Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Better Late Than Never

per Adam Rubin:

"The Mets have begun installation of photographic imagery of famous players and historic moments in team history on the Field and Promenade Levels as well as the display of team championship banners on the left-field wall."

I've said all along that a lot of the problems with CitiField can be easily solved, so I'm glad to hear there's some effort underway to do so.

11 comments:

coachie said...

lipstick on a pig. i don't agree that the problems are easily solved.

1. the facade looks nice on the rotunda, then abruptly changes color to a horrid light beige on either side of the rotunda, and the window shape goes from arched abruptly to a lazy rectangle.

2. New Yankee Stadium's version of the rotunda has a skylight, allowing abundant sunlight to stream in. New Shea's rotunda does not, is dark, and suffers in direct comparison.

3. the vastly reduced seating capacity is not easily fixed.

4. very little about the new stadium is unique. things that made the old stadium unique that were genuinely nice, such as the skyline above the scoreboard, are now hidden from view at the shake shack.

5. there are ads on the outside of the stadium, far tackier than any neon ballplayer. this one may be easily fixed, but it won't.

6. the ridiculous zig-zaggy outfield fence.

Fred Coupon said...

It is extremely appropriate the team undergoes one of the most disastrous seasons in its franchise history the year it tears down Shea and opens a hodgepodge ballpark cooked up by its delusional owner.

Have to agree with coachie on all his points, including #5. What is unique about CitiField? The porch it stole from Tiger Stadium? Maybe it's the rotunda, the focal point of the ballpark devoted to a man WHO NEVER PLAYED FOR THE TEAM. The Orioles have a great tribute to Baltimore native Babe Ruth. BUT IT'S ACROSS THE STREET, NOT IN THE ENTRANCE.

Bryan said...

I think a lot of Coachie's criticisms are overblown, but then again, I'm not a Mets fan. I will agree that little is unique in the new stadium except the food, but I don't think the reduced seating capacity is that much of a problem. And being a Sox fan I'm fond of zig-zaggy outfield fence.

But the tribute to Robinson is ridiculous, and I LOVE Jackie Robinson. It's a METS Stadium. It's for the METS. Jackie Robinson should get his due at the HALL OF FAME. If the Hall wanted to open a room inside the stadium to memorialize Robinson? Even better. But FOR FUCK'S SAKE, THIS IS NOT A STADIUM FOR THE DODGERS.

cannatar said...

In a continued effort to focus on improving the stadium, how about this as an improvement:

Keep the Jackie Robinson Rotunda name, but add new pictures, banners, memorabilia, etc. so that the Rotunda honors the history of New York National League baseball, roughly 25% Dodgers, 25% Giants, 50% Mets.

After making such a big deal about honoring Robinson, they're not going to suddenly re-name the Rotunda, but I think there's room to honor Robinson's accomplishments, while also celebrating the Mets.

Bryan said...

Whatever. When it comes out Robinson was on steroids they'll get rid of it anyway.

Mattingly's Mustache said...

you mean when it comes out that robinson was white?

zang.

Bryan said...

MZA is the winner. Free Miller Lites for all. Truck hats for some.

coachie said...

even better, they should open a New York National League Baseball museum dedicated to the Dodgers, Giants and Mets on site, the sort of thing that could draw tourists during the winter and during summer off-days. But that would be thinking big, instead of thinking small, which is how they thought throughout the Citi Field planning process.

coachie said...

And the capacity # is a big deal, because in Boston, they've always had low capacity, whereas here 15,000 seats were lost. Plus, in a town where numbers are king, and where there happens to be a second team, the Mets have forever ceded the higher attendance battle, a battle that they won pretty much year-in-year-out until this decade.

Fred Coupon said...

Don't worry coachie, Jay Horowitz will keep fudging attendance numbers to make them look respectable.

Bryan said...

"A town where numbers are king"

How could the numbers really be king if the Mets outdrew the Yankees and the Yankees were still popular?

The only thing Mets fans really care about is winning. When you have to fall on attendance, that's just a substitute. (I speak from experience in trying to find the silver lining.) Who gives a crap -- outside of the ancillary rise in ticket prices -- how big the stadium is?