CitiField

[MFS62]

Yancy, you're right. Pronouncing it as two words does give it a certain retro ring.

Later

[soupcan]

My idea you thieving bastages...

[Vic Sage]

1) In choosing a name for the new stadium, they were obviously going to sell the naming rights. the money is too significant for them not to have done so. And its not like Jackie Robinson had anything to do with the Mets. And beloved Shea was named after a lawyer.

2) Given the premises of (1) above, "CitiField" (or "City Field") is less reprehensible than alot of other names they could have been stuck with. It feels right for a team called "Metropolitans" to play on a City Field.

[Guest iramets]

Isn't "City Field" an oxymoron?

Is it in the city or is is out on a field? Is it a breath mint or a candy mint?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It's a dessert topping and a floor wax.

[Guest Edgy DC]

SteveJRogers wrote: I could see if they actually went along with naming the ballpark for Jackie Robinson, and if Koufax passed away (God forbid) that there would be a small movement suggesting that Koufax be memorialized in some fashion for the same reasons the Mets stuck Jackie's name on the ballpark.

Movement shmovement. Even with our team president a personal friend of Sandy Koufax's, I think we're all pretty capable of distinguishing between the legacies of Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson.

[metirish]

The new stadium will include the "Jackie Robinson Rotunda", no word on who the mound will be named for.

[Frayed Knot]

btw, the simulated signage on the simulated stadium that's being shown for today's 'groundbreaking' shows it as; Citi Field (two words) not CitiField

[metsmarathon]

it was all on that long-discarded hot dog wrapper...

[metirish]

Mets.com has it as Citi Field.

[Guest sharpie]

Better. Hate the non-space capital letters thing. Now if we can just change that second i to a y we'll be ok.

[soupcan]

Wow, they sure do get those signs up fast!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Is that infield outline on the raised plaza supposed to be the site of the current Shea infield?

In the futuree all jetstreams will intersect at right angles.

[soupcan]

="Edgy DC"]Is that infield outline on the raised plaza supposed to be the site of the current Shea infield?

Nope

[Guest Edgy DC]

I thought so. It also looked small.

Now it looks like Pac-Man is after the new stadium.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I love the ghostly hologram of Shea in the Citi Field parking lot! That's a great idea!

And I do like the space between Citi and Field. It makes the name a whole lot better, and increases the possibility that it will be pronounced as if the i was a y.

Citi Field/City Field. Not bad at all. And a lot better than names like 3M, Petco, Safeco, and many others.

[metirish]

Official release from Citigroup.

http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2006/061113a.htm

[Benjamin Grimm]

For posterity:

Here's the part about honoring Jackie Robinson:

="CitiGroup press release"]Citigroup and the Mets in the Community This landmark partnership will accelerate Citi’s and the Mets’ current significant commitments to the community with new resources to develop and launch outreach platforms and programs in and beyond New York City, involving both the Citigroup Foundation and the New York Mets Foundation. As the first step in this effort, the Mets and Citi will commission a statue and name the entry rotunda of Citi Field – inspired by the classic design of Ebbets Field – to honor Jackie Robinson, the legendary pioneer and great American who broke baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The partnership will include a significant commitment to recognize and perpetuate, in and around the rotunda and the community, Robinson’s legacy and the “nine values” he embodied as articulated by his daughter, Sharon Robinson: courage, integrity, determination, persistence, citizenship, justice, commitment, teamwork, and excellence. “The Robinson family and Jackie Robinson Foundation are extremely proud of the creation of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field,” said Rachel Robinson, Founder, Jackie Robinson Foundation. “The statue of Jack and the experience of passing through the rotunda will serve as a source of inspiration for future generations and as a powerful reminder of Jack’s commitment to excellence and social progress.” In addition, Citi and the Mets through a pledge to the Jackie Robinson Foundation will help create the Jackie Robinson Foundation Museum and Education Center in lower Manhattan. As much as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the Museum and Education Center will educate children about Jackie Robinson’s pioneering spirit and leading role in social change. This partnership will support new programs for the Jackie Robinson Foundation, including leadership development and scholarships for students who exemplify Jackie’s humanitarian ideals.

[apmorris]

It seems all very 1990's - too safe too post modern, and the now the name does not help.

That brick would work if it was in Flatbush not standing alone in Flushing.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

This is the graf we should be paying attention to/dreading:

]Citi and the Mets will pursue international sports, media, and entertainment related business ventures in the years ahead. Citi’s leadership position as the largest financial institution in the world and the Mets’ expertise in sports and entertainment provide this partnership with unprecedented resources and understanding of market dynamics to launch, develop, or acquire socially responsible, world-class businesses.

[Benjamin Grimm]

What about that paragraph instills dread? It matters little to me if the Mets are making money overseas. If anything, it means they'll be able to continue to afford the expensive players.

I'm not disputing your dread, just asking you to spell out what you're seeing that I'm not.

[soupcan]

I already bank with Citibank. This just means the Mets will love me as much as I love them!

Oh great day!

[Benjamin Grimm]

I bank at Citizens Bank. (It's like CitiBank, but with zen.)

Does that mean the Phillies love me? I'm afraid that love if it exists is unrequited.

[metirish]

I wonder if the yankee brass are looking at the Mets with a little envy,Mets have some powerful partners and even though they have bundles of money $20 million a year is not chump change...are they going to sell naming rights to their new stadium?

[Benjamin Grimm]

They can't. They're too tradition bound.

They'll have to call it Yankee Stadium, and then they're going to have to brainwash their followers into thinking it was built in 1923, like they did with the second incarnation of their ballpark.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It doesn't take a wild imagination to imagine that being in bed with Citibank for a team in the Bundesliga when the Euro collapses could cause the Mets to dial back their budget for that pitcher they wanted. Conversely, the investment(s) being so successful the Mets take a back seat.

I mean, I'm sure it's designed to be a great big fat $ucce$$ for the Wilpons and could certainly benefit the team on the field but I don't care that much for the Mets to be squirting their brand and attention all over the globe.

[Willets Point]

Yankee is a corporate name.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The MFYs will sell. It'll just be " Goldman Sachs Yankee Stadium" or Yankee Stadium by Cadillac" or something similarly transparent and retarded and probably snooty.

[metirish]

Trump Towers at Yankee Stadium.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just hope that Preparation H or Depends makes them an offer they can't refuse.