with their respective clubs, like the Delta Club, Cesars Club, etc., all have designated facilities, and so I believe there will be less of a mad rush with everyone scrambling for the restroom at one time and waiting. However, if you must wait, know there are big, flat-screen televisions above the door, so you can keep an eye on the game.
Speaking of the different, exclusive clubs, they are amazing, as are the suites and the press box, and the media room.
Fans who sit in a Promenade Club seat will have access to the Promenade Club, which has bistro dining, high top tables, restrooms, and a full bar and kitchen, and huge glass windows, that open, to see the field. 
This area is super nice.
Yes, we can still bring in sandwiches and food from home, to eat in our seats while watching the game. However, the ballpark will offer all sorts of food, including Taste of the City from Danny Meyer, which will include a Shake Shack and Blue Smoke, in addition to a Taqueria. There will also be Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, Crinkle Cut French Fries, Corn Dogs, Premio Sausage and Peppers, a Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts with hot and iced coffee, your standard peanuts, pretzels, popcorn and Cracker Jacks, Carvel ice cream, Mama’s of Corona, and Cascarino’s Pizza, among other things.
The old Home Run Apple from Shea Stadium is on display beyond right field, behind the bullpens, in what is called the Bullpen Plaza, which is accessible to fans who enter the ballpark through the Right Bullpen gate from 126th Street. I think it’s interesting too that, after so many years of going to this area for baseball games, 126th Street is about to be more relevant and will become a big part of the fan’s lexicon.
Also, the bullpens are protected by black chain-link fencing, and fans can see through it to watch – or heckle, I would think, since the visitor’s pen is closest to the entrance, while the home pen is below the stands and closer to the field, where fans in their seats can look down on who is warming up.
Next to the bullpens, on the ground level, 
behind the right field wall, is the Mo Zone Party Suite, sponsored by Modells. It’s tremendous, and I cannot wait to try and organize a MetsBlog.com Get-Together for this space. There are high-tables, a bar and food service, all in one spot. I believe this will essentially replace what was the picnic area at Shea, though it services only 150 people.
Gigantic, black-and-white, Mets murals are hanging outside, also viewable from the inside, over the left-field entrance.
Beyond center field is a wide-open space, 
behind the massive scoreboard, where you will find Beer Island, Shake Shack, and other restaurants, including a kiddie field, with the same dimensions as the main field, but about 90 percent smaller, where ‘kids of all ages’ can rent the space and play wiffle ball with their face on a mini scoreboard. The concession stand here, which will be the Shack Shake, features the electronic skyline from the top of Shea Stadium’s scoreboard. This made me nostalgic.
The team takes a ton of pride in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda; but, honestly, while I can tell it will be impressive, there is still construction being done and it is difficult to get a sense of its power. That said, it’s fairly obvious this will be an easy meet-up spot 
before the game.
The fan-purchased bricks are set in to the ground in front of the Rotunda, and I can kick myself for not buying one.
What was I thinking?
Speaking of the Rotunda, it is the only element in the ballpark that references the Dodgers, and it is a more of an homage to the player and his accomplishments than anything to do with the team he played for. I say this because, on this site, I criticized Fred Wilpon for designing Citi Field in honor of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who he grew up cheering for. The thing is, once you move two feet beyond the Rotunda, you are clearly in the home of the Mets – there is nothing that will make you think otherwise. I jumped the gun, as did 
others. This Ebbets-Dodgers thing is no longer a concern for me.
Above the Rotunda, behind home plate, behind the Promenade seats, is a second wide-open, uncovered, gathering spot, again, where fans can collect, eat, drink and watch the games on TV, while walking from right to left field. This is a common theme, and, as someone who is too antsy to sit, it’s something I’m very excited about.
The view and experience from the Pepsi Porch will be unique. Technically, 
some of these seats are in play, because when sitting in the seat against the railing, when I stood up and looked down, I could see the warning track. The home run wall, technically, is beneath you, behind you, and out of view. There will be a bleacher-crowd mentality in this space, I believe. There is an outdoor, uncovered concession area behind the Porch seats, essentially cut off from the rest of the ballpark. This is a cool spot. I will be watching a lot of games from the Porch.
In short, what struck me most about the ballpark is the variety of experiences, elements and places to watch the game from. There is something for everyone, whether you’re looking to dress nicely and go to 
dinner; whether you’re a family of four looking for a day in the sun; whether you are a rabid fan, looking to be with other fans, or just sit and keep score; or whether you’re like me, anxious and jumpy and looking to wander around; you could go to Citi Field 10 times and have 10 different experiences, all with the Mets and a baseball game as the common theme.
To watch MLB.com’s Tour of Citi Field, go here.
To watch my video from Citi Field, go here.
To access the 50 hi-res photos from my tour, go here.
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