G-Fafif

Somewhere Al Reyes is long-tossing with Ruddy Lugo.

Centerfield wrote: Nice shirt Fafif. Credit an assist to the Pirates and PNC Park, the shirt I went to at 6-2 Brewers. Good lord, we've got this and we've got Santana going tonight. We were given the moral equivalent of Brant Brown. Let us not blow with it.

HIGH-FIVE!

Obviously the worst thing a manager can do is remove Guillermo Mota. I had been wearing a Wrigley Field shirt I got many years ago. Disgusted at 6-2, I switched out of it. Moral: Never do anything remotely pro-Cubs if you want something out of them.

Any chance we could borrow Anderson Hernandez for the evening?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: My hopes for a perfect day (wins for the Mets, Cubs, Braves) are starting to fade. Pennant races make for strange bedfellows.

Gwreck wrote: Top 5 Absentees: Doc Mookie Cleon Kingman Olerud (also absent: Bobby V. and Davey) G, Hadn't heard about Olerud and Cleon. What gives? G

His game-tying (8-8) ninth-inning homer on July 26 against the Cardinals, part of a 3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2-walk night was downright electrifying. The next day I believe they showed a stat that all of his homers came from the sixth inning on. Maybe the most unlikely contributor to a Mets season since Rick Reed in 1997.

Thirty-six active players at the moment plus Ron, Keith, HoJo and Sandy Alomar Sr. So they'll be bringing in, I assume, like five guys. Seriously, 848 men have played for the Mets. Forty-five, if I've counted correctly from the UMDB necrology, are no longer with us. A few dozen from '62 and '63 never played at Shea. Maybe a few more only played road games after '64. Ex-Mets in other uniforms and therefore working that day as players, coaches and managers must total, I don't know, a few more dozen. Seems to me 45, other than for the significance of total number of seasons at Shea, is a little low.

Derek Jeter. A million.

="Benjamin Grimm":duidosp0]A few decades from now, if not sooner, the official story will be that the construction of the new stadium was just a "refurbishment" and that it's still the same park that Ruth and Gehrig played in. The story will be that the city offered the Yankees a new stadium, but they said, "Thanks but no thanks. We'll stay in the House that Ruth Built." If you say anything often enough, it becomes true.[/quote:duidosp0] Amen. I wonder how much more than usual Shea will be bashed by the MFY suckups and knownothings during its final homestand. "At least the Yankees had the decency to definitively end their unprecedented run of success with finality. The Mets don't even have the decency to let their fans know that they will be eliminated by their last regular-season game. And Derek Jeter just set another secret record no one knew existed until ten minutes ago." Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:32 PM Trivia question: Which Met had the most hits at Shea Stadium, and how many did he have? G-Fafif Sep 17 2008 02:38 PM Derek Jeter. A million. dgwphotography Sep 17 2008 02:38 PM I'd have to say Mr. Kranepool. SteveJRogers Sep 17 2008 02:40 PM My guess would be Kranepool metirish Sep 17 2008 02:40 PM Will Jeter's hit record carry over into the new stadium ? "hits falling like a soft rain here at River Av & 161 St" Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:44 PM Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record. MFS62 Sep 17 2008 02:55 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":1s85f85k]Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record.[/quote:1s85f85k] If Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, my keen, analytical mind tell me the Mets will have a pretty good shot at making the playoffs. Later metsguyinmichigan Sep 17 2008 02:56 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":2si2fpvi]Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record.[/quote:2si2fpvi] Verducci's likely take: "Reyes turned in a Jeter-like performance that was worthy of the Cathedreal (pauses to wipe tear) but will have to settle for the blue place by the airport." metirish Sep 18 2008 07:05 AM Lord Jeter played his 1,000th game at Yankee Stadium last night , not sure if that's a record but it should be. A-Rod meanwhile joined some good company. ] A-Rod's home run matches feat accomplished by Babe Ruth BY Anthony McCarron DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, September 18th 2008, 1:04 AM Alex Rodriguez joined Babe Ruth and left Hank Aaron and Mike Schmidt behind. A-Rod's eighth-inning homer was his 35th this season, giving him 12 years with 35 or more. Ruth is the only other player with that many seasons with at least 35 homers. A-Rod also became the first player in baseball history to have 12 seasons with 35 or more HRs and 100 or more RBI. Ruth did that 11 times. It made for an interesting night for Rodriguez - he was booed in the second and fifth when he looked bad striking out each time. He said "it just felt good to put the ball in play tonight. I've stunk, honestly. "Mechanically, I've got some things that need fixing. I know the score - when I stink, I get booed. When I do good, they cheer. It's all right." Rodriguez also has 35 or more homers in 11 consecutive seasons, breaking a tie with Sammy Sosa for most all-time. DocTee Sep 18 2008 08:21 AM Who's up for a game of impromptu whiffle ball at St. Pat's? Or the local temple? My grade school buddies and I once plotted this in our school's church-- laid out ground rules and evything, before we realized WTF, it's a church, not a playground. HahnSolo Sep 18 2008 08:25 AM With every HR, water sprays from the Baptismal font. soupcan Oct 22 2008 12:21 PM Some more good ones here... AG/DC Oct 22 2008 12:26 PM Wow. A lot of fire hydrants. themetfairy Oct 22 2008 12:36 PM It looks nice. What's with the faux bridge inside the park? John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 22 2008 12:46 PM Apparently "bridges" are to be incorporated/suggested throughout in a nod to the Met logo and theoir representation of connecting the boroughs. Park looks awfully closed, with all of left field behind the stands and some goofy shit in right center. metsguyinmichigan Oct 22 2008 02:26 PM Are all those grey rectangles near the scoreboard and lights future ads? That sure does seem like a lot of them. Centerfield Oct 22 2008 02:54 PM Where are the bullpens? And I don't like that funky shit in right-center either. I hope we don't have any contrived "quirks" in this field. John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 22 2008 03:09 PM I think the 'pens have to be in that right-center funkiness, shots at the link have closeups showing there's some crap going in there anyway. I know the stands there are supposed to hover over the warning track, so get ready for quirktastic action. Farmer Ted Oct 22 2008 03:13 PM Looks like those gray areas will be ads...and one right up there in between the light posts in left? I predict that's the "Company formerly known as Keyspan" ad location. I like the configuration of the lights in the Chrysler Building motif. Tall outfield walls in left? Gwreck Oct 22 2008 03:26 PM Bullpens are under the two bridges. OlerudOwned Oct 22 2008 04:07 PM So many in-play bleachers. Weeeiiiird. soupcan Oct 30 2008 06:51 PM Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 08:07 PM I like foul territory in the outfield, and not bleacher walls two feet away that run parallel to the line. Not to pick. Zhea didn't have much. Willets Point Oct 30 2008 08:30 PM A full set of bleachers along the outfield fence is one thing I really think Shea could have/should have had but didn't. metsguyinmichigan Oct 30 2008 11:53 PM I like it. Though it looks like it is supposed to be surrounded by a neighborhood. Shea looked comfortable surrounded by parking lots, Citi looks a little out of place that way. SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 06:06 AM Well, that is something that it will have in common with Citizens Bank Ballpark as well! Oh it is in South Philly, but the distance between the neighboorhood and the Sports Complex is roughly the same as Citi/Shea and Flushing/Corona. I'm pretty sure these are the only two of the "newer" ballparks not to be smack dab in the middle of some residential or comerical area. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 06:54 AM I agree. Shea looked more suited for a big parking lot than Citi Field does. And Citizens Bank Park is in the same category, but since it's close to the Eagles' stadium, it at least looks like it's part of a complex. Citi Field will get its urban neighbors if the Willets Point development plan goes forward. It may be years before that happens, if it ever does. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 07:02 AM They want to raze the chop shops, of course, but the facing of the administrative building attached to Citi Field on 126th St. does kind of blend in with those businesses (savory or otherwise) across the street. Agreed, however, on Citi Field in a parking lot. It may as well be Six Flags Over Baseball. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 07:12 AM Yeah, I said that shit years ago. Where's my no prize? Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 07:13 AM I think the Rangers' stadium is also one of those parking lot buildings. (The Six Flags comment made me think of it; you drive right past the ballpark on the way to the theme park.) metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 08:49 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":3gs27u3n]I think the Rangers' stadium is also one of those parking lot buildings. (The Six Flags comment made me think of it; you drive right past the ballpark on the way to the theme park.)[/quote:3gs27u3n] Milwaukee, too. SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 10:11 AM Completely forgot about The Ted in Atlanta as well, which is also off a highway pretty much. Which is funny considering The Georgia Dome and whatever replaced The Omni (home of NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers) is located right in the middle of Atlanta's business district. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 11:24 AM So the Mets aren't just late to the retro game, they're following the wrong fork in the road. soupcan Oct 31 2008 11:39 AM They could fix that though. Once Shea comes down will they really need that parking beyond left field at Citi? Develop that area with condos, hotels, etc. and you've got an area with water views and maybe a Wrigley-type atmosphere at street level. metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 11:46 AM Good call. But would right field be better? You have the train station, the park, the tennis places. Onther side looks like the Interstate. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 11:55 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 31 2008 12:03 PM Well, the idea of the architecture not being complemented by a surrounding neighborhood demands that you build your faux Sesame Streets by the front of the building, doesn't it? soupcan Oct 31 2008 11:57 AM ="Edgy DC":jmnbig1j]Well, the idea of the architecture not being complemented by a surrounding neighborhood demands that you build your faux Sesame Streets by the front of the building, doesn't it?[/quote:jmnbig1j] I think so. I do prefer 'Disney Streets' to Sesame Streets' but I see where you got that and where you're going Mr. Hooper. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 11:58 AM It's that area across from right field that's proposed for redevelopment, isn't it? The plans do include a hotel. I could easily see myself staying in a hotel there and walking back to the room after a night game. soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:12 PM Yes - right field. Here's the plan... G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 12:23 PM Having been down 126th St. quite recently, that artist's rendering of the vibrant Citi Village or whatever it would be called is fanciful beyond all sense of reality. Great if it happens, but don't hold your breath (unless you park amid the chop shops where they don't have working sewers). soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:25 PM I agree, but don't understimate your soon-to-be three term mayor. He does seem to be able to get what he wants, and he wants this. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 12:27 PM If he can get the law changed that easily, I wouldn't put anything past him. Willets Point Oct 31 2008 12:27 PM Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious. Farmer Ted Oct 31 2008 12:47 PM My attempt at posting the satellite view of Turner Field in Atlanta bonked. In any case, you can check it out on Google satellite maps. They retained the base paths and fence outline in the concrete of Fulton County stadium (adjacent to the Ted). There is a monument honoring the location of Hank's record setting home run. Thought it was cool, that's all. soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:51 PM ="Farmer Ted"]My attempt at posting the satellite view of Turner Field in Atlanta bonked. In any case, you can check it out on Google satellite maps. They retained the base paths and fence outline in the concrete of Fulton County stadium (adjacent to the Ted). There is a monument honoring the location of Hank's record setting home run. Thought it was cool, that's all. Centerfield Oct 31 2008 01:03 PM ="G-Fafif":2jjfbchs]If he can get the law changed that easily, I wouldn't put anything past him.[/quote:2jjfbchs] The vote is going to be held in November. Other redevelopment projects, not on the scale of Willets Point, have already been approved by large margins, if that is any indication of what is to come. metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 01:07 PM That's cool! (Both the Ted and the renderings.) St. Louis has some Ballpark Village plans, but as I saw a couple weeks ago, it's still a big dirt patch. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 01:10 PM I like that ghost image of Fulton County Stadium. I hope they do as nice a job for Shea. HahnSolo Oct 31 2008 01:37 PM This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath. metirish Oct 31 2008 01:41 PM It would be a hell of a poke but in the new stadium we could have the "Chop Shop Splash" home run , although it might not be safe for the kids to be lining up out there waiting for one. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 01:46 PM ="HahnSolo":3hpj3xtg]This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath.[/quote:3hpj3xtg] I'm still stunned they built a new ballpark when targeted. I would have bet on a Shea "it'll be ready in 1963" scenario. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 02:01 PM ="Willets Point":3vog3czv]Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious.[/quote:3vog3czv] What? You doubt that Shea's environs will be entirely populated by the thin, the neat, and the white? G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 02:24 PM ="Edgy DC":iyjlmtms]="Willets Point":iyjlmtms]Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious.[/quote:iyjlmtms] What? You doubt that Shea's environs will be entirely populated by the thin, the neat, and the white?[/quote:iyjlmtms] And where are the hovercraft? soupcan Oct 31 2008 07:40 PM ="G-Fafif"]And where are the hovercraft? Now that's funny. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 08:46 PM How 'bout some love for the straight man? SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 08:53 PM ="G-Fafif":gggwrmyu]="HahnSolo":gggwrmyu]This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath.[/quote:gggwrmyu] I'm still stunned they built a new ballpark when targeted. I would have bet on a Shea "it'll be ready in 1963" scenario.[/quote:gggwrmyu] HA! Anyone recall, or know what the hangup was there? I mean it was literally right there on the 1962 program, "The 1963 Home Of The Mets" and all! soupcan Oct 31 2008 09:19 PM ="Edgy DC":3izds9qf]How 'bout some love for the straight man?[/quote:3izds9qf] Goes without saying. Willets Point Oct 31 2008 11:09 PM ="Edgy DC":2ld5yelf]How 'bout some love for the straight man?[/quote:2ld5yelf] Always working the gay icon angle aren't you? Edgy DC Nov 01 2008 06:32 AM I'm a straight man in need of gay love, or something. metirish Nov 03 2008 08:51 AM ] City now owns over 40% of Willets Point after latest buy By John Lauinger Daily News Staff Writer Monday, November 3rd 2008, 10:29 AM The city has gobbled up another chunk of Willets Point in Queens as Mayor Bloomberg pushes his plan to transform the gritty industrial zone near Shea Stadium. In the biggest land deal to date in the neighborhood, the city persuaded Indian food distributor House of Spices - the second-largest landowner at Willets Point - to sell its 4 acres, city officials told the Daily News. The deal is expected to be announced Monday along with an agreement for a third of an acre owned by another company. Combined with previously inked deals, the city now controls more than 40% of the 62-acre tangle of auto body shops and other businesses - and could soon have half the land. Bloomberg wants to spend $3 billion to turn the area into a glitzy enclave of 5,500 residences, stores, a hotel and a convention center. The percentage of city-controlled land is becoming increasingly important as pressure mounts on Bloomberg to sell skeptical City Council members on his plan before Nov. 13. That is the deadline for the Council to take a make-or-break vote on the proposal. Previously, 32 of 51 Council members signed a letter saying Bloomberg's $3 billion proposal is "doomed" unless eminent domain - the government's power to take private land for public use - is taken off the table. City economic development officials are promising to roll out as many as nine additional deals before the deadline. Four deals are "imminent" and could be announced this week, and talks with five other businesses are "very far along," said Andrew Brent, a spokesman for Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber. If all of those deals are inked, the city would control slightly more than half of Willets Point. "They still have a lot of work to do in a very short period of time," said City Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens), whose district includes Willets Point. He said the city must also add more affordable housing to the plan. jlauinger@nydailynews.com Willets Point Nov 03 2008 10:02 AM ="metirish"]] City now owns over 40% of Willets Point after latest buy No one owns me, I'm my own man! soupcan Nov 04 2008 10:45 AM Benjamin Grimm Nov 04 2008 10:50 AM Are those Doug Flynn's initials? metirish Nov 04 2008 10:51 AM JR Ewing? soupcan Nov 04 2008 10:52 AM 'Junior' for Jeff Wilpon. metsguyinmichigan Nov 04 2008 11:19 AM Looking at the construction workers and the "courage" work, I think the Robinson Routunda might turn out better than I expected. G-Fafif Nov 04 2008 12:44 PM Where is the panel that delineates PROFIT? Vince Coleman Firecracker Nov 04 2008 12:47 PM ="G-Fafif":3nkr8yzs]Where is the panel that delineates PROFIT?[/quote:3nkr8yzs] It's in your wallet, where your money used to be. John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 04 2008 12:55 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":k2s009ni] Are those Doug Flynn's initials?[/quote:k2s009ni] lol Frayed Knot Nov 04 2008 03:48 PM Hey, at least there are NYM logos on that gating and not LAD A Boy Named Seo Nov 04 2008 03:59 PM ="soupcan"] Those things remind me of these things: metirish Nov 04 2008 04:02 PM That's not for me? soupcan Nov 06 2008 07:32 AM Edgy DC Nov 06 2008 07:57 AM So a big difference there is no façade on the back of the upper bleachers. Is it because exposed ironwork is cool or is it to make more of an open-air concourse? Benjamin Grimm Nov 06 2008 08:03 AM What about the color of the bricks? Does anyone know? How well does the color of Citi Field match Ebbets? metirish Nov 06 2008 08:19 AM Ebbets Field looks better I think, at least from that view. That's not a photo though , is it? soupcan Nov 06 2008 08:39 AM Here's another HahnSolo Nov 06 2008 09:34 AM ="soupcan"]Here's another Easiest Where's Waldo ever. soupcan Nov 06 2008 09:37 AM Golf clap. soupcan Nov 18 2008 10:58 AM Sod is down... Picture 2326.avi metirish Nov 18 2008 10:59 AM I got to say that seeing those pictures excites me. metsguyinmichigan Nov 18 2008 11:47 AM ="HahnSolo"]="soupcan"]Here's another Easiest Where's Waldo ever. VERY funny! SteveJRogers Nov 18 2008 07:56 PM It is now a neat juxtaposition looking at Shea and Citi Field in overhead photos now and a year ago. One stadium with field and seats waiting for the new season to begin, the other the field looks like a battlefield, and the seats are not installed. Zvon Nov 18 2008 08:19 PM ="metirish":1zykiufq]I got to say that seeing those pictures excites me.[/quote:1zykiufq] I have to admit they excite me too. Edgy DC Nov 18 2008 08:56 PM Looking at those pictures, it's be kind of cool if they just paved over the field area and let the structure stand, letting early comers park and tailgate on the former field. Willets Point Nov 18 2008 09:17 PM ="Edgy DC":ez0b190s]Looking at those pictures, it's be kind of cool if they just paved over the field area and let the structure stand, letting early comers park and tailgate on the former field.[/quote:ez0b190s] And in a thousand years it will have the derelict charm of the Roman Coliseum. Hey, it already has the feral cats. Benjamin Grimm Nov 19 2008 04:29 AM I've thought the same thing. They'd just have to pop out some passageways so that traffic could flow easily. SteveJRogers Nov 25 2008 02:15 PM From baseball-fever.com a view from behind home plate (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Nov 25 2008 02:18 PM That porch in right field looks like a drawer that needs to be pushed shut. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) metirish Nov 25 2008 02:26 PM From baseball-fever (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) G-Fafif Nov 25 2008 02:27 PM Orange foul poles, my heart be still. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Nov 25 2008 02:29 PM I can picture a slicing line drive landing in fair territory and bouncing into the stands at the lower left. I guess it would still be a ground-rule double if that happened, even though the stands it bounces into are in foul territory. I wonder what "Hal the Referee" would say? (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 02:31 PM ="G-Fafif":17s8qtsk]Orange foul poles, my heart be still.[/quote:17s8qtsk] Yeah. Looked like earlier versions had 'em yellow. Maybe they were just renderings. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 02:34 PM Oh it would be a G-R double. Stuff like that happens all the time in Philly (both the new place and the old) and both in YSII and in RF in Boston (and I'm sure others as well). Hard to tell, but these jutting stands in LF don't look to have as extreme an angle as those in Philly but looks like we'll still get our share of goofy bounces back towards fair territory for balls that stay low enough to hit the facing of the stands and not bounce into the seats themselves. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) metirish Nov 25 2008 02:35 PM This link here has a better picture of the lines and the foul pole. http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=60954&page=341 Also there are drawings of the park. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Farmer Ted Nov 25 2008 02:46 PM There appear to be extra tunnels in the upper deck behind home plate. Quick outs for the upper level fat cats. What is that press-box-looking-structure behind home plate (about 15 feet up from playing level? (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Dec 02 2008 04:08 PM ]Citi Field nearly ready to open its doors Builders of Mets' new ballpark influenced by other stadiums By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com NEW YORK -- The left-field wall rises conspicuously high at Citi Field, making it both a point of note and, recently, a point of contention. "Eighteen feet," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon guessed on Tuesday, before a site worker pegged the actual height at 16 feet. And Wilpon was pleased. Citi Field, he said, may retain its predecessor's reputation as a pitcher-friendly park, but it hardly caters only to those on the mound. Toward the end of September, in fact, Wilpon invited players David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans out for a private batting practice session at the new park, and all three of them managed to yank a pitch over the wall. "Evans put it halfway up the left-field deck," Wilpon said. "It's totally reachable." Such details of the new stadium have now become focal points, because Citi Field is so close to completion. A stroll through the park on Tuesday revealed that all the seats have been installed, the press box and Diamond Club are already encased in glass, and workers have begun installing major appliances within the concession stands. Yet of greater interest to Wright, Murphy, Evans and others in uniform, of course, is what lies deeper within the stadium. Lockers have been fully installed in the home clubhouse -- Wright has already chosen his -- and the carpet and bathroom tiles feature images of the fluorescent icons affixed to Shea Stadium's exterior walls. Adjacent rooms lead to some typical clubhouse amenities -- the manager's office, kitchen and weight room, to name a few -- save for one in the back that houses a hot tub, a cold tub and an underwater treadmill. Unlike anything at Shea Stadium, that room, along with one for indoor batting cages and pitching mounds, will allow players to rehab injuries at Citi Field, rather than always fly to the team's Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. In designing this ballpark, the Mets patched together ideas and influences from stadiums around the country. An overhang in right field, for example, protrudes above the warning track in a nod to the old Tiger Stadium. In the upper deck, a two-tiered layout reveals influence from Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Pieces of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Coors Field in Denver are present, though Wilpon noted that his greatest influence in the design of Citi Field was seven-year-old PNC Park in Pittsburgh. "I wanted to super-size Pittsburgh," said Wilpon, who went on a nationwide ballpark tour before building his own. "I really liked Pittsburgh the best." Yet the one influence, even more than Pittsburgh's, that Wilpon wanted to capture was that of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn -- the inspiration for Citi Field's exterior and perhaps its most prominent feature, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Still incomplete, the rotunda will become Citi Field's main entranceway, allowing fans to spill out of the Willits Point subway station and into a miniature baseball shrine. An escalator leads up to the seating bowl and down below, Robinson's nine values -- a staple of the Jackie Robinson Foundation's message -- are featured. Before Opening Day, workers will also erect a nine-foot No. 42 for fans to see as they enter the park. Steps outside the rotunda lies something similarly striking, if only for its incompleteness. Shea Stadium, home of the Mets for 44 years, has been reduced to an empty dirt bowl, its seats stripped, its sod removed and nearly all of its signage disappeared. Wilpon said he hoped that Shea would be completely disassembled and converted into a parking lot by Opening Day, with small markers at the site of home plate and the pitcher's rubber. Already, Shea Stadium's frame is nearly lost in the shadow of Citi Field, which -- despite holding only 42,500 seats, roughly a 25 percent drop from Shea -- seems built on a much greater scale. There are open areas for picnic tables and standing room, and a "GA Club" behind home plate in which ticket-holders can mingle. There is a Diamond Plaza near the rotunda where Shea Stadium's old home run apple will rest, and a large concrete basin in center field for Citi Field's new apple. There are tiered bullpens in center field -- the Mets will have the lower one, closer to the field -- and a plaza outside the rotunda for greenery. Wilpon was steps away from that plaza, inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, when he looked up and admired his handiwork. "Powerful, right?" he said. "It's now becoming what we want it to become." G-Fafif Dec 02 2008 04:34 PM Very pretty pictures of a very pretty ballpark-to-be. But their immediate impact is to make me sad in that it's so not Shea. I know, I know: that's the idea. A few innings inside could have me changing my tune pretty quickly, but it just looks like something else from somewhere else right now. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 04:56 PM ="Anthony DiComo":3aqa8uko]Toward the end of September, in fact, Wilpon invited players David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans out for a private batting practice session at the new park, and all three of them managed to yank a pitch over the wall.[/quote:3aqa8uko] What in particular gets your attention about this sentence? metirish Dec 02 2008 04:59 PM That Nick Evens hit one out , that it was towards the end of September ,that " yank a pitch over the wall" doesn't sound that far. Benjamin Grimm Dec 02 2008 05:10 PM I like that the tiles and carpeting include a tribute to Shea Stadium. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:14 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 02 2008 05:23 PM Richard Pryor had this observation to make during a seventies routine. People were talking about this dystopic futureshock sci-fi movie, called Logan's Run that left them unsettled. He went to it and was unsettled for a different reason. "I noticed there were no colored folks in this movie. Somebody's not expecting us to be around." Not that I think they're eradicating peeps of color from the roster, but while some Omar-critics may find it depressing that only five of 17 batters on the roster are caucasian, I noticed three of those five were the only ones invited to Jeff Wilpon's (who I don't think is a moron) private sleepover. Dude needs to broaden his experience. This ain't the Greenvale School. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:16 PM And yeah, I'm not too keen on Wilpon not understanding that they should be focused on the business at hand in late September. Nymr83 Dec 02 2008 05:18 PM It seems obvious that Wright would be the first one invited and Murphy was being rewarded for his explosive rookie performance. Nick Evans? really? you need Nick Evans to test out your new park? I understand not inviting Delgado who might not be back but where was Beltran? Reyes? Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:23 PM Pat Zachry. I mean, good sources have assured me that they speak English and everything. G-Fafif Dec 02 2008 05:48 PM ]Still incomplete, the rotunda will become Citi Field's main entranceway, allowing fans to spill out of the Willits Point subway station Anthony DiComo obviously drives to games and has never seen the sign for the station (or met our own Willets Point). With the ballpark name in at least a little limbo, one hopes the MTA hasn't invested in new station signs just yet. metirish Dec 02 2008 05:58 PM ="metirish"]That Nick Evens hit one out , that it was towards the end of September ,that " yank a pitch over the wall" doesn't sound that far. I had not read the article when I made that comment , so Wilpon was talking about a 16 foot high wall in LF , not sure if I'm Nick Evens I think that the boss is giving me a compliment here. ] Evans put it halfway up the left-field deck," Wilpon said. "It's totally reachable." Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 06:10 PM I want it noted, suckers, that one of the primary indictments of Shea --- that the outfield field-level seats largely face directly toward the outfield, rather than the infield where most of the action occurs, does not appear to be improved upon at all at Citi. soupcan Dec 04 2008 08:23 AM bb-f again ="Edgy DC"]I want it noted, suckers, that one of the primary indictments of Shea --- that the outfield field-level seats largely face directly toward the outfield, rather than the infield where most of the action occurs, does not appear to be improved upon at all at Citi. Not so! Angled seats... metirish Dec 04 2008 08:54 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 04 2008 09:44 AM High staircase and escalator obviously , people falling and going splat on the Robinson rotunda is to be expected I would think. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 09:25 AM ="soupcan":188c6xn0]Not so! Angled seats...[/quote:188c6xn0] Well, shut my mouth. Rows angled maybe ten degrees toward the infield. Seats angled ten degrees more. That's something. Benjamin Grimm Dec 04 2008 09:27 AM I do like the improved legroom. You can even have a guy in a hardhat kneel down in front of your seat, if that's your idea of a good time. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 09:30 AM You've been reading my blog. soupcan Dec 04 2008 01:12 PM Cool little video tour of Citi[/url:3bdfxevb] metirish Dec 04 2008 01:18 PM ="soupcan":3fpddl03]Cool little video tour of Citi[/url:3fpddl03][/quote:3fpddl03] Very cool , at the 2:10 mark they show a fenced in patch of green next to the stand in what I think is left of center field , is that the bullpen? Farmer Ted Dec 04 2008 01:28 PM Mets logo on the end seat of each row. Looking classy. soupcan Dec 04 2008 01:29 PM A lot of nice hi-res shots like this at metsblog.com on the front page. This the first pic I've seen of the nice w - i - d - e concourses. seawolf17 Dec 04 2008 01:34 PM ="metirish":cf49cmfu]High staircase and escalator obviously , people falling and going splat on the Robinson rotunda is to be expected I would think.[/quote:cf49cmfu] Considering what happened this year, you'd think they'd be conscious of that. Benjamin Grimm Dec 04 2008 01:40 PM They should string circus-style safety nets below each of the escalators. That concourse does look nice. It's easy to see how you could be standing on the hot dog line while keeping an eye on the game. That, I think, is the best thing that the new stadium will have over Shea. I also like the visible steel infrastructure, although that's hardly an innovation. John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 04 2008 01:43 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":3jnxf2zm] I also like the visible steel infrastructure, although that's hardly an innovation.[/quote:3jnxf2zm] Yeah, though its supposed to subtly remind you of the bridge on the Mets logo, which is supposed to remind you of how the Mets reached across the city to "bridge" fans of the Giants and Dodgers, and the Eastsiders and Westsiders, and Kiddies and Wives, and the Butcher, the Baker and the People on the Street. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 01:49 PM Thank God the Mets brought kiddies and wives together. Willets Point Dec 04 2008 03:19 PM ="Edgy DC":h0g9fccu]You've been reading my blog.[/quote:h0g9fccu] I want to read this blog. Valadius Dec 04 2008 04:02 PM I like the use of brick on the inside of the stadium rather than just the facade. Rockin' Doc Dec 04 2008 05:23 PM No one will ever pull an Endy on that left field wall. How tall is that wall in left field? Zvon Dec 04 2008 05:33 PM What I like: almost everything. It looks beautiful, real low to the ground. User friendly for the fan. On the whole a nice new home for my Metsies. What I don't like: I've never been a fan of the two tier bullpen. Hate em! Bullpen fights could make things exciting though. I really like the use of chain link fence here, but that one outjutting looks like trouble to me. Once again, the whole right field set up should make things exciting. (I'm not against "exciting", I just do not like silly injuries) I like an outfield wall where there's always a possibility of pulling one back into the park. So I'm not too thrilled with the height of that left field wall. I am assuming that these are the outfield walls (that there wont be wooden ones placed a foot or so in front of those we see, which I think I'd prefer). I'm sure that if they go with these concrete walls that will be padded with the best material available, but I still don't like the idea of a wall with absolutely no give to it. Don't mind me. Im just being an idiopathic idiosyncrat. themetfairy Dec 04 2008 05:57 PM Not at all Zvon - I enjoyed your illustrative input. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 06:05 PM I like an outfield wall with a hidden door that an outfielder can suddenly disappear through. Valadius Dec 04 2008 06:36 PM It's almost like they're setting up for a Field of Dreams cornfield stunt. Frayed Knot Dec 04 2008 09:20 PM Or a Manny signing. soupcan Dec 07 2008 04:02 PM Old Apple goes here? Benjamin Grimm Dec 07 2008 05:23 PM My understanding (could be wrong, though) is that the old apple is going to be inside the stadium but somewhere in centerfield. Edgy DC Dec 07 2008 05:36 PM That'll be an all-nu apple. soupcan Dec 07 2008 05:42 PM You saying all-nu inside or all-nu outside? Edgy DC Dec 07 2008 07:15 PM All-nu inside. soupcan Dec 07 2008 07:21 PM Right - but that podium or hole or whatever is outside, so I'm thinking that's where the old one will go. Or a statue..? Frayed Knot Dec 07 2008 07:23 PM Yeah, my understanding was nu-apple inside, apple-classic on view somewhere outside. G-Fafif Dec 07 2008 08:08 PM Both will be out in center, according to Metsblog, which was on the media tour last week. ]For starters, Jeff Wilpon told reporters that the old Home-Run Apple from Shea Stadium will be on display in back of the concourse in center field, which was good to hear. However, a new Apple will pop up from a concrete cannister beneath the center-field scoreboard. That thing they're building outside, obviously, is a kiddie pool. soupcan Dec 12 2008 02:41 PM So the outside is an homage to Ebbets. The green seats are supposedly a nod to the Polo Grounds. Where's Shea? Oh there it is, on the floor of the locker room. Is that the ugliest damn rug you've ever seen or what? Edgy DC Dec 12 2008 02:44 PM That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. Zvon Dec 12 2008 02:49 PM That is one ugly rug. So Shea gets the honor of being stepped on? Valadius Dec 12 2008 04:58 PM Pepitone's rug looks like Blagojevich's. metirish Dec 12 2008 05:03 PM ="Edgy DC":befgt7hd]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. [/quote:befgt7hd] Very funny. dgwphotography Dec 12 2008 05:11 PM ="Edgy DC"]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. I'm think Phil here would give Joe a run for his money: themetfairy Dec 12 2008 05:14 PM That has to be Phil's own hair. Nobody would construct a toupee THAT ugly! metsguyinmichigan Dec 12 2008 05:43 PM ="metirish":3bn5ocf6]="Edgy DC":3bn5ocf6]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. [/quote:3bn5ocf6] Very funny.[/quote:3bn5ocf6] WOW. And the rug on the guy on the right in the tan coat is horrible, too! And if I were Phil Spector's attorney, I'd go for the insanity defense and just point to him sitting there with that 'do and sit back and wait for the acquittal. soupcan Dec 12 2008 07:11 PM Pepitone's dead? Edgy DC Dec 12 2008 07:59 PM Guess not. My boo-boo. Sorry, Joe. I just sent a white elephant Christmas gift to my sister's Yankfan boyfriend. It was a Yankee hat that my brother got Pepitone's autograph on. What did he ever think I'd want with that. One time Pepitone, after missing a ballgame with a niggling injury while playing in Japan, was photographed at a disco later, out dancing with his wig. To this day, supposedly, American players who come to Japan and play the diva are called "Pepitones." Willets Point Dec 13 2008 05:52 PM ="soupcan":1k1wbb9f] Is that the ugliest damn rug you've ever seen or what?[/quote:1k1wbb9f] The carpet will be vastly improved by frequently soaking it in champagne. Farmer Ted Dec 13 2008 06:47 PM I was living in NC in the mid 90s and in charge of putting on a sports-related banquet. The Yankees had a minor league team in Greensboro for a number of years and the committee board voted to have a former Yankee or a current member of the organization to be the featured speaker. I swallowed my pride and called the Bronx. The PR office hack said someone would be in touch in a few days. Phone rings 20 minutes later. Pepitone on the other end. No shit. I explain we're looking for a speaker yadda yadda yadda and he says "I'll do it (basically volunteering himself). We can work on a fee but you need to fly me down there. Great times I had in that town." Apparently he had the gig of lining up the Yankees alumni for public appearances. I went back to the committee and told them Pepitone was the best I could do (not that I tried any harder). The room busted into hysterical laughter and we found someone else from a different sport to speak. Edgy DC Dec 13 2008 07:03 PM There was an episode of Mad About You where Jamie asked what ballplayer they can get for a personal appearance on a limited budget. Paul's answer was an aging swinger of a sixties Yankee firstbaseman clearly based on the Pep. cooby Dec 13 2008 07:56 PM I swear I was thinking about Joe Pepitone this morning. And why? Ashie62 Dec 17 2008 07:05 AM ="cooby":3lcpnzjo]I swear I was thinking about Joe Pepitone this morning. And why?[/quote:3lcpnzjo] Did you wake up with a woody? Rockin' Doc Dec 17 2008 10:24 AM I believe that would be a physical impossibility for cooby. metsmarathon Dec 17 2008 11:46 AM well, this thread sure has taken some strange strange turns hasn't it? Edgy DC Jan 07 2009 07:49 AM NEW YORK-- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration will forgo luxury boxes at the new Yankees and Mets ballparks, the city said Tuesday after months of criticism about its handling of the stadium projects. The administration has worked out a new deal with the Yankees to get extra money, instead of a luxury box. A separate and similar agreement is being worked out with the Mets for their new park, a Bloomberg spokesman said. Senior Bloomberg aides had fought hard to get the luxury boxes, describing the perk in internal e-mails as "a big issue to the mayor" during negotiations with the teams in 2006. That battle for the boxes only recently came to light as state and federal lawmakers launched investigations into how the teams and the administration went about making those deals. The decision to give up the luxury boxes comes as Bloomberg seeks reelection this year and repeatedly cites the city's enormous budget shortfalls. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 07 2009 07:56 AM They gave it up at the same time they were forced to cough up reams of smoking guns on how filthy the whole thing was, including begging by the MFYs to increase their duistribution of public $$ to cover shit like their scoreboard and video board. Mets are also asking for more but about half the MFYs overall since the project was so much less expensive. Centerfield Jan 07 2009 03:17 PM I think the Mets should sign Manny and ask the public to pick up the tab.

They could save the trouble and just list the final 17 games.

The sad part about Verducci's piece is it's written as if MFYS II is talking. The saving grace is it all but admits it's not the same building it was up to '73. ]I really haven't been myself since 1973, when they cut me clean open and for two years rearranged most of my vital organs (even the one that nimble-fingered Eddie Layton used to play), removed some of them and put me back together in such a way that I looked nothing like I did before.{/quote] If this whole farewell thing had been framed Goodbye MFYS II, where 33 seasons of unforgettable baseball occurred, would it have not been sufficient? (Not for the MFY myth, no it wouldn't have been.) Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:18 PM A few decades from now, if not sooner, the official story will be that the construction of the new stadium was just a "refurbishment" and that it's still the same park that Ruth and Gehrig played in. The story will be that the city offered the Yankees a new stadium, but they said, "Thanks but no thanks. We'll stay in the House that Ruth Built." If you say anything often enough, it becomes true. metirish Sep 17 2008 02:18 PM ] River Avenue & 161st You mean yankee stadium? Frayed Knot Sep 17 2008 02:19 PM Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Sep 17 2008 04:49 PM ]... you'd have to subtract the six teams added since. But I bet the average attendance is still better. Not merely better; - but better for every single existing club - approx 2.2 times better on average for existing clubs - approx 2.65 times better for MLB as a whole - 1973 shows 7 teams failing to draw 1 million vs 2007 where just 2 fail to draw 1.5mil - 2 teams out of 24 drew 2+mil in 1973 vs 24 of 30 in '07 - 5 teams drew 1.5mil or more (Ana, Cinc, NYM, Det, StL) then vs all but the two Florida teams now BTW, the "sparse crowds" in Miami and Tampa you deride today would have been known as 'above average' in 1973, finishing 9th & 10th out of 24 teams including ahead of both Chicago teams, Anaheim, Baltimore, San Fran, Atlanta, and, oh yeah, the Yanquis Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:19 PM ="metirish"]] River Avenue & 161st You mean yankee stadium? Nobody calls it that anymore. G-Fafif Sep 17 2008 02:26 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":duidosp0]A few decades from now, if not sooner, the official story will be that the construction of the new stadium was just a "refurbishment" and that it's still the same park that Ruth and Gehrig played in. The story will be that the city offered the Yankees a new stadium, but they said, "Thanks but no thanks. We'll stay in the House that Ruth Built." If you say anything often enough, it becomes true.[/quote:duidosp0] Amen. I wonder how much more than usual Shea will be bashed by the MFY suckups and knownothings during its final homestand. "At least the Yankees had the decency to definitively end their unprecedented run of success with finality. The Mets don't even have the decency to let their fans know that they will be eliminated by their last regular-season game. And Derek Jeter just set another secret record no one knew existed until ten minutes ago." Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:32 PM Trivia question: Which Met had the most hits at Shea Stadium, and how many did he have? G-Fafif Sep 17 2008 02:38 PM Derek Jeter. A million. dgwphotography Sep 17 2008 02:38 PM I'd have to say Mr. Kranepool. SteveJRogers Sep 17 2008 02:40 PM My guess would be Kranepool metirish Sep 17 2008 02:40 PM Will Jeter's hit record carry over into the new stadium ? "hits falling like a soft rain here at River Av & 161 St" Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 02:44 PM Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record. MFS62 Sep 17 2008 02:55 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":1s85f85k]Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record.[/quote:1s85f85k] If Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, my keen, analytical mind tell me the Mets will have a pretty good shot at making the playoffs. Later metsguyinmichigan Sep 17 2008 02:56 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":2si2fpvi]Yup, Kranepool. 691. If Jose Reyes gets 228 hits in the final homestand, he'll tie Kranepool's record.[/quote:2si2fpvi] Verducci's likely take: "Reyes turned in a Jeter-like performance that was worthy of the Cathedreal (pauses to wipe tear) but will have to settle for the blue place by the airport." metirish Sep 18 2008 07:05 AM Lord Jeter played his 1,000th game at Yankee Stadium last night , not sure if that's a record but it should be. A-Rod meanwhile joined some good company. ] A-Rod's home run matches feat accomplished by Babe Ruth BY Anthony McCarron DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, September 18th 2008, 1:04 AM Alex Rodriguez joined Babe Ruth and left Hank Aaron and Mike Schmidt behind. A-Rod's eighth-inning homer was his 35th this season, giving him 12 years with 35 or more. Ruth is the only other player with that many seasons with at least 35 homers. A-Rod also became the first player in baseball history to have 12 seasons with 35 or more HRs and 100 or more RBI. Ruth did that 11 times. It made for an interesting night for Rodriguez - he was booed in the second and fifth when he looked bad striking out each time. He said "it just felt good to put the ball in play tonight. I've stunk, honestly. "Mechanically, I've got some things that need fixing. I know the score - when I stink, I get booed. When I do good, they cheer. It's all right." Rodriguez also has 35 or more homers in 11 consecutive seasons, breaking a tie with Sammy Sosa for most all-time. DocTee Sep 18 2008 08:21 AM Who's up for a game of impromptu whiffle ball at St. Pat's? Or the local temple? My grade school buddies and I once plotted this in our school's church-- laid out ground rules and evything, before we realized WTF, it's a church, not a playground. HahnSolo Sep 18 2008 08:25 AM With every HR, water sprays from the Baptismal font. soupcan Oct 22 2008 12:21 PM Some more good ones here... AG/DC Oct 22 2008 12:26 PM Wow. A lot of fire hydrants. themetfairy Oct 22 2008 12:36 PM It looks nice. What's with the faux bridge inside the park? John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 22 2008 12:46 PM Apparently "bridges" are to be incorporated/suggested throughout in a nod to the Met logo and theoir representation of connecting the boroughs. Park looks awfully closed, with all of left field behind the stands and some goofy shit in right center. metsguyinmichigan Oct 22 2008 02:26 PM Are all those grey rectangles near the scoreboard and lights future ads? That sure does seem like a lot of them. Centerfield Oct 22 2008 02:54 PM Where are the bullpens? And I don't like that funky shit in right-center either. I hope we don't have any contrived "quirks" in this field. John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 22 2008 03:09 PM I think the 'pens have to be in that right-center funkiness, shots at the link have closeups showing there's some crap going in there anyway. I know the stands there are supposed to hover over the warning track, so get ready for quirktastic action. Farmer Ted Oct 22 2008 03:13 PM Looks like those gray areas will be ads...and one right up there in between the light posts in left? I predict that's the "Company formerly known as Keyspan" ad location. I like the configuration of the lights in the Chrysler Building motif. Tall outfield walls in left? Gwreck Oct 22 2008 03:26 PM Bullpens are under the two bridges. OlerudOwned Oct 22 2008 04:07 PM So many in-play bleachers. Weeeiiiird. soupcan Oct 30 2008 06:51 PM Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 08:07 PM I like foul territory in the outfield, and not bleacher walls two feet away that run parallel to the line. Not to pick. Zhea didn't have much. Willets Point Oct 30 2008 08:30 PM A full set of bleachers along the outfield fence is one thing I really think Shea could have/should have had but didn't. metsguyinmichigan Oct 30 2008 11:53 PM I like it. Though it looks like it is supposed to be surrounded by a neighborhood. Shea looked comfortable surrounded by parking lots, Citi looks a little out of place that way. SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 06:06 AM Well, that is something that it will have in common with Citizens Bank Ballpark as well! Oh it is in South Philly, but the distance between the neighboorhood and the Sports Complex is roughly the same as Citi/Shea and Flushing/Corona. I'm pretty sure these are the only two of the "newer" ballparks not to be smack dab in the middle of some residential or comerical area. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 06:54 AM I agree. Shea looked more suited for a big parking lot than Citi Field does. And Citizens Bank Park is in the same category, but since it's close to the Eagles' stadium, it at least looks like it's part of a complex. Citi Field will get its urban neighbors if the Willets Point development plan goes forward. It may be years before that happens, if it ever does. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 07:02 AM They want to raze the chop shops, of course, but the facing of the administrative building attached to Citi Field on 126th St. does kind of blend in with those businesses (savory or otherwise) across the street. Agreed, however, on Citi Field in a parking lot. It may as well be Six Flags Over Baseball. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 07:12 AM Yeah, I said that shit years ago. Where's my no prize? Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 07:13 AM I think the Rangers' stadium is also one of those parking lot buildings. (The Six Flags comment made me think of it; you drive right past the ballpark on the way to the theme park.) metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 08:49 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":3gs27u3n]I think the Rangers' stadium is also one of those parking lot buildings. (The Six Flags comment made me think of it; you drive right past the ballpark on the way to the theme park.)[/quote:3gs27u3n] Milwaukee, too. SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 10:11 AM Completely forgot about The Ted in Atlanta as well, which is also off a highway pretty much. Which is funny considering The Georgia Dome and whatever replaced The Omni (home of NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers) is located right in the middle of Atlanta's business district. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 11:24 AM So the Mets aren't just late to the retro game, they're following the wrong fork in the road. soupcan Oct 31 2008 11:39 AM They could fix that though. Once Shea comes down will they really need that parking beyond left field at Citi? Develop that area with condos, hotels, etc. and you've got an area with water views and maybe a Wrigley-type atmosphere at street level. metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 11:46 AM Good call. But would right field be better? You have the train station, the park, the tennis places. Onther side looks like the Interstate. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 11:55 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 31 2008 12:03 PM Well, the idea of the architecture not being complemented by a surrounding neighborhood demands that you build your faux Sesame Streets by the front of the building, doesn't it? soupcan Oct 31 2008 11:57 AM ="Edgy DC":jmnbig1j]Well, the idea of the architecture not being complemented by a surrounding neighborhood demands that you build your faux Sesame Streets by the front of the building, doesn't it?[/quote:jmnbig1j] I think so. I do prefer 'Disney Streets' to Sesame Streets' but I see where you got that and where you're going Mr. Hooper. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 11:58 AM It's that area across from right field that's proposed for redevelopment, isn't it? The plans do include a hotel. I could easily see myself staying in a hotel there and walking back to the room after a night game. soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:12 PM Yes - right field. Here's the plan... G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 12:23 PM Having been down 126th St. quite recently, that artist's rendering of the vibrant Citi Village or whatever it would be called is fanciful beyond all sense of reality. Great if it happens, but don't hold your breath (unless you park amid the chop shops where they don't have working sewers). soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:25 PM I agree, but don't understimate your soon-to-be three term mayor. He does seem to be able to get what he wants, and he wants this. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 12:27 PM If he can get the law changed that easily, I wouldn't put anything past him. Willets Point Oct 31 2008 12:27 PM Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious. Farmer Ted Oct 31 2008 12:47 PM My attempt at posting the satellite view of Turner Field in Atlanta bonked. In any case, you can check it out on Google satellite maps. They retained the base paths and fence outline in the concrete of Fulton County stadium (adjacent to the Ted). There is a monument honoring the location of Hank's record setting home run. Thought it was cool, that's all. soupcan Oct 31 2008 12:51 PM ="Farmer Ted"]My attempt at posting the satellite view of Turner Field in Atlanta bonked. In any case, you can check it out on Google satellite maps. They retained the base paths and fence outline in the concrete of Fulton County stadium (adjacent to the Ted). There is a monument honoring the location of Hank's record setting home run. Thought it was cool, that's all. Centerfield Oct 31 2008 01:03 PM ="G-Fafif":2jjfbchs]If he can get the law changed that easily, I wouldn't put anything past him.[/quote:2jjfbchs] The vote is going to be held in November. Other redevelopment projects, not on the scale of Willets Point, have already been approved by large margins, if that is any indication of what is to come. metsguyinmichigan Oct 31 2008 01:07 PM That's cool! (Both the Ted and the renderings.) St. Louis has some Ballpark Village plans, but as I saw a couple weeks ago, it's still a big dirt patch. Benjamin Grimm Oct 31 2008 01:10 PM I like that ghost image of Fulton County Stadium. I hope they do as nice a job for Shea. HahnSolo Oct 31 2008 01:37 PM This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath. metirish Oct 31 2008 01:41 PM It would be a hell of a poke but in the new stadium we could have the "Chop Shop Splash" home run , although it might not be safe for the kids to be lining up out there waiting for one. G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 01:46 PM ="HahnSolo":3hpj3xtg]This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath.[/quote:3hpj3xtg] I'm still stunned they built a new ballpark when targeted. I would have bet on a Shea "it'll be ready in 1963" scenario. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 02:01 PM ="Willets Point":3vog3czv]Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious.[/quote:3vog3czv] What? You doubt that Shea's environs will be entirely populated by the thin, the neat, and the white? G-Fafif Oct 31 2008 02:24 PM ="Edgy DC":iyjlmtms]="Willets Point":iyjlmtms]Those artist's renderings are pretty hilarious.[/quote:iyjlmtms] What? You doubt that Shea's environs will be entirely populated by the thin, the neat, and the white?[/quote:iyjlmtms] And where are the hovercraft? soupcan Oct 31 2008 07:40 PM ="G-Fafif"]And where are the hovercraft? Now that's funny. Edgy DC Oct 31 2008 08:46 PM How 'bout some love for the straight man? SteveJRogers Oct 31 2008 08:53 PM ="G-Fafif":gggwrmyu]="HahnSolo":gggwrmyu]This is the Mets. Don't hold your breath.[/quote:gggwrmyu] I'm still stunned they built a new ballpark when targeted. I would have bet on a Shea "it'll be ready in 1963" scenario.[/quote:gggwrmyu] HA! Anyone recall, or know what the hangup was there? I mean it was literally right there on the 1962 program, "The 1963 Home Of The Mets" and all! soupcan Oct 31 2008 09:19 PM ="Edgy DC":3izds9qf]How 'bout some love for the straight man?[/quote:3izds9qf] Goes without saying. Willets Point Oct 31 2008 11:09 PM ="Edgy DC":2ld5yelf]How 'bout some love for the straight man?[/quote:2ld5yelf] Always working the gay icon angle aren't you? Edgy DC Nov 01 2008 06:32 AM I'm a straight man in need of gay love, or something. metirish Nov 03 2008 08:51 AM ] City now owns over 40% of Willets Point after latest buy By John Lauinger Daily News Staff Writer Monday, November 3rd 2008, 10:29 AM The city has gobbled up another chunk of Willets Point in Queens as Mayor Bloomberg pushes his plan to transform the gritty industrial zone near Shea Stadium. In the biggest land deal to date in the neighborhood, the city persuaded Indian food distributor House of Spices - the second-largest landowner at Willets Point - to sell its 4 acres, city officials told the Daily News. The deal is expected to be announced Monday along with an agreement for a third of an acre owned by another company. Combined with previously inked deals, the city now controls more than 40% of the 62-acre tangle of auto body shops and other businesses - and could soon have half the land. Bloomberg wants to spend $3 billion to turn the area into a glitzy enclave of 5,500 residences, stores, a hotel and a convention center. The percentage of city-controlled land is becoming increasingly important as pressure mounts on Bloomberg to sell skeptical City Council members on his plan before Nov. 13. That is the deadline for the Council to take a make-or-break vote on the proposal. Previously, 32 of 51 Council members signed a letter saying Bloomberg's $3 billion proposal is "doomed" unless eminent domain - the government's power to take private land for public use - is taken off the table. City economic development officials are promising to roll out as many as nine additional deals before the deadline. Four deals are "imminent" and could be announced this week, and talks with five other businesses are "very far along," said Andrew Brent, a spokesman for Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber. If all of those deals are inked, the city would control slightly more than half of Willets Point. "They still have a lot of work to do in a very short period of time," said City Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens), whose district includes Willets Point. He said the city must also add more affordable housing to the plan. jlauinger@nydailynews.com Willets Point Nov 03 2008 10:02 AM ="metirish"]] City now owns over 40% of Willets Point after latest buy No one owns me, I'm my own man! soupcan Nov 04 2008 10:45 AM Benjamin Grimm Nov 04 2008 10:50 AM Are those Doug Flynn's initials? metirish Nov 04 2008 10:51 AM JR Ewing? soupcan Nov 04 2008 10:52 AM 'Junior' for Jeff Wilpon. metsguyinmichigan Nov 04 2008 11:19 AM Looking at the construction workers and the "courage" work, I think the Robinson Routunda might turn out better than I expected. G-Fafif Nov 04 2008 12:44 PM Where is the panel that delineates PROFIT? Vince Coleman Firecracker Nov 04 2008 12:47 PM ="G-Fafif":3nkr8yzs]Where is the panel that delineates PROFIT?[/quote:3nkr8yzs] It's in your wallet, where your money used to be. John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 04 2008 12:55 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":k2s009ni] Are those Doug Flynn's initials?[/quote:k2s009ni] lol Frayed Knot Nov 04 2008 03:48 PM Hey, at least there are NYM logos on that gating and not LAD A Boy Named Seo Nov 04 2008 03:59 PM ="soupcan"] Those things remind me of these things: metirish Nov 04 2008 04:02 PM That's not for me? soupcan Nov 06 2008 07:32 AM Edgy DC Nov 06 2008 07:57 AM So a big difference there is no façade on the back of the upper bleachers. Is it because exposed ironwork is cool or is it to make more of an open-air concourse? Benjamin Grimm Nov 06 2008 08:03 AM What about the color of the bricks? Does anyone know? How well does the color of Citi Field match Ebbets? metirish Nov 06 2008 08:19 AM Ebbets Field looks better I think, at least from that view. That's not a photo though , is it? soupcan Nov 06 2008 08:39 AM Here's another HahnSolo Nov 06 2008 09:34 AM ="soupcan"]Here's another Easiest Where's Waldo ever. soupcan Nov 06 2008 09:37 AM Golf clap. soupcan Nov 18 2008 10:58 AM Sod is down... Picture 2326.avi metirish Nov 18 2008 10:59 AM I got to say that seeing those pictures excites me. metsguyinmichigan Nov 18 2008 11:47 AM ="HahnSolo"]="soupcan"]Here's another Easiest Where's Waldo ever. VERY funny! SteveJRogers Nov 18 2008 07:56 PM It is now a neat juxtaposition looking at Shea and Citi Field in overhead photos now and a year ago. One stadium with field and seats waiting for the new season to begin, the other the field looks like a battlefield, and the seats are not installed. Zvon Nov 18 2008 08:19 PM ="metirish":1zykiufq]I got to say that seeing those pictures excites me.[/quote:1zykiufq] I have to admit they excite me too. Edgy DC Nov 18 2008 08:56 PM Looking at those pictures, it's be kind of cool if they just paved over the field area and let the structure stand, letting early comers park and tailgate on the former field. Willets Point Nov 18 2008 09:17 PM ="Edgy DC":ez0b190s]Looking at those pictures, it's be kind of cool if they just paved over the field area and let the structure stand, letting early comers park and tailgate on the former field.[/quote:ez0b190s] And in a thousand years it will have the derelict charm of the Roman Coliseum. Hey, it already has the feral cats. Benjamin Grimm Nov 19 2008 04:29 AM I've thought the same thing. They'd just have to pop out some passageways so that traffic could flow easily. SteveJRogers Nov 25 2008 02:15 PM From baseball-fever.com a view from behind home plate (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Nov 25 2008 02:18 PM That porch in right field looks like a drawer that needs to be pushed shut. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) metirish Nov 25 2008 02:26 PM From baseball-fever (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) G-Fafif Nov 25 2008 02:27 PM Orange foul poles, my heart be still. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Nov 25 2008 02:29 PM I can picture a slicing line drive landing in fair territory and bouncing into the stands at the lower left. I guess it would still be a ground-rule double if that happened, even though the stands it bounces into are in foul territory. I wonder what "Hal the Referee" would say? (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 02:31 PM ="G-Fafif":17s8qtsk]Orange foul poles, my heart be still.[/quote:17s8qtsk] Yeah. Looked like earlier versions had 'em yellow. Maybe they were just renderings. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 02:34 PM Oh it would be a G-R double. Stuff like that happens all the time in Philly (both the new place and the old) and both in YSII and in RF in Boston (and I'm sure others as well). Hard to tell, but these jutting stands in LF don't look to have as extreme an angle as those in Philly but looks like we'll still get our share of goofy bounces back towards fair territory for balls that stay low enough to hit the facing of the stands and not bounce into the seats themselves. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) metirish Nov 25 2008 02:35 PM This link here has a better picture of the lines and the foul pole. http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=60954&page=341 Also there are drawings of the park. (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Farmer Ted Nov 25 2008 02:46 PM There appear to be extra tunnels in the upper deck behind home plate. Quick outs for the upper level fat cats. What is that press-box-looking-structure behind home plate (about 15 feet up from playing level? (Merged from More Citi Field photos, 11/25/2008) Benjamin Grimm Dec 02 2008 04:08 PM ]Citi Field nearly ready to open its doors Builders of Mets' new ballpark influenced by other stadiums By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com NEW YORK -- The left-field wall rises conspicuously high at Citi Field, making it both a point of note and, recently, a point of contention. "Eighteen feet," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon guessed on Tuesday, before a site worker pegged the actual height at 16 feet. And Wilpon was pleased. Citi Field, he said, may retain its predecessor's reputation as a pitcher-friendly park, but it hardly caters only to those on the mound. Toward the end of September, in fact, Wilpon invited players David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans out for a private batting practice session at the new park, and all three of them managed to yank a pitch over the wall. "Evans put it halfway up the left-field deck," Wilpon said. "It's totally reachable." Such details of the new stadium have now become focal points, because Citi Field is so close to completion. A stroll through the park on Tuesday revealed that all the seats have been installed, the press box and Diamond Club are already encased in glass, and workers have begun installing major appliances within the concession stands. Yet of greater interest to Wright, Murphy, Evans and others in uniform, of course, is what lies deeper within the stadium. Lockers have been fully installed in the home clubhouse -- Wright has already chosen his -- and the carpet and bathroom tiles feature images of the fluorescent icons affixed to Shea Stadium's exterior walls. Adjacent rooms lead to some typical clubhouse amenities -- the manager's office, kitchen and weight room, to name a few -- save for one in the back that houses a hot tub, a cold tub and an underwater treadmill. Unlike anything at Shea Stadium, that room, along with one for indoor batting cages and pitching mounds, will allow players to rehab injuries at Citi Field, rather than always fly to the team's Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. In designing this ballpark, the Mets patched together ideas and influences from stadiums around the country. An overhang in right field, for example, protrudes above the warning track in a nod to the old Tiger Stadium. In the upper deck, a two-tiered layout reveals influence from Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Pieces of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Coors Field in Denver are present, though Wilpon noted that his greatest influence in the design of Citi Field was seven-year-old PNC Park in Pittsburgh. "I wanted to super-size Pittsburgh," said Wilpon, who went on a nationwide ballpark tour before building his own. "I really liked Pittsburgh the best." Yet the one influence, even more than Pittsburgh's, that Wilpon wanted to capture was that of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn -- the inspiration for Citi Field's exterior and perhaps its most prominent feature, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Still incomplete, the rotunda will become Citi Field's main entranceway, allowing fans to spill out of the Willits Point subway station and into a miniature baseball shrine. An escalator leads up to the seating bowl and down below, Robinson's nine values -- a staple of the Jackie Robinson Foundation's message -- are featured. Before Opening Day, workers will also erect a nine-foot No. 42 for fans to see as they enter the park. Steps outside the rotunda lies something similarly striking, if only for its incompleteness. Shea Stadium, home of the Mets for 44 years, has been reduced to an empty dirt bowl, its seats stripped, its sod removed and nearly all of its signage disappeared. Wilpon said he hoped that Shea would be completely disassembled and converted into a parking lot by Opening Day, with small markers at the site of home plate and the pitcher's rubber. Already, Shea Stadium's frame is nearly lost in the shadow of Citi Field, which -- despite holding only 42,500 seats, roughly a 25 percent drop from Shea -- seems built on a much greater scale. There are open areas for picnic tables and standing room, and a "GA Club" behind home plate in which ticket-holders can mingle. There is a Diamond Plaza near the rotunda where Shea Stadium's old home run apple will rest, and a large concrete basin in center field for Citi Field's new apple. There are tiered bullpens in center field -- the Mets will have the lower one, closer to the field -- and a plaza outside the rotunda for greenery. Wilpon was steps away from that plaza, inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, when he looked up and admired his handiwork. "Powerful, right?" he said. "It's now becoming what we want it to become." G-Fafif Dec 02 2008 04:34 PM Very pretty pictures of a very pretty ballpark-to-be. But their immediate impact is to make me sad in that it's so not Shea. I know, I know: that's the idea. A few innings inside could have me changing my tune pretty quickly, but it just looks like something else from somewhere else right now. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 04:56 PM ="Anthony DiComo":3aqa8uko]Toward the end of September, in fact, Wilpon invited players David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans out for a private batting practice session at the new park, and all three of them managed to yank a pitch over the wall.[/quote:3aqa8uko] What in particular gets your attention about this sentence? metirish Dec 02 2008 04:59 PM That Nick Evens hit one out , that it was towards the end of September ,that " yank a pitch over the wall" doesn't sound that far. Benjamin Grimm Dec 02 2008 05:10 PM I like that the tiles and carpeting include a tribute to Shea Stadium. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:14 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 02 2008 05:23 PM Richard Pryor had this observation to make during a seventies routine. People were talking about this dystopic futureshock sci-fi movie, called Logan's Run that left them unsettled. He went to it and was unsettled for a different reason. "I noticed there were no colored folks in this movie. Somebody's not expecting us to be around." Not that I think they're eradicating peeps of color from the roster, but while some Omar-critics may find it depressing that only five of 17 batters on the roster are caucasian, I noticed three of those five were the only ones invited to Jeff Wilpon's (who I don't think is a moron) private sleepover. Dude needs to broaden his experience. This ain't the Greenvale School. Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:16 PM And yeah, I'm not too keen on Wilpon not understanding that they should be focused on the business at hand in late September. Nymr83 Dec 02 2008 05:18 PM It seems obvious that Wright would be the first one invited and Murphy was being rewarded for his explosive rookie performance. Nick Evans? really? you need Nick Evans to test out your new park? I understand not inviting Delgado who might not be back but where was Beltran? Reyes? Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 05:23 PM Pat Zachry. I mean, good sources have assured me that they speak English and everything. G-Fafif Dec 02 2008 05:48 PM ]Still incomplete, the rotunda will become Citi Field's main entranceway, allowing fans to spill out of the Willits Point subway station Anthony DiComo obviously drives to games and has never seen the sign for the station (or met our own Willets Point). With the ballpark name in at least a little limbo, one hopes the MTA hasn't invested in new station signs just yet. metirish Dec 02 2008 05:58 PM ="metirish"]That Nick Evens hit one out , that it was towards the end of September ,that " yank a pitch over the wall" doesn't sound that far. I had not read the article when I made that comment , so Wilpon was talking about a 16 foot high wall in LF , not sure if I'm Nick Evens I think that the boss is giving me a compliment here. ] Evans put it halfway up the left-field deck," Wilpon said. "It's totally reachable." Edgy DC Dec 02 2008 06:10 PM I want it noted, suckers, that one of the primary indictments of Shea --- that the outfield field-level seats largely face directly toward the outfield, rather than the infield where most of the action occurs, does not appear to be improved upon at all at Citi. soupcan Dec 04 2008 08:23 AM bb-f again ="Edgy DC"]I want it noted, suckers, that one of the primary indictments of Shea --- that the outfield field-level seats largely face directly toward the outfield, rather than the infield where most of the action occurs, does not appear to be improved upon at all at Citi. Not so! Angled seats... metirish Dec 04 2008 08:54 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 04 2008 09:44 AM High staircase and escalator obviously , people falling and going splat on the Robinson rotunda is to be expected I would think. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 09:25 AM ="soupcan":188c6xn0]Not so! Angled seats...[/quote:188c6xn0] Well, shut my mouth. Rows angled maybe ten degrees toward the infield. Seats angled ten degrees more. That's something. Benjamin Grimm Dec 04 2008 09:27 AM I do like the improved legroom. You can even have a guy in a hardhat kneel down in front of your seat, if that's your idea of a good time. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 09:30 AM You've been reading my blog. soupcan Dec 04 2008 01:12 PM Cool little video tour of Citi[/url:3bdfxevb] metirish Dec 04 2008 01:18 PM ="soupcan":3fpddl03]Cool little video tour of Citi[/url:3fpddl03][/quote:3fpddl03] Very cool , at the 2:10 mark they show a fenced in patch of green next to the stand in what I think is left of center field , is that the bullpen? Farmer Ted Dec 04 2008 01:28 PM Mets logo on the end seat of each row. Looking classy. soupcan Dec 04 2008 01:29 PM A lot of nice hi-res shots like this at metsblog.com on the front page. This the first pic I've seen of the nice w - i - d - e concourses. seawolf17 Dec 04 2008 01:34 PM ="metirish":cf49cmfu]High staircase and escalator obviously , people falling and going splat on the Robinson rotunda is to be expected I would think.[/quote:cf49cmfu] Considering what happened this year, you'd think they'd be conscious of that. Benjamin Grimm Dec 04 2008 01:40 PM They should string circus-style safety nets below each of the escalators. That concourse does look nice. It's easy to see how you could be standing on the hot dog line while keeping an eye on the game. That, I think, is the best thing that the new stadium will have over Shea. I also like the visible steel infrastructure, although that's hardly an innovation. John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 04 2008 01:43 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":3jnxf2zm] I also like the visible steel infrastructure, although that's hardly an innovation.[/quote:3jnxf2zm] Yeah, though its supposed to subtly remind you of the bridge on the Mets logo, which is supposed to remind you of how the Mets reached across the city to "bridge" fans of the Giants and Dodgers, and the Eastsiders and Westsiders, and Kiddies and Wives, and the Butcher, the Baker and the People on the Street. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 01:49 PM Thank God the Mets brought kiddies and wives together. Willets Point Dec 04 2008 03:19 PM ="Edgy DC":h0g9fccu]You've been reading my blog.[/quote:h0g9fccu] I want to read this blog. Valadius Dec 04 2008 04:02 PM I like the use of brick on the inside of the stadium rather than just the facade. Rockin' Doc Dec 04 2008 05:23 PM No one will ever pull an Endy on that left field wall. How tall is that wall in left field? Zvon Dec 04 2008 05:33 PM What I like: almost everything. It looks beautiful, real low to the ground. User friendly for the fan. On the whole a nice new home for my Metsies. What I don't like: I've never been a fan of the two tier bullpen. Hate em! Bullpen fights could make things exciting though. I really like the use of chain link fence here, but that one outjutting looks like trouble to me. Once again, the whole right field set up should make things exciting. (I'm not against "exciting", I just do not like silly injuries) I like an outfield wall where there's always a possibility of pulling one back into the park. So I'm not too thrilled with the height of that left field wall. I am assuming that these are the outfield walls (that there wont be wooden ones placed a foot or so in front of those we see, which I think I'd prefer). I'm sure that if they go with these concrete walls that will be padded with the best material available, but I still don't like the idea of a wall with absolutely no give to it. Don't mind me. Im just being an idiopathic idiosyncrat. themetfairy Dec 04 2008 05:57 PM Not at all Zvon - I enjoyed your illustrative input. Edgy DC Dec 04 2008 06:05 PM I like an outfield wall with a hidden door that an outfielder can suddenly disappear through. Valadius Dec 04 2008 06:36 PM It's almost like they're setting up for a Field of Dreams cornfield stunt. Frayed Knot Dec 04 2008 09:20 PM Or a Manny signing. soupcan Dec 07 2008 04:02 PM Old Apple goes here? Benjamin Grimm Dec 07 2008 05:23 PM My understanding (could be wrong, though) is that the old apple is going to be inside the stadium but somewhere in centerfield. Edgy DC Dec 07 2008 05:36 PM That'll be an all-nu apple. soupcan Dec 07 2008 05:42 PM You saying all-nu inside or all-nu outside? Edgy DC Dec 07 2008 07:15 PM All-nu inside. soupcan Dec 07 2008 07:21 PM Right - but that podium or hole or whatever is outside, so I'm thinking that's where the old one will go. Or a statue..? Frayed Knot Dec 07 2008 07:23 PM Yeah, my understanding was nu-apple inside, apple-classic on view somewhere outside. G-Fafif Dec 07 2008 08:08 PM Both will be out in center, according to Metsblog, which was on the media tour last week. ]For starters, Jeff Wilpon told reporters that the old Home-Run Apple from Shea Stadium will be on display in back of the concourse in center field, which was good to hear. However, a new Apple will pop up from a concrete cannister beneath the center-field scoreboard. That thing they're building outside, obviously, is a kiddie pool. soupcan Dec 12 2008 02:41 PM So the outside is an homage to Ebbets. The green seats are supposedly a nod to the Polo Grounds. Where's Shea? Oh there it is, on the floor of the locker room. Is that the ugliest damn rug you've ever seen or what? Edgy DC Dec 12 2008 02:44 PM That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. Zvon Dec 12 2008 02:49 PM That is one ugly rug. So Shea gets the honor of being stepped on? Valadius Dec 12 2008 04:58 PM Pepitone's rug looks like Blagojevich's. metirish Dec 12 2008 05:03 PM ="Edgy DC":befgt7hd]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. [/quote:befgt7hd] Very funny. dgwphotography Dec 12 2008 05:11 PM ="Edgy DC"]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. I'm think Phil here would give Joe a run for his money: themetfairy Dec 12 2008 05:14 PM That has to be Phil's own hair. Nobody would construct a toupee THAT ugly! metsguyinmichigan Dec 12 2008 05:43 PM ="metirish":3bn5ocf6]="Edgy DC":3bn5ocf6]That honor still belongs to the late Joe Pepitone. [/quote:3bn5ocf6] Very funny.[/quote:3bn5ocf6] WOW. And the rug on the guy on the right in the tan coat is horrible, too! And if I were Phil Spector's attorney, I'd go for the insanity defense and just point to him sitting there with that 'do and sit back and wait for the acquittal. soupcan Dec 12 2008 07:11 PM Pepitone's dead? Edgy DC Dec 12 2008 07:59 PM Guess not. My boo-boo. Sorry, Joe. I just sent a white elephant Christmas gift to my sister's Yankfan boyfriend. It was a Yankee hat that my brother got Pepitone's autograph on. What did he ever think I'd want with that. One time Pepitone, after missing a ballgame with a niggling injury while playing in Japan, was photographed at a disco later, out dancing with his wig. To this day, supposedly, American players who come to Japan and play the diva are called "Pepitones." Willets Point Dec 13 2008 05:52 PM ="soupcan":1k1wbb9f] Is that the ugliest damn rug you've ever seen or what?[/quote:1k1wbb9f] The carpet will be vastly improved by frequently soaking it in champagne. Farmer Ted Dec 13 2008 06:47 PM I was living in NC in the mid 90s and in charge of putting on a sports-related banquet. The Yankees had a minor league team in Greensboro for a number of years and the committee board voted to have a former Yankee or a current member of the organization to be the featured speaker. I swallowed my pride and called the Bronx. The PR office hack said someone would be in touch in a few days. Phone rings 20 minutes later. Pepitone on the other end. No shit. I explain we're looking for a speaker yadda yadda yadda and he says "I'll do it (basically volunteering himself). We can work on a fee but you need to fly me down there. Great times I had in that town." Apparently he had the gig of lining up the Yankees alumni for public appearances. I went back to the committee and told them Pepitone was the best I could do (not that I tried any harder). The room busted into hysterical laughter and we found someone else from a different sport to speak. Edgy DC Dec 13 2008 07:03 PM There was an episode of Mad About You where Jamie asked what ballplayer they can get for a personal appearance on a limited budget. Paul's answer was an aging swinger of a sixties Yankee firstbaseman clearly based on the Pep. cooby Dec 13 2008 07:56 PM I swear I was thinking about Joe Pepitone this morning. And why? Ashie62 Dec 17 2008 07:05 AM ="cooby":3lcpnzjo]I swear I was thinking about Joe Pepitone this morning. And why?[/quote:3lcpnzjo] Did you wake up with a woody? Rockin' Doc Dec 17 2008 10:24 AM I believe that would be a physical impossibility for cooby. metsmarathon Dec 17 2008 11:46 AM well, this thread sure has taken some strange strange turns hasn't it? Edgy DC Jan 07 2009 07:49 AM NEW YORK-- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration will forgo luxury boxes at the new Yankees and Mets ballparks, the city said Tuesday after months of criticism about its handling of the stadium projects. The administration has worked out a new deal with the Yankees to get extra money, instead of a luxury box. A separate and similar agreement is being worked out with the Mets for their new park, a Bloomberg spokesman said. Senior Bloomberg aides had fought hard to get the luxury boxes, describing the perk in internal e-mails as "a big issue to the mayor" during negotiations with the teams in 2006. That battle for the boxes only recently came to light as state and federal lawmakers launched investigations into how the teams and the administration went about making those deals. The decision to give up the luxury boxes comes as Bloomberg seeks reelection this year and repeatedly cites the city's enormous budget shortfalls. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 07 2009 07:56 AM They gave it up at the same time they were forced to cough up reams of smoking guns on how filthy the whole thing was, including begging by the MFYs to increase their duistribution of public $$ to cover shit like their scoreboard and video board. Mets are also asking for more but about half the MFYs overall since the project was so much less expensive. Centerfield Jan 07 2009 03:17 PM I think the Mets should sign Manny and ask the public to pick up the tab.

Pelfrey 4.5

Could maybe 20 of us contribute 5% of our quads to form a new and healthier one for Damion Easley? Not only would the lineup look a lot better, but we'd save a lot of energy otherwise devoted to considering how badly Luis Castillo needs to be criticized.

Yet thanks to Doug Melvin you can refer to either Yost as the Walking Man.

Centerfield wrote: The Mets can blow me again. Spoken like a true ninth-inning lead.

Sadly the Tradge didn't move Monday night. The TN for the Sox to eliminate the MFYs is 4, but it's 5 for the Rays. A wasted evening up and down the East Coast.

Saw two Brewers fans at Miller Park last September wearing jerseys that said, when read together: NED YOST WORLD'S BIGGEST CUBS FAN

K-Rod rules.

No. 8 from Oughta Be a little more apropos than I wished for... ]Welcome back to the Countdown Like It Oughta Be. Today's removal of the number 8 is brought to you by Queens Bruised Produce. When you need a soft cantaloupe, an overripe tomato or a brown banana, discover Queens Bruised Produce. It is with QBP's compliments that ushers are passing out gift bags of not-so-fresh fruit and vegetables to every row in every section. Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the final scheduled visit to Shea Stadium by the Atlanta Braves, the other half of the longest and most fiercely held rivalry ever played out in this ballpark. The Mets and Braves came together in the shotgun marriage of realignment in 1994 and for a decade, the phrase "Braves at Mets" has indicated the National League East's version of Family Feud is about to reignite. Welcome the same people over to your house so many times a year across so many years and you begin to think you're related to them...and what's that they say about how you can't choose your relatives? Whether it was a grand slam single, a ten-run inning or something as beautifully mundane as the return of baseball to a city that had no idea how much it wished to take seriously something as allegedly insignificant as a game, intense competition between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves has left its mark on this site. The Braves have been tough foes, but unforgettable ones as well. You will not be able to remember Shea Stadium without thinking of them sooner or later. It is in that spirit we acknowledge the role they have played in the history of Shea. To remove number 8 from the right field wall � a peeling, once again, brought to you by Queens Bruised Produce...everybody get a bag? � we have on hand the following Brave icons: Today's home plate umpire, Angel Hernandez. Folks, may I remind you the contents of your bags of spoiled produce are to be used at your personal discretion. The hitting coach of the Atlanta Braves, a former National League MVP and the clutch-hitting third baseman on the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals, Terry Pendleton. Really, you don't have to open those bags right now...unless you choose to. Three-time National League Manager of the Year honoree, skipper of the Braves throughout their divisional dynasty, Bobby Cox. You will see that the fruits and vegetables provided by Queens Bruised Produce aren't really what you'd call edible. The mastermind of those great Braves pitching staffs for so many years, now rocking his Saturdays away as a Fox baseball analyst, Leo Mazzone. Though bruised produce is not suitable for framing, it may be suitable for flinging. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner and quite possibly the best starter-closer the senior circuit has ever seen, he made his first Major League appearance right here in 1988, beating the Mets handily, and continues to battle your team successfully to this day, John Smoltz. May we remind you that in the scheme of things, one forfeit is only one game against the backdrop of what feels like a lifetime's frustration. One of the hardest-throwing, plainest-speaking lefty relievers to trot to the Shea Stadium mound � and a staunch advocate of diversity in public transportation ridership � welcome back the latter-day Georgia Peach, John Rocker. Attention all Shea Stadium security personnel: you are dismissed for the day. Repeat: all Shea Stadium security personnel may abandon their posts. And finally, leading these Atlanta Braves legends to their date with Shea destiny, two lifelong members of the Brave organization, recognized by Mets fans everywhere for their contributions to this rivalry � they'd be devastated if you forgot them now � the outstanding switch-hitter whose son bears a name near and dear to us all, Larry Wayne Chipper Jones, and the southpaw 300-game winner... Ladies and gentlemen, today's game has been cancelled because of a water main break attributed to hell freezing over. The New York Mets thank you for attending, please be sure to forcefully empty your bags of bruised produce as you exit.

New real life lineup... Number 10: Military appreciation day rep Number 9: HoJo Oughta Be No. 9... ]Ladies and gentlemen, we direct your attention to the centerfield flagpoles where you will note the presence of four flags, each representing a Mets championship: two world championships, two National League championships. Today, as our Countdown Like It Oughta Be descends into single-digits, we pay homage to the last of those four flags to be raised over Shea Stadium, the final pennant of which we can say with clarity was earned right here in this ballpark. Today we recognize the 2000 National League champion New York Mets, the only Mets team to win both a division and league championship series � both clinched at Shea � and the last Mets team to bring a World Series to 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue...pending the unknown events of the next several weeks. As we hold out hope for that elusive fifth flag, there is no denying that whenever it is earned, even if it is this October, it will eventually fly above another centerfield fence. Thus, we hold a special place in our hearts for the last Mets team to ascend the Shea Stadium flagpole even as we sort out our emotions regarding the paths the various individuals took in the wake of their team success. Yet given what they ran up that flagpole, it only seems fitting to salute them now. First up, two sparkplugs from Bobby Valentine's bench, utilitymen who would play anywhere and would do anything to help their mates. Let's hear it for Super Joe McEwing and the all-time pinch-hit king Lenny Harris. The Mets might not have come back to Shea in a position to clinch their second consecutive LDS had these next two men not combined to bury San Francisco in the tenth inning of Game Two. One doubled, the other singled him in and, before you knew it, it was a brand new series. Welcome back two key outfielders from the 2000 champs, Darryl Hamilton and one of the great glove men from the turn of the century, joining us from Baltimore, Jay Payton. Let's say hello to several members of the 2000 bullpen, men who kept the Mets in tight game after tight game and the man who closed out the last World Series game the Mets won in Shea Stadium. That flag wouldn't be flying if not for the efforts of Rick White, Dennis Cook, Turk Wendell and the record-holder for most saves in a season by a Met, Armando Benitez. He was the fifth starter on a staff that needed every arm it could get and, in the postseason, became a key long man for the Mets. All the way from San Diego, there's no mistaking Glendon Rusch. His injection of speed was just what the Mets needed to zoom past the Giants and the Cardinals in the 2000 playoffs. There would have been no pennant if not for the fleet feet and scalding bat of the one and only Timo Perez. You can't recall autumn in New York eight years ago without remembering the contributions of the first baseman, a team leader with a hot bat who hit .400 in the Fall Classic. He would eventually come back and finish his career in style, homering in the very last at-bat of his career, right here at Shea. Ladies and gentlemen, a warm Flushing welcome for Todd Zeile. Only three Mets have won postseason Most Valuable Player awards. There was Donn Clendenon in the 1969 World Series; there was Ray Knight in the 1986; and there was the southpaw who came to the Mets from Houston in 2000 and pitched brilliantly in the National League Championship Series, winning twice and capping off matters by twirling a three-hit shutout against St. Louis in Game Five. That makes him the last home pitcher to celebrate a pennant-clincher on the mound of Shea Stadium as far as can we can infer. And as our special guest would tell, you only know what you know unless you find a good school somewhere to learn a whole lot more. Coming off the Atlanta DL to join us tonight...is that a mortarboard he's wearing?...your 2000 NLCS MVP, Mike Hampton. Finally, to lead our 2000 champs down the right field line to remove number 9 from the wall, we have a pair of aces, the rocks who formed the foundation of Bobby Valentine's rotation for the nearly four seasons they pitched together as Mets. One was a righty who came out of nowhere and pitched gem after gem, including the start in the last World Series game the Mets would win at Shea, and one is a lefty who grew up to live the dream of every Mets fan, pitching long and successfully for his favorite team. Few will forget the grittiness he displayed across 8-2/3 innings in the last World Series game the Mets played at Shea. Please welcome Rick Reed and Al Leiter.

As part of my go to every game until Shea dies or it kills me program, I sat there with no genuine hope of playing until it was called. They showed "Look Who's No. 1" and "A Year to Remember". Then they slapped a logo on DiamondVision because there is an official sponsor of rain delays at Shea, no kidding. According to the scoreboard, both Robinson Cancel and Johan Santana were going to catch. I was looking forward to some awesome plays at the plate.

No. 10 in the Shea Stadium Final Season Countdown Like It Oughta Be... ]Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we honor a Mets team whose exploits are too recent to have been forgotten but whose accomplishments may have dimmed given the rush in which we inevitably find ourselves to reach the next game, the next win, the next season, the next park. But we should pause and ponder one more time at Shea Stadium the club that made this place the place to be for Mets fans and sealed shut a void that drifted far too deep and stretched far too long. We speak this evening of the 2006 National League East Champion New York Mets. They were the last Mets, as far as we can say with certainty at this moment, to bring postseason baseball to Flushing � the last Mets who could post a marker of any kind above the right field wall. For what the 2006 Mets did in reaching the heights they achieved, we salute them now. In advance, we thank the organizations that currently employ some of our '06 Mets for graciously allowing them to return to us tonight. As this is the Countdown Like It Oughta Be, we felt they oughta be on hand. Without further ado, then...oh, but wait, there will be further ado, for it might take this first 2006 Met a little while to reach the mound. But Mets fans should be used to him taking his time. That's probably how we are destined to remember him, but maybe we should recall instead six seasons of steadfast service in the blue and orange and the slick work he put in on the night of September 18 when he earned the victory that clinched the Mets' first divisional crown in eighteen years. How about an appropriately languorous round of applause for Steve Trachsel? The final out in that milestone game came on a fly ball to left field, caught by another Met mainstay who preceded the 2006 revival. His best � and healthiest � year was 2005, when his monster season foretold, perhaps, the good things that lay ahead for the franchise. Welcome back to Shea, Cliff Floyd. Although the Mets fell a little shy of closing out 2006 on the most desirable terms, nobody could say the Mets didn't know how to close out games throughout that 97-win season. When the bullpen gate flung open, confidence generally followed in the stands. How about some recognition for a pen that wrote the end to 92 wins in 2006? Say hello to long reliever Darren Oliver, specialists Chad Bradford and Pedro Feliciano, veteran presence Roberto Hernandez, set-up men extraordinaire Aaron Heilman and Duaner Sanchez and the Sandman himself, Billy Wagner. A playoff team is only as good as its bench and the 2006 Mets had a fine one. Tonight we acknowledge the roles of three key reserves: infielder Chris Woodward, catcher Ramon Castro and the ageless wonder himself, Julio Franco. Thanks to too many injuries to count, the Mets' rotation had a bit of a revolving-door feel to it two years ago, but these three pitchers helped stabilize matters and turned in some memorable outings, in-season and/or postseason. You know them as Oliver Perez, John Maine and El Duque, Orlando Hernandez. It was a formidable lineup that ate up National League pitching early, late and often in 2006 and we have three of the hitters who helped make it happen: first baseman Carlos Delgado, rightfielder Shawn Green and the utilityman turned everyday second baseman who proved so vital to the Mets' success, Jose Valentin. One of the most unforgettable baseball personalities of this generation, his pitching proved every bit as charismatic as his personality when he brought his act to Shea Stadium in 2005. He was one of the biggest reasons the Mets stormed out of the gate in 2006 and he remains a fan favorite for all time. His name says it all: Pedro Martinez. Mets fans knew their organization had grown serious about winning and winning soon when management courted the prize of the 2004-05 free agent market, a speedy, slugging, Gold Glove-caliber centerfielder who brought to Shea heretofore unknown meaning where the phrase "five-tool player" is concerned. In 2006, he put up some of the best results any Met ever has: 41 home runs, 116 runs batted in and one body given over on innumerable occasions in pursuit of victory. He promised the world there would be a "new Mets" and he delivered. He still does to this day, Carlos Beltran. Finally, to lead the 2006 Mets to the right field wall to remove number 10, we call on two of the most special players in team history, the tandem whose spark lit up the faces of Mets fans everywhere just as their talents lit up every ballpark they played in � particularly this one. If the crowd wasn't chanting for one of them, it was singing for the other. They lead us not only to this juncture in the final season countdown but they lead us as well toward what we believe will be a thrilling future in the park next door. Ladies and gentlemen, your starting shortstop Jose Reyes and your third baseman David Wright.

Given time, Tom McCarthy could have become as beloved a Mets announcer as Fran Healy.