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Letters to the NL East

(If you weren’t paying attention last year, so begins the second annual ‘letters to the NL East’ week. We start with the other team we want the Mets to do better than, before diving into the division)

 

Part 0 of the 5 part series, “Letters to the NL East”

 

Letter to Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees.

 

Dear Yankees,

 

You spent a ton of money after your first season out of the playoffs in years. It certainly makes you wonder if you made a mistake firing Joe Torre. There are still a ton of question marks with your team, even putting aside the A-Rod situations.

 

Will A.J. Burnett be Carl Pavano part two? Will Posada be able to reliably play catcher this year? What’s up with the log jam at DH, or your too many outfielders? How much does Pettitte have left for a full season? Can Joba really help the team, even if he’s superb, considering the Joba rules and Innings Pitched limits?

 

Those are just the obvious ones before the season has even started. Who knows what other issues will pop up. I’d stray away from assuming just because you again spent way too much money that you’re the team to beat in that division. I still think you’re favored not to make the playoffs. I don’t care what the so called experts say. Don’t be surprised if by August, your ‘fans’ are looking for a ticket into Citi Field. That’s where the good baseball’s gonna happen this year.

 

But don’t worry, the media will still be all over you. The over/under for new A-Rod controversies is at 13.

 

Hatefully Yours,

 

Optimistic Mets Fan

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A(nother) First Look at Citi Field

A(nother) First Look at Citi Field from the St. Johns Game.

First it’s come a long way, and it was beautiful.

From Citifield

I was getting butterflies driving towards it as I saw the first signs mentioning it, and as I looked for a spot. The parking lot (the main, Shea, General/Prepaid) that I parked in is still only partially done, so hopefully it’ll provide more exiting opportunities. I left at 2:30, but had I left a regular Mets game at the end with everyone else it might have been a mess.

From Citifield

I got there at 11:35, and figured rather than go to LF and go right in, I’d wait at the Rotunda to enter there at 11:40. I’m glad I did. The Rotunda, and the area around it, are terrific. Even the dwindling pile of Shea is beautiful in it’s own way, and people were indeed taking pictures with it. I crossed into the building, and the Rotunda is amazing. Still plenty to be done, but still amazing. I was confronting with the urge to be 18 places at once and running all over. Seeing as that was impossible, we started with probably the most mundane, the team store.

From Citifield

Team store’s a big step up from the one at Shea. And there are more of them too. There is also Alyssa Milano’s first female boutique shop in right field. I bought a Citi Field inaugural season shirt, and a shot glass, and moved on.

From Citifield

The views are great from everywhere. Sure there are more cut off corners, and a handful of overhangs in the way in a couple of places, but they definitely tried to minimize those (except for the overhang, which even if you miss the plays at the wall in RF, is still pretty cool). I didn’t find a seat that I flat out said, “I wouldn’t want to sit here”. Top rows of the Outfield Promenade Reserve aren’t great, but they’re better than UR section 36 Row N, which is what they were going for.

From Citifield

Another subject that’s important to me, Beer and food. While they retained some of the ‘generic’ staples like Nathans, preliminary reports suggest that at least the food will be served properly, hot and fresh. The concessions are quicker and more orderly, and hopefully they’re properly set up to be well stocked. The real story is the rest of the stuff. Prices are better than at Shea from what I could tell, and they have a billion more options. Much has been made about Blue Smoke and Shake Shack and Box Frites and tacos and catch of the day and on and on. I can’t wait to try them all, but Shake Shack was as good in the Citi as it is in the City.

From Citifield

Beer. I can be a bit of a beer snob, and I rarely drank at Shea because it was a struggle to find anything worthwhile. (Although they did have Killians and Blue Moon last year) I wasn’t paying $8 for a crappy Bud. This year there are dozens of options, all over the place, and local ones. All the outfield concessions have specialty beers, that appear to have been designed exclusively for the venue. That the beer was actually designed with the food you’re eating with it in mind is thrilling to me. Shack Shack has their exclusive Shackmeister Ale, and Blue Smoke has it’s Blue Smoke Blend, all from Brooklyn Brewery. There was some Queens Ale at the Box Frites place which I can’t remember the name of, but I can find no indication of a beer with Queens in the title from Brooklyn Brewery, which lends to the idea that it’s exclusive to that location. It’s going to be hard for me to not try all four of these beers on Saturday against the Red Sox, I only have to remind myself that they aren’t going anywhere.

From Citifield

I wandered all around and didn’t see everything. Much of every trip to the place for a while will be a new experience, which is great. New seats, new views. Every game is an adventure. I’ve got tickets to three regular season games already, and I’m sure I’ll be to at least two dozen more.

From Citifield

The ping of the aluminum bat felt so wrong.

From Citifield

Seeing the Mets on the out of town scoreboard was a unique experience, and pretty cool.

From Citifield

There some glitches and errors. Many will be fixed I’m sure. Some escalators weren’t working right, some water still pooled in some areas. Some TVs weren’t hooked up. The smoke from the BBQ place can/did drift past the scoreboard (depending on the wind) so you can see it in the outfield. No big deal really.

From Citifield

All you really need to know is that you need to get there at your first opportunity. You won’t be disappointed.

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World Baseball Classic Rematch

Taking in USA vs. Puerto Ricoimg_3903

In a game that basically didn’t matter, USA vs. Venezuela to determine Pool C seeding, I was rooting for Venezuela for selfish reasons. Their win meant that USA would be taking on Puerto Rico in game two of the second round of the World Baseball Classic, a game I would be at.

My interest starting rising as the game got closer. I really enjoyed Spring Training, but this seemed like a new experience that would be fun. Even so, I was unprepared for energy I encountered. After parking, in the deep parking lot of Dolphin Stadium, we walked towards the stadium. It was about 90 minutes prior to first pitch and the parking lot was loud and buzzing with excitement. People were banging drums, cheering, playing games and waving flags. There was definitely more Puerto Rican fans than USA fans, but there were plenty of both making noise.

Inside it was crowded and loud despite only 30k people in attendance. A couple of players got more cheers and noise than others, but Mets fans will be hard pressed to make as much noise for Delgado and Beltran as there was that night in Miami. They announced all the rosters and then played the anthems of both USA and Puerto Rico. Then in a nice gesture, the two teams crossed the field, shook hands and hugged, and exchanged caps. After that, it was on.

Jake Peavy didn’t really have much, and this led to a quick Puerto Rico lead. The fans were really into the game, applauding and cheering and yelling just as you would any other big game. Just like the cap exchange, the entire game had a competitive feel to it, but with respect. I saw no fights, nor even any angry arguments. Part of this was probably because of the lopsided nature of the game, but sometimes that just creates hard feelings and more fighting. Even after the game was over, the celebration was one of happiness and pride rather than one of ego and degenerates. Even though they never stopped serving beer because the game ended before the 7th inning did.

This is probably the only time I’ll be at a game in which there is a 11-1 7th inning walk-off victory. As embarrassing as it was for USA, it was still cool to see. Puerto Rico lost to Venezuela last night behind K-Rod and King Felix, so tonight we’ll see the rematch of that game. Puerto Rico and the USA face off one more time, this time in an elimination game. It’s exciting in it’s own right, and I hope the fans come out to see it, because it’s going to be thrilling to be there. Either way someone’s going home, and some of the Mets regulars will make it back to Port St. Lucie either way.

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Going down to Florida

I’m going to Spring Training for the first time ever. Thanks to the Netherlands, I get to see Jose Reyes down in camp. While listening to talk about spring isn’t that interesting, I’m sure being there will be a thrill. I’m expecting to come back and be anxious for the season to start. (Well, I’m anxious now too..)

I know most people don’t want to read another Spring Training story anyway, so when I get back, I’m going to go picture happy and post some odd or interesting pictures I take. If I don’t have anything good, I’ll just post a picture of my lunch or something.

For those of you that know what I look like (roughly, none of you). I’ll be in section 120 row A, which is roughly the third to last section down the line, right behind the Mets bullpen on Saturday.

Here is my itinerary.

Thursday: MIN @ PIT. Ho hum right?

Friday: NYM @ DET. Yah Mets!

Saturday: Port St. Lucie. WAS @ NYM. Behind the dugout as I said, if I don’t get a ball at this game, I’m pathetic.

Saturday night: Miami. WBC. Puerto Rico vs. Netherlands winner against the loser of the USA vs Venezuela game today.

Sunday: NYM @ FLA. Then I fly home.

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Christening Citi Field

When will the Citi be ours?

As much as I’m looking forward to Citi Field, I’ll always miss Shea at least a little bit. Right now we’re in that limbo stage, where the Mets don’t actually have a ‘home’. Until mid-April when they actually settle into the new park, all my Mets thoughts still encircle Shea Stadium. Citi Field doesn’t feel like home quite yet. For many of us, I suspect that our first day walking into Citi Field will feel much like we’re on vacation checking out San Francisco’s, or Pittsburgh’s, or wherever you’ve gone’s new ballpark. This time it’s ours.

So what will it take for it to feel like home?

Will it be that first, “Now batting, number seven, Jo-se Reyes!”? (I’m not buying for a second that it won’t be Jose leading off.)

Will it be after seeing that Apple come up for the first time, watching whoever hit it turn third and step on the plate?

I know some of you less optimistic types are going to turn to whoever you came with the first time Castillo grounds out in a key spot and say, “Now it feels like Shea.”

Maybe it’s the first win? The first time we stand and cheer and get crazy for a 9th inning and a K-Rod save? The first walk-off?

Maybe some people will be a little more accepting. Will it be the first tailgate? The first time you sit in the new seats and take in the whole park? The first time you get up to go to the bathroom or concessions between innings and don’t miss an entire inning? The elevator ride up the Rotunda? (How can you not go into the park through the Rotunda the first time?)

I’m leaning towards the first ‘big game’ moment at the new park. This probably will be against the Phillies, walking out with all my fellow Mets fans, satisfied and high-fiving the Mets win.

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Spring 2009

It’s spring. The first televised Mets game is on, and I’m excited. The team looks good, and cheery. They can forget last year and focus on this year, start working towards a better future. I opened a beer and started watching at 12:30 when Mets pregame started on SNY. I’m excited for the season, for the team, for the new park. This is the start of it. Pitchers and catchers is a nice milestone, but it doesn’t hit home the same way seeing the players live, and hearing Gary Keith and Ron does.

 

More than anything, I have something else to look forward to. I’m going down to Florida on March 11th, and actually seeing the games is making me antsy to get down there. img_3444