The Murphy Homer / Non-homer
It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, because even without Danny Murphy’s homerun, the Mets still eek out a win by one run.
But, there’s one thing bothering me about the fly ball he hit to the right field corner in the sixth inning of last night’s ballgame.
While everyone else is focusing on where the ball “hit” or “didn’t hit” the Subway sign, I’m looking at where the ball landed on the field, and what it did afterward — which was bounce toward the right field wall, and into the Modell’s sign.
Now, the Subway sign / overhang is a full eight feet in front of the Modell’s sign. So if the ball deflected off the Subway sign, how did it continue toward the Modell’s sign, rather than reverse direction and roll back toward the infield?
That one TV angle that makes it look as though the ball seemed to change direction while in the air in front of the Subway sign, I think, may be an optical illusion. I don’t think it’s possible to change direction via a deflection, and then change direction again after hitting the ground. You’d have to impart some very weird overspin on the ball, and that generally only happens with towering fly balls (the kind Dave Kingman used to hit). Murphy’s shot was more between a line drive and a high fly ball, and I don’t know that it could’ve had the type of overspin necessary to bounce that way. It looked to me like it had backspin.
Any physics experts out there to impart some wisdom? No doubt this issue is going to come up again at some point.
NY Post: Dopey Mets Want to Erase Dwight’s Citi Autograph
Memo to the Mets: ERASE THIS!
The NY Post’s George Willis is reporting that the Mets are up to their old tricks:
WHEN Dwight “Doc” Gooden attended the Mets’ Opening Day ceremonies at Citi Field last week, he stopped by the Ebbets Club along the first-base line and mingled with fans who cheered him during his Mets career. He shook hands, took pictures and signed autographs.
Someone thought it would be a nice idea if one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history signed a blank gray wall next to the bar. Gooden obliged, taking a black Sharpie and writing in script “Doc Gooden 84 R.O.Y., 85 Cy Young, 86 W.S. Champs.”
Gooden took a picture next to the signature, and so did countless fans lucky enough to afford the price of a ticket that allows them access to the club.
But now the Mets – who have been criticized for not showcasing enough of their history in their new ballpark – plan to erase Gooden’s signature from the wall, treating it as if it were unwanted graffiti.
Read the whole article here. Granted, it’s a little strange that Gooden autographed a wall, but it’s not like he could have posed for pictures in front of a photograph of himself or the ‘86 Mets – from what I’ve heard, those photographs are nowhere to be found at the new ballpark.
When you think about it, it’s amazing that Gooden is still alive, much less visiting the new ballpark and interacting with fans. Leave it to Mets management to step in and screw it up.
The fact is, Gooden DID autograph the wall and now that it is there, it should be left alone. It should be allowed to become part of the stadium and part of the team’s history. The minutiae and folklore of this team – like skydivers, black cats and Bill Buckner – are created and shared by players and fans. Ownership can build the ballpark, assemble a roster and sell the tickets, but they can’t control the memories. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they are trying to do.
David Howard Answers Citi Field Complaints
In case you missed it, Mike Francesa’s radio show yesterday elicited many calls about Citi Field, particularly in regard to sight lines and obstructed views. Eventually, Mets EVP of Business Operations David Howard called in to answer the deluge of complaints.
Following is a summary of some of the issues Howard addressed, along with some of my witty commentary in italics.
On Citi Field being an homage to the Dodgers:
“There is NO homage to the Dodgers! There is, an appropriate tribute to a great American, someone who singlehandedly probably did more for the advancement of civil rights in our country than anybody, and by the way did that in New York … so we think that’s entirely appropriate, we’re honored and proud to do it … Rachel Robinson is thrilled … it’s not about the Dodgers, it’s about Jackie Robinson and all he did for America …”
No argument on the importance of Jackie Robinson to our country and our history. And while I respect Rachel Robinson, I don’t know why it matters that she’s thrilled. And for a field that isn’t an homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers, there sure are a lot of reminders of Ebbets Field around the new building.
On why there is no shrine to the ‘69 Mets, ‘86 Mets, and Mets history in general:
We’re extraordinarily proud of our history … We’re still sort of doing the refinement here. We’ll have appropriate … oh, uh, we’ll roll out additional elements … we’ll recognize that, celebrate that … “
In other words, including Mets history wasn’t considered until the entire fanbase spoke up in protest. Typical knee-jerk reaction by this organization.
On the obstructed views, poor sight lines, and losing sight of the ball in the outfield:
“Here is the issue, this is with regard to seating in fair territory in the outfield, which is something different that we have at Citi Field, that we really did not have much of at Shea Stadium. … the reality is … a little seating we had in fair territory in the outfield at Shea Stadium did have some blind spots on the field, it is NOT obstructed. 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 is 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 …”
Thank you for providing YOUR definition of “obstructed”. Silly us, thinking “obstructed” would mean “not being able to see the entire field”. Please now define for us “great views” and “great views of the action”. Because not being able to SEE the action is, to me, hard to define as a “great view”.
Does Camden Yards have seats that have that problem?
“If Camden Yards has …. I don’t know … I haven’t sat in Camden Yards … but if they have fair territory seats … we had HOK, who obviously designed all these ballparks, give us comparative perspectives from all their ballparks in the outfield, and, it’s in every ballpark.”
Let me get this straight … you are the EVP of Operations, assumedly someone with some level of input on the building of Citi Field, and you HAVEN’T SAT IN CAMDEN YARDS? Really? The ballpark that set the standard for all modern parks? The one that remains one of the best when it comes to total fan experience? Huh.
So there’s no way to build a field and have a full view of the outfield? There’s no way to do it? It cannot be done?
The only way to do it is to pull the grandstand back and high and to increase the rake of the seating structure to the point where you compromise the entire experience. Now you’re very far away from the field, you’re high up, you feel like you’re on an extreme slant and feel almost unsteady walking up and down the stairs — that’s the way to do it, just to capture the last few feet of the outfield. Again, we did not feel that was the way we wanted to go. The seats are great seats, the value is tremendous. I understand people have their own point of view, but, when you sit in those seats in the left field promenade, it is a GREAT sightline. Yes I understand that if there’s a fly ball hit to the wall, you’re going to lose it, we do have, you know, TVs extensive, high definition televisions everywhere, you know, we do, we made that accomodation. Again, it’s a It’s new to our fan base … but the seats here, compared to the Shea Stadium upper deck … those seats, as a rule … those seats … were horrible seats, they were terrible seats, they were high and far and the sightlines were atrocious. The seats in the promenade level at Citi Field are spectacular by comparison.
First, yeah, the upper deck at Shea wasn’t great, but at least you could see everything that was happening. Second, here’s a wild idea: how about NOT putting seats in fair territory? Crazy, I know, but it works pretty well in, um, CAMDEN YARDS!
On the obstructed … er … limited views in the left field promenade:
Yes I understand the issue in the left field promenade reserve, I understand the issue with the Pepsi porch, that was, again, intentional, to bring the seats low and close, and overhang the field, it’s a great perspective, it’s very cool, it’s very popular, we understand the concern, it’s the lowest-priced seat in the building, it’s still a great seat, and we still feel we’re delivering a tremendous value to our customers.
Oh, I didn’t realize it was cool and popular to not be able to see the game … I feel much better now, thanks! Tremendous value? Customer? Did I just walk into K-Mart?
On the issue of being able to walk around and feel free at the field level where there are great direct open views to the field and on multiple HD TVs all over the place, but not having the same experience upstairs (i.e., where we poor folks sit), where it is open but difficult to see the field and there are few TVs
“Yeah … the promenade concourse is as wide as the old field level concourse was at Shea Stadium, and it is an open deck so it is open to the field and we have televisions throughout that level at every concession stand, so if you are going to a concession stand, yeah you will be able to see the action on TV.
“All three levels are open structures with views out to the field. Obviously on the field level and Caesar’s Club level you have a better sightline to the actual playing field. On the Promenade Level, it is a little bit higher, you probably have to be a little bit closer in to actually get a view but you still have good standing room views from the Promenade Course to the field. You may not see if you’re walking in the middle of the councourse, but that concourse is more than double the width of the old upper deck level concourse at Shea Stadium …”
OK, so, if I’m standing on line for food and beverages, there’s a TV. As for seeing the game directly, I’ll have to hope no one’s already standing at the edge. But luckily the concourse is nice and wide so I can take a stroll, such as if the game is a blowout and I’m uninterested in seeing the game.
On the high walls:
“The theory was to bring people closer to the action while still making it a pitcher-friendly ballpark … part of the intentional point of view that we wanted this to be pitcher-friendly … “
Good for Johan, bad for David Wright. For the record, I like the idea of a pitcher friendly park. (See? I’m not always negative.)
On the a vast amount of outfield to cover:
“We think that’s an advantage for us … we do think we have very good defensive outfielders, and we think Daniel Murphy will make himself into a good defensive outfielder, but in terms of Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church, they are two of the better outfielders in the National League … we do have some speed offensively as well where we think we can take advantage of the large outfield …”
And in two years when all three of these players are gone? Just curious.
On the parking issues:
“Two significant things about the parking, number one is, we now operate it, and we think we’ll do a better job of driving a better customer experience with regard to parking. … parking will be a significantly better experience all the way around … from a concessions standpoint … based on the last four events … we have been setting records — not just Mets records, but records for Aramark — in terms of business that we have done, so there’s no question that this ballpark, especially with regard to the infrastructure, and the way we have designed the food and beverage and the merchandise layout, it has responded very well.”
Customer experience? Again, am I at a mall or a ballpark? And who asked you about your concessions sales? Why do you think we care that you’ve set things up perfectly for people to spend their money, especially in this economy? Thanks for sharing, I’m absolutely thrilled that the Wilpons are making money. They sure need it.
On whether the concessions sales records were due to volume, menu choice, or because it’s more expensive:
“Our average concessions prices are 6% less than they were last year … we have a lot more options, tremendous quality … it’s a really very well laid-out plan with regard to making sure people can be served quickly, promptly, and in a very comfortable fashion. I think it’s shown very well just in terms of the amount of business we’ve been doing.”
Again, so glad you’ve worked out a way to make it easy for me to hand over my money to the Wilpons. Thank you!
On complaints about the scoreboards:
“I’m very surprised to hear any complaints about the out-of-town scoreboard … I can’t imagine why there’d be any issue with the out-of-town scoreboard … I think part of that issue is people getting familiar with where the information is, and where to look … “
Oh, it’s not you, it’s me, I get it. Stupid me. Usability is about me getting used to how you believe things should be, not you understanding my needs. Duly noted.
On the green seats:
“The green we felt is a classic color for a classic ballpark, it was the color of the seat of the Polo Grounds … blue seats … the royal seats don’t work well because it’s too light, and it oxidizes fairly quickly … going navy blue, there’s another team in town that we felt would go navy blue with the seats … the deep green … we think it’s a beautiful color, we’ve gotten very positive comments about the look of this building … the green seats extend essentially the green of the field into the stands …”
Yeah, the Mets would never want to do something that the Yankees might do — the Mets are ALWAYS trying to be very different from the Yankees. I’m glad about the green seats, actually. At least something from the Polo Grounds was included. I mean, the Mets did actually play there, and not at Ebbets Field, prior to Shea Stadium.
You can hear the whole interview here.
Citi Field: First Look
The good, the bad, and the ugly of Citi Field, brought to you in pictures. View the photos, read my remarks, and form your own opinion … or wait another two weeks and try to scalp a ticket so you can see the place for yourself.
Thanks to fellow blogger Andrew Vazzano of TheRopolitans, I was able to attend the very first baseball game ever played at Citi Field, between the St. John’s Red Storm and the Georgetown Hoyas.
While there, I took a bunch of pictures to give you an idea of what the new stadium is like. Unfortunately, the day was dreary, with gray skies and a constant mist, so all the photos came out similarly drab and colorless. Since there have been several photo and video “tours” on other blogs, I’ve tried to assemble more esoteric points of interest around the park.
What was most strange about this day was that it is likely the only time the stadium will look so sparse of spectators, despite being a sellout. All 42,000 seats were sold — within 45 minutes of going on sale on the internet — yet the majority of folks were walking around the inner guts of the stadium to check everything out rather than sitting in their seats.
All photos have been published as a series, and this is article number one. More than 20 photos and descriptions are included, to guide you through this virtual tour of Citi Field on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Click the links below this post to navigate through.
Citi Field: Final Thoughts
(photo from the Bridge and Tunnel Club)
Last spring I appeared on SNY’s MetsWeekly and said that I would not miss Shea Stadium. To me, there was nothing particularly special about the symmetrical, circular, cement structure that was cast from the cookie cutter of multi-use stadiums that became all the rage in the late 1960s and 1970s. And while there are memories of Shea I’ll always cherish, I stand by my original feeling — there’s nothing about Shea Stadium, the structure, that I’ll miss.
My dispassion for Shea was partially due to watching baseball games at Camden Yards, Turner Field, Nationals Park, and other “modern” ballparks. These new parks “got it”, meaning, whoever built them understood how to best connect the fan to the game, and make three hours at the park an enjoyable experience. After visiting a stadium like Camden Yards, I felt jilted upon walking into trash hole that was Shea. As a result, I looked forward to the opening of Citi Field.
Maybe my expectations were too high, because I’ve come away slightly disappointed. In comparison to Shea, it’s no contest — Citi Field is a much nicer place to visit, being new and comfortable and filled with features that place it miles away from Shea. But Shea Stadium was not where I set the bar, it was the other “new” parks (Camden and Turner are both over 10 years old now) — and compared to those, Citi Field falls a little short on delivering to the common fan.
Again, Citi Field is a beautiful park, a wonderful place to watch a ballgame — if you can afford it. I could do without all the Ebbets Field and Dodgers reminders, but the Wilpons’ fascination with Brooklyn doesn’t bother me nearly so much as what I’ll boil down as the “exclusivity” of the place.
I get that the park was built for revenue generation, and to take advantage of the Wall Streeters and corporate flunkies who have money to burn. That’s cool, I’d do the same thing if I was in charge. But there were some details here and there that give me the feeling that the average joe will be visiting a lot less often than he did Shea. In my first experience at Citi Field, the park was hosting a relatively meaningless college game on a cold and rainy Sunday in late March, yet already the pretentiousness of the place was apparent, whether it was the empty seats behind home plate, the glass-walled restaurant in left field, the $10 sandwiches, or the various “members only” clubs that identify seating categories and deny access to simple schmucks like myself.
The great aspect of the many modern ballparks is the ability for fans to enter for a nominal fee and roam around the ballpark, watching the game from various vantage points — both indoors and out. Multiple seating areas and stand-up bars make it easy for the transient fan. Perhaps you can’t get into the special members-only club and sip martinis with a corporate CEO, but at least you have the freedom to roam around, socialize, and take in the game from any of several angles — that’s the equalizer. From what I’ve seen and read, that equalizer may not exist at Citi Field. There’s no “general admission” or “standing room only” tickets listed on Mets.com, and the bleachers have gone the way of the dinosaur and the phone booth. “Promenade Reserved” is the cheapest ticket, ranging from $11-$27 depending on the game (apparently some teams are less “Major League” than others), so I guess that’s the equivalent of cheap nosebleed seats. But is that price low enough to bring in the economically challenged family more than once a year? Or is it the cost of the “experience” at Citi Field high enough to “keep the riff-raff out” ?
Bottom line: Citi Field is a beautiful place to sit and watch a ballgame. My hope is that every Mets fan gets a chance to do so.
First Base Line
Following up with the previous post, which mentions the smaller foul area around the park, check out the distance between first base and the photographers pit.
Below is a closeup.
This is a really minor thing, and neither a negative nor a positive detail, but it’s something that caught my attention. Mostly what I’m wondering is how many times will Carlos Delgado be stampeding into photo lenses and TV cameras chasing after popups. The wall in front of the pit and bordering the fans is a fairly short height, which means a player could both reach over but also get upended. It may take some getting used to.
Left Field Foul Pole and Restaurant
Here is a shot of the left field foul pole, which is Mets orange and stands in front of the “Left Field Restaurant”, a dining experience that features a clear glass view of the ballgame. The restaurant is located on the “Exelsior Club Level”, which doesn’t sound too highfalutin, does it?
According to Mets.com, the Left Field Restaurant is “climate controlled” and features “quintessentially American cuisine”. It is open to ticketholders in the following categories: the Ebbets Club Gold, Sterling Club Platinum and Gold, Exelsior Club Platinum and Gold, all Metropolitan Boxes, and all Field Box seats.
In case you were wondering, most of the Field Boxes are sold out to season-ticket holders, though it is possible to obtain seats to some games for as little as for $75 a pop. The Metropolitan Boxes are similarly unavailable, and start at $95 for Thursday afternoon games against the Nationals. If those seats sound out of your range, don’t bother checking into the Exelsior, Sterling, and Ebbets category levels.
Here’s a closer view for those who, like me, will be on the outside looking in:
Left Field Entrance
This is where I entered the park, because the entrance at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was a madhouse. I like the black and white photos of Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Rusty Staub, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, etc.
Above each entrance is a steel figurine (sculpting?) of a key moment in Mets history. As seen below, left field is marked by “the catch” that made Endy Chavez forever immortalized.
Next post: left field from the inside.
Outfield Angles
Above is the view of the field from the field level, third base side.
Below is the view from the field level, down the right field line.
This is a random shot of the top of the dugout, which strangely had standing water on this rainy afternoon. You would think they would have pitched the roof of the dugout so that rainwater ran down. Small detail, I know, just mentioning it because that’s something my dad the housebuilder would point out.
Some notes:
- That outfield is BIG. Thank goodness the Mets have Carlos Beltran to roam that pasture, and Ryan Church in right. The corner spots are going to be tricky, because there are some strange angles and inconsistent wind gusts. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, balls may fly out of there or get knocked down — not unlike Wrigley Field.
- There is very little foul territory, much less (from my judgment) than there was at Shea. Who cares, right? Well, it means that more foul balls will go into the stands (yay! free baseballs!) which means less outs on foul balls. That means batting averages could go up, because at-bats that otherwise wouldn’t be extended, are extended. Good for hitters, not so great for pitchers. You thought John Maine had issues putting batters away before?
- It looks to me like righthanded hitters will have to really mash the ball to get it over the fence in left, which is both very high and a far distance from home plate. Could mean a lot of doubles for David Wright, though.
- Right field has a spot right down the line that looks pretty close. The official dimensions say it’s 330 ft. down the line, but it looks like that 330 stays for a good 20 feet across before the alley begins, which means Carlos Delgado might get some chip shots. But, my judgment could be off.
Behind Home Plate
If you are a longtime MetsToday reader then you probably know I’m a catcher, and as such I think the seats behind home plate are the best in the house — any house.
Of course, in many stadiums, they’re also the most expensive seats, and rarely if ever available to the average joe (pardon the pun).
As you can see from the above picture, and the ones below, those seats are off-limits even when the stadium is hosting a college game on a cold wet day at the end of March.
All those beautiful seats, empty … sigh …
Those seats are for the corporate sponsor VIPs, cousins of the Wilpons, and other richie riches who have the dough to lay out for a Delta Club Platinum season ticket (almost $41,000, at an average price of about $500 per seat per game).
Which is fine, that’s the way it works, and so what we commoners do to see the game from that vantage point is sneak a peek at a few pitches through the opening above those seats, which is usually opposite a concessions stand. Just one problem: that opening doesn’t exist. In the way is the exclusive Ebbets Club. But hey, you can get into there for a measly $200, and watch the game while sipping a Grey Goose martini. Fabulous!
Just above the Ebbets Club are more seats which look to be attached to luxury boxes, so no chance of sneaking a peek there, either.
Just above the luxury boxes look to be a bunch of seats — though I have no idea about availability — and then what looks like the press box. It also looks like the TV cameras will be up there as well as the broadcast booths.
But, it does like there are seats for the common man above the press box, and I imagine you’d be able to sneak a peek from up there. So, although you can’t get a look at a Major League curveball from BEHIND home plate, you can kind of get an idea of what one might look like from a spot about 200 feet ABOVE home plate. We’ll take what we can get, us poor folk.
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