In a post to his blog for Newsday, David Lennon explains why he is surprised by the level of criticism being directed from fans toward Citi Field.
MetsBlog reader Bill M sent in an e-mail about some of the popular criticism of Citi Field saying…
“Some things I would love to see you comment on: Obstructed view seats; lack of a pre-game lineup on the scoreboard; wait lines for everything; lack of Mets specific icons, banners and statues.”
Bill, I did comment on a few of these things yesterday, here; but, honestly, I did not notice much of these other complaints. This is not to say they do not exist, I know Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts from WFAN mentioned many of the same complaints, if not more, so I don’t doubt the legitimacy of these concerns.
I was pretty focused on the game, actually, and since I am pretty much an optimist by nature, it would probably take a whole lot to dissuade me so early. I tend to look for the best in things, only after that do I start picking everything apart. Also, I assume Citi Field is a work-in-progress, so I’d rather wait and see how it all shakes later in the year.
Frankly, I am far more concerned with the 3–4 record.
That said, Mets Exec. Vice Pres. of Business Operations David Howard was a guest of Mike Francesa’s on WFAN yesterday afternoon, and addressed many of the popular complaints on air.
Regarding the much-talked about obstructed view seats, specifically those that lose sight of the ball in the outfield, Howard said:
“The way we characterize ‘obstructed’ is if you have an obstruction, something in front of you – a beam, a pillar, something that’s blocking your view. That’s not the case here. It’s a function of the geometry of the building; and it is a conscious decision that we made along with the designers and the architects, that we wanted people to be lower and closer to the field, and have great views, and great views of the action.
“By doing that in fair territory, you are going to have situations where you are going to lose certain blind spots in the deep outfield of those sections. That is something we understood to be a factor. It is true in every new ballpark that has seating in the outfield.”
To listen to Howard’s interview, go to WFAN.com; and to read a transcript, go to Mets Today, where Joe Janish does a great job dissecting and responding to much of his remarks.
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