It was sort of surreal at the time. I don’t know if I fully grasped that Shea Stadium was no more when I took this shot heading into the game against the Padres on April 16th, 2009.
Quick and Easy Guide to Mets Spring Training
This isn’t a guide to every last detail of Port St. Lucie, but I’d like to share my observations about watching the Mets down there. Tonight is the first televised broadcast, and also the first audio broadcast.
The most interesting part, in my opinion, is the morning workouts. These occur pretty much every day, even on non-game days, on the fields behind Digital Domain Park. You’ll see the entire camp full of players out there, except ones that may be playing in an away game, doing workouts and drills. Minor and major leaguers in all shades of Mets uniforms wearing all sorts of different numbers. You’ll see guys you’ve never heard of, even if you pay pretty close attention to the minor leagues. They’ll do all sorts of interesting drills and you’ll see the coaches and managers barking orders and instructions. You’ll get an inside look at how players prepare for games and seasons. You’ll see them practice learning the signs and just doing baseball things. Sometimes the minor leaguers will start playing a game near the end of the session, this is normally the time the regular players retreat to Digital Domain Park to prepare for the regular game. Usually you’ll be asked to leave, but sometimes you can catch an inning or two.
You can get autographs if you’re persistent, but during workouts these guys are mostly working so you’ll have to be quick and paying attention to who may have a moment. They’ll have to walk by you to get from field to field, and often this is when they’ll sign. Another good time to get autographs is after games, particularly if it’s an away game and the players are headed back to a bus or their cars if it’s close. When the Mets travel to nearby Jupiter to play the Cardinals or the Marlins, many players drive. Many people looking for autographs wait in the walkway between the players’ exit and their parking lot. This is also a good way to get a look at what cars players drive. Autographs are there to be had, so if that’s your thing you should have no problem. Normal rules apply; if you’re a cute girl or a kid you’ve got the best shot.
Spring Training tickets are often not expensive, and it’s a chance to get seats that are really close that would be virtually impossible to get at a Major League park. The atmosphere is so much more relaxed and casual and it’s a fun time all around. Both years I went I sat first row in front of the Mets bullpen, literally within touching distance of all the pitchers as they warmed up to go in. Close enough that they can here what you’re saying to the people you’re with. There are season ticket holders in Florida, but there are still seats available mere rows behind home plate too. And it’s roughly 10% of the cost of a Major League stadium.
Another fun activity that’s probably more common in places like Port St. Lucie than Tampa Bay is player-spotting out on the town. Most people know about Duffy’s, a chain restaurant with a bowling alley attached down the road from the Spring Training Complex. SNY films some segments there, and it’s a common place for players to hang out too. The Mets do bowling nights on Sunday evenings, so if you want to watch baseball players playing a different sport that’s the perfect time. Port St. Lucie is not a tiny place, but it’s not a city so there are only a limited amount of places to go for a nightlife experience. Another good place is Vine and Barley which is a wine and beer bar down the road. The last time I was down there I ran into Scott Hairston, Justin Turner, and Kai Gronauer, and I’m pretty sure there were one or two players down there I didn’t recognize. Even on a non-baseball front I suggest this place, as it’s got self-serve wine tastings and an excellent beer menu.
The worst part of Spring Training is when you return home. You’re so ready for baseball that it feels wrong that there are no longer games you can attend. Still, it’s great time and a must-do for baseball fans. It’s baseball and warm weather and a great way to start to get excited about the new season. If you’re headed down this year, have a great time and tweet lots of pictures!
Waiting On Line (Not Online) For Mets Tickets
It was winter 2000 and New York was in the middle of a freezing cold stretch of weather. Wind chill estimates had the temperatures at subzero on the day that the Mets started selling tickets. This was before you could buy them online, and me and a couple of friends decided to camp out at Shea Stadium to buy tickets for the 2000 season.
We bundled up with blankets and layers and thermoses of coffee and hot chocolate and drove to Shea Stadium. We made record time since it was the middle of the night, parked, and got on line. We were by no means first; there were dozens of people already there, maybe as many as 200. It was frigid and we were basically standing around shivering with hundreds of dollars in our pockets because you had to pay cash. The warmest part was when you got to move a little bit to use the bathroom.
Eventually they moved most of the line inside. It cut down on the wind a little bit, but it wasn’t any warmer. As it got closer to the time tickets were actually on sale a couple of players, and manager Bobby Valentine, came out and were shaking frozen hands and signing autographs as the line started to move. Someone, presumably with WFAN, was handing out the keychains in the picture here. Eventually we were able to purchase our tickets, which included tickets to the epic 8th inning comeback against the Braves on Fireworks Night, climbed back into the car, blasted the heat and drove back home and fell asleep.
Nowadays online ticket sales have done away with this camping out, which is definitely a good thing for those of us that aren’t 17 anymore with free time to wait outside a baseball stadium for hours, but there’s a certain nostalgic machismo to having braved the elements to root for your team.
Some Optimism For Jason Bay
There hasn’t been a lot of positives with Jason Bay, but barring something weird, he’ll be here next year. So are there any signs that he can have a season that we can even remotely describe as good? Before you jump all over me, I know I’m grasping at straws here. On the other hand, Jason Bay sneezes harder than he hit the ball the last two years, and you’d figure he could have a better year almost by accident.
Health would be a good start. He’s missed some time each of the two years, keeping him from getting a steady rhythm that often helps baseball players. He finished 2011 hot, but he also finished it injured.
He hit one home run in April and one in May.
He hit two home runs in June and two home runs in July.
He hit three home runs in August and three in September.
That’s a steady progression. It’s not a sign for 40 home runs, but three a month would at least give him 18. (Which is how many he has for the Mets now)
He had a hit in each of the last 15 games he started except two, a Tim Hudson 10K game and a clunker against the Nationals. That’s a .954 OPS in September. It was nice to see him avoid some of those prolonged 0-20 slumps he so frequently got himself into. However he did have a 2 for 45 slump in August just before getting hot.
His OPS jumped from a .656 in the first half to a .758 in the second half.
He was clearly hitting the ball with authority in September; In addition to his three home runs, he had seven doubles. 75 AB is hardly a representative sample, but we were beginning to doubt he was capable of being good even that long.
Even a modest 10% improvement from Bay would put him close to a .800 OPS with around 20 home runs. That’s still well below his career averages. 2011 was the bottom of the barrel for Bay, but his career trajectory doesn’t read as a straight down arrow, so there’s hope and even optimism that he’ll have a better year next year.
Baseball’s Over, Time For Vegas
Disclaimer: I’ve truly left for the airport. If the Mets do something crazy like play a 20 inning final game and are still playing at the time I’ve scheduled this, read this tomorrow.
I find it somewhat poetic that as the Mets threw the last pitch of their 2011 season I was arriving at JFK to board a flight to Las Vegas to gamble and drink the sorrows of the season away. Last year I got married within a week of the end of the season and went on my honeymoon shortly after. When I got back to paying attention to the Mets Omar and Jerry were gone and the Phillies and Yankees had been eliminated from the playoffs.
I’ll still be posting some, mostly scheduled stuff, but here’s what I want to happen while I’m gone. The Phillies and Yankees are bounced in the first round and I can enjoy the rest of the playoffs when I get back from vacation. Dan Warthen has been let go, in favor of someone that’s going to be better. The Mets have worked out a deal with Jose Reyes, and he’ll remain a Met for a long time. Johan Santana has pitched some in winter ball and has no set backs.
This probably all won’t come to be, but one can dream. After I’m in Vegas I’ll be in San Diego for a couple of days. It’ll be my third trip to that city and I have yet to see a game at Petco Park. I’ve toured it though, and it’s a great place. Look for randomly tweeted pictures from around Petco next week during the day. I’ll return the following weekend for a bachelor party, a wedding, and my own anniversary before diving back into baseball. It’s going to be an interesting offseason for the New York Mets this year.
New York Mets Oktoberfest
The Mets are having their annual Oktoberfest on September 23rd. It looks like decent fun, although I’d pass on the lederhosen. If you pay attention at all, I’m almost as big a beer fan as I am a Mets fan, so things like this are right up my alley.
The Mets Oktoberfest is pretty good. The food menu features Wiener Scnitzel, Beer Braised Bratwurst & Onions, German Style Fried Potatoes, German Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Soft Pretzels and a delicious Cookie Platter for dessert. Of course, it doesn’t list the beer menu. It’d be a shame if it was just the normal stuff off the Citi Field Beer List. There needs to be at least a couple of Oktoberfests there, and a local variety like Brooklyn Brewery’s would be a great place to start. Unfortunately, I’m busy next Friday and will be unable to go. If someone is going and doesn’t mind reporting back to me, send me an email at ceetar@ceetar.com.
The price for the Oktoberfest party at Citi Field is $54 to sit in the Big Apple Reserved and get a free ticket lanyard. I’m not going to quibble too much about something that includes free beer, but that’s $12 more than the Big Apple Reserved seating is for Premium games. Normally, group sales get a discount on pricing. The Social Media night the Mets held was $41 for the same seats, and including $18 of food and beverage credit.
I think the Mets could make more of this event. This is New York, and as Sandy Alderson said about our farm systemeverything should be top of the line, not middle of the pack. One example to follow might be the Houston Astros Oktoberfest. The Astros event is two hours prior to the game, whereas the Mets event starts an hour early and goes until the 7th inning and conflicts with the game. It’s a full-fledged party with polka music, folk dancers, and your own Astros beer stein! Included are 12 2oz pours of 12 different beers available; many of them Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales.
The Astros event is separate from the game, so they allow you to buy a ticket to any section. Obviously tickets in Houston are much much cheaper than tickets in New York, but they even discount them for you by about 40%. They do tack on another $20 for the Oktoberfest package, but that’s still a great deal considering it’s an admission to a two hour party and you get at least a pint and a half of beer, and your own stein. You could get all this, AND a baseball game, for as little as $27.
I’d love if the Mets followed the Astros example in 2012. I know the Bullpen Plaza isn’t big enough for a full on party, but there are other options. They could close off the Caesar’s Club for one day before the game, or block off a suitably sized section of the parking lot. Another option would be to have a Mets Oktoberfest away game viewing party. Have the event when the Mets are on the road. The Caesar’s Club certainly has enough televisions to tune to SNY. I already own a Mets beer stein purchased the conventional way, but if a 2012 design was created, I’d certainly buy another one.
The US Open From Citi Field
It’s not often you get to see the Tennis center area all lit up during a Mets game. I snapped this picture from the ramp to the Pepsi Porch.
Links From Metsopotamia
Shannon at Metspolice notices a decrease in Mets related traffic and twittering and ponders if anyone’s still here. Well, I am. It’s still baseball, it’s still the Mets, it’s still Citi Field. I’m going to at least two more games this year. I’m going to enjoy watching Duda seem to become a serious major league slugger, watching Reyes and Wright be Reyes and Wright, and looking for signs from guys like Bay, Pagan, Thole, Parnell, etc to see what we can do about next year. You know you’re going to spend all offseason yelling about some of these guys, at least be informed and see how they finish the season with your own eyes.
Kerel of On The Black discusses Google Plus (add me to your circle if you like) and how well it worked for his weekly Mets chat with Dave Doyle of Mets Report.
Randy at The Apple says a humorous goodbye to the err, umm.. *pickastadiumname* the Marlins play in.
In a fanpost at Amazin’ Avenue, nerfan breaks down the top 10 completely wrong arguments about the Mets. Also known as ‘debunking sports radio’.
Equipment Drive, Google Plus, Hurricane
What’s going on around Metsopotamia?
The Mets are running an equipment drive. If you’ve got some stuff, bring it by!
EQUIPMENT COLLECTION DRIVE:
To support the growth of youth baseball and softball, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) has teamed up with Major League Baseball Clubs to organize equipment collection drives across the United States. This season, the Mets will once again team up with the BTF to assist local youth baseball and softball organizations by collecting new and used baseball equipment prior to the game on Saturday, August 27.
During the past five seasons, the Mets have collected bats, gloves, balls, spikes, uniforms, catcher’s gear for the Greater New York Sandlot Athletic Alliance, who distribute the donations to area youth baseball organizations. This year, we hope to increase our donations significantly with the help of our loyal fans.
Please bring any equipment that you plan to donate to Citi Field when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves on August 27 at 4:10 p.m. Donation stations will be open two and a half hours prior to the start of the game outside of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. On behalf of the Mets, we thank you for your support.
No word on if the Mets will reschedule the game Sunday that’s likely to be rained out. It’s possible they could play it Saturday as part of a doubleheader if they can work it out with Fox. The Mets are under no obligation to make this easy for the Braves, who forced the Mets into a doubleheader when they were dealing with some pitching shortages in April due to another double header a day earlier.
The Mets community is growing on Google Plus. It’s looking like a fun little place to be able to share posts and ideas. I think Google may have something here. You can join and add me to your circles here.
Vote Reyes: Meet Reyes, and My Ballot
If you vote for Jose Reyes for the All-Star Game, and select the Mets as one of your favorite teams on the form (Why wouldn’t you?) you’ll be entered in the contest to win two tickets to a future Mets game and the chance to meet the National League leader in Hits, Runs Scored, Triples, and Average, Multi-Hit Games, and the hardest player in the league to strikeout.
You’ve got until Thursday and you can vote up to 25 times per email address so let’s get Jose Reyes that starting spot that he both wants and deserves. While you’re at it, give Carlos Beltran your vote too. For the American League I usually just look at the most recent standings and vote for the player that has the best chance to unseat a Yankee.
If you’re able to get to Citi Field on a weekday, the Mets annual summer blood is Thursday the 7th of July from 10 to 5. Do a good deed AND get Mets tickets for it. As a working resident of New Jersey I won’t be making this one, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!
So while you’re waiting for the game to start, hop over to Mets.com and #votereyes.