Things i’m looking for on Opening Day Tweet This Post
Follow @Ceetar today while I share my observations and pictures from Opening Day.
Quick bullet point type list of things I”ll be scoping out today because I procrastinated this post and now it’s late.
Trackman thingy. I found this article very interesting, and am going to see if I can find the panel.
New Beer. Is there any new beer, and what is it?
New food. Most of the new food has been previewed some, but I’ll still be checking it out and getting a feel for what’s new.
There’s always new signs and kiosks and advertising. Subtle changes in the way Citi Field operates. I’m always interested in those things, the way the escalators run, how the security is behaving. That sort of thing.
Tailgate and Mets fan friends. Checking in with all the fun fans and bloggers that I rarely see anywhere but at Citi Field. It’s a new season, let’s have some fun!
And of course, most importantly, a Mets win! Let’s go Jon Niese!
Tags: Citi Field, Mets, mets beer, opening day
Views of Citi Field Tweet This Post
I like to call this spot the Subway Section because it’s reminiscent of view from the subway platform outside of Shea Stadium where you could peek into the stadium. These photos are taken from just behind the right field scoreboard, next to the entrance to the Excelsior level inside corridor. You can watch replays on one of the televisions directly to your left.
It affords you a view right into the Pepsi Porch as well and if you look down, the World’s Fare Market concourse. In my eye this section includes the walkway to the Pepsi Porch, which doesn’t afford much in the way of real viewpoints of the game, but still offers a tease as you walk between sections.
Here’s a shot of the original “Subway Section” from Opening Day 2007.
Tags: Citi Field, Mets, mets pictures, Shea Stadium, subway section
Beer Selection at MetLife Stadium Tweet This Post
@sixpoint Brewery tweeted this on Sunday.
Nanokegs are between section 126 & 124 concourse at MetLife
This is awesome. Sixpoint nanokegs are the perfect complement to sporting events. To have a wide selection of them AND a dedicated stand is terrific for beer-loving sports fans. It was great to see Sweet Action available to everyone at Citi Field this year, but that’s just a tease compared to this.
I sincerely hope we get something like this at Citi Field next year. Especially if it has Diesel.
Excellent Citi Field Virtual Tour Tweet This Post
Darren from The7Line posted this excellent time lapse youtube video of him entering Citi Field before the game, circling the concourse, settling into his seat and then flashes through the game and departure. It captures visiting the ballpark from a fan’s perspective very well, I only wish he’d picked a winning game or at least spliced in some of the Mets Win! scoreboard graphics.
Tags: Citi Field, citi field tour, mets tour, mets win, youtube
Sixpoint Beer Expansion at Citi Field? Tweet This Post
Thanks to CoreyNYC for pointing me to this tweet
Starting Aug 7, @sixpoint cans will be available at @citi_field_ny outside of section 139. Stop by this area & get your #craftbeer fix!
— Union Beer Dist. (@greatbrewersnyc) July 25, 2012
Now, as you can see by the picture, Sixpoint Sweet Action is already served at Citi Field at any of the three Craft Beer Dugouts. These are located near the foul poles on the field level and just to the first base side of the Big Apple Brews stand in the Promenade Food Court area behind home plate.
The section 139 mentioned in the tweet is the last section of the left field reserved section on the field level, on the left field side of the apple. There is already one of those beer of the world stand there that looks similar to the Craft Beer Dugout and has four taps. So perhaps all this tweet means is an additional Dugout. This is a poor place for it, as it’s basically on the Shake Shack line when it gets really long, but maybe getting a beer prior to getting on the Shake Shack line (even if you can no longer get Shackmeister Ale) is the perfect spot.
What I would love for it to be, and I doubt it would be given the location and proximity to the Big Apple Brews (distributed by Anheuser-Busch), is a stand devoted to carrying excellent local craft beer cans, starting with the half dozen or so nano-kegs (cans) that Sixpoint carries. If they included Diesel this would match my request for a darker beer at Citi Field.
Unrelated to the tweet, Blue Point was supposed to have their White IPA available in cans at Citi Field, but I have had yet to see them. I’ve seen tweets from Blue Point folk that the cans have been released recently, so hopefully they’ll start showing up at Citi Field. The beer itself might be a little more palatable for the casual fan, as it’s not as super bitter as many associate with IPAs. It’s a little more floraly and has some Belgian wheat beer feel to it.
Tags: beer at citi field, Citi Field, citi field beer, citi field craft beer, craft beer, craft beer dugout, Mets, mets beer, sixpoint, sixpoint at citi field
Mets Stats Halfway Through Tweet This Post
Going to mix in some pictures from last night’s fireworks night win over Philly here with random stats and projections at the halfway point.
The Mets are on pace for 88 wins on the season. Last year the second wild card team would’ve been the Braves with 89. Close, and that’s right around the level the Mets, Dodgers, and Pirates are at right now.
Tags: Citi Field, citi field fireworks, fireworks night, mets fireworks, mets fireworks night, mets halfway point, mets projections, mets stats
Two Boots Citi Field: Meat The Mets Pizza Tweet This Post
One of the specialty slices at the new Two Boots location inside Citi Field is a “Meat the Mets” pie. I had this on Opening Day and I must say I found it delicious. It features Creole chicken, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, jalapeños, ricotta, and mozzarella. That’s a lot of meat!
Tags: Citi Field, citi field beer, citi field pizza, citi field purple haze, creole chicken, meat the mets, meat the mets pizza, two boots citi field, two boots pizza
The Importance of Adjustments Tweet This Post
David Wright was hitting for three and when he broke his finger it has devastating effects on the Mets lineup. That’s not to say they can’t win without him, but at the time of the injury he was practically carrying the team and no one else has managed to pick them back up yet.
Regardless of if Wright is back Friday, next Friday, or after a DL stint is irrelevant. The Mets need to make adjustments and this 50 hour window between games is the perfect opportunity to do it. Assess the best way to set up the lineup, have guys refocus on the game plan, do their infield drills, and put extra work in scouting the Phillies pitchers. Those two losses should keep the Mets from getting complacent under a “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. It’s broke, so fix it.
Obviously Ike Davis and Lucas Duda need to hit more. Jason Bay does too, as he represents basically all of the right-handed power in the lineup if Scott Hairston isn’t starting, but if Bay can simply manage to not double up on career-worst years I’ll be happy. I’ve never really been a big believer in the idea that lefties can’t hit lefties, attributing it more to a small sample size coupled with the inability for players to get enough reps against them. The Mets lineup is extremely left-handed, so they really need to start hitting to avoid being exploited by LOOGYs. Maybe the massive amount of lefties the Mets will see, both in Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, and in the relievers teams bring in face the Mets lefty sluggers, will give Duda and Davis, as well as Daniel Murphy, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Josh Thole, the reps against them that they need to get comfortable with release points and different breaks. Certainly if they could start demonstrating that they can hit lefties, it will keep Terry Collins from putting lesser players from the bench in key spots.
4-2 is still a good start. The Mets now need to do the work required to win on this road trip, and continue the good start. Cliff Lee will be tough, but the Mets can hit Vance Worley and they own Cole Hamels. Then they get three against the Braves again, who they already swept. David Wright back would have a huge impact on run-scoring, but they have to find ways to win these games with or without him.
Tags: 2012 mets, Citi Field, Mets, mets adjustments, mets phillies, mets winning streak, New York Mets, phillies suck
Citi Field’s Updated Scoreboard Tweet This Post
Citi Field updated the scoreboard this season. It’s now a little more colorful, but more importantly it now contains a lot of new info.
You’ve got stats, including career stats, for the batter. These include more than the traditional HR and RBI that you used to see. You’ve got OBP, and SLG, and OPS, and even XBH.
You’ve got a spray chart for all the balls in play for the batter during the game, including a recap of each of his at-bats.
You’ve still got a little factoid, and most of them are still pretty silly, about the player.
There’s an in-inning summary of how each batter did and how they did or did not get on base.
The pitching summary includes a dynamic WHIP and ERA as well, while still maintaining the K count and giving you the pitch speed.
There’s a ton of info on there, and it’s great to see. Now we’ll have less reason to need to pull up baseball-reference on our phones mid-game to check on players. Speaking of which, they really need an Android app.
Ceetar at Citi Field Tweet This Post
I’ll be at (or am at) Citi Field for Opening Day. Follow Ceetar on Twitter for interesting tidbits, Citi Field changes, Mets observations and thoughts from inside the stadium. ( Also like Optimistic Mets Fan on Facebook.)
Tags: at the game, ceetar, Citi Field, from citi field, mets game