Dept. of Tradition & Fan Experience Suggestion Box

[metsmarathon]

you know what we need? a way for kids to run to home plate and then be allowed to enter the goddamn gift shop afterwards. that's what the fuck we need.

also the 5k.

and any other running-themed fan-friendly things.

regarding the confetti, i think that could work. or it could end up awful. one of the two. i think mostly it would be a juxtaposition of two so very different architectural themes that would be simply awful. but somebody should digitally mock it up just in case.

i'd like to see some attempt at a return of the neon players. i'm not sure exactly how or where, but it needs to happen. maybe on the backsides of some lighting towers...? or as a permanent art installation around the stadium. hmm. i actually like that. i think a nice thick ribbon of steel formed in teh shape of the neon players, monstrously tall like 30 or 40 feet high, arrayed around the stadium akin to the original shea placement, would be pretty sweet.

...

the baseball cards is brilliant. hell, you could even build in a post-game ceremony for newly metted players, or celebrate the addition at the next home game. i wonder if there's a suitable space available for such a tribute...

the player regalia is brilliant, too. i would so love to see that. i'm sure paul lukas would love it too.

[Ceetar]

Perhaps the Neon players could replace the silhouettes above the entrances?

[Benjamin Grimm]

metsmarathon wrote: regarding the confetti, i think that could work. or it could end up awful. one of the two. i think mostly it would be a juxtaposition of two so very different architectural themes that would be simply awful. but somebody should digitally mock it up just in case.

This sounds like a job for Zvon!

[Zvon]

Ceetar wrote: Perhaps the Neon players could replace the silhouettes above the entrances?

They could also be hung there the same way the panels would. In other worlds, you don't have to close out those openings to achieve displaying something in those dank looking empty spaces

Edgy MD wrote: I'd start by making that Citi Field sign blue and orange. You don't really have to work for the Mets to do that. Some tight, black clothes, a few gallons of paint, and it's done in a night.

Back in the 70s, maybe even 80s, I would have done it personally. And snuck back and redone it every time they fixed it.

[dgwphotography]

Get rid of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda - Lose that ugly 42, and replace it with a statue of Tom Terrific:



Make the rest of the Rotunda a celebration of Mets history

[Edgy MD]

They can add this and add that. But they're not getting rid of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. They're just not.

[Vic Sage]

yeah, 42... they were only off by 1.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Do they give Citi Field tours? I've been on tours in other parks, and it's a ton of fun. I've been able to go on the field and everything -- at least the non-grass areas.

I don't like the ideas of adding the panels to the outside of the stadium -- it really is a beautiful ballpark -- but I like the idea of adding them somewhere inside, like stairwells or interior hallways.

I like the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the 42. Maybe the videos are a little much.

We do need statues. (But look at Comerica Park as an example of how NOT to do them.)

Replace the people who publish the yearbook. It seems like its the same format year after year. I don't care about the players' favorite breakfast cereal.

Open the gates earlier. Let people come in and shop and eat long BEFORE the game so they don't have to miss any of the action. I like watching batting practice.

[Zvon]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: metsmarathon wrote: regarding the confetti, i think that could work. or it could end up awful. one of the two. i think mostly it would be a juxtaposition of two so very different architectural themes that would be simply awful. but somebody should digitally mock it up just in case. This sounds like a job for Zvon!

As it stands now, without changes and going with the facade the way it now exists, I can say without a mock up that it would look pretty awful bad. I just think the bricks don't suit it. But I still will make one when I find a little time just to see how bad, and I could be wrong.

I'd like to see how it looks if they took a section of facade, maybe one gate or a decent square section along the outside (not at the grand entree), and replicated a chunk of old Shea . In detail, from top to bottom. Just a lil patch of Shea there for us.

Edgy MD wrote: They can add this and add that. But they're not getting rid of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. They're just not.

Yea, it's almost funny how they are now stuck with that because who's gonna stand for pulling a rug out from underneath Jackie. A rug that he should not have been standing on, but, there it is.
The media would have a field day if they ever pulled the plug on the JRrotunda.

[Guest themetfairy]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Do they give Citi Field tours? I've been on tours in other parks, and it's a ton of fun. I've been able to go on the field and everything -- at least the non-grass areas.

Yes, they do have tours. On Edit - tour information is available here.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Open the gates earlier. Let people come in and shop and eat long BEFORE the game so they don't have to miss any of the action. I like watching batting practice.

Conversely, they should have more porta potties in the parking lots and be more amenable to tailgate parties. Metlife Stadium makes tailgaters feel welcome, while the current Mets management gives off the opposite vibe. And if they're not going to open the gates earlier, have some kind of pre-game activities outside the park to keep people entertained while they're waiting.

[Edgy MD]

Zvon wrote: The media would have a field day if they ever pulled the plug on the JRrotunda.

It'd be a lot more transcendent than that, as it would be more than a day and more than the media.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I have no problem at all with them honoring Jackie Robinson. But the whole rotunda idea was way too much. And they shouldn't have made the park look like Ebbets Field. I don't think they should have made it look like Shea either. I would have preferred a new design entirely. Start to define what a 21st Century ballpark looks like. (Like the Nets did in Brooklyn.) But of course, it's too late for that. We're stuck with a Disney Ebbetsland Park.

[Guest themetfairy]

Pre-game autograph sessions on weekends with Met alumni. Ed Kranepool/Ed Charles/etc. Let older fans thank them for the memories and younger fans learn a bit about Mets history while the guys are still around to tell the tales.

It seems that the team doesn't do a good enough job of publicizing their events. Fans have to reach out to research special events/stadium tours/etc. The team has to do a better job of letting the fans know what's going on.

[Ceetar]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Do they give Citi Field tours? I've been on tours in other parks, and it's a ton of fun. I've been able to go on the field and everything -- at least the non-grass areas. I don't like the ideas of adding the panels to the outside of the stadium -- it really is a beautiful ballpark -- but I like the idea of adding them somewhere inside, like stairwells or interior hallways. I like the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the 42. Maybe the videos are a little much. We do need statues. (But look at Comerica Park as an example of how NOT to do them.) Replace the people who publish the yearbook. It seems like its the same format year after year. I don't care about the players' favorite breakfast cereal. Open the gates earlier. Let people come in and shop and eat long BEFORE the game so they don't have to miss any of the action. I like watching batting practice.

Yeah, they do. For some reason I still haven't been on one. Although they seem to be missing now. Did they stop doing them? Fire the tour guide? Odd.

They've pushed back the gate openings over time. But they open them early..2.5? 3? for Premium games. I wonder if they just weren't getting the crowds.

[Guest themetfairy]

themetfairy wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Do they give Citi Field tours? I've been on tours in other parks, and it's a ton of fun. I've been able to go on the field and everything -- at least the non-grass areas. Yes, they do have tours. On Edit - tour information is available here.

On further review, there don't seem to be any tours available to purchase.

Bring 'em back!

[dinosaur jesus]

Zvon wrote: themetfairy wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Change the fa�ade of Citi Field so that it looks more like Shea than Ebbets Field. Lighter colored bricks, and big corrugated tin rectangles. And what the heck, some neon baseball players too. This idea isn't so far fetched, and to a degree, kinda do-able. They could remove random bricks from the existing facade and replace them with pastel colored orange blue and green bricks that match the colors of the old Shea shingles. Those shingles varied in size. The Mets could mimic this effect by installing several bricks of the same color next to each other to create pastel colored rectangular sections of brick in different sizes. On second thought, I don't know that the replacing bricks idea would work so well. Most of the existing facade is windows and openings instead of wall and surface. Would replacing some of the glass with orange and blue panes work? Original Shea had those orange and blue panels suspended from vertical wires. Don't know how it would look mashing with the current architecture but that can be done in virtually any spot in the stadium. I'd start by making that Citi Field sign blue and orange.

Something like this?

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I have no problem at all with them honoring Jackie Robinson. But the whole rotunda idea was way too much. And they shouldn't have made the park look like Ebbets Field. I don't think they should have made it look like Shea either. I would have preferred a new design entirely. Start to define what a 21st Century ballpark looks like. (Like the Nets did in Brooklyn.) But of course, it's too late for that. We're stuck with a Disney Ebbetsland Park.

Keep in mind, there was a lot of pressure at the time to name the whole park after him.


I don't mind the Ebbets thing too much. I know my Dad, who went to games there, really liked seeing it.

[Guest themetfairy]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Something like this?

That's not bad. But what if the blue and orange glass panes were interspersed, along with some clear ones?

[dgwphotography]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Something like this?

Oh good God, that's ghastly. As much as I would love a return of the shingles, I just don't think it would work with that brick facade...

[metirish]

Get rid of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda - Lose that ugly 42, and replace it with a statue of Tom Terrific: Make the rest of the Rotunda a celebration of Mets history

This


I would rename the stadium Seaver Stadium at Kiner Way....it's a mouthful but can be worked on.

[dinosaur jesus]

dgwphotography wrote: dinosaur jesus wrote: Something like this? Oh good God, that's ghastly. As much as I would love a return of the shingles, I just don't think it would work with that brick facade...

Yeah, the orange is too close to the color of the brick. It would have been better to make the brick itself blue and orange. Worked for Nebuchadnezzar.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, that blue-and-orange thing may be ugly, but it's good ugly. It looks like an amusement park, which is fine, since it's housing an amusement park. And hell, it's no worse of an external eyesore than the gigantic ad board with scores on it, facing the Van Wyck... and tons more Metly.

[Zvon]

dinosaur jesus wrote: dinosaur jesus wrote: Something like this? Oh good God, that's ghastly. As much as I would love a return of the shingles, I just don't think it would work with that brick facade... Yeah, the orange is too close to the color of the brick. It would have been better to make the brick itself blue and orange. Worked for Nebuchadnezzar.

I actually think that's a great start. Citi Field sign looks good like that. Keep the orange and blue in the windows and change the color of the brick to something that would accent the blue and orange well. An off white of some kind.Creme white, blue white? Black is possible but not desirable.

I did a few mock ups of the panel look for the card blog. This is an unused one but it does display the colors that would invoke Shea.

dinosaur jesus wrote:

This intrigues me.

[batmagadanleadoff]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I have no problem at all with them honoring Jackie Robinson. But the whole rotunda idea was way too much. And they shouldn't have made the park look like Ebbets Field. I don't think they should have made it look like Shea either. I would have preferred a new design entirely. Start to define what a 21st Century ballpark looks like. (Like the Nets did in Brooklyn.) But of course, it's too late for that. We're stuck with a Disney Ebbetsland Park. Keep in mind, there was a lot of pressure at the time to name the whole park after [Jackie Robinson].

Pressure? From whom? From Fred Wilpon?

Z_JOGmXpe5I

[metirish]

The NYC media, specifically wankers like Wally Matthews ..Klapisch ...a few others IIRC.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Zvon wrote: The media would have a field day if they ever pulled the plug on the JRrotunda. It'd be a lot more transcendent than that, as it would be more than a day and more than the media.

Yeah, there's no way you can kill that beast at this point. Short of building a new Mets stadium, you can only hope to contain the Jackie Rotunda. If I suddenly owned the Mets though, I'd mothball that Jackie Rotunda in a heartbeat. What I'd do is create an exhibit --somewhere other than in the Rotunda-- honoring NY National League baseball before the Mets existed. It would, naturally, also honor the NY Giants and --hello -- their stadium, The Polo Grounds, first home of the Mets. The Mets! Who never played in Ebbets Field. I'd also include artifacts and history from the Continental League. I'd incorporate the Jackie stuff, including the big stupid 42 into the new exhibit. I could care less if the Jackie Robinson legend is given a disproportionate amount of space in this new exhibit, but I wouldn't have that big centerpiece of a Rotunda dedicated exclusively, or at all, to the former Brooklyn Dodger. It's inappropriate. I doubt that the Wilpons would ever go for this idea. For one, they'd be loath to have to allocate another space to some fan exhibit that isn't generating money from the sale of $10 hot dogs and $45 t-shirts. And as a matter of pride and ego alone, they're not gonna back down from their beloved idea no matter how unpopular it might be. But they wopuldn't have to create a new space for this exhibit. Instead, they could simply scatter the artifacts throughout the stadium, on walls and in the walkways and wherever else space and feasibility allow.

[batmagadanleadoff]

And another thing. That Hall of Fame sucks. It was a day late. And a dollar short. It's tiny and dinky. And now that I've seen it for four seasons running, I can see that, like everything this FO does, it's unimaginative and maybe even somewhat neglected at this point. All of this Mets history, a lifetime's worth, and all the Mets seem to do with their HOF is display a Mookie Wilson jersey that they'll swap out for a Gary Carter jersey come next season. Why don't they contact Syracuse University, which houses the largest collection of Willard Mullin illustrations in the world, for an exhibit on the great cartoonist's Mets work? Why not collaborate with the Daily News for an exhibit of the paper's archives, including reproductions of Mets themed front and back page news stories. Plus an exhibit of Bill Gallo's work, or Bruce Stark's? Rheingold Beer was the Mets' first sponsor and the Mets Rheingold memorabilia and paraphernalia from the '60's is exhibit worthy and could fill up twice the space of that closet the Mets reserved for their HOF. Why not a thorough exhibit on the Mets uniform history? With examples and meaningful textual information? The kind of info that you wouldn't mind looking at and reading even if it took you a half an hour to do so? This is the tip of the iceberg. They hosted the All Star Game this year for the first time in almost 50 years -- a perfect occasion to celebrate the '64 ASG in their HOF -- which they did -- by exhibiting like three or four items (including a game ticket and a print ad that ran in The Sporting News in '64) that you could absorb in 12 seconds. The news articles that the NY papers ran in the week or so before the ASG were a thousand times more informative and visually interesting than what the Mets, with their resources, access and connections, exhibited. It's the 40th annivesary of 1973. What about a Willie Mays exhibit? The Mets should be able to fill up three rotundas worth of Willie Mays stuff. I could go on. They could also fill up three rotundas with Tom Seaver stuff, and without having to include anything that isn't Met themed.

[Zvon]

I think we all would prefer it your way bats. Even the Met fans here who are okay with the JR set up (I would think) would agree that having something a little smaller in another part of the stadium would be fine.


We gotta start a board lottery pool and if we win we buy the team. Our group here could run it better than an old nostalgic Dodger fan.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm not much on trying to recreate what went on in the old stadium (aka: the orange and blue tiles) but y'know what would be interesting for the outside of the new place? ... In addition to the 30 or 40 places where it tells you who's paying for the sponsorship of the place, maybe in one or two or three places they could maybe indicate who plays in said stadium. After all, it's not like, after a half-century plus now, that both the orange NY logo and especially the Mets/Skyline/Baseball logo aren't highly recognizable and iconic symbols.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: After all, it's not like, after a half-century plus now, that both the orange NY logo and especially the Mets/Skyline/Baseball logo aren't highly recognizable and iconic symbols.

Best freakin' logo in all of baseball.



Don't question it.