The first pitch at Citi Field

[Guest Edgy DC]

...will be thrown by a college pitcher.

Citi Field to open with college game
St. John's to receive donation from Mets for March 29 exhibition
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- For those unwilling to wait until the home opener to see the new Citi Field, the Mets have scheduled exhibition games on April 3 and 4. And for those unwilling to wait even that long, there is now something else.

The Mets announced Sunday that they will open Citi Field to the public for the first time on Sunday, March 29, for a college game between St. John's and Georgetown.

The Mets Foundation will make a donation to St. John's, a local university, in recognition of its participation in the game. Former Mets John Franco, who was in camp earlier this week, and Frank Viola played baseball at St. John's.

Tickets for the game are $5, and will go on sale Monday, March 2, on Mets.com.

Tickets are not yet on sale for the two previously announced exhibition games against the Red Sox, to be held on April 2 and 3. The Mets will begin their regular season on April 6 in Cincinnati, before their home opener -- and the grand opening of Citi Field -- on April 13 against the Padres.

[Benjamin Grimm]

If I lived in Queens I might be tempted to spend the five bucks just to get a look at the inside of the ballpark.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It might be your last affordable visit.

I remember friends who went to a Giants scab game for that reason.

[metirish]

I'm going to try and buy tickets.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, if Citi Field proves to be unaffordable for the remainder of my life, then I'll just have to cope with that reality.

I have no interest in going through the effort to get to Queens (at a minimum it's three hours each way) to sit through a college baseball game in March.

[Vic Sage]

my saturday plan is cheaper this year than last year.

[Gwreck]

="Vic Sage":ogvnax0e]my saturday plan is cheaper this year than last year.[/quote:ogvnax0e] Yeah, but is your seat quality the same? You get 15 games instead of 13, but 5 of those are weeknight games instead of the 3 additional Saturdays you got last year. The Mets are getting a lot less money from us this year too, but that's mainly due to their own inflexibility in seating and pricing options. There was nothing available in our budget so we wound up with fewer games in crappier seats.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 23 2009 11:05 AM

The biggest thing I'm wondering about is if I'll be able to purchase halfway decent seats on a Wednesday or Thursday for a game to be played on the upcoming weekend. That's how I've been doing my Shea visits the last few years. It's so much trouble to get there from where I live I don't want to buy tickets until I see that the weather forecast isn't likely to be a problem. My original thought was that I might not be able to get to Citi Field in 2009, because advance sales might be so high that I wouldn't be able to do my three-days notice thing. But now with the economy in such bad shape, maybe more tickets will be available, even in "Inaugural Season." I guess we'll know soon enough.

Nymr83 Feb 23 2009 11:44 AM

if they end up selling walk-ups the day of the st johns game i may go for the heck of it if the weather is nice, but its not worth planning ahead for

Gwreck Feb 23 2009 01:29 PM

="Benjamin Grimm":xmjlyqtf]The biggest thing I'm wondering about is if I'll be able to purchase halfway decent seats on a Wednesday or Thursday for a game to be played on the upcoming weekend.[/quote:xmjlyqtf] That may well continue to be the case. The Mets may well be facing a situation with much of the upper level sold out but having plenty of available tickets in the lower level, at $100 or more per seat. Benjamin Grimm Feb 23 2009 01:35 PM Maybe I should have included the adjective "affordable If the only available seats are for $100 or more, I'm not going to be interested. With two kids, I'd have to multiply the ticket price by three. Gwreck Feb 23 2009 01:41 PM And therein lies the problem. The Mets have sold a good portion of the Promenade Level to season and plan ticket holders. The remainder of the tickets (certainly for the weekend games) are likely to go in the public sale, whenever that is in March. The middle and field levels of the stadium are going to have some pretty pricey seats. Yes, on a weeknight in April or May, you can get a ticket there in the 40-70 range. But on the weekend, when the games are "Silver" or "Gold" level, prices are going to be a quite a bit more. Adding to the problem is that the Mets haven't sold as many of those seats on the full-season as they would want. So while you may be able to get single-game tickets that are actually pretty good, don't be so sure they'll be in your price range. attgig Feb 23 2009 02:18 PM Being an out of towner, and having already planned on being in NY that weekend, I'm going to have to try to get tickets. metsmarathon Feb 23 2009 02:43 PM Re: The first pitch at Citi Field ="Edgy DC":38sn79pe]Tickets are not yet on sale for the two previously announced exhibition games against the Red Sox, to be held on April 2 and 3.[/quote:38sn79pe] i'm really hoping i'm online for the brief instant that those tickets go on sale. i'd love to go for one of those games. i prolly don't have a good chance of getting there for opening day, but preseason tune-up baseball would be sweet. metirish Feb 23 2009 05:30 PM Today in the mail I got a ticket promotion/ schedule flyer , I think i had better try and make this college game because I doubt I'll be going during the season. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:42 PM At ALL, Irish? Surely single-gamers aren't THAT cost-prohibitive? metirish Feb 23 2009 07:04 PM yeah I would hope to go to a few , how easy or hard will they be to get though? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 07:12 PM Face value will range from 15 or so (for the Promenade left-field stands, methinks) to... well... prohibitive. Already picked up a couple of decent early-season games (two April Tuesdays and Mother's Day) for $38-50 a pair on teh Internets (Ebay). The tickets are all Promenade Infield (sections 509 and 512), top section, between home plate and first base. If the local economy stays relatively in the shitter, it's entirely possible there will be a few decent seats for walk-ups every game. (I just like to have a few games guaranteed to plan around.) You've also got a few more hours to register on Mets.com for the Opening Day lotto. metirish Feb 23 2009 07:15 PM Thanks man , I guess there is a feeling with the new stadium that there will not be tickets to be had but there are always tickets.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The biggest thing I'm wondering about is if I'll be able to purchase halfway decent seats on a Wednesday or Thursday for a game to be played on the upcoming weekend.

That's how I've been doing my Shea visits the last few years. It's so much trouble to get there from where I live I don't want to buy tickets until I see that the weather forecast isn't likely to be a problem.

My original thought was that I might not be able to get to Citi Field in 2009, because advance sales might be so high that I wouldn't be able to do my three-days notice thing. But now with the economy in such bad shape, maybe more tickets will be available, even in "Inaugural Season."

I guess we'll know soon enough.

[nymr83]

if they end up selling walk-ups the day of the st johns game i may go for the heck of it if the weather is nice, but its not worth planning ahead for

[Gwreck]

="Benjamin Grimm":xmjlyqtf]The biggest thing I'm wondering about is if I'll be able to purchase halfway decent seats on a Wednesday or Thursday for a game to be played on the upcoming weekend.[/quote:xmjlyqtf] That may well continue to be the case. The Mets may well be facing a situation with much of the upper level sold out but having plenty of available tickets in the lower level, at $100 or more per seat.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 23 2009 01:35 PM

Maybe I should have included the adjective "affordable If the only available seats are for $100 or more, I'm not going to be interested. With two kids, I'd have to multiply the ticket price by three.

Gwreck Feb 23 2009 01:41 PM

And therein lies the problem. The Mets have sold a good portion of the Promenade Level to season and plan ticket holders. The remainder of the tickets (certainly for the weekend games) are likely to go in the public sale, whenever that is in March. The middle and field levels of the stadium are going to have some pretty pricey seats. Yes, on a weeknight in April or May, you can get a ticket there in the 40-70 range. But on the weekend, when the games are "Silver" or "Gold" level, prices are going to be a quite a bit more. Adding to the problem is that the Mets haven't sold as many of those seats on the full-season as they would want. So while you may be able to get single-game tickets that are actually pretty good, don't be so sure they'll be in your price range.

attgig Feb 23 2009 02:18 PM

Being an out of towner, and having already planned on being in NY that weekend, I'm going to have to try to get tickets.

metsmarathon Feb 23 2009 02:43 PM Re: The first pitch at Citi Field

="Edgy DC":38sn79pe]Tickets are not yet on sale for the two previously announced exhibition games against the Red Sox, to be held on April 2 and 3.[/quote:38sn79pe] i'm really hoping i'm online for the brief instant that those tickets go on sale. i'd love to go for one of those games. i prolly don't have a good chance of getting there for opening day, but preseason tune-up baseball would be sweet. metirish Feb 23 2009 05:30 PM Today in the mail I got a ticket promotion/ schedule flyer , I think i had better try and make this college game because I doubt I'll be going during the season. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:42 PM At ALL, Irish? Surely single-gamers aren't THAT cost-prohibitive? metirish Feb 23 2009 07:04 PM yeah I would hope to go to a few , how easy or hard will they be to get though? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 07:12 PM Face value will range from 15 or so (for the Promenade left-field stands, methinks) to... well... prohibitive. Already picked up a couple of decent early-season games (two April Tuesdays and Mother's Day) for $38-50 a pair on teh Internets (Ebay). The tickets are all Promenade Infield (sections 509 and 512), top section, between home plate and first base. If the local economy stays relatively in the shitter, it's entirely possible there will be a few decent seats for walk-ups every game. (I just like to have a few games guaranteed to plan around.) You've also got a few more hours to register on Mets.com for the Opening Day lotto. metirish Feb 23 2009 07:15 PM Thanks man , I guess there is a feeling with the new stadium that there will not be tickets to be had but there are always tickets.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe I should have included the adjective "affordable

If the only available seats are for $100 or more, I'm not going to be interested. With two kids, I'd have to multiply the ticket price by three.

[Gwreck]

And therein lies the problem. The Mets have sold a good portion of the Promenade Level to season and plan ticket holders. The remainder of the tickets (certainly for the weekend games) are likely to go in the public sale, whenever that is in March.

The middle and field levels of the stadium are going to have some pretty pricey seats. Yes, on a weeknight in April or May, you can get a ticket there in the 40-70 range. But on the weekend, when the games are "Silver" or "Gold" level, prices are going to be a quite a bit more.

Adding to the problem is that the Mets haven't sold as many of those seats on the full-season as they would want. So while you may be able to get single-game tickets that are actually pretty good, don't be so sure they'll be in your price range.

[Guest attgig]

Being an out of towner, and having already planned on being in NY that weekend, I'm going to have to try to get tickets.

[metsmarathon]

="Edgy DC":38sn79pe]Tickets are not yet on sale for the two previously announced exhibition games against the Red Sox, to be held on April 2 and 3.[/quote:38sn79pe] i'm really hoping i'm online for the brief instant that those tickets go on sale. i'd love to go for one of those games. i prolly don't have a good chance of getting there for opening day, but preseason tune-up baseball would be sweet.

metirish Feb 23 2009 05:30 PM

Today in the mail I got a ticket promotion/ schedule flyer , I think i had better try and make this college game because I doubt I'll be going during the season.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:42 PM

At ALL, Irish? Surely single-gamers aren't THAT cost-prohibitive?

metirish Feb 23 2009 07:04 PM

yeah I would hope to go to a few , how easy or hard will they be to get though?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 07:12 PM

Face value will range from 15 or so (for the Promenade left-field stands, methinks) to... well... prohibitive. Already picked up a couple of decent early-season games (two April Tuesdays and Mother's Day) for $38-50 a pair on teh Internets (Ebay). The tickets are all Promenade Infield (sections 509 and 512), top section, between home plate and first base. If the local economy stays relatively in the shitter, it's entirely possible there will be a few decent seats for walk-ups every game. (I just like to have a few games guaranteed to plan around.) You've also got a few more hours to register on Mets.com for the Opening Day lotto.

metirish Feb 23 2009 07:15 PM

Thanks man , I guess there is a feeling with the new stadium that there will not be tickets to be had but there are always tickets.

[metirish]

Today in the mail I got a ticket promotion/ schedule flyer , I think i had better try and make this college game because I doubt I'll be going during the season.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

At ALL, Irish? Surely single-gamers aren't THAT cost-prohibitive?

[metirish]

yeah I would hope to go to a few , how easy or hard will they be to get though?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Face value will range from 15 or so (for the Promenade left-field stands, methinks) to... well... prohibitive.

Already picked up a couple of decent early-season games (two April Tuesdays and Mother's Day) for $38-50 a pair on teh Internets (Ebay). The tickets are all Promenade Infield (sections 509 and 512), top section, between home plate and first base.

If the local economy stays relatively in the shitter, it's entirely possible there will be a few decent seats for walk-ups every game. (I just like to have a few games guaranteed to plan around.)

You've also got a few more hours to register on Mets.com for the Opening Day lotto.

[metirish]

Thanks man , I guess there is a feeling with the new stadium that there will not be tickets to be had but there are always tickets.