Gwreck

Which partial plan are you doing? We wanted to be on the infield so we wound up in row 14, but right behind the plate...

="Kong76":2l1n755i]Guess I'll reserve judgment until I actually sit down and see if I'm obstructed. I'm further out than that shot, but I hope I don't have to look at the infield through Plexiglas or whatever that is.[/quote:2l1n755i] My guess is that it'll only affect the first couple of seats in off the aisle in the first couple of rows. But that really sucks for what would otherwise be really good seats becoming really crappy ones. Kong76 Feb 18 2009 02:24 PM Yeah, I got 5-6 in row one of some section way out in left field. I'm going to have nightmares tonight. Gwreck Feb 18 2009 02:26 PM Which partial plan are you doing? We wanted to be on the infield so we wound up in row 14, but right behind the plate... Kong76 Feb 18 2009 02:31 PM Sunday plus five or whatever they call it. I guess I'll call the talking heads in the ticket office tomorrow and see if I can find anything out. Gwreck Feb 20 2009 07:41 PM Scoreboard being tested: Edgy DC Feb 20 2009 08:02 PM side effects of quirky angles = bad. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 20 2009 08:42 PM I hope Wright can get the cycle. metsguyinmichigan Feb 20 2009 09:02 PM I'm glad we're winning! Gwreck Feb 20 2009 09:48 PM Notice the absence of Castillo in the lineup... Edgy DC Feb 20 2009 10:39 PM Yeah, Murph looks like he's at second there. dgwphotography Feb 21 2009 05:03 AM These obstructed view pictures aren't exactly making me miss Shea any less... Nymr83 Feb 21 2009 05:27 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":3q5f8l8q]I'm glad we're winning![/quote:3q5f8l8q] I'm digging the new scoreboard, what kind of team wouldn't be winning in their own ad? maybe the knicks? scoreboard lineup: 7 Reyes 28 Murphy 5 Wright 21 Delgado 15 Beltran 19 Church 17 Tatis 23 Schneider 57 Santana soupcan Mar 05 2009 08:33 AM Who has a guess as to what these circles in front of the rotunda are going to be...? More pics. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 05 2009 08:37 AM I thought they were gonna bury the apple in one of them. Now I think maybe they are lightpole-holes or something. soupcan Mar 05 2009 08:39 AM Too big for lights, no? I was thinking statues but that middle one seems way too big for that. metsguyinmichigan Mar 05 2009 08:50 AM The Times has a story about Citi . I put some of the most stupid comments in bold. THE METS� NEW HOME: CALL IT THE ANTI-SHEA By KEN BELSON and RICHARD SANDOMIR c.2009 New York Times News Service NEW YORK � For those fans who hated Shea Stadium, fear not: Citi Field is nothing like its predecessor, the last bits of which lie in ruins a few hundreds yards away. The Mets� new park, which will open its doors for a Georgetown-St. John�s baseball game March 29, is far more intimate than Shea and corrects some of the old stadium�s worst faults. Citi Field will hold about 42,000 fans, 15,000 fewer than Shea. The park is enclosed and many seats wrap around the outfield, so it feels much cozier than Shea�s open-ended bowl, which favored watching football. �� During an extensive tour of Citi Field on Tuesday, Jeff Wilpon, the team�s chief operating officer, spoke in the Acela Club, a restaurant in left field that will have 550 seats, table service, a bar and wine cabinets for frequent patrons. �� �There�s all this light and air, and then you�re looking back at the field,� Wilpon said. �We want to make people feel they�re in a living room.� �� The seats throughout the stadium are angled toward the center of the infield, reducing the need for fans, particularly on the field level, to crane their necks toward home plate. �� Sitting in their seats, few fans will see the chop shops in Willets Point, the cars roaring past on the Van Wyck Expressway, the subway yards to the south or the U-Haul sign. They will still get a crystal-clear view of the planes on their final approach to La Guardia Airport. Some things never change. �� Citi Field has many nooks and crannies that are nothing like Shea�s tired symmetry. The grandstand that hangs over right field, for instance, was inspired by the old Tiger Stadium, which Wilpon visited with his grandparents as a child. Fans in center field will get a bull�s-eye view of the bullpens, with Aaron Heilman only in the visitors� half, which is on a slightly raised level, with some protection from fan saliva. �� The 16-foot wall that rings much of the outfield means a Endy Chavez-like catch to save a home run is unlikely, though. �� Going for food or a bathroom break will be a lot easier. The concourses are far wider, bathrooms are more numerous and beer drinkers will not have to wander far for a microbrew. Gabila�s knishes will return thanks to convection ovens. (The old knishes were fried, which helps explain the heartburn they generated.) �� The chance of a plumbing malfunction has also been reduced: The Mets have installed waterless urinals, an eco-friendly touch. �� The walk from the subway station to Citi Field�s front entrance will take about as long as it took to reach Gate E at Shea, but an acre of planters, trees and other landscaping will usher fans to the new park�s brick exterior and ornate rotunda named for Jackie Robinson. Bricks embedded in the capacious plaza include inscriptions from fans who paid $195 to $345 for the privilege. Several applications were rejected because the language was deemed insulting of New York�s other baseball team. �� Citi Field�s exterior is a splendid architectural response to the dullness of Shea, while the inner bowl is muted. Shea�s candy-colored plastic seats are gone (along with generations of chipped paint on the handrails) in favor of dark green seats everywhere. �� �Dark green is the color of a classic ballpark,� said Dave Howard, the team�s executive vice president for business operations, as he stood ankle deep in snow. �And we thought the other team in town would use blue.� �� Citi Field, with 28 different seating categories, also feels more fragmented than Shea, which had sections of box and reserved seats that stretched from one foul pole to the other. The collection of far smaller blocks of luxury suites, party rooms, restaurants and exclusive box seats spells exclusivity or exclusion, depending on your point of view. �� Everything has a new name, as well. There�s the Ebbets Club, the Delta Sky360 Club and the Caesars Club. Seaver, Hodges and Stengel have their names on three of the five party suites. The name game is not done, either. �� �In this economy, you don�t turn down sponsors,� Wilpon said. �Anyone who�s willing to pay � hellip � .� �� The suites, apparently, will not be just for baseball. Howard said that the club had already booked bar mitzvahs in the Caesars Club. A 150-seat auditorium could host corporate events. �� While all the major construction is finished, many little touches remain. The kitchens are filled with refrigerators and even French fry baskets, but much of the equipment is unplugged, out of position and covered with layers of dust. �� The much-improved sound system and scoreboards were getting a workout. A version of Johnny Nash�s �I Can See Clearly Now� played loud and clear. The LED scoreboards that line the facades were ready for June. One read: �David Wright .320 AVG 15 HR 66 RBI.� �� Wilpon said the team had not decided who would throw out the first pitch on opening day April 13. But he said it would be great if President Barack Obama did it on Jackie Robinson Day two nights later. �� With the sun setting, dozens of employees were waiting in the parking lot next to the park before their orientation sessions. Gary Brown, who worked at a concession stand for two years at Shea, said he and his friend Faruk Stokes were looking forward to their new workplace. �� �Any type of progress is a good thing,� said Brown, who lives in Corona, Queens. �It�s a beautiful facility. I just hope the team is more successful here.� metsguyinmichigan Mar 05 2009 08:51 AM ="soupcan":28vgfpu9]Too big for lights, no? I was thinking statues but that middle one seems way too big for that.[/quote:28vgfpu9] Fountains and plants? metirish Mar 05 2009 09:38 AM Crop circles? SteveJRogers Mar 05 2009 09:53 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":1150e6ur]="soupcan":1150e6ur]Too big for lights, no? I was thinking statues but that middle one seems way too big for that.[/quote:1150e6ur] Fountains and plants?[/quote:1150e6ur] That is the word according to those who post on the Baseball-Fever.com Citi thread. The holes are for floral arrangements and a fountain. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 13 2009 10:29 AM http://www.flickr.com/photos/14504460@N02/sets/72157615165829740/ Apparently, some Met history might make it into the new place, in a nifty way: silhouettes above each CitiField entrance commemorating corresponding memorable moments in Mets history-- Left Field gets Endy's catch, Right Field gets Swoboda's, etc. The bullpen gate is as yet unadorned (if not Tug or Jesse, post-'86, may I suggest a David Cone "warming up" silhouette?), although it's possible that the lonely Seaver sil (in the middle of the linked set) ends up there. A subtle and well-executed (and, sadly, all-too-rare) note of tribute, methinks. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 13 2009 10:36 AM Very nice. Wasn't that easy? Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 10:41 AM I'd have to see it in poyson, but Rocky's sihouette seems mostly obscured behind the letters. Raise it up 18 inches or so, say I. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 13 2009 10:51 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 13 2009 11:09 AM Rocky diving under/in front of the sign, and Endy reeling in Rolen right in front (sign-as-wall) would have been the tits, no? But, hey, minor quibble. I like Orosco's Post-WS Daily News cover for the Bullpen Gate. soupcan Mar 13 2009 10:53 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":1391jq7m]I like Orosco's Post-WS Daily News cover for the Bullpen Gate.[/quote:1391jq7m] Oooh, good call. MFS62 Mar 13 2009 12:25 PM One guy's opinion about the new stadium. I can see how he feels about Mays and the Giants being left out. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/03/13/2009-03-13_why_did_the_mets_build_a_shrine_to_the_d.html Later Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 12:35 PM That article is pure hackery. G-Fafif Mar 13 2009 12:38 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":3qghjbcz]I like Orosco's Post-WS Daily News cover for the Bullpen Gate.[/quote:3qghjbcz] You'd have to clearly mark it as Jesse and his moment of triumph. Otherwise, the sight of a Mets reliever down on his knees conjures visions of 2008 and all the saves that were blown. G-Fafif Mar 13 2009 12:43 PM ="Edgy DC":384aoame]That article is pure hackery.[/quote:384aoame] I don't mind this narrative, to a certain extent, for my own Polo Grounds-loving reasons, but does the author (or the News' editorial page editor) think this is a startlingly new observation? Also, Mays played for the Mets in '72 and '73. Being too young to remember 1969 is no excuse for not getting that much straight. Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 12:49 PM No, his position is fine, but it's late in the day, cherry picked, and his always-has-been, always-will-be tone as if his position is so self evident is weak. I also have a dislike for columnists who ask questions out loud and then provide their own answers. You're a journalist. If you have questions, direct them at people and find some answers. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 13 2009 12:49 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 13 2009 12:59 PM ="G-Fafif"]="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]I like Orosco's Post-WS Daily News cover for the Bullpen Gate. You'd have to clearly mark it as Jesse and his moment of triumph. Otherwise, the sight of a Mets reliever down on his knees conjures visions of 2008 and all the saves that were blown. Fists raised to the heavens wouldn't mark it clearly enough? (Am not sure any of the 2008ers had the arm strength left by season's end to raise 'em above his head.) soupcan Mar 13 2009 12:58 PM Met fans would certainly recognize a silhouette of Jesse in that pose. No question. SteveJRogers Mar 15 2009 06:53 PM From Baseball-Fever, well, FINALLY a familiar face appears! Edgy DC Mar 15 2009 06:59 PM I'm guessing Johnson and the '86ers will go in next to that. seawolf17 Mar 15 2009 07:35 PM ="Edgy DC":okbu00pg]I'm guessing Johnson and the '86ers will go in next to that.[/quote:okbu00pg] Or maybe Alston and the '55ers. metirish Mar 15 2009 08:04 PM I like it , who is that.......I'm kidding , I'm kidding. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 15 2009 08:09 PM Up there until they can sell the space a la the lizard above, prolly. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 15 2009 08:14 PM Enjoy it now for free; take it home in 30 years for $690,000 as CitiField gives way to People's Republic of China presents Shamwow! Park. seawolf17 Mar 15 2009 08:38 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":h17a01f9]People's Republic of China presents Shamwow! Park.[/quote:h17a01f9] That was excellent. metsguyinmichigan Mar 15 2009 08:53 PM ="seawolf17":31zy52xl]="Edgy DC":31zy52xl]I'm guessing Johnson and the '86ers will go in next to that.[/quote:31zy52xl] Or maybe Alston and the '55ers.[/quote:31zy52xl] Badass! SteveJRogers Mar 18 2009 04:59 PM Mural is complete Both off of Baseball-Fever.com And it looks like Shea's ghosts have moved over already metsguyinmichigan Mar 21 2009 02:25 PM The skyline lives! I'm glad to see that it made the trip over to Citi Field. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 21 2009 04:02 PM Nice photos and an enthusiastically positive review here: [url:3bkz11bv]http://metsgrrl.com/index.php/site/comments/the-metsgrrl-citi-field-preview/[/url:3bkz11bv] LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 21 2009 11:22 PM Caryn's work is a friggin' public service. I feel like I did as a 5-year-old, waiting for the Millennium Falcon I'd get on Christmas. themetfairy Mar 22 2009 06:59 AM It does look lovely - I'm looking forward to seeing it. Benjamin Grimm Mar 22 2009 07:34 AM I'm having doubts as to whether I'll get there in 2009. I just pretended to be a ticket buyer for seats for a weekend game in May. No Promenade seats seem to be available. They instead redirect me to 100 level seats in left field, which seem okay, and at not-too-awful a price. But That's six weeks from now. My standard approach has been to wait until three or four days before to buy tickets. (I want to see what the weather will be.) I don't think I'll have that luxury anymore. G-Fafif Mar 22 2009 08:43 AM I can feel the psychic barrier that has kept me from embracing this new place beginning to seriously crack. Probably has something to do with this is where the Mets are going to play in their home uniforms, and that there is no other physical option in the immediate vicinity available for that activity. seawolf17 Mar 22 2009 11:14 AM ="G-Fafif":16qx2n7l]I can feel the psychic barrier that has kept me from embracing this new place beginning to seriously crack. Probably has something to do with this is where the Mets are going to play in their home uniforms, and that there is no other physical option in the immediate vicinity available for that activity.[/quote:16qx2n7l] Yep, me too. Benjamin Grimm Mar 22 2009 11:21 AM Not me. That won't happen until I actually see that I'll be able to go a couple of times per year. I don't have any bad feelings about the place, but I also don't have any connection to it either. At least, not yet. metirish Mar 24 2009 08:29 AM Some great looking shots here , I'm excited about this place. > soupcan Mar 24 2009 08:56 AM The grass looks nice. I'll now go on record as saying I approve of the new apple. Mainly because its not coming out of a ridiculous top hat. An apple is easily recognizable as a symbol of NYC. If it simply has a Mets logo on it or says 'Let's Go Mets' when it pops up, I'm very cool with that. However, if says something like 'Citi - the core of banking in the Big Apple' or some other stupid ad, I'm out baby. metsmarathon Mar 24 2009 09:07 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Mar 24 2009 09:11 AM they're just shoving the citi-branding all up in our faces with every opportunity, those bastards! i mean, look at that repeated arc in the outfield grass, and tell me you don't see the affront of yet another little red rainbow. how fitting that this arc is painted in glorious shades of green, echoing the fields of taxpayer cash funneled into citibank and, therefore, citifield, from the ground, up. it sickens me. really, it doesn't. i just wanted to be the first to mention the similitude between the arcing turf and the citi logo, whether its intentional or just a logical extension of the border between infield and out. metsguyinmichigan Mar 24 2009 09:09 AM ="soupcan":30e9w3y7]The grass looks nice. I'll now go on record as saying I approve of the new apple. Mainly because its not coming out of a ridiculous top hat. An apple is easily recognizable as a symbol of NYC. If it simply has a Mets logo on it or says 'Let's Go Mets' when it pops up, I'm very cool with that. However, if says something like 'Citi - the core of banking in the Big Apple' or some other stupid ad, I'm out baby.[/quote:30e9w3y7] Aw Soup, I never even considered they'd do something like that. Now I'm worried! G-Fafif Mar 24 2009 09:49 AM ="soupcan":303y480g]I'll now go on record as saying I approve of the new apple. Mainly because its not coming out of a ridiculous top hat.[/quote:303y480g] I think I liked the hat more than the apple a) because it brought me back to the Magic Is Back season that inspired its construction and because once they went from Mets Magic to HOME RUN, I got a continuing kick out of the incongruity of it. The relocated original apple is good to have on the premises, but I'm a touch disappointed that its new top hat is so small. More of a straw hat now. Alas, men haven't worn either since JFK decided the look wasn't for him. G-Fafif Mar 24 2009 09:50 AM ="metsmarathon":ws77e5n1]they're just shoving the citi-branding all up in our faces with every opportunity, those bastards! i mean, look at that repeated arc in the outfield grass, and tell me you don't see the affront of yet another little red rainbow. how fitting that this arc is painted in glorious shades of green, echoing the fields of taxpayer cash funneled into citibank and, therefore, citifield, from the ground, up.[/quote:ws77e5n1] And every mention of insurance runs is surely a thinly veiled bonus payment to the former AIG. metirish Mar 24 2009 09:57 AM And every Bill Webb shot of the NYC skyline from now on will be greeted by Gary with " great Citi shot". G-Fafif Mar 24 2009 10:05 AM "Good group of bench players Jerry Manuel has" will be a telltale sop to Citigroup. Pitchers who are automatic will be no more than plugs for Citi's network of ATMs. And when Delgado deposits one over the right field wall... metirish Mar 24 2009 10:27 AM Pitching changes will now be known as withdrawals - " Manuel goes to the mound to make a withdrawal , hey folks you too can make withdrawals all over Citi Field" G-Fafif Mar 24 2009 11:01 AM First reliever to get sent down for giving up a key hit will be written off as a toxic asset. SteveJRogers Mar 24 2009 07:08 PM From a Baseball-Fever.com poster, the Left Field Gate's mural is complete! One more banner space left around the corner, inbetween Casey and Gil. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 24 2009 07:45 PM ="SteveJRogers":1ddnwx4v] One more banner space left around the corner, inbetween Casey and Gil.[/quote:1ddnwx4v] Ah, yes... the Bobby Bo spot, you mean? batmagadanleadoff Mar 24 2009 08:01 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Mar 24 2009 08:14 PM ="SteveJRogers"]From a Baseball-Fever.com poster, the Left Field Gate's mural is complete! One more banner space left around the corner, inbetween Casey and Gil. The detail in the Stengel banner (your lower right) appears to be the Grote/Koosman embrace , Game 5, 1969 WS, yada yada, although it's not the iconic angle that includes Ed Charles' dance of joy. batmagadanleadoff Mar 24 2009 08:12 PM G-Fafif Mar 27 2009 06:08 AM Jeff Wilpon impresses Len Berman. soupcan Mar 27 2009 11:42 AM Hey, lookie who showed up to the party... I believe this is behind leftfield. On edit: Scooped! ="metsguyinmichigan"] The skyline lives! I'm glad to see that it made the trip over to Citi Field. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 27 2009 01:34 PM The scoreboard-topper's going to be in center; that concession-plex is the Danny Meyer street-food fantasia (mmm.... elote!). metsguyinmichigan Mar 27 2009 02:16 PM I like it! Too bad they couldn't find a wall somewhere to hang replicas of the blue and orange tiles that used to hang outside Shea, or one of the neon players -- though apparently they are incorporated into the carpet design in the clubhouse. apmorris Mar 29 2009 03:08 PM Opening day beta (from the webs) Farmer Ted Mar 29 2009 04:05 PM Yup, always one douchebag that opens an umbrella the size of Rhode Island inside the stadium. That effing thing hangs over three rows. metirish Mar 29 2009 04:13 PM saw on ABC News highlights from the game today , looks spacious , one punter complained that the area around the apple is very plain looking. The report mentioned that Bernie Madoff had season tickets in the platinum section behind home plate , valued at $40,000. The Mets say they will not go unused but didn't say how. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 04:28 PM If Wilpon followed his heart, he'd donate the seats to Hilda Chester's family. But Fred loves money even more than he loves the Dodgers. I wonder if the Mets make his top five. Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 04:50 PM Come on. We're indicting him for what you imagine he'd like to do? batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:23 PM ="Edgy DC":z4d7oe86]Come on. We're indicting him for what you imagine he'd like to do?[/quote:z4d7oe86] We? You don't have to join me, but Fred opened the door for this kind of abuse -- yes, it's a straw man, or straw woman argument-- when he built a Mets Stadium in the image of Ebbets Field and then decided to tack on a rotunda, -- one of its most prominent features -- in honor of a Dodger. I don't mind the Ebbets reference so much. But that and a Jackie Robinson Routnda? Enough's enough. It's inappropriate, in my opinion. A Mets stadium is not the right place to honor a Dodger on a permanent basis -- any Dodger. Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 05:28 PM He was actually under intense public pressure to name the stadium after Robinson. That the rotunda --- and has anybody ever cared before what a rotunda was called --- was named after Robinson was him throwing a bone to the public, not sticking it to the public in his self-interest. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:32 PM ="Edgy DC":3662lti7]He was actually under intense public pressure to name the stadium after Robinson. That the rotunda --- and has anybody ever cared before what a rotunda was called --- was named after Robinson was him throwing a bone to the public, not sticking it to the public in his self-interest.[/quote:3662lti7] Why? And did George Steinbrenner face that same pressure? Or what about the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals and their new stadium? Philadelphia Phillies? Where's the Philadelphia version of the Jackie Robinson rotunda? And was Wilpon also under the same intense pressure to eliminate 10,000 seats from the new stadium and raise the prices of some tickets almost tenfold? Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 05:34 PM In order, Why is irrelevant. The point is that he was. No. No. Nothing that I don't know of. You're changing the subject. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:36 PM ="Edgy DC":jm0mylax]He was actually under intense public pressure to name the stadium after Robinson. That the rotunda --- and has anybody ever cared before what a rotunda was called --- was named after Robinson was him throwing a bone to the public, not sticking it to the public in his self-interest.[/quote:jm0mylax] By the way, Wilpon has been sticking it to the public in his self-interest throughout his entire tenure. The evidence is everywhere, in all the details, small and large. Crappy hot dogs. Mesh trucker caps for the old-timers. A parade of car dealers pulling numbers off the outfield wall. Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 05:37 PM Get some rest. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:41 PM I wasn't trying to change the subject. I just think that these baseball owners are powerful enough to do whatever they want to do, for the most part. Wilpon doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would cave in to public pressure over the rotunda. I believe that he created the Jackie Robinson rotunda because he wanted to, and any explanation slightly inconsistent is just spin so as to rationalize the event in a way that would appeal to the largest number of people. In other words, his explanation has more to do with political correctness than sincerity. SteveJRogers Mar 29 2009 05:42 PM ="batmagadanleadoff":131szgo8]="Edgy DC":131szgo8]He was actually under intense public pressure to name the stadium after Robinson. That the rotunda --- and has anybody ever cared before what a rotunda was called --- was named after Robinson was him throwing a bone to the public, not sticking it to the public in his self-interest.[/quote:131szgo8] Why? And did George Steinbrenner face that same pressure? Or what about the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals and their new stadium? Philadelphia Phillies? Where's the Philadelphia version of the Jackie Robinson rotunda? And was Wilpon also under the same intense pressure to eliminate 10,000 seats from the new stadium and raise the prices of some tickets almost tenfold?[/quote:131szgo8] Because of Wilpon's ties to the Dodgers as a fan which made the Mets the "torch bearers" of the Dodger-Giant legacy. Well it did start with day one when the Met roster would feature ex-Dodgers and ex-Giants. It would continue on during Old Timers Day festivities during the '60s and '70s when Dodgers and Giants were trotted out and so on. Because it was at Shea where Bill Clinton and Bud Selig stood and made the pronouncement that 42 would be retired in perpetuity. Hell, because it was at Shea that they actually honored the 40th anniversary of Robinson's debut in 1987, check out the 1988 yearbook for a photo of that festivity. So, where were you in 1987 decrying why were the Mets honoring Robinson? batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:51 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Mar 29 2009 05:53 PM ="SteveJRogers":37juno6t]="batmagadanleadoff":37juno6t]="Edgy DC":37juno6t]He was actually under intense public pressure to name the stadium after Robinson. That the rotunda --- and has anybody ever cared before what a rotunda was called --- was named after Robinson was him throwing a bone to the public, not sticking it to the public in his self-interest.[/quote:37juno6t] Why? And did George Steinbrenner face that same pressure? Or what about the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals and their new stadium? Philadelphia Phillies? Where's the Philadelphia version of the Jackie Robinson rotunda? And was Wilpon also under the same intense pressure to eliminate 10,000 seats from the new stadium and raise the prices of some tickets almost tenfold?[/quote:37juno6t] Because of Wilpon's ties to the Dodgers as a fan which made the Mets the "torch bearers" of the Dodger-Giant legacy. Well it did start with day one when the Met roster would feature ex-Dodgers and ex-Giants. It would continue on during Old Timers Day festivities during the '60s and '70s when Dodgers and Giants were trotted out and so on. Because it was at Shea where Bill Clinton and Bud Selig stood and made the pronouncement that 42 would be retired in perpetuity. Hell, because it was at Shea that they actually honored the 40th anniversary of Robinson's debut in 1987, check out the 1988 yearbook for a photo of that festivity. So, where were you in 1987 decrying why were the Mets honoring Robinson?[/quote:37juno6t] Wilpon's ties to the Dodgers are no greater than your ties to the Mets. He's a fan. OK ... a fan who was friends with Sandy Koufax before Koufax was anybody, but still, just a fan. There's nothing wrong with on-field festivities honoring opponents. Stan Musial was honored at the Polo Grounds. Lou Brock was honored on his last visit to Shea. Willie Stargell, too. Honoring is a time-honored baseball tradition probably employed by every team. Naming a part of your stadium after a member of the opposition? I don't agree. The Mets aren't, and shouldn't be the torch-bearers of the Dodgiant legacy, just as, likewise, the Dodgers need not erect a statute of Californian Tom Seaver. Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 05:51 PM ="batmagadanleadoff":213hxw3s]I wasn't trying to change the subject. I just think that these baseball owners are powerful enough to do whatever they want to do, for the most part. Wilpon doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would cave in to public pressure over the rotunda. I believe that he created the Jackie Robinson rotunda because he wanted to, and any explanation slightly inconsistent is just spin so as to rationalize the event in a way that would appeal to the largest number of people. In other words, his explanation has more to do with political correctness than sincerity.[/quote:213hxw3s] Well, you just keep believing then. And "these baseball owners," of course, continues to change the subject. Anything that deviates from your hard-headed position is a "rationalization"? Nobody using mesh caps to broadly indict a billionnaire is positioning himself to talk about who is being rational. A rich guy runs his business to make money. And that pisses you off. Except when he doesn't. And that pisses you off. Come on. Just stop. Gwreck Mar 29 2009 05:54 PM ="batmagadanleadoff"] when he built a Mets Stadium in the image of Ebbets Field and then decided to tack on a rotunda, -- one of its most prominent features -- in honor of a Dodger. You've got things a little mixed up. The rotunda wasn't tacked on; it was deliberately planned to be the part of the stadium that is built in the image of Ebbets Field. Nowhere else in the park is reminiscent of Ebbets. Yes, Robinson was a Dodger. A perfunctory look inside the rotunda indicates that Robinson is being honored for much more than that. ]A Mets stadium is not the right place to honor a Dodger on a permanent basis -- any Dodger. Sorry, this Dodger's special. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 05:57 PM ="Edgy DC":2us8tl51]="batmagadanleadoff":2us8tl51]I wasn't trying to change the subject. I just think that these baseball owners are powerful enough to do whatever they want to do, for the most part. Wilpon doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would cave in to public pressure over the rotunda. I believe that he created the Jackie Robinson rotunda because he wanted to, and any explanation slightly inconsistent is just spin so as to rationalize the event in a way that would appeal to the largest number of people. In other words, his explanation has more to do with political correctness than sincerity.[/quote:2us8tl51] Well, you just keep believing then. And "these baseball owners," of course, continues to change the subject. Anything that deviates from your hard-headed position is a "rationalization"? Nobody using mesh caps to broadly indict a billionnaire is positioning himself to talk about who is being rational. A rich guy runs his business to make money. And that pisses you off. Except when he doesn't. And that pisses you off. Come on. Just stop.[/quote:2us8tl51] I doubt that getting the old-timers decent baseball caps, or uniforms that resembled the ones they actually wore during their playing days would've made much of a dent to the bottom-line. How much money did Wilpon save on that deal -- one, maybe two thousand dollars? Edgy DC Mar 29 2009 05:58 PM I doubt that Fred Wilpon has any idea what you're talking about or which employee of an employee of an employee of his ordered the hats. I beg you. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 06:01 PM ="Gwreck"]="batmagadanleadoff"] when he built a Mets Stadium in the image of Ebbets Field and then decided to tack on a rotunda, -- one of its most prominent features -- in honor of a Dodger. You've got things a little mixed up. The rotunda wasn't tacked on; it was deliberately planned to be the part of the stadium that is built in the image of Ebbets Field. Nowhere else in the park is reminiscent of Ebbets. Yes, Robinson was a Dodger. A perfunctory look inside the rotunda indicates that Robinson is being honored for much more than that. ]A Mets stadium is not the right place to honor a Dodger on a permanent basis -- any Dodger. Sorry, this Dodger's special. I was using the phrase "tack on" as a term of art, not literally. I understand that the rotunda wasn't a last minute afterthought but rather, a key design element of the new stadium. But my point remains the same, even if it was tacked on. Yes, Jackie Robinson was very special. I agree. But let the Dodgers erect a Jackie Robinson rotunda. We'll just have to disagree on this one. When I buy the Mets, and build my own stadium to replace Citi Field, things are gonna change. SteveJRogers Mar 29 2009 06:26 PM ="batmagadanleadoff"] The Mets aren't, and shouldn't be the torch-bearers of the Dodgiant legacy, just as, likewise, the Dodgers need not erect a statute of Californian Tom Seaver. So, the Braves should take down the statue at The Ted honoring Georgian Ty Cobb? apmorris Mar 29 2009 06:33 PM ="batmagadanleadoff":b4so81jp] We'll just have to disagree on this one. When I buy the Mets, and build my own stadium to replace Citi Field, things are gonna change.[/quote:b4so81jp] Please name it Shea. I think CitiField looks like a Good Ol' Timey Baseball Themed Amusement Park. Maybe great for a game but it has nothing to do the Modern Post-War New York that the Worlds Fair and the Mets (and Shea) were born out of, you know - the future they promised us that never happened? The Mets are NOT the History of Baseball team and that stadium would look a lot better in the middle of a strip mall in New Jersey - between Flinger's and Chotchkie's - than in the middle of a parking lot in Flushing Meadows. It is way too backward looking and not forward looking enough. I think. batmagadanleadoff Mar 29 2009 06:35 PM ="SteveJRogers"]="batmagadanleadoff"] The Mets aren't, and shouldn't be the torch-bearers of the Dodgiant legacy, just as, likewise, the Dodgers need not erect a statute of Californian Tom Seaver. So, the Braves should take down the statue at The Ted honoring Georgian Ty Cobb? Not if they don't want to. Plus, the Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn statues are mitigating factors. ________________________ **Photo widths edited by admin on 3/29** apmorris Mar 29 2009 07:56 PM ] the Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn statues they both have BRAVES on their jerseys (and statues) - just thought I'd point that out. soupcan Mar 30 2009 07:10 AM ="apmorris"] ="Farmer Ted"]Yup, always one douchebag that opens an umbrella the size of Rhode Island inside the stadium. That effing thing hangs over three rows. I believe that there are some stadia that do not allow people to bring umbrellas inside. Now that's a good rule. metirish Mar 30 2009 07:13 AM See , I would be embarrassed to open one that size , or if the person I was with opened one like that.Is that even an umbrella , looks like something that one would use on the beach for shade. Benjamin Grimm Mar 30 2009 07:15 AM I'm no fan of ads, but I kinda like that big Pepsi Cola sign. It's as much "advertising art" as it is advertising. Isn't it very similar to the vintage sign in Queens that can be seen from across the East River in Manhattan? soupcan Mar 30 2009 07:16 AM Shit like that always amazes me. You're in a stadium watching a game with people behind and next to you. You know you'll be blocking people's views. Why do some people feel so entitled to doing stuff like that? Do they just not think? Are they stupid? Selfish? All of the above? I just don't understand that kind of behavior. Pack a fucking poncho. Edgy DC Mar 30 2009 07:25 AM Douchebag neighbors. Story of Soupy's life. soupcan Mar 30 2009 07:28 AM So true. metirish Mar 30 2009 07:51 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":1v08570j]I'm no fan of ads, but I kinda like that big Pepsi Cola sign. It's as much "advertising art" as it is advertising. Isn't it very similar to the vintage sign in Queens that can be seen from across the East River in Manhattan?[/quote:1v08570j] Good call , the sign was one of the first things that jumped out at me when they were showing highlights on the News.I am trying to remember what other stadium has a similar sign , Fenway? soupcan Mar 30 2009 08:01 AM Comerica in Detroit... SteveJRogers Mar 30 2009 08:32 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":2n7rxdgz]I'm no fan of ads, but I kinda like that big Pepsi Cola sign. It's as much "advertising art" as it is advertising. Isn't it very similar to the vintage sign in Queens that can be seen from across the East River in Manhattan?[/quote:2n7rxdgz] An exact replica actually. Well except the recent Pepsi "dot" replaces the vintage Pepsi bottle from that iconic signage. soupcan Mar 30 2009 08:44 AM ="SteveJRogers"]="Benjamin Grimm"]I'm no fan of ads, but I kinda like that big Pepsi Cola sign. It's as much "advertising art" as it is advertising. Isn't it very similar to the vintage sign in Queens that can be seen from across the East River in Manhattan? An exact replica actually. Well except the recent Pepsi "dot" replaces the vintage Pepsi bottle from that iconic signage. Close but not 'exact'. G-Fafif Mar 30 2009 11:01 AM Company-issued release: ]Pepsi gains branding rights to the name-entitled "Pepsi Porch," the 1,284-seat area in right field that extends over the playing field. This interactive brand showcase at the Pepsi Porch will immerse fans in a Mets and Pepsi experience with special entertainment programming broadcast to those in attendance and watching Mets games on SNY, the television home of the Mets. A 37-foot by 89-foot Pepsi sign, evocative of the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign facing Manhattan from Long Island City, will sit atop the Pepsi Porch. The sign will face into the ballpark and be visible from downtown Flushing and nearby highways and mass transit lines. Benjamin Grimm Mar 30 2009 11:12 AM I don't imagine that most fans will want to be "immersed in a Mets and Pepsi experience" while at the ballgame. I know I wouldn't. I just want to watch the game, without any immersion at all. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 30 2009 11:13 AM Like the signage... mildly-- very mildly-- put off by the modern-Pepsi-dot-with-vintage-Pepsi-lettering juxtaposition of ad styles. From the woulda-coulda-shoulda department: making the outfield "bridges" a little more evocative of the Triboro/Queensboro/Whitestone trifecta (not sure I buy the supposed Hell-Gate connection) would have made for a nice little architectural curlicue. OlerudOwned Mar 30 2009 11:35 AM Wouldn't have minded immersing my eyes in Pepsi at the ends of the last two seasons. metirish Mar 30 2009 11:41 AM The language of such releases are all the same , jeez sounds like I'll have the expreince of my life if only I was sitting in the Pepsi porch. I do like Pepsi though Farmer Ted Mar 30 2009 01:13 PM The Pepsi sign is a big FUCK YOU to Atlanta and Ted Turner's phallic Coke Bottle. metirish Apr 02 2009 01:24 PM Head groundskeeper Pete Flynn marks the baselines and grooms home plate at Citi Field. (Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan / March 25, 2009) Pinball machines in the Mets' new clubhouse at Citi Field. (Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan / March 25, 2009) Pepsi porch I like the detail in the carpet. John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 02 2009 01:31 PM Those pinball machines are too close to the wall, and one another, to be playable. However, I think can whip Jose Reyes' butt on either table. themetfairy Apr 02 2009 01:39 PM I love the pool table! DocTee Apr 02 2009 01:41 PM The pool table is coin operated? You can buy any of these items in 35 years when the Mets move to a new stadium. I call dibs on the leather recliners. soupcan Apr 02 2009 01:59 PM This carpet is god-awful. Benjamin Grimm Apr 02 2009 02:23 PM I agree. It's garish. It's nice that they're honoring Shea with the neon players, but those big grey baseballs are hideous. The first thing I'd do is replace that carpet with something with a blue-and-orange 1960's Shea Stadium shingle pattern. Edgy DC Apr 02 2009 02:27 PM I'd do a pattern based on an acne-covered back. soupcan Apr 03 2009 10:44 AM Delgado, last night. Cool, huh? Edgy DC Apr 03 2009 10:51 AM How does the warning track soil/clay stay packed like that? Fman99 Apr 03 2009 10:53 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":29ka38qg]I don't imagine that most fans will want to be "immersed in a Mets and Pepsi experience" while at the ballgame. I know I wouldn't. I just want to watch the game, without any immersion at all.[/quote:29ka38qg] Little known fact, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was originally known as the Mets and Pepsi Experience. metirish Apr 03 2009 01:04 PM ="soupcan"]Delgado, last night. Cool, huh? Beautiful picture , one for the mantle I should think. This story went with that picture in the NY Times ] Mets Get a Late-Night Sneak Preview of Citi Field By BEN SHPIGEL Published: April 3, 2009 Out from the buses they spilled, marching through a gate, down a corridor and around a corner until, finally, there it was. Home. The Mets� shiny, new clubhouse awaited. And as Carlos Delgado poked his head inside at about 10:55 p.m. Thursday, he surveyed the sheer size of it all and said, �Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the big leagues.� His teammates, arriving at Citi Field fresh off a flight from Florida that landed two and a half hours late, followed suit, each more mesmerized than the next. After locating his locker, Jos� Reyes opened a cabinet and wondered aloud how much clothes he could fit inside. Pedro Feliciano plopped into his ergonomic chair. Shaking his head, Razor Shines could manage only a �Wow.� Then he said it again. �I�m overwhelmed,� Bobby Parnell said. �The other guys, they�re used to this.� Their curiosity piqued, players wheeled their hand luggage to their lockers and started to explore. John Maine and Mike Pelfrey bounded down the steps, past the sprint track. �Mainer, you want to race?� Pelfrey said. Ascending another set of stairs, they funneled into the dugout, joining Delgado and Carlos Beltr�n. Everyone looked up, almost instinctively, and then out, to the fences, scoping out the dimensions. Ryan Church, pointing toward the 415-foot marker in right-center field, told Delgado, �I don�t think they made it deep enough.� For the occasion, the lights had been turned on � �I should have brought sunscreen,� Darren O�Day said � and the grass glistened. But with rain in the forecast for Friday, when the Mets are scheduled to play Boston in an exhibition game, a tarp lay over the infield, preventing Johan Santana and friends from climbing the mound. Undeterred, many of the pitchers walked in the grass toward right-center, toward the bullpen, as quickly as their suits and dress shoes would allow them. Every few feet, J. J. Putz stopped, pointed the camera on his cellphone and snapped. The Mets occupy the bottom level of the two-tiered bullpen � just as the Phillies do in their ballpark � and the bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello wandered in. Assessing where the plate will be, he got into a crouch for a few seconds. As �In My Life� by the Beatles played, the lights suddenly went out. All part of the plan, explained Jeff Wilpon, the team�s chief operating officer, as a montage of highlights, player introductions and construction footage played on the video screen. Luis Alicea, the first-base coach, spotted Wilpon and thanked him. �Beautiful,� Alicea told him. �Absolutely beautiful.� When it ended, Wilpon escorted everyone into a tunnel behind the plate that led to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. As workers took a break from polishing the terrazzo floors, Jerry Manuel and Sandy Alomar Sr. walked slowly, taking time to read each of Robinson�s nine values, which are inscribed in the floor. Behind them, Putz slipped his feet into Robinson�s footprints. They matched. �Size 14,� Putz said. On the way back inside, Howard Johnson took a detour to show two of his apt pupils, Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy, the video room and the batting cage. Murphy gazed through the window. The door was locked. �Tomorrow,� Murphy said. soupcan Apr 03 2009 02:28 PM Stole this from baseball-fever.com... metirish Apr 03 2009 02:30 PM That needs a lot of dents in it.....too shiny. Edgy DC Apr 03 2009 02:38 PM Needs a top hat is what it needs. Strikes me that a cool reverence to the polo grounds could have been done by putting a recess in the wall out there.

Yes.

Yep, those are more of those staircase obstructions. If you're in the lowest couple of rows of the Promenade Reserved or Promenade Reserved Infield, you can count on being obstructed either from the railings or the flow of people on the stairs.

That photo posts fine, but that's not the real problem. The photo posted is taken from mid-section in the Promenade Infield Reserved. That's a $25 seat, and a railing in front of you is certainly a small obstruction but not the end of the world. The real problem is the first two rows of the Promenade Club and Promenade Box seats, the best of which are $75 seats. In those seats, if you are sitting down/are short, a LED board will apparently block your view of a good part of the field closest to you. There are also some key obstructions in the aisle seats in the low rows of the Promenade Reserved/Promenade Reserved Infield, because their are staircases at the front of the section that will be blocked with people and unfortunately-placed railings.

Arroyo did beat us twice but it was both 8 inning performances each time. I have basically no recollection of that game vs. the Rockies with Cook's CG.

Pitchers I remember us having big trouble with in '08: Ben Sheets (he outdueled Santana in a game in the first homestand of the year) Bronson Arroyo Randy Wolf Arroyo is my guess.

Good news: Jocelyn Pierce (who was absolutely terrible) is out as Mets Weekly host. In is Julie Alexandria, who was formerly the co-host of Beer Money. NY Post article: http://www.nypost.com/seven/02152009/sports/moresports/the_rumble_155278.htm

MLB Network is showing a game that SNY hasn't aired: Opening Day '85. This Saturday at 11:00 AM.

="Edgy DC":mn44nn0k]I think it'll take something less than a bad first month for folks to open their guns on Castillo.[/quote:mn44nn0k] You assume they were put away in the first place. Given what transpired last year, I expect him to get booed during player introductions on opening day. Edgy DC Feb 15 2009 09:55 PM Yeah, I was kind of playing it understated there. I expect him to get ripped in St. Lucie well before opening day even arrives. G-Fafif Feb 16 2009 09:42 AM Daniel Murphy was a bit over five years old when Davey was fired, so I think he would have stuck with Jefferies or even Teufel at second. MFS62 Feb 16 2009 10:05 AM ="G-Fafif":67xavfsp]Daniel Murphy was a bit over five years old when Davey was fired, so I think he would have stuck with Jefferies or even Teufel at second.[/quote:67xavfsp] I think you just proved (or at least supported) Mole's original statement. Later

I see Redding/Garcia getting one of those spots as the long man.

50 CPF bucks on Garcia. Maybe a side bet of $5 on Redding.

="Vince Coleman Firecracker":31x78j3u]Of course, it's not all that difficult to make one at home.[/quote:31x78j3u] I guess it depends on how much you care about authenticity. I don't really care about the Vienna Beef hotdogs; Hebrew National, Boar's Head, Kahn's, etc. are fine. The poppy-seed hotdog buns can't be found around here, but again, not necessarily a deal-breaker. The biggest problem for me is the Sport Peppers. I think you can order them online but I haven't found anything truly equivalent in stores around here. Gwreck Feb 20 2009 04:04 PM More on the CitiField Restaurants here ] * Blue Smoke is expected to serve up a scaled-down version of Danny Meyer's Gramercy Park restaurant, including Kansas City spareribs and Memphis baby back ribs. * Shake Shack, another Meyer venture, is set to grill up the famed ShackBurgers and vegetarian 'ShroomBurgers that fans line up for at its Madison Square Park post. * Acela is a reservations-required restaurant that [Drew] Nieporent - also owner of Tribeca Grill - has slotted for a space overlooking the diamond. Named after the high-speed Amtrak train, the fine-dining spot has yet to unveil its menu. * Verano Taquer�a will feature authentic tacos created by chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla fame. * Box Frites will serve freshly-cut, Belgian-style fries with a wide selection of dipping sauces. * The Delta Sky360 Club will be another premium-seating dining destination on the Field Level directly behind home plate, offering waiter service and "Best of Ballpark" food. * Wheelhouse Market is expected to be a casual cafe serving speciality brews and "classic, artisanal comfort foods," which usually means hand-crafted cheeses and cured meats. * Zachys will be run by Westchester wine merchants Andrew McMurray and Jeff and Don Zacharia, offering fine wines from around the world. What's not mentioned in the article, of course, is that not everybody in the park is going to have access to these spaces. "Acela" will probably be the left field restaurant, to which access is only granted to certain field-level ticket holders. The "Delta Sky360 Club" is going to be restricted to the "Delta Sky360 Club" (formerly "Sterling Club") ticketholders -- that's the area right behind the plate, between the bases. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those other named restaurants are going to be restricted to the Ebbets Club, Caesar's Club (formerly "Excelsior Club") or Promenade Club areas. At least we know Shake Shack will be open to all. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 20 2009 04:38 PM Hmm. Has anyone else ever found it galling that NEITHER CitiField nor MFY Stadium (nor Shea nor original-flavor MFY Stadium) has anything approaching a passable New York slice-- nor anything else typically New York-y, really-- among its concession offerings? (Gray's Papaya? Magnolia cupcakes? H&H Bagels/Russ and Daughters trimmings?) Never really bothered me until my first trip to CBP-- the regional-specialty angle on most of the Ashburn Alley concessions (Chickie and Pete's, Tony Luke's and Rick's Steaks are all actual longtime Philly vendors...) is what makes their park, as far as I'm concerned. Edgy DC Feb 20 2009 05:58 PM Good point. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 06:57 AM San Francisco also kicks sizable rump in this arena, with the Gilroy's Garlic Fries and Anchor Steam on tap (bonus: decreasing prices for bringing back and reusing the same cup-- I remember paying $1 for my fourth or fifth in 2007) as standouts. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 06:59 AM I remember getting clam chowder in a sourdough bread basket in SF in 2001 - possibly the best food that I ever had at a ballpark. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:02 AM Oh, the soup. That was NICE. I also have a vague recollection (see above re: "fourth or fifth" Anchor Steam) from the last time I stopped by of having a rice bowl that was better than passable. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 07:16 AM I remember a portabello mushroom sandwich there that was wonderful, although that was on the club level. Krispy Kreme donuts were also available. Two games at that ballpark eight years ago, and the food still stands out as memorable. BTW, the garlic fries are a Left Coast staple - I've had them in every ballpark from San Diego to Seattle. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:36 AM Yeah, so I've heard/seen about the fries... but I'll give Pac Bell/AT&T/T-Mobile credit for being OGs, for the smothering (I've seen powders elsewhere) and for going loca-vore (Gilroy being a Northern Cali farm-industry staple). LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:40 AM Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:42 AM Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 07:45 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":pkz84dtp]Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan.[/quote:pkz84dtp] I'm looking forward to the culinary review - have a great trip DocTee Feb 22 2009 07:57 AM Look me up (I'm SF local) -- I'll buy you an Anchor Steam! LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:52 PM Nice... it'll likely be the D-backs day game on the 17th (the rotation seems to line up for a Lincecum-Webb battle, too!). 86-Dreamer Feb 24 2009 08:01 AM Anyone know if Mamas of Corona will have a spot? Gwreck Feb 24 2009 08:03 AM I did hear (second-hand) that they will have two locations, one in right field on the field level, and one in the promenade level. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 08:48 PM OhthanGod. There have been many Bonilla-and-Alomar-trammeled years where only the company of good friends and marinated mushrooms made the time pass pleasantly. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 08:00 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 08:16 PM Here's another article (this time from the Post): ] BUY me some peanuts and Cracker Jack - and a California roll? NYC stadium fare has long been notoriously bad, stuck in an era of soggy dogs and watery beer. No more. When the new stadiums open in April, both will offer an incredibly diverse array of upscale restaurants and concession stands. But while the Yankees are going slick and corporate (Hard Rock Cafe, anyone?), the Mets are appealing to locals by luring some of the city's top restaurateurs. In other words, fans will have more to argue about than batting averages and who juiced when. "It's Mets versus Yankees competition at its finest - even down to the food," BALLPARKS says Erika Boeke, co-creator of gogameface.com, a Web site aimed at female sports fans. Sure, you'll still be able to score a classic hot-dog-and-suds combo, but why stop there? Up in The Bronx, gamegoers can indulge in sushi and steak, while spectators at Citi Field will be able to enjoy Brooklyn Brewery specialty beers, Belgian-style fries and authentic Mexican tacos - not to mention food and drink specials inspired by visiting teams. Get your microbrewed beer, here! "Food plays an enormous role in the baseball experience," says Dave Howard, executive vice president of business operations for the Mets. After all, a baseball game can drag on for hours - leaving multitasking New Yorkers in search of stimulation. Following the lead of food-forward ballparks from Philly to San Francisco, the Mets organization has asked some of the city's leading restaurateurs to step to the plate. At the new Citi Field, Danny Meyer - not Oscar Mayer - will be the one feeding hungry fans. A new "Taste of the City" food court will feature spinoffs of Meyer's popular Manhattan eateries Shake Shack and Blue Smoke. There will also be two new concepts from Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group - Box Frites, serving Belgian-style french fries with various dips and "dust-up" spice blends, and El Verano, an authentic Mexican taqueria. "BBQ and burgers are a no-brainer. We decided to do a taqueria because so many Hispanic Americans go to these games [and because of our location] in Queens," says Tabla's Floyd Cardoz, who is designing El Verano's menu, which will feature soft corn tortillas, several varieties of salsa and a Mexican-style beer from Brooklyn Brewery. Also keeping it local at "Taste of the City": A branch of Leo's Latticini deli (a k a Mama's of Corona) and a new high-end pizza concept from the Queens-based Cascarino's. Of course, Citi Field's 1,600 premium ticket holders won't need to venture far - they can have their ShackBurgers delivered straight to their seats. They'll also have access to two exclusive eateries: an as-yet-unnamed dining room and lounge showcasing modern cocktails and a market-driven menu developed by Union Square Cafe's Michael Romano. Adjacent to that space, the Wheelhouse Market will feature a specialty coffee bar, a large wood-burning pizza oven for churning out Neapolitan-style pies and a global beer and wine bar overlooking the Mets' warm-up area. But Meyer isn't the only heavy hitter in the Mets' restaurant rotation. According to Dave Howard, the glass-enclosed Acela Club will feature "classic menu items from some of the leading restaurants in New York City" - not to mention tiered seating overlooking the diamond and a huge outdoor terrace. A recent report in Crain's fingering restaurateur Drew Nieporent as Acela's likely operator means the menu may include dishes from hot spots like Nobu. A formal announcement is expected by early March. The Yankees, meanwhile, are partnering with slicker, entertainment-oriented brands like Hard Rock Cafe and - it is rumored - the Food Network (neither the Food Network nor the Yankees would confirm). In addition, the stadium will open restaurants dedicated to upscale fare like sushi. "The Mets are taking the approach [of] 'Let's find the finest food in New York and bring it to the ballpark,' whereas the Yankees [are] like, 'Let's start our own steakhouse because we know better than anyone else,' " says gogameface.com's Boeke. Boeke is referring to NYY Steak, the Yankees' new joint venture with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment. Located on the stadium's second floor, it will feature servers sporting Yankee pinstripe oxford shirts and prime dry-aged beef like a 24-ounce bone-in rib-eye. The restaurant will also include a floor-to-ceiling brass "signature wall" with laser-etched autographs of Yankee Hall of Famers. Below, the Hard Rock Cafe will serve its specialty burgers and ribs amid sporty music memorabilia such as a baseball-themed Elton John outfit. Neither restaurant will have views of the field. So will streetwise Yank fans trade their game seats for a burger paired with closed-circuit TV and spandex leggings? "Who are they catering to? New Yorkers or that person flying in saying, 'Let's go spend a fortune at the Yankee game'?" asks Boeke. Either way, they'll spend. After all, there are only 81 home games a year. But with NYY Steak and Hard Rock Cafe operating year-round, the stadium is promising to become an uptown version of Times Square - a 365-day tourist attraction complete with Yankee store and museum. "Even on nongame days, people can be in the stadium and part of the experience," says David E. Miller, Hard Rock's director of operations. So will the new restaurants come with typical tourist pricing? According to those working at Citi Field, delivering value in the current economic climate has been a big part of the discussion. "When the stadium opens, I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the prices," says Ron Parker, managing director of Hudson Yards, Union Square Hospitality's catering, sports and entertainment division. And if you can't afford to splurge on NYY Steak at Yankee Stadium, no need to sweat it. We're told Carl's Steaks - the popular Philly-based cheese-steak purveyor - will be making the move to the new digs. After all, some things just can't be improved upon. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:14 AM I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now. I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual). I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance. Benjamin Grimm Feb 25 2009 08:16 AM Really, though, was there anything about the old ballparks that prevented them from serving a higher quality of food? John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:19 AM Yes, thery were set up to be places where people watched baseball, and not places where people watched baseball and ate things. Shea for example didn't have the kitchen facilities to add too much to the food which is why most of the stuff was limited to that which you could assemble and sell from carts (sausages, soft-serve, etc) soupcan Feb 25 2009 08:26 AM I used to eat in The Grill Room on occasion. It was a restaurant so they must have had an adequate kitchen. Unfortunately that didn't stop them from preparing and selling lousy food. I think the last time I ate in the Diamond Club I was 11 years-old so I can't really speak to the quality of the food they served but I don't recall anybody ever raving about the prime rib in there. That's two kitchens and nothing stellar coming out of them. I've got to think that it was less that they didn't have the facilities to serve up some tasty fare and more that they felt no need to spend the money to do whatever it would take. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:28 AM The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything. The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one. soupcan Feb 25 2009 08:51 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:3jt4o9zu] Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there? ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu]The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one. [/quote:3jt4o9zu] I hear you. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 09:00 AM ="soupcan":11qp1uhg]="John Cougar Lunchbucket":11qp1uhg] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:11qp1uhg] Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there? [/quote:11qp1uhg] How am I supposed to know? I was drunk. No, I think it was, you know, decent restaurant-quality food. themetfairy Feb 25 2009 09:06 AM I had a nice buffet lunch at the Diamond Club in August. It had an omelet bar, salads, etc., and the quality was very good. HahnSolo Feb 25 2009 09:49 AM What's the etiquette on eating in ballpark restaurants? Before the game, during the game, after the game? soupcan Feb 25 2009 09:53 AM Before the game. Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats. Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 11:35 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:25 PM I grew up in Coney Island, where the "Chicago-style Hot dog" is considered an abomination. Hot dogs (or, more properly, "Franks" or "Frankfurters") were invented by Charles Feltman in 1867, who put a Vienna sausage in a roll and called it "Coney Island Red Hots." Some people, unsure of its ingredients, called it a hot dog. It is still sold at the world famous original Nathans the way God, Feltman and Nathan Handwerker intended... grilled (not boiled!) and served plain or with sauerkraut on a bun without other adornment except the availability of mustard, applied by the customer. A little relish is acceptable, even a drop of ketchup for the pre-teens who put ketchup on everything... even some "red onions". But a chicago dog is boiled (on edit: or steamed) and then buried in an overwhelming bun with a warehouse full of veggies. You might as well not have the hotdog in there at all, for all it matters. If you want to do that to a big polish sausage or a kielbasa, then fine. But a hot dog is a subtler creature and needs a tad more minimalism for its true appreciation. And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 11:46 AM First off, a Chicago hot dog is steamed, not boiled. I have nothing against New York hot dogs. I think they're great. I've been to Nathans at Coney Island many times and always look forward to a return. That being said -- as a New Yorker, to boot -- the Chicago product is superior. A New York hot dog is a snack. A Chicago hot dog is a meal. The inferior nature of Chicago pizza when compared to that in New York has no bearing on the fact that Chicago hot dogs are superior to those from New York. [We're probably at the point where we need a thread split and move to the NBF...] Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 12:22 PM steaming is equivalent to boiling. Both processes render meat flavorless, while grilling enhances flavor. And yes, a hot dog is a snack, while the chicago dog is a meal.... but it's a meal with very little to do with hot dogs. It's a seeded hero loaf of veggies, with some steamed meat underneath. YUMMM! metirish Feb 25 2009 12:40 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:43 PM ="Vic Sage":xf821h86] And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:xf821h86] I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like it after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again. The y sampled some hot dog style fare and really those things were like nothing I'v ever seen... Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 25 2009 12:42 PM I, for one, thoroughly enjoy both varieties. While my ideal dog- Boar's Head or Hebrew National on a potato bun with Gulden's or Boar's head spicy brown mustard and a little bit of kraut- is the traditional one Vic likes, I will never look down my nose at a Chicago-style dog. I think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation. Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 25 2009 12:45 PM ="metirish":3hh2eoiz]="Vic Sage":3hh2eoiz] And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:3hh2eoiz] I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again.[/quote:3hh2eoiz] The problem with Chicago pizza is that it isn't, in any sense, pizza. That stuff Bourdain was eating in that episode looked delicious, and I bet it was, but it wasn't pizza. If they called it a savory, vegetable-y pie I would hold nothing against it, but the "pizza" label makes it an imposter. Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 02:40 PM ] think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation. So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh. Personally, i don't mind "red onions" which are in a tomato-based sauce, but wouldn't use ketchup. As a parent, on the other hand, I'm more forgiving of my kids' affection for ketchup on their dogs, and would certainly resist their deportation. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 08:18 PM ="Vic Sage":1msm2noi]So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh. [/quote:1msm2noi] I'm pretty sure that everyone (except perhaps Ronald Reagan) understands the difference. SteveJRogers Feb 25 2009 09:08 PM ="soupcan"]Before the game. Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats. Well at Shea you had a couple of reasons for this. 1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant. It had a nice sports bar feel going, at least for the 10 years I was kind of a "regular" there! The Diamond Club itself did have a panoramic window, but the sightlines for watching it from the restaurant were not the best. Had a nice ritzy restaurant feel. Gwreck Feb 26 2009 08:16 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":ix6vvn2o]I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now. I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual). I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance.[/quote:ix6vvn2o] Saw this at the newsstand today and picked up a copy. I still think the story is under reported in that I haven't seen any articles acknowledge that most of these restaurants are never going to be accessible except to a few thousand select ticketholders and Jimmy Blue Collar fan isn't welcome. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 26 2009 09:12 PM Well, no one would be pinned down on that point. I don't think, for example, if the restaurant isn't doing gangbusters they'll enforce any kind of ticketholder policy. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 26 2009 09:33 PM I'm not sure that I speak for every Mr./Mrs. Blue Collar, but I'm okay with conceptual tacos and Shack Burgers. Bar me if you want-- If I want Nobu, I'll go to Nobu. (You know, once a kid graduates, or Nobu starts taking part in restaurant week.) I do like that Citifield's food selection shaping up as a LITTLE more of a people's-choice, NEW-YORKER'S-New-Yorker menu-- complete with frou-frou options-- in comparison to laser-etched steakhouses/f'-ing Hard Rock. metsguyinmichigan Feb 26 2009 10:10 PM ="SteveJRogers":1i4q3vr9] 1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant. [/quote:1i4q3vr9] Trust me on this, you do not want to watch what happens in the press box. Especially during a meal. soupcan Feb 27 2009 07:08 AM On that Citifield special on SNY last night, Jeff Wilpon stated that there will be a New York pizza joint. I couldn't catch the name - Started with a 'C', multi-syllabalic, something Italian. Gwreck Feb 27 2009 07:57 AM Cascarino's. They were mentioned in the Post's article, I believe. Same pizza provider at Shea as last year, I think. G-Fafif Feb 27 2009 01:18 PM Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared. SteveJRogers Feb 27 2009 04:16 PM ="G-Fafif"]Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared. Hey don't knock the favorite "New York Style" pizza of Dunder Mifflin's Michael Scott (The Office)!

="HahnSolo":1vaturov]I hope the lines aren't as long at this Shake Shack as they are at the ones in Manhattan. I am quite fond of the Shack-ago Dog myself.[/quote:1vaturov] It is -- and I have searched -- perhaps the only place in NYC to get a real Chicago hotdog. Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 11 2009 04:04 PM ="Gwreck":knr4nyzv]="HahnSolo":knr4nyzv]I hope the lines aren't as long at this Shake Shack as they are at the ones in Manhattan. I am quite fond of the Shack-ago Dog myself.[/quote:knr4nyzv] It is -- and I have searched -- perhaps the only place in NYC to get a real Chicago hotdog.[/quote:knr4nyzv] Of course, it's not all that difficult to make one at home. Gwreck Feb 11 2009 04:29 PM ="Vince Coleman Firecracker":31x78j3u]Of course, it's not all that difficult to make one at home.[/quote:31x78j3u] I guess it depends on how much you care about authenticity. I don't really care about the Vienna Beef hotdogs; Hebrew National, Boar's Head, Kahn's, etc. are fine. The poppy-seed hotdog buns can't be found around here, but again, not necessarily a deal-breaker. The biggest problem for me is the Sport Peppers. I think you can order them online but I haven't found anything truly equivalent in stores around here. Gwreck Feb 20 2009 04:04 PM More on the CitiField Restaurants here ] * Blue Smoke is expected to serve up a scaled-down version of Danny Meyer's Gramercy Park restaurant, including Kansas City spareribs and Memphis baby back ribs. * Shake Shack, another Meyer venture, is set to grill up the famed ShackBurgers and vegetarian 'ShroomBurgers that fans line up for at its Madison Square Park post. * Acela is a reservations-required restaurant that [Drew] Nieporent - also owner of Tribeca Grill - has slotted for a space overlooking the diamond. Named after the high-speed Amtrak train, the fine-dining spot has yet to unveil its menu. * Verano Taquer�a will feature authentic tacos created by chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla fame. * Box Frites will serve freshly-cut, Belgian-style fries with a wide selection of dipping sauces. * The Delta Sky360 Club will be another premium-seating dining destination on the Field Level directly behind home plate, offering waiter service and "Best of Ballpark" food. * Wheelhouse Market is expected to be a casual cafe serving speciality brews and "classic, artisanal comfort foods," which usually means hand-crafted cheeses and cured meats. * Zachys will be run by Westchester wine merchants Andrew McMurray and Jeff and Don Zacharia, offering fine wines from around the world. What's not mentioned in the article, of course, is that not everybody in the park is going to have access to these spaces. "Acela" will probably be the left field restaurant, to which access is only granted to certain field-level ticket holders. The "Delta Sky360 Club" is going to be restricted to the "Delta Sky360 Club" (formerly "Sterling Club") ticketholders -- that's the area right behind the plate, between the bases. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those other named restaurants are going to be restricted to the Ebbets Club, Caesar's Club (formerly "Excelsior Club") or Promenade Club areas. At least we know Shake Shack will be open to all. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 20 2009 04:38 PM Hmm. Has anyone else ever found it galling that NEITHER CitiField nor MFY Stadium (nor Shea nor original-flavor MFY Stadium) has anything approaching a passable New York slice-- nor anything else typically New York-y, really-- among its concession offerings? (Gray's Papaya? Magnolia cupcakes? H&H Bagels/Russ and Daughters trimmings?) Never really bothered me until my first trip to CBP-- the regional-specialty angle on most of the Ashburn Alley concessions (Chickie and Pete's, Tony Luke's and Rick's Steaks are all actual longtime Philly vendors...) is what makes their park, as far as I'm concerned. Edgy DC Feb 20 2009 05:58 PM Good point. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 06:57 AM San Francisco also kicks sizable rump in this arena, with the Gilroy's Garlic Fries and Anchor Steam on tap (bonus: decreasing prices for bringing back and reusing the same cup-- I remember paying $1 for my fourth or fifth in 2007) as standouts. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 06:59 AM I remember getting clam chowder in a sourdough bread basket in SF in 2001 - possibly the best food that I ever had at a ballpark. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:02 AM Oh, the soup. That was NICE. I also have a vague recollection (see above re: "fourth or fifth" Anchor Steam) from the last time I stopped by of having a rice bowl that was better than passable. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 07:16 AM I remember a portabello mushroom sandwich there that was wonderful, although that was on the club level. Krispy Kreme donuts were also available. Two games at that ballpark eight years ago, and the food still stands out as memorable. BTW, the garlic fries are a Left Coast staple - I've had them in every ballpark from San Diego to Seattle. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:36 AM Yeah, so I've heard/seen about the fries... but I'll give Pac Bell/AT&T/T-Mobile credit for being OGs, for the smothering (I've seen powders elsewhere) and for going loca-vore (Gilroy being a Northern Cali farm-industry staple). LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:40 AM Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 07:42 AM Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan. themetfairy Feb 22 2009 07:45 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":pkz84dtp]Smiling big. Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home. Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes. If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan.[/quote:pkz84dtp] I'm looking forward to the culinary review - have a great trip DocTee Feb 22 2009 07:57 AM Look me up (I'm SF local) -- I'll buy you an Anchor Steam! LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:52 PM Nice... it'll likely be the D-backs day game on the 17th (the rotation seems to line up for a Lincecum-Webb battle, too!). 86-Dreamer Feb 24 2009 08:01 AM Anyone know if Mamas of Corona will have a spot? Gwreck Feb 24 2009 08:03 AM I did hear (second-hand) that they will have two locations, one in right field on the field level, and one in the promenade level. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 08:48 PM OhthanGod. There have been many Bonilla-and-Alomar-trammeled years where only the company of good friends and marinated mushrooms made the time pass pleasantly. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 08:00 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 08:16 PM Here's another article (this time from the Post): ] BUY me some peanuts and Cracker Jack - and a California roll? NYC stadium fare has long been notoriously bad, stuck in an era of soggy dogs and watery beer. No more. When the new stadiums open in April, both will offer an incredibly diverse array of upscale restaurants and concession stands. But while the Yankees are going slick and corporate (Hard Rock Cafe, anyone?), the Mets are appealing to locals by luring some of the city's top restaurateurs. In other words, fans will have more to argue about than batting averages and who juiced when. "It's Mets versus Yankees competition at its finest - even down to the food," BALLPARKS says Erika Boeke, co-creator of gogameface.com, a Web site aimed at female sports fans. Sure, you'll still be able to score a classic hot-dog-and-suds combo, but why stop there? Up in The Bronx, gamegoers can indulge in sushi and steak, while spectators at Citi Field will be able to enjoy Brooklyn Brewery specialty beers, Belgian-style fries and authentic Mexican tacos - not to mention food and drink specials inspired by visiting teams. Get your microbrewed beer, here! "Food plays an enormous role in the baseball experience," says Dave Howard, executive vice president of business operations for the Mets. After all, a baseball game can drag on for hours - leaving multitasking New Yorkers in search of stimulation. Following the lead of food-forward ballparks from Philly to San Francisco, the Mets organization has asked some of the city's leading restaurateurs to step to the plate. At the new Citi Field, Danny Meyer - not Oscar Mayer - will be the one feeding hungry fans. A new "Taste of the City" food court will feature spinoffs of Meyer's popular Manhattan eateries Shake Shack and Blue Smoke. There will also be two new concepts from Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group - Box Frites, serving Belgian-style french fries with various dips and "dust-up" spice blends, and El Verano, an authentic Mexican taqueria. "BBQ and burgers are a no-brainer. We decided to do a taqueria because so many Hispanic Americans go to these games [and because of our location] in Queens," says Tabla's Floyd Cardoz, who is designing El Verano's menu, which will feature soft corn tortillas, several varieties of salsa and a Mexican-style beer from Brooklyn Brewery. Also keeping it local at "Taste of the City": A branch of Leo's Latticini deli (a k a Mama's of Corona) and a new high-end pizza concept from the Queens-based Cascarino's. Of course, Citi Field's 1,600 premium ticket holders won't need to venture far - they can have their ShackBurgers delivered straight to their seats. They'll also have access to two exclusive eateries: an as-yet-unnamed dining room and lounge showcasing modern cocktails and a market-driven menu developed by Union Square Cafe's Michael Romano. Adjacent to that space, the Wheelhouse Market will feature a specialty coffee bar, a large wood-burning pizza oven for churning out Neapolitan-style pies and a global beer and wine bar overlooking the Mets' warm-up area. But Meyer isn't the only heavy hitter in the Mets' restaurant rotation. According to Dave Howard, the glass-enclosed Acela Club will feature "classic menu items from some of the leading restaurants in New York City" - not to mention tiered seating overlooking the diamond and a huge outdoor terrace. A recent report in Crain's fingering restaurateur Drew Nieporent as Acela's likely operator means the menu may include dishes from hot spots like Nobu. A formal announcement is expected by early March. The Yankees, meanwhile, are partnering with slicker, entertainment-oriented brands like Hard Rock Cafe and - it is rumored - the Food Network (neither the Food Network nor the Yankees would confirm). In addition, the stadium will open restaurants dedicated to upscale fare like sushi. "The Mets are taking the approach [of] 'Let's find the finest food in New York and bring it to the ballpark,' whereas the Yankees [are] like, 'Let's start our own steakhouse because we know better than anyone else,' " says gogameface.com's Boeke. Boeke is referring to NYY Steak, the Yankees' new joint venture with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment. Located on the stadium's second floor, it will feature servers sporting Yankee pinstripe oxford shirts and prime dry-aged beef like a 24-ounce bone-in rib-eye. The restaurant will also include a floor-to-ceiling brass "signature wall" with laser-etched autographs of Yankee Hall of Famers. Below, the Hard Rock Cafe will serve its specialty burgers and ribs amid sporty music memorabilia such as a baseball-themed Elton John outfit. Neither restaurant will have views of the field. So will streetwise Yank fans trade their game seats for a burger paired with closed-circuit TV and spandex leggings? "Who are they catering to? New Yorkers or that person flying in saying, 'Let's go spend a fortune at the Yankee game'?" asks Boeke. Either way, they'll spend. After all, there are only 81 home games a year. But with NYY Steak and Hard Rock Cafe operating year-round, the stadium is promising to become an uptown version of Times Square - a 365-day tourist attraction complete with Yankee store and museum. "Even on nongame days, people can be in the stadium and part of the experience," says David E. Miller, Hard Rock's director of operations. So will the new restaurants come with typical tourist pricing? According to those working at Citi Field, delivering value in the current economic climate has been a big part of the discussion. "When the stadium opens, I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the prices," says Ron Parker, managing director of Hudson Yards, Union Square Hospitality's catering, sports and entertainment division. And if you can't afford to splurge on NYY Steak at Yankee Stadium, no need to sweat it. We're told Carl's Steaks - the popular Philly-based cheese-steak purveyor - will be making the move to the new digs. After all, some things just can't be improved upon. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:14 AM I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now. I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual). I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance. Benjamin Grimm Feb 25 2009 08:16 AM Really, though, was there anything about the old ballparks that prevented them from serving a higher quality of food? John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:19 AM Yes, thery were set up to be places where people watched baseball, and not places where people watched baseball and ate things. Shea for example didn't have the kitchen facilities to add too much to the food which is why most of the stuff was limited to that which you could assemble and sell from carts (sausages, soft-serve, etc) soupcan Feb 25 2009 08:26 AM I used to eat in The Grill Room on occasion. It was a restaurant so they must have had an adequate kitchen. Unfortunately that didn't stop them from preparing and selling lousy food. I think the last time I ate in the Diamond Club I was 11 years-old so I can't really speak to the quality of the food they served but I don't recall anybody ever raving about the prime rib in there. That's two kitchens and nothing stellar coming out of them. I've got to think that it was less that they didn't have the facilities to serve up some tasty fare and more that they felt no need to spend the money to do whatever it would take. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 08:28 AM The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything. The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one. soupcan Feb 25 2009 08:51 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:3jt4o9zu] Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there? ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu]The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one. [/quote:3jt4o9zu] I hear you. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 09:00 AM ="soupcan":11qp1uhg]="John Cougar Lunchbucket":11qp1uhg] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:11qp1uhg] Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there? [/quote:11qp1uhg] How am I supposed to know? I was drunk. No, I think it was, you know, decent restaurant-quality food. themetfairy Feb 25 2009 09:06 AM I had a nice buffet lunch at the Diamond Club in August. It had an omelet bar, salads, etc., and the quality was very good. HahnSolo Feb 25 2009 09:49 AM What's the etiquette on eating in ballpark restaurants? Before the game, during the game, after the game? soupcan Feb 25 2009 09:53 AM Before the game. Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats. Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 11:35 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:25 PM I grew up in Coney Island, where the "Chicago-style Hot dog" is considered an abomination. Hot dogs (or, more properly, "Franks" or "Frankfurters") were invented by Charles Feltman in 1867, who put a Vienna sausage in a roll and called it "Coney Island Red Hots." Some people, unsure of its ingredients, called it a hot dog. It is still sold at the world famous original Nathans the way God, Feltman and Nathan Handwerker intended... grilled (not boiled!) and served plain or with sauerkraut on a bun without other adornment except the availability of mustard, applied by the customer. A little relish is acceptable, even a drop of ketchup for the pre-teens who put ketchup on everything... even some "red onions". But a chicago dog is boiled (on edit: or steamed) and then buried in an overwhelming bun with a warehouse full of veggies. You might as well not have the hotdog in there at all, for all it matters. If you want to do that to a big polish sausage or a kielbasa, then fine. But a hot dog is a subtler creature and needs a tad more minimalism for its true appreciation. And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 11:46 AM First off, a Chicago hot dog is steamed, not boiled. I have nothing against New York hot dogs. I think they're great. I've been to Nathans at Coney Island many times and always look forward to a return. That being said -- as a New Yorker, to boot -- the Chicago product is superior. A New York hot dog is a snack. A Chicago hot dog is a meal. The inferior nature of Chicago pizza when compared to that in New York has no bearing on the fact that Chicago hot dogs are superior to those from New York. [We're probably at the point where we need a thread split and move to the NBF...] Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 12:22 PM steaming is equivalent to boiling. Both processes render meat flavorless, while grilling enhances flavor. And yes, a hot dog is a snack, while the chicago dog is a meal.... but it's a meal with very little to do with hot dogs. It's a seeded hero loaf of veggies, with some steamed meat underneath. YUMMM! metirish Feb 25 2009 12:40 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:43 PM ="Vic Sage":xf821h86] And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:xf821h86] I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like it after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again. The y sampled some hot dog style fare and really those things were like nothing I'v ever seen... Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 25 2009 12:42 PM I, for one, thoroughly enjoy both varieties. While my ideal dog- Boar's Head or Hebrew National on a potato bun with Gulden's or Boar's head spicy brown mustard and a little bit of kraut- is the traditional one Vic likes, I will never look down my nose at a Chicago-style dog. I think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation. Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 25 2009 12:45 PM ="metirish":3hh2eoiz]="Vic Sage":3hh2eoiz] And don't even get me started on their pizza. Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:3hh2eoiz] I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again.[/quote:3hh2eoiz] The problem with Chicago pizza is that it isn't, in any sense, pizza. That stuff Bourdain was eating in that episode looked delicious, and I bet it was, but it wasn't pizza. If they called it a savory, vegetable-y pie I would hold nothing against it, but the "pizza" label makes it an imposter. Vic Sage Feb 25 2009 02:40 PM ] think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation. So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh. Personally, i don't mind "red onions" which are in a tomato-based sauce, but wouldn't use ketchup. As a parent, on the other hand, I'm more forgiving of my kids' affection for ketchup on their dogs, and would certainly resist their deportation. Gwreck Feb 25 2009 08:18 PM ="Vic Sage":1msm2noi]So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh. [/quote:1msm2noi] I'm pretty sure that everyone (except perhaps Ronald Reagan) understands the difference. SteveJRogers Feb 25 2009 09:08 PM ="soupcan"]Before the game. Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats. Well at Shea you had a couple of reasons for this. 1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant. It had a nice sports bar feel going, at least for the 10 years I was kind of a "regular" there! The Diamond Club itself did have a panoramic window, but the sightlines for watching it from the restaurant were not the best. Had a nice ritzy restaurant feel. Gwreck Feb 26 2009 08:16 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":ix6vvn2o]I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now. I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual). I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance.[/quote:ix6vvn2o] Saw this at the newsstand today and picked up a copy. I still think the story is under reported in that I haven't seen any articles acknowledge that most of these restaurants are never going to be accessible except to a few thousand select ticketholders and Jimmy Blue Collar fan isn't welcome. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 26 2009 09:12 PM Well, no one would be pinned down on that point. I don't think, for example, if the restaurant isn't doing gangbusters they'll enforce any kind of ticketholder policy. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 26 2009 09:33 PM I'm not sure that I speak for every Mr./Mrs. Blue Collar, but I'm okay with conceptual tacos and Shack Burgers. Bar me if you want-- If I want Nobu, I'll go to Nobu. (You know, once a kid graduates, or Nobu starts taking part in restaurant week.) I do like that Citifield's food selection shaping up as a LITTLE more of a people's-choice, NEW-YORKER'S-New-Yorker menu-- complete with frou-frou options-- in comparison to laser-etched steakhouses/f'-ing Hard Rock. metsguyinmichigan Feb 26 2009 10:10 PM ="SteveJRogers":1i4q3vr9] 1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant. [/quote:1i4q3vr9] Trust me on this, you do not want to watch what happens in the press box. Especially during a meal. soupcan Feb 27 2009 07:08 AM On that Citifield special on SNY last night, Jeff Wilpon stated that there will be a New York pizza joint. I couldn't catch the name - Started with a 'C', multi-syllabalic, something Italian. Gwreck Feb 27 2009 07:57 AM Cascarino's. They were mentioned in the Post's article, I believe. Same pizza provider at Shea as last year, I think. G-Fafif Feb 27 2009 01:18 PM Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared. SteveJRogers Feb 27 2009 04:16 PM ="G-Fafif"]Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared. Hey don't knock the favorite "New York Style" pizza of Dunder Mifflin's Michael Scott (The Office)!

You can preview their CitiField menu here: http://shakeshack.com/_pdf/Menu_Citi.pdf Edited to change title of thread.

The leadoff man is a little unproven but this one should otherwise mash... Navarro Olerud Piazza Reyes Strawberry Thomas Unser Ventura Whitehurst

="metsguyinmichigan":3cw4zcdu]Bonds, Sosa, McGwire all ballooned up. But ARod stayed pretty lean, and he has continued to mash. Have his stats changed all that much?[/quote:3cw4zcdu] Not really. His peak power was when he was in Texas, hitting 156 homers over a three-year period, but he did hit 54 in 2007 with the MFYs. Willets Point Feb 07 2009 10:14 PM At least he wasn't photographed smoking a bong. Met Hunter Feb 07 2009 11:35 PM ="metirish":1cp4q12p]A-Fraud[/quote:1cp4q12p] A-hole Nymr83 Feb 08 2009 01:53 AM ="Willets Point":bu8eegj7]At least he wasn't photographed smoking a bong.[/quote:bu8eegj7] Grant Roberts!! Frayed Knot Feb 08 2009 05:29 AM The fun part here (as Joel Sherman points out)[/url:3hflo8sz] is that the Yanx "re-hired" Rodriguez (ie, agreed to his asking price) at least partly because he has a great shot at breaking the all-time HR record, wresting it away from that dirty Barry Bonds and returning it 'to its rightful place' as part of Yanqui lore. And all televised by 'YES'! Oops. MFS62 Feb 08 2009 07:40 AM Primobolan I'm not sure about. But the article says Testosterone can be taken legally with a prescription. I mean, if he knew he was going to be schtupping Madonna in a few years, he had legit reason to be loading up on that stuff. Later metsguyinmichigan Feb 08 2009 07:40 AM Smart move for Alex would be to come out and say, "Yeah, I tried it back in 2003, back when a lot of guys were trying it. But that was six years ago. I'm still playing at high level, which shows that I didn't need them...." Or something along those lines. G-Fafif Feb 08 2009 08:00 AM ="metsguyinmichigan"]Smart move for Alex would be to come out and say... "I'm still playing at a high level..." So he smoked dope, too? What a bad influence on all children all MFYs are! metsmarathon Feb 08 2009 09:03 AM watch him come out with an explanation like ' i only took steroids so that i would test positive, and force the testing program we have now.' Frayed Knot Feb 08 2009 09:54 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":3hfg8k2g]Smart move for Alex would be to come out and say, "Yeah, I tried it back in 2003, back when a lot of guys were trying it. But that was six years ago. I'm still playing at high level, which shows that I didn't need them...." Or something along those lines.[/quote:3hfg8k2g] That would be the smart move for just about anyone who used before MLB & the union got its collective act together. Doing the whole denial thing (Palmiero), the 'I don't walk to talk about it' thing (McGwire), the non-denial denial thing (Giambi), and the 'I don't understand the question thing (Sosa) makes it so much worse than it would be otherwise. A-Rod first move here (No comment - talk to the union?!?) seems to be some combination of all of the above. Edgy DC Feb 08 2009 02:33 PM ="Frayed Knot":31umhbnc]Doing the whole denial thing (Palmiero), the 'I don't walk to talk about it' thing (McGwire), the non-denial denial thing (Giambi), and the 'I don't understand the question thing (Sosa) makes it so much worse than it would be otherwise.[/quote:31umhbnc] But Clemens played it well. Frayed Knot Feb 08 2009 08:43 PM Hey, who doesn't like the 'blame your wife' strategy? One interesting aspect of all this A-Rod story coming to light on a Saturday afternoon is that I was able to quickly flick on MLBN just to see what they were doing at that point. Turns out they had interrupted regular programming to have a panel discussion of the topic. Now granted the scheduled program was nothing more than a replay of some decade-old game, but two things did occur to me: 1) at least MLBN didn't take a 'see-no-evil' approach and confirm fears about the station being a house organ by avoiding anything controversial. 2) I've seen maybe 5 minutes total of the NFL Network so I could be way off here -- but I highly doubt they've ever mentioned the word 'steroids' on that channel much less held a critical discussion of them Edgy DC Feb 08 2009 09:03 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 09 2009 05:40 AM How about Bobby Estalella being a star witness in a steroid trial. Shocking. Stunning. Heartbreaking. Nymr83 Feb 08 2009 10:33 PM ]I've seen maybe 5 minutes total of the NFL Network so I could be way off here -- but I highly doubt they've ever mentioned the word 'steroids' on that channel much less held a critical discussion of them The NFL doesn't only censor it's own network, it censors others. ESPN's fictional drama about football players "Playmakers" was allegedly cancelled because the NFL threatened them. metirish Feb 09 2009 06:30 AM Bill Madden in the Snooze today says the MFY's need to 'Cut him loose - no matter the cost" , they would be "applauded for it"....hey it's only $270 million.... John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 06:48 AM Way more hysterical than the "COWARDS IN THE NIGHT" series, and that's saying something. All this based on anonymous sources revealing what was supposed to be anonymous results. The one good article in the Snooze on the subject examines who it could have been. Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 07:21 AM ="metirish":1cn88ews]Bill Madden in the Snooze today says the MFY's need to 'Cut him loose - no matter the cost" , they would be "applauded for it"....hey it's only $270 million....[/quote:1cn88ews] That's so absurdly over the top that it's barely worth discussing. Benjamin Grimm Feb 09 2009 07:26 AM Yeah, I can't imagine the Yankees eating $270 million over nine years. Sheesh! Madden also said that none of the other 29 teams would pick Rodriguez up for the major-league minimum. Yeah, right. metirish Feb 09 2009 07:28 AM Madden seems to take personnel offense that Rodriguez would tarnish the great yankee name. Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 07:28 AM ="Nymr83":2xenghij]The NFL doesn't only censor it's own network, it censors others. ESPN's fictional drama about football players "Playmakers" was allegedly cancelled because the NFL threatened them.[/quote:2xenghij] They just didn't want the public to think that the NFL has any drug-taking, gun-carrying, groupie-groping, wife-swapping miscreants in its midst. I mean, nobody would ever watch the sport if info like that were to get out. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 07:33 AM ="metirish":1bbhz6qs]Madden seems to take personnel offense that Rodriguez would tarnish the great yankee name.[/quote:1bbhz6qs] I thought of all Madden's cockamamie points, the fact that this event tarnishes the MFY Brand that they've worked so hard to feed us was actually a good one. I mean, were it up to the Yankee Brand people exclusively, they'd probably have Rodriguez killed. metirish Feb 09 2009 07:38 AM It's been a bad few weeks for the Yankee Brand . metsguyinmichigan Feb 09 2009 07:44 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":3buhpzhc]Yeah, I can't imagine the Yankees eating $270 million over nine years. Sheesh! Madden also said that none of the other 29 teams would pick Rodriguez up for the major-league minimum. Yeah, right.[/quote:3buhpzhc] Hell, EVERY other team would pick him up. Any why cut Arod when they didn't cut Giambi or Pettitte? Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 07:46 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]="metirish"]Madden seems to take personnel offense that Rodriguez would tarnish the great yankee name. I thought of all Madden's cockamamie points, the fact that this event tarnishes the MFY Brand that they've worked so hard to feed us was actually a good one. I mean, were it up to the Yankee Brand people exclusively, they'd probably have Rodriguez killed. Sure, except that the success of the 'brand' depends on large part on them continuing to win and it's amazing how many MFY fans or apologists have convinced themselves that they'd win more if only they could replace this horrible Rodriguez guy with someone really good like the reincarnation of Scott Brosius or something. metsguyinmichigan Feb 09 2009 07:57 AM Can you imagine how different that column would be had it been Jeter who was caught? "Jeter test proves 'roids should be legalized, Cap'n put personal health at risk to help Bombers and fans." MFS62 Feb 09 2009 08:12 AM A few minutes ago, Craig Carten on WFAN said that "30% of the year 2000 Champion Yankees were taking steroids". He didn't say where he got that number. Have any of you see that written somewhere? Even if close to true, I wonder if Madden would ask the members of that team to give back their rings? Of course not! Later metirish Feb 09 2009 08:16 AM Looking at the roster it would not surprise me, not that it means a whole lot now anyway. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/2000.shtml John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 08:22 AM The following guys have been implicated from 2K MFY postseason roster: Clemens Pettitte Knoblauch Justice Canseco Hill Neagle Stanton That's 8/25 -- 32% edit -- I should add this is a silly exercise, the number I am certain would similar for all teams of the era -- whether or not the guys got caught, this is how the game was played at this time. It also doesn't show these dickheads were roided up at the time they played, or even that what they took helped in any appreciable way. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 08:28 AM I should also add the interesting part of it is to see the MFYs with so many users illustrates that steroid taking was in part good for their careers, since they got the big $$ there (Clemens, Brown, Arod, Giambi, etc etc) Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 08:29 AM btw, turns out that SI's Selena Roberts (formerly of the NYTimes) who broke this story did so because she's been on the ARod trail in preparation for her upcoming book (sked for May release): [u:1zonj7fk]Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez[/u:1zonj7fk] Edgy DC Feb 09 2009 08:36 AM Well, these guys are those that appeared in that series. The ones on record as having a PED indiscretion hanging over them (not all of them of them with the same degree of credibility) we can bold. Clay Bellinger Scott Brosius Jose Canseco Roger Clemens David Cone Orlando Hernandez Glenallen Hill Derek Jeter David Justice Chuck Knoblauch Tino Martinez Denny Neagle Jeff Nelson Paul O'Neill Andy Pettitte Luis Polonia Jorge Posada Mariano Rivera Luis Sojo Mike Stanton Jose Vizcaino Bernie Williams That's 8/22 or 36.4%. If I had to guess, I'd suspect that the number was higher (and not much better perhaps for the Mets of that era). That seems not only closer to the high water mark, but also closer to the era in which Senator Mitchell's witnesses were most qualified to speak to. MFS62 Feb 09 2009 08:41 AM Funny that O'Neill's name isn't bolded. Looking back on all those destroyed water coolers and flung bats, I think "'roid rage". Later Benjamin Grimm Feb 09 2009 08:49 AM Or maybe he was just a jerk. SteveJRogers Feb 09 2009 09:19 AM ="Frayed Knot":2q83r4pt]btw, turns out that SI's Selena Roberts (formerly of the NYTimes) who broke this story did so because she's been on the ARod trail in preparation for her upcoming book (sked for May release): [u:2q83r4pt]Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez[/u:2q83r4pt][/quote:2q83r4pt] She was also one of those on the forefront against the Duke Lacrosse team players in that rape case, that turned out to be a big fraud. metirish Feb 09 2009 09:21 AM How are you holding up Steve? Edgy DC Feb 09 2009 09:27 AM That this is to sell a smelly book is just rotten. It seems to me the union spokespersons should have spent the last two days burning up the airwaves with invective over this. metsguyinmichigan Feb 09 2009 09:31 AM ="SteveJRogers":1qvyocmb]="Frayed Knot":1qvyocmb]btw, turns out that SI's Selena Roberts (formerly of the NYTimes) who broke this story did so because she's been on the ARod trail in preparation for her upcoming book (sked for May release): [u:1qvyocmb]Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez[/u:1qvyocmb][/quote:1qvyocmb] She was also one of those on the forefront against the Duke Lacrosse team players in that rape case, that turned out to be a big fraud.[/quote:1qvyocmb] Steve, if this was a fraud, I think ARod's response would have been stronger than "Talk to the union." Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 09:31 AM ="SteveJRogers":3m388vh4]="Frayed Knot":3m388vh4]btw, turns out that SI's Selena Roberts (formerly of the NYTimes) who broke this story did so because she's been on the ARod trail in preparation for her upcoming book (sked for May release): [u:3m388vh4]Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez[/u:3m388vh4][/quote:3m388vh4] She was also one of those on the forefront against the Duke Lacrosse team players in that rape case, that turned out to be a big fraud.[/quote:3m388vh4] Depends on what she wrote about that case and when. Also, there's a big difference between being an opinion-writing, deadline-oriented newspaper columnist (which she was at the time of the Duke case) and a book-writing journalist chronicling someone's life story (or part of it) as she is on the ARod trail. The standards and practices are very different between the two job descriptions. SteveJRogers Feb 09 2009 09:43 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":1yl23d5c]="SteveJRogers":1yl23d5c]="Frayed Knot":1yl23d5c]btw, turns out that SI's Selena Roberts (formerly of the NYTimes) who broke this story did so because she's been on the ARod trail in preparation for her upcoming book (sked for May release): [u:1yl23d5c]Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez[/u:1yl23d5c][/quote:1yl23d5c] She was also one of those on the forefront against the Duke Lacrosse team players in that rape case, that turned out to be a big fraud.[/quote:1yl23d5c] Steve, if this was a fraud, I think ARod's response would have been stronger than "Talk to the union."[/quote:1yl23d5c] I didn't say this was a fraud, I'm giving the whole story on the story breaker. Rockin' Doc Feb 09 2009 11:06 AM It's seems apparent to me that the Yankees organiztion should be contracted and banished from MLB for the good of the game. Beside, they employed a bunch of 'roid users. MFS62 Feb 09 2009 12:08 PM (Channeling The Scooter) Holy cow! This is the most shocking revellation so far. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/02/09/2009-02-09_yankees_captain_derek_jeter_says_arod_de.html El Capitan comes out with something that can be taken as a support of A-Rod? And I thought he was the guy who might have ratted him out. Will wonders never cease? Later metirish Feb 09 2009 12:13 PM I'm certain one of our members commented along these lines when this came out. From Ian O'Connor's article today. ] The first sign of serious trouble came last February, when Rodriguez volunteered he�d been drug-tested nine or ten times during his monster 2007 season. Players are supposed to be tested twice during a season, three times if selected for one of 600 additional random tests. A-Rod�s odds of being tested as much as he claimed were a gazillion to one, unless, of course, he�d turned up positive for amphetamines and earned an extra half-dozen mandatory trips to the urinal. O'Connor lays this mess on Hank. Hank MFS62 Feb 09 2009 12:19 PM There was a list in today's early edition of the Daily News that named some players who have been associated with taking drugs and steroids in various investigations. I couldn't find the link just now - it may have been replaced by the news that A-Rod may address the press later today. Anyhow, one of the names on the list was Rico Brogna. Had anyone seen his name mentioned about drugs before? Later Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 12:31 PM ARod is in the process of fessing up to Gammons (and ESPN is going to milk this access for all it's worth): - now admits he roided from 2001 to 2003 but not since metsguyinmichigan Feb 09 2009 12:32 PM AP sez ARod confessing to using PEDs between 2001 and 2003. Probably a good move to get it out there. Even better if he says "Derek gave them to me!" metsmarathon Feb 09 2009 12:38 PM wow! good for him! that, btw, is exactly what i would've thought he should say. own up to using for more than you were caught for, and it makes the confession more believable. should be an interesting story to read more on later when i actually have time. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 01:07 PM The Andy Pettitte defense. I didn;t. Oh, you got me? OK I did metirish Feb 09 2009 01:08 PM Alex didn't know what he was taking either...of course you didn't..... metirish Feb 09 2009 02:27 PM I've been thinking about this and I don't dislike Rodriguez anymore after this debacle , I have never cared for him but this doesn't make me care even less for him. I have been following baseball since the mid nineties so in reality looking back I have been a fan in the steroid era. Centerfield Feb 09 2009 03:52 PM ="Frayed Knot":1w77txb8]="metirish":1w77txb8]Bill Madden in the Snooze today says the MFY's need to 'Cut him loose - no matter the cost" , they would be "applauded for it"....hey it's only $270 million....[/quote:1w77txb8] That's so absurdly over the top that it's barely worth discussing.[/quote:1w77txb8] It's like Klapisch and Madden are trying to have a dumb-off. Someone might want to point out to Madden that the "Yankee Brand" not only doesn't cut steroid users, they re-sign them (Pettite). MFS62 Feb 09 2009 04:02 PM Or forgive them (Giambi) Later bmfc1 Feb 09 2009 04:18 PM Real classy Alex: he accuses Selena Roberts of breaking into his house, scaring his kids, and only doing this because she has a book deal. bmfc1 Feb 09 2009 04:21 PM Alex: "God is doing this for a reason." Yeah, to expose you as a fraud, you self-righteous jackass. Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 05:13 PM ="bmfc1":2fg4x9go]Real classy Alex: he accuses Selena Roberts of breaking into his house, scaring his kids, and only doing this because she has a book deal.[/quote:2fg4x9go] That was the most interesting thing I took out of his chat w/Gammons (didn't hear/see all of it). And that's not going to gain him any brownie points with the scribes. Not a whole lot gets the collective media more in line as when one of their own is attacked for his/her motives. MFS62 Feb 09 2009 05:21 PM Motives? If this (the break in) is true, what about methods? Later MFS62 Feb 09 2009 06:35 PM Did he or didn't he is just copious quantities of ca ca. This is the real issue: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne...o&type=lgns Whoever leaked the list could look at doing some real hard time. Later Rockin' Doc Feb 09 2009 07:45 PM Lunchbucket - "I thought of all Madden's cockamamie points, the fact that this event tarnishes the MFY Brand that they've worked so hard to feed us was actually a good one. I mean, were it up to the Yankee Brand people exclusively, they'd probably have Rodriguez killed." They could just have Rivera invite A-Rod to a pool party. MFS62 Feb 09 2009 07:48 PM That's cold. Funny. But cold. Literally LOL! Later metsguyinmichigan Feb 09 2009 08:16 PM ="Rockin' Doc":2q348b13]Lunchbucket - "I thought of all Madden's cockamamie points, the fact that this event tarnishes the MFY Brand that they've worked so hard to feed us was actually a good one. I mean, were it up to the Yankee Brand people exclusively, they'd probably have Rodriguez killed." They could just have Rivera invite A-Rod to a pool party.[/quote:2q348b13] Badass bullet of cool! metirish Feb 10 2009 06:35 AM I watched the interview last night , thought Gammons was disgraceful , not surprised by that though. Frayed Knot Feb 10 2009 07:00 AM ="MFS62":2tuoh1qv]Motives? If this (the break in) is true, what about methods?[/quote:2tuoh1qv] I'm operating under the assumption that the stories* of Roberts breaking into his house and "stalking" him are, at best, over-the-top exaggerations and that what Alex considers to be criminal harassment will be seen by other reporters as 'doing her job'. So, yeah, I expect the media as a whole to close ranks around her rather than him. * Apparently there was "an incident" with reporter Roberts and a guard at the gate outside of Rodriguez's community. Not sure if that's what he's blown up into 'trying to break in' or if he's talking about something else. Vince Coleman Firecracker Feb 10 2009 07:52 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]The Andy Pettitte defense. I didn;t. Oh, you got me? OK I did Actually, the Pettitte defense is more like: I didn't. Oh, you got me? Well, I only did it that time. Ok, I did it a little more than you caught me for, but never again or before. This defense allows you to seem like you're telling the truth, since you admit to just a smidge more than you got busted for, while at the same time limiting damage to your reputation, since there was only a small time span (always significantly in the past) in which you were cheating. This defense works well because people want to give these athletes the benefit of the doubt. I assume that these tests only snag the very tips of the icebergs in terms of how many are cheating and how often they are. I think A-Rod, Pettitte and countless others (including many Mets I loved and still love following) have used PEDs since high school and continue to cheat to the present day. Edgy DC Feb 10 2009 08:00 AM ="Vince Coleman Firecracker":3cjpun8v]This defense works well because people want to give these athletes the benefit of the doubt.[/quote:3cjpun8v] Unless, of course the athlete is A-Rod. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 10 2009 08:19 AM Not to stoke this more but Jeter fed his fanclub in the 4th estate an interesting line yesterday. Filip Bondy who may as well titled his piece in the snooze today GOD I LOVE THE TASTE OF DEREK'S BALLSACK practically apologizes for even asking whether Jeter did it and finds the answer: "Why would my name be on that list?" as an acceptable response. Note how Jeets dares his cheering section to accuse him of something, so he can act wronged from the start. metirish Feb 10 2009 09:12 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"] Filip Bondy who may as well titled his piece in the snooze today GOD I LOVE THE TASTE OF DEREK'S BALLSACK practically apologizes for even asking whether Jeter did it and finds the answer: "Why would my name be on that list?" as an acceptable response. . Bondy definitely finds that answer acceptable... ] That was the answer we wanted to hear. Jeter is the guy who stays out of trouble, doesn't go trawling for it. He remains single, so his romantic dalliances amuse instead of disgust us. He keeps quiet about the contract that expires in 2010, about his place in the lineup, about the pitchers and teammates and coaches who have failed him in recent seasons what would these guys do if their beloved Jeter was dirty...Snooze has 15 pages on Rodriguez. metsguyinmichigan Feb 10 2009 09:43 AM Jeter's proof is in his middling stats. If he put those numbers up in Kansas City, he'd be just another decent player. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 10 2009 09:47 AM No no no no no no. My point is if he played in this era he's a suspect whose denial is as sincere as anyone else's. Everyone is a suspect, and the papers still don't get it. And players from Termel Sledge to Manny Aybar should have proven by now that numbers have little to do with it. metirish Feb 10 2009 09:56 AM Yeah numbers mean nothing really , as we know a lot of players took them to help recover from injury or just to recover from games, unlike Rodriguez who was just young and stoopid. metsguyinmichigan Feb 10 2009 09:57 AM Letterman on ARod Top Ten Messages Left on Alex Rodriguez's Answering Machine 10 "Hey, it's Mark McGwire, want to get together this weekend and not talk about the past?" 9 "Joe Torre here, thanks for helping book sales." 8 "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?" 7 "Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn't win?" 6 "Hi, it's Bernie Madoff. Nice try, but I'm still the most hated man in NYC." 5 "Michael Phelps here, got any snacks?" 4 "Hi, this is Sammy Sosa, just pretend you don't speak English." 3 "Michael Phelps again, did I call you or did you call me?" 2 "Hi this is Rod Blagojevich, I'll say you're innocent if you say I am." and the Number One Message Left on Alex Rodriguez's Answering Machine: 1 "It's Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?" soupcan Feb 10 2009 10:09 AM Fucking funny! metirish Feb 10 2009 11:43 AM Hilarious from Letterman.... Representative Elijah Cummings apparently wants to bring Rodriguez before Congress. ] "I think we're going to have to see what Rodriguez will tell us," Cummings said in a phone interview. "He is in a confessing mode, so maybe he needs to put his apology into some meaningful action by cooperating with the committee so we can see if there are things we need to reopen to make sure baseball is doing all that it can to rid itself of this kind of practice." Edgy DC Feb 10 2009 11:47 AM Me as A-Rod: "I'll testify under oath if everybody else does. Don't have time for that? OK, then just Derek." metirish Feb 10 2009 11:48 AM Let's just play ball. MFS62 Feb 10 2009 11:51 AM Under HIPAA regulations (in force since 1996) divulging the results of a medical test without the express consent of the patient is a violation of Federal Law. The penalties are here: http://aspe.hhs.gov/admnsimp/pl104191.htm#1176 From information published about the A-Rod case, the tests were conducted by a licensed medical testing organization. To me, that makes them covered by that law. Those 2003 tests were conducted under the terms of anonymity. In that case, I can't believe any of the players testd signed a release/ waiver of those terms. Therefore, IMO anyone divulging those results has committed a crime and should be punished. Can any Medical folks here confirm my opinion? Later metirish Feb 10 2009 12:04 PM Our David has spoken ] Mets' David Wright praises A-Rod for coming clean BY DAVID LENNON | david.lennon@newsday.com 1:57 PM EST, February 10, 2009 David Wright praised Alex Rodriguez for coming clean on his PED use during Monday's interview with ESPN, but also took a hard-line against cheaters. "I hope that anybody who cheats get caught," Wright said. "Maybe its me being na�ve, but I think baseball is clean. You would have to be either very desperate or flat-out stupid to try and beat the system now." That said, Wright still believes that A-Rod is "a tremendous player" and laughed when someone asked about comparing himself to the Yankees' third baseman in the wake of these revelations. "He's better than me," a smiling Wright said Frayed Knot Feb 10 2009 12:18 PM ]Under HIPAA regulations (in force since 1996) divulging the results of a medical test without the express consent of the patient is a violation of Federal Law. Fine. Now all you have to do is convince the government that they need to prosecute themselves over the fact that they're the ones who first confiscated, then leaked, the records. metirish Feb 10 2009 01:15 PM Congress thankfully win not haul Rodriguez in for a grilling. ] The statement from Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) today reads: "The news that another one of baseball's premier players -- in addition to another 103 unnamed players -- used performance enhancing drugs is disturbing and sends yet another horrible message to our young people. "With unemployment in this country approaching double digits and our constituents' very livelihoods being threatened by the nation's economic woes, I intend to focus on passing President Obama's Economic Recovery legislation to get Americans back to work to fix our sinking economy. The American people need leaders who will focus on stemming job losses and getting credit to flow in the marketplace before hearing from yet another person who cheated both himself and the game of baseball. The Committee began this investigation in the face of a weak and ineffective drug testing policy that compromised the integrity of Major League Baseball. Now that baseball is implementing one of the most comprehensive drug testing policies in major league sports, I look forward to monitoring how well the policy is working to ensure the credibility of our national pastime. themetfairy Feb 10 2009 01:36 PM ="metirish"]Our David has spoken ] Mets' David Wright praises A-Rod for coming clean Wright said. "Maybe its me being na�ve, but I think baseball is clean. You would have to be either very desperate or flat-out stupid to try and beat the system now." Someone give that boy a hug. Or a puppy dog. themetfairy Feb 10 2009 01:42 PM Caple Blames Madonna For A-Rod's Steroid Use[/url:1axxb394]. G-Fafif Feb 10 2009 04:44 PM Just you wait -- some version of this[/url:1e05cmtc] will be written by at least one of the columnists cited. metirish Feb 10 2009 04:53 PM OMG , brilliant.... Edgy DC Feb 12 2009 08:13 AM Zev goes the whole nine yards, and the only moral failure he indicts the Rod for is giving up the juice and therefore ripping the Yankees off. Opinion A-Rod, get back on the 'roids You've got nothing to apologize about; drugs have been part of professional baseball for a long time. By Zev Chafets February 12, 2009 If it is true that Alex Rodriguez stopped using steroids in 2003, before he came to New York, the Yankees have been swindled. A-Rod hasn't been trying his hardest to win and help his team. In A-Rod's defense, it could be argued that there is no empirical proof that taking anabolic steroids improves baseball performance. But baseball players think they do. A-Rod himself admits he took steroids to make himself one of the greatest players of all time. Even if steroids are potentially dangerous (and despite suspicions, there is no proof that they cause permanent harm when properly administered to adult males), what of it? For many people, danger is the price of doing business. Construction workers, firefighters, cops and combat soldiers all take their lives in their hands to earn a living. According to Sports Illustrated, 104 major leaguers tested positive for steroids in 2003. That's about 10% of the players in the majors. Back in 2003, A-Rod didn't necessarily know who the other 103 users were. But he did know that they were out there someplace. They might have been pitchers he was facing, or fielders who caught up with his batted balls. He probably guessed that some of the juicers were the great hitters he was competing against for primacy and the money that goes with it. Can anybody blame A-Rod for leveling the playing field? What was he supposed to say: My rivals may be chemically enhancing their performances, but that's just a disadvantage I must live with? Baseball players have been doing drugs since Hall of Fame pitcher Pud Galvin shot up with monkey testosterone in 1889. And it's not just steroids, Since the '60s, major leaguers also have used amphetamines and downers. Players take them for professional purposes, not for fun. As every Little Leaguer has been taught, you sacrifice what you must for the good of the team. You play hurt if necessary, and you take your advantages where you find them. Gaylord Perry threw spitballs, more or less publicly, for 20 years, and he got into Cooperstown. As a player, John McGraw tripped so many base runners that baseball was forced to introduce an infield umpire -- and McGraw is in the Hall of Fame too. Even Babe Ruth was caught corking his bat. These and a hundred other incidents of sign stealing, bat tippling, ball scuffing and bat doctoring are staples of baseball lore, lovingly recounted by after-dinner speakers and broadcasters across American generations. Cheating is as much a part of Major League Baseball as alcoholism, ethnic bench jockeying and the ground-rule double. Besides, let's be honest. Americans love chemicals that provide an edge. Students use them to cram for finals. Pilots and surgeons take Provigil to keep sharp. Trial lawyers and Broadway actors pop beta blockers to ward off stage fright. Bob Dole pitched Viagra on television. I've even heard rumors about sportswriters who smoothed out their workdays with Prozac. Science marches on, no matter how much we long for the pristine days before medication. Ballplayers will always look for an edge, and chemists will always come up with one, and a way to evade testing too. "Everybody does it" is not a moral defense, but honestly, is this really a moral issue? Baseball hasn't treated it that way. Forty years after Jim Bouton revealed the widespread use of "greenies," no players have been seriously punished for using chemicals. Even now, the only real threat is getting banned from the Hall of Fame, and we'll see how long that lasts in the age of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and A-Rod. The baseball establishment still hasn't made a real effort to stop players from using steroids, because it is believed that steroids enhance performance and help win games -- and that is what professional baseball is all about. Except, it turns out, to A-Rod. For the last four seasons, he has let his teammates and his fans down by doing less than his best. Unless, of course, he is lying about having quit in 2003, and he's been enhancing right along. Say that it's so, A-Rod. Say that it's so. Zev Chafets' book on the Baseball Hall of Fame, "Cooperstown Confidential," will be published in May. Rockin' Doc Feb 12 2009 11:09 AM My dear Mr. Chafets, You sir, are an idiot. Sincerely, --Rockin' Doc metirish Feb 12 2009 11:36 AM ] As a player, John McGraw tripped so many base runners that baseball was forced to introduce an infield umpire -- and McGraw is in the Hall of Fame too. For fucks sake man get a grip . Ashie62 Feb 12 2009 05:04 PM ="metirish":1ih6vdd4]Let's just play ball.[/quote:1ih6vdd4] Yup...This whole steroid drama is wearing thin..Since no Ballplayers are beyond question as to taking performance enhancers why don't we do this to wrap up the issue for good. 1. On opening day for all teams at their own parks have every player in uniform do 200 Military squats as punishment and penance. Fans can use the time to boo or heckle to vent, or step out to get some delicious Wise snacks. 2. Have Selig sac up and designate 1996-2003 the "live ball era" or whatever you would like to call it. 3. Current Drug Testing Policies are in place to move forward. Lastly, I'm not going to hammer Arod or any other abuser as I won't should any of our boys get outed...I can't imagine David Wright ever being involved in this mess but as I said..no one is beyond question. Now play ball!!! soupcan Feb 13 2009 11:21 AM If anyone's interested - Pete Rose is going to be on WFAN with Francesa in a couple of minutes. I'm sure he'll be talking about Alex. seawolf17 Feb 17 2009 12:05 PM This press conference is insipid. PatchyFogg Feb 17 2009 12:09 PM ="soupcan":ko45fwv9]If anyone's interested - Pete Rose is going to be on WFAN with Francesa in a couple of minutes. I'm sure he'll be talking about Alex.[/quote:ko45fwv9] And, we're having Kirk Radomski live at 9:15PM tonight on LI's 90.3FM in case anyone is in the listening area. I'll put it up at http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg after the show. In the meantime (at the same website), you can check out the 2 commercial-free hour Mets Preview that we did with Adam Rubin right before he left for Port St. Lucie. Nymr83 Feb 17 2009 12:12 PM ="seawolf17":3rs9xhqj]This press conference is insipid.[/quote:3rs9xhqj] What more did you want him to say? I relize the media needs to keep beating it to death because they have columns to fill, but I've heard all I need to hear already. metirish Feb 17 2009 12:52 PM It's ended.... Rodriguez ended by saying he wants "to make the world a better place" , words that would inspire Bernie Taupin. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 17 2009 12:57 PM John Harper in the meantime is suckered into taking Texiera's word he's never used, why he's "cleaner than Derek Jeter if that's even possible" (yes, he actually wrote that today). themetfairy Feb 17 2009 02:01 PM ="metirish":2kjyziqi]It's ended.... Rodriguez ended by saying he wants "to make the world a better place" , words that would inspire Bernie Taupin.[/quote:2kjyziqi] How does he feel about World Peace? holychicken Feb 17 2009 03:03 PM ="Ashie62":2gt1v9x0]2. Have Selig sac up and designate 1996-2003 the "live ball era" or whatever you would like to call it.[/quote:2gt1v9x0] The "small balls era" makes more sense. metirish Feb 17 2009 08:14 PM Johnny Damon - "using steroids is wrong but he didn't commit a crime or like go out their and kill someone"..... Edgy DC Feb 17 2009 08:20 PM Is that something he wrote or said? metirish Feb 17 2009 08:29 PM I was watching the news and he said it, not the exact quote from me but close . MFS62 Feb 17 2009 09:17 PM ="themetfairy":67aky83c]="metirish":67aky83c]It's ended.... Rodriguez ended by saying he wants "to make the world a better place" , words that would inspire Bernie Taupin.[/quote:67aky83c] How does he feel about World Peace?[/quote:67aky83c] It doesn't matter. He's not competing for Miss America. Later LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 17 2009 09:57 PM ="metirish":cg5944xb]Johnny Damon - "using steroids is wrong but he didn't commit a crime or like go out their and kill someone".....[/quote:cg5944xb] You know, like Leyritz. /Why, yes, my tongue works fine-- why do you ask? Nymr83 Feb 18 2009 02:26 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":2ac33j35]="metirish":2ac33j35]Johnny Damon - "using steroids is wrong but he didn't commit a crime or like go out their and kill someone".....[/quote:2ac33j35] You know, like Leyritz. /Why, yes, my tongue works fine-- why do you ask?[/quote:2ac33j35] Sorry Johnny, whatever he took was probably illegal in the U.S. Edgy DC Feb 18 2009 05:59 AM I actually tihnk a human being must be sacrificed every time Madonna copulates. metirish Feb 18 2009 07:06 AM More from Johnny....to the print media he had this to say..... ] "It's unfortunate he made some stupid mistakes. He's a guy who definitely did not need it, and I definitely do not condone it....But there could be a lot worse things he could've been doing out there, (like) murdering someone"It's unfortunate he made some stupid mistakes. He's a guy who definitely did not need it, and I definitely do not condone it....But there could be a lot worse things he could've been doing out there, (like) murdering someone "We can go out there and support him," Damon added, "because we know we can't go out there and win a World Series without him." Rodriguez's amatuer hour defense defies logic , I didn't expect anything else from him but it couldn't have been more staged if he were on Broadway. Frayed Knot Feb 18 2009 07:06 AM ="Edgy DC":1kos7lsf]I actually tihnk a human being must be sacrificed every time Madonna copulates.[/quote:1kos7lsf] That would explain all the death and destruction in the world. Re: Damon -- His name came up in a round-table type sports discussion I was listening to and the panel was deftly using euphemisms like "an uncomplicated man" when describing him in order to keep from flat-out saying that he's basically box-of-rocks stupid. Edgy DC Feb 18 2009 07:19 AM Yes, Johnny, murder, manslaughter --- these things are worse than cheating at baseball. Thank you for your incisive analysis. For a counterpoint, here's Ambiorix Burgos.

="Centerfield":22x8gt06]I would take whatever I could get from Castro, run Cancel or whoever else we have out there when he's not available, then take that $5 million and use it where it would be more productive. Getting rid of Schneider puts us about halfway to Dunn or Abreu.[/quote:22x8gt06] This assumes that somebody wants to take Schneider's money. I doubt such a team exists. Centerfield Feb 04 2009 12:27 PM I started with that premise in my first post. This was assuming the Red Sox had interest in Schneider, as was rumored earlier. Said rumors being somewhat substantiated by the fact they brought back Varitek (who was worse and is older) for more money. smg58 Feb 05 2009 07:03 AM The MFY's need insurance for Posada, so they might actually be our best chance at a taker for Castro. Not sure what they'd give in return though. smg58 Feb 05 2009 07:03 AM PS Isn't Julio Franco too old to be a manager? metirish Feb 06 2009 10:18 AM Mets sign Pedro Feliciano, avoid arbitration BY KEN DAVIDOFF | ken.davidoff@newsday.com 11:34 AM EST, February 6, 2009 The Mets have signed lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano to a one-year contract for $1,612,500, Newsday has learned, meaning that Omar Minaya and his crew will not have go to to an arbitration hearing with any of their players. Feliciano was the last arbitration-eligible player on the Mets to settle. Feliciano, 32, has become one of the Mets' more reliable relievers. While he put up a 4.05 ERA in 2008, he limited lefty batters to a .280 on-base percentage and .295 slugging percentage. The pitcher had submitted a salary of $1.950 million for his arbitration hearing, which had been scheduled for next Thursday, Feb. 12, while the Mets submitted $1.350 million. Feliciano can earn bonuses of $12,500 for 60 appearances and $25,000 for 60 innings pitched. In 2008, he totaled 86 appearances and 53 1/3 innings pitche Edgy DC Feb 06 2009 10:28 AM The miserly Mets are going to make him earn his way up to the halfway point. Frayed Knot Feb 06 2009 10:37 AM ]Feliciano, 32, has become one of the Mets' more reliable relievers. While he put up a 4.05 ERA in 2008, he limited lefty batters to a .280 on-base percentage and .295 slugging percentage. And as long as you don't mention the walks and what he did to 1st batters faced last season those BA/SLG numbers look OK.

I never understood the exact structure of how the money flows into MLB's home office. Is it just the TV rights money, or do the individual clubs make payments too? I know MLB makes a bucketload off the MLB.com website from the TV, audio and merch sales but that stuff alone can't be enough, right?

John Maine. Mets: 2.2 Maine: 3 Settled on a one year contract at 2.6. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3872369

WBC to use the totally-ridiculous rule from the Olympics re: extra innings: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2009/news/story?id=3870558

How'd you get on their mailing list?

Nice pull. We got shut out for any of the games in the on-sale. Are planning on taking in two of the games once we find the tix. Mets single-game will go on sale on some Sunday in March but it hasn't been announced yet.

="G-Fafif":2hielg5a]The '86 San Diego game is Channel 9; '88 Clincher is SportsChannel; several of the later Bobby V games are FSNY; a little Fox network is thrown in. Very much a hodgepodge. Seems to me they can get done what they want to get done. Maybe a new year brings a new slate.[/quote:2hielg5a] I'm sure it's a money thing. And with MLB network starting now, I bet they're going to keep the first right to games they want rather than allowing SNY to air them. G-Fafif Jan 22 2009 04:19 PM There are certain SNY shows that use almost no postseason footage even when it is called for. Instead you see still photos as if video has yet to be invented. That is most definitely rights fees-related. batmagadanleadoff Jan 22 2009 06:10 PM Another "classic" tonight on SNY from the Wee Willie years -- the 2006 Mets come back from a 4-0 1st inning deficit to defeat Randy Johnson and the MFY's. You knew the Mets were in it as soon as the MFY's plated their fourth run of the first inning. This effectively took away Willie's cherished though moronic let's sac bunt in the first inning strategy and forced Lo Duca to hit away after Reyes led off the home first with a walk. Lo Duca singled and came around to score on Beltran's homer. I always rooted for a big first inning from Met opponents during the Randolph era. metirish Jan 22 2009 06:17 PM 4 to 3 now in the second.....come on you Mets.... Edgy DC Jan 23 2009 07:01 AM I don't want to defend Willie too much, but I went back and checked Lo Duca's record. He had 10 sacrifice hits. All but one of them was to advance a runner from second with no outs --- not to advance a guy from first. I think three of them were in the first, and the rest were in late and close situations. Fman99 Jan 23 2009 07:56 AM Re: Mets Classics ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2vnfd2jw]="batmagadanleadoff":2vnfd2jw] I could be wrong, but I would imagine that the team owns the audio and video rights to every single Met game ever played, no matter how it was broadcast.[/quote:2vnfd2jw] I asked a SNY guy about this and he said MLB owns the whole shebang these days -- or at least what of that shebang still exists. My brilliant idea of replaying Random Crappy Met Games from the past as cheap SNY programming seems like a pipe dream.[/quote:2vnfd2jw] I would love that. Monday-Thursday, 7 PM, put on random Mets games from last year. Did they win or lose? I don't remember, let's watch! Their original content is still just a lot of blather meant to distract from the fact that, yes, it is still winter outside and no, you are not watching baseball right now. Benjamin Grimm Jan 23 2009 08:24 AM I'd rather see a random game from 20 or 30 years ago than one from last season, but maybe that's just me. metirish Jan 23 2009 08:33 AM I like the random recent game idea , I don't tune into SNY much these days as I get my baseball information from MLB Network. G-Fafif Feb 09 2009 12:02 PM The 1969 World Series returns to SNY tonight through Thursday night at 7:30, Games Two through Five. Mets in four...those four. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 12:22 PM Longest. Offseason. Ever. Gwreck Feb 16 2009 10:39 PM MLB Network is showing a game that SNY hasn't aired: Opening Day '85. This Saturday at 11:00 AM. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 03:31 PM Grab some popcorn and fire up the ol� DeLorean Time Machine because tonight, SNY and the Mets dig deep into yesteryear�s archives to shake the cobwebs from your memories. Does anyone still remember the iPhone? How about the Iraqi war? Tonight, it�s another Mets Classic from 2007 -way way back when the uniforms were black and the President was white. It�s the Mets vs. the Rockies tonight, all over again. Don�t bother looking for Jane Jarvis. Also starring Willie �I Will Sac Bunt for Food� Randolph as the manager and Burt Mustin as the batboy Gwreck Mar 02 2009 04:35 PM I believe that game was won on a bunt, actually. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 04:45 PM ="Gwreck":2ktjqog1]I believe that game was won on a bunt, actually.[/quote:2ktjqog1] But was it a base-hit bunt, or the out-making kind of bunt that Willie loved? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 02 2009 05:47 PM Walk-off bunt single. Endy's second finest moment in blue y orange. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 06:09 PM I knew that. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 06:10 PM I was at this game. I have to say, Easley's HR was a much bigger thrill. It was the absolute last thing I expected. Guy on 3rd, tie game in the home 12th, you're gonna win somehow. Edgy DC Mar 02 2009 06:42 PM Damion Easley, still jobless. Gwreck Mar 02 2009 07:13 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3g7r2yy9]I was at this game. I have to say, Easley's HR was a much bigger thrill. It was the absolute last thing I expected.[/quote:3g7r2yy9] So was I. My recollection was that Easley was down to his final strike with 2 outs as well, with Fuentes pitching. We were packing up to go home when he hit it out. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 07:50 PM Just turned this on only to find they're showing Game 1 of the 06 NLCS instead. Gwreck Mar 02 2009 08:51 PM I can't remember them ever showing that before. One of Glavine's finest pitching performances as a Met. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 09:34 PM Oh, sorry. I meant the Dodgers series. I think that's the one where John Maine gets his butt saved by the Dodgers' 3rd base coach. themetfairy Mar 02 2009 09:42 PM Yes - the double play at home plate was a thing of beauty. batmagadanleadoff Mar 03 2009 01:15 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":38thmw2y]Just turned this on only to find they're showing Game 1 of the 06 NL[D]S instead.[/quote:38thmw2y] It's obvious that SNY read my post and decided to get with it and show some older games.

="Edgy DC":2op1dcbm]Can UMDB do a quick home/road split since 1981 and tell us which Mets have lit the apple the most?[/quote:2op1dcbm] I don't think you need UMDB to tell you it's 1. Darryl 2. Mike But after that... Benjamin Grimm Jan 22 2009 10:01 AM ="Edgy DC":2raunp2q]Can UMDB do a quick home/road split since 1981 and tell us which Mets have lit the apple the most?[/quote:2raunp2q] Piece of cake! Most Shea Stadium (regular season) Mets home runs since 1981: Darryl Strawberry 127 Mike Piazza 99 Howard Johnson 90 David Wright 70 Kevin McReynolds 65 Todd Hundley 57 George Foster 53 Edgardo Alfonzo 53 Carlos Delgado 51 Carlos Beltran 47 Cliff Floyd 44 Bobby Bonilla 40 Gary Carter 40 John Olerud 39 Dave Kingman 38 Keith Hernandez 38 Robin Ventura 36 Jeff Kent 34 Jos� Reyes 30 Mookie Wilson 28 G-Fafif Jan 22 2009 10:06 AM Has anyone ever noticed whether the Apple rose on Met Inside-the-Park HRs? Or was the Apple operator too overcome with shock to get the fruit up in the air? FYI, the following ITPHRs were hit at Shea in the Apple Era: Wally Backman, 7/31/82 Mark Bradley, 8/31/83 Darryl Strawberry, 5/3/89 Marlon Anderson, 6/11/05 Jose Reyes, 9/7/06 Centerfield Jan 22 2009 10:08 AM Never would I have guessed George Foster would be on that list. Edgy DC Jan 22 2009 10:09 AM Jeff Kent, apple polisher. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 22 2009 10:23 AM I was at the Mark Bradley ITPHR game. I don't remember if the apple went up because I was too busy razzing Dodgers RF Mike Marshall for making the poor decision to dive that led to it.