Opening Day IGT, 4/6/09, Mets @ Reds

[soupcan]

Edgy DC wrote: I actually had some questions I need Ed to answer.

Like 'what rhymes with orange'?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ed cheats a little on his rhymes, and that's OK.

And the correct answer is whore binge.

[soupcan]

Thanks, I'll have to remember that when I send a card to Eliot Spitzer.

[seawolf17]

Damn frangit. I had a ticket to that also -- it was through MetsBlog -- but wussed out with the rain. Should have gone.

[G-Fafif]

soupcan wrote: If the weather held, you were supposed to be in the Pepsi porch thingy right? But aren't both scoreboards situated in such a way that you would have had to turn around and /or crane your neck to watch?

I was wondering that myself, Soup. I'm thinking they might have erected a few temporary screens or something. Pepsi Porch was the area I liked best Sunday, both the seating and the milling spots. Thank Jeff Wilpon's grandparents for the concept, I guess.

And let's hope it's Delgado's Den before long.

[Gwreck]

Some thoughts from the game:

That was a really tough error to give to Beltran. His throw to third was aimed perfectly to the bag -- it just happened to hit the runner as he was sliding in. Throw was backed up and there was no additional advance by the lead runner. I guess the error is for allowing the runner from first to go to second, but that could also be attributed to advancing on the throw.

Razor Shines made a stupid call at third when waving Wright in. The ball wasn't hit that deep into right field and as David approached third it seemed obvious to me that he would be held. I agree it seemed as if David slowed a little coming in to third but that was because going home was the wrong idea. He was out by a mile.

I saw the comment about empty seats -- while I'm sure some of the people left early, the really nasty weather conditions had people leaving their seats for some of the really excellent standing room spots. Both the upper and lower concourses at Great American are open and from all observations were packed, mostly with people who took shelter from the elements to watch the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see that same effect at Citi Field this year -- people standing in the lower concourses/in the OF rather than sitting in their seats.

I was not impressed much with Great American other than their open concourses. The "gap" between home and third is stupid. The uneven levels on the two sides of the stadium is visually distracting. They have a new video board in left which is really sharp but they could use something in right field too. I guess they left it open because that's where the river is, but the view of Kentucky and the river is pretty bland. They would have been better served if the park had been rotated and the view looking towards the outfield faced downtown rather than the river. Food choices were pretty bland too.

The opening day parade, however, was great. Despite the mid-January conditions, it was great fun and a fitting way to pay tribute to one of the greatest days of the year. Lots of knowledgeable fans sitting near me at the park, too. Seems like a very solid baseball town.

[Frayed Knot]

Gwreck wrote: That was a really tough error to give to Beltran. His throw to third was aimed perfectly to the bag -- it just happened to hit the runner as he was sliding in. Throw was backed up and there was no additional advance by the lead runner. I guess the error is for allowing the runner from first to go to second, but that could also be attributed to advancing on the throw.

That's always a tough error on the OFer but once you decide to give one for advancing to 2nd it's gotta go to someone.

]Razor Shines made a stupid call at third when waving Wright in. The ball wasn't hit that deep into right field and as David approached third it seemed obvious to me that he would be held. I agree it seemed as if David slowed a little coming in to third but that was because going home was the wrong idea. He was out by a mile.

There were several problems there.
First was that Wright held for a moment to make sure the liner got through so he didn't have a good jump.
Then he slowed up because he was being held (or thought he was) until Bruce briefly bobbled the ball at which point he had to re-start his motor.
Sometimes coaches just look at where the runner and OFer are without taking the runner's momentum (or lack thereof) into consideration.

]The "gap" between home and third is stupid.

And is supposedly the reason behind the "jet stream" air current that carries so many HRs out towards RF and gives the place such a long-ball rep.

]Seems like a very solid baseball town.

It was always considered to be one until it had much of that rep beaten out of them during the Schott years.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Gwreck wrote: They have a new video board in left which is really sharp but they could use something in right field too. I guess they left it open because that's where the river is, but the view of Kentucky and the river is pretty bland. They would have been better served if the park had been rotated and the view looking towards the outfield faced downtown rather than the river.

Isn't there a regulation about stadium alignment for new stadiums? So that the owners of new stadiums do not have an unfettered 360 degree choice about which way the stadium (and home plate, specifically) faces? I think there is, but am not 100% certain. My google searches were inconclusive.

[soupcan]

I believe that I recently heard that 'they' strongly suggest that home plate face east by northeast.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Common sense would dictate that you don't want the sun setting in the batter's eyes.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I remember rading an article about the Reds stadium where it was agreed that the stdium was a mess because its designers sought out and included input from everybody and couldn't bear to say no to any idea.

And that's why its such a godawful hodgepodge of design with the notch and the steamboat and all that other crap.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

All that is true, and "the notch" where good seats would be was clearly a mistake.

But it's really not a bad place to see a game.

The outside is jumbled, and it's hard to figure out where the front door is. (Give the Jackie Robinson Routunda its due, you know what you're supposed to be looking at)

But once you get inside the thing, there's a lot of fan-friendly things going on. The could open the gates three hours before the game and you'd still lack the time to do everything.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Video of Santana's pre-game-daps-routine(s) here:

http://deadspin.com/5200783/johan-santana-has-a-very-good-memory

[soupcan]

That link above didn't work for me - if you had the same issue here it is...

I like his Delgado 'shake' the most.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That vid is pretty awesome.

[Guest themetfairy]

That's the way to start off a season!

[Guest Edgy DC]

That may be the best thing I've ever seeen on a Mets bench. Rally caps? Giant bubbles? Hotfeet? Bobby in disguise? It's all horseshit now.

[metirish]

I got a great kick out of that when SNY showed it , gotta love Santana. They say he's a real prankster in the clubhouse too. Pretty cool to see the ball boy's reaction at the end there.

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: That may be the best thing I've ever seeen on a Mets bench. Rally caps? Giant bubbles? Hotfeet? Bobby in disguise? It's all horseshit now.

Second that. I loved it.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Plus, it seems like a few pairs (Schneider-Maine, for one) had their own shakes being worked out. Is a highly-individualized system of Met physical shibboleths-- Metsperanto?-- being worked out, all the better to weed out double-agents like Gl*vine before it's too late?

(Yeah, I like this, too. Gives me the "coooool" feeling, like I'm five.)

[MFS62]

And somewhere, Bob Gibson is thinking, "If they pulled that s**t when I was on the mound, they'd be going down".
Of course, you were in danger of going down when Gibson was on the mound, handshakes or not.

Later

[metirish]

MFS62 wrote: And somewhere, Bob Gibson is thinking, "If they pulled that s**t when I was on the mound, they'd be going down". Of course, you were in danger of going down when Gibson was on the mound, handshakes or not. Later

Gibson last played in 1975 , times have changed. This is the kind of stuff that annoys me(not you 62) , ex players in the booth like to talk about how things were when I played.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think anybody then or now has any business complaining how people carry on in the dugout. It's not showing you up if it's done in the shadows.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: I don't think anybody then or now has any business complaining how people carry on in the dugout. It's not showing you up if it's done in the shadows.

"In the shadows" makes Johan sound like Batman. Or Pat Benatar.

[Farmer Ted]

They can remember 30 different handshakes. I can't remember the friggin infield fly rule.

[A Boy Named Seo]

soupcan wrote: That link above didn't work for me - if you had the same issue here it is... I like his Delgado 'shake' the most.

I thought this might cheer me up today, but it's gone now.