The Mets Police

Lee Mazzilli has become a Met star - 07.23.79 - SI Vault

2009-07-15T12:24:00.002-04:00

Awesome...vintage Lee Mazzilli article from 1979! I've been trying to convey to you kids what a big deal Lee was...

One afternoon last week, about an hour after his 10th-inning run had given the New York Mets a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lee Mazzilli left Shea Stadium by a back entrance. From behind the 10-foot chain link fence that encloses the players' parking lot, a cryâ€”no, a shriekâ€”came forth: "Lee! It's Lee! Oh, Lee!" Mazzilli seemed flustered and walked shyly past his Cadillac Coupe de Ville toward a throng of girls. They thrust pens through the fence and twittered. Mazzilli is olive-skinned, dark-eyed, high-cheekbonedâ€”very Kiss-Me-I'm-Italian.

And surely they would have, but for the fence. Mazzilli has inaccurately been described as a John Travolta look-alike, though both have a vulnerabilityâ€”perhaps in the eyesâ€”that women seem to find agreeable. He really looks more like Bucky Dent, the reigning poster boy of the Yankees, except that Mazzilli has the advantages of being a bachelor and being able to hit. He signed some autographs, stopped a few hearts with a quiet "How you doin' today?" (sounding rather like Rocky Balboa), then returned to his car. An 18-year-old girl, wiping tearsâ€”of what? ecstasy? fantasy?â€”from her eyes, snapped at her father as he tried to reclaim his pen, "No! He touched it! He touched it!"

"Believe me," Mazzilli said, driving away, "that was nothing."

Much more here: Lee Mazzilli, Brooklyn's very own, has become a Met star - 07.23.79 - SI Vault

I also enjoyed this nugget, I guess even back then the Mets liked to honor greats from other teams.

None of this is lost on the Mets, who held a Lee Mazzilli Poster Day last week. The only other Poster Day the team held was for Hank Aaron.

Touring Citi Field Between Center Field And Left Field

2009-07-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

As we continue our tour of....(boy the brain wants to say Shea....)...Citi Field, now we're over the bridge and heading to the left field corner.

We come upon the Verizon Studio.

I don't really understand what it is....

...but it looks nice enough and we're invited in. I'm agnostic on this one and will just keep walking.

Here's the kids version of Citi Field. Looks like fun, but both Daddy and Mets Police Junior couldn't be bothered to wait on the line.

Also in this area are the batting cages for kids. Also cool, also come with a line. We kept going....

...but this kid was more patient than we are.

The dunk tank is a lot of fun, it was crowded enough that I couldn't get a clear picture....

...despite several tries.

Tomorrow we make our way to the beer.

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"Four Inning Pedro" Martinez Put On The DL

2009-07-15T09:40:00.000-04:00

I kid you not.

The right-hander signed a one-year contract with the Phillies on Wednesday and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mild shoulder strain. It hasn't been decided when or where he will start a rehabilitiation assignment.

Please understand that I'm almost always right.

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Inbox: New York Mets Auction, Adverising, Madoff

2009-07-15T09:38:00.000-04:00

Seemed like a nice afternoon to catch up on the mail. Before we get to that, I'd like to (not) thank Charlie Samuels for packing the blue/black hybrid caps for the All-Star Game.

DyHrdMET has left a new comment about this Saturday's Shea Stuff Auction

you should come out to the auction too. i'd love to have opinions other than my own from how well things are selling.

but i plan to have a big write up on Saturday. I would like to see if the video screen makes a difference and if fans take to the new Mets stuff in the ballpark.

I would absolutely love to, but I have two commitments that day (one being McCartney Police) and can't make it. Dan was going to cover it, but as he mentioned on the blog his mother has passed away. I will much appreciate any reporting you or others can do.

As for adding more Mets stuff reportedly being added to the ballpark I think the fans will react well. My hope is that they remember there was a team before Mike Piazza got here.

This next fellow correctly understands the situation in the Bronx.

Jeebus has left a new comment on your post "Yankee Stadium's Home Run Design Flaw?":

If it's a wind tunnel, as many are suggesting, they can fix it with a temporary blocking structure in the upper level behind home plate (third base side). That's cheap and easy, and we'll know the impact within a month or so. If THAT doesn't work, they can do something more radical in the offseason, like build a Blue Monster in right.

They NEED to do this or everyone from draft picks to free agent pitchers will start to shun the team. Nobody wants a 6.20 ERA, because that will cost them a fortune on their NEXT contract.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Citi Field Lack of Advertising Very Evident":

Well, I hope you guys are satisfied. Now Citi Field is chock fully of billboards and advertisements. The result is a corporate abomination to the name of baseball, making the park nothing but a statement about everything that is wrong with contemporary sports. Citi Field is the equivalent of having to endure commercials in movie theaters.

It's not that we wanted lots of advertising, the observation was that for the exhibition games there clearly was a lot of space that had been unsold, or at least the advertising itself hadn't been hung. It seemed odd.

The place looks like a Sega Genesis video game and is really colorful (not in a good way), but the visual distractions don't bother me nearly as much as the 25 minutes of commercials read backtobacktobacktoback about a half an hour before the game. Knowing a little about sales, I am guessing these are "added value" packages given to convince an advertiser to spend money. "Hey you'll' also get mentioned on the PA!" kind of deal. I encourage the Mets sales staff (and their clients) to wonder if anyone is really scribbling down the name and number of the advertised car service or if it is indeed noise.

Speaking of advertisers - I imagine one of the things that makes Old-Timers Day "too much work" is the travel expense. I observe that the Mets are in business with both Delta and Acela. I have no problem with "Delta Acela Old-Timer's Day" if that will help defray costs.

There was a little flurry last night with Larry King alleging that that Jeff Wilpon lost $700 million in the Madoff thing. One of the Post guys had it on twitter. What you are reading was actually written this morning (a pre-post) and I didn't see much about the story in the papers as I did the rounds. I have no idea what's true or not.

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Let's Work On New York Mets Old-Timers Day Ourselves

2009-07-15T07:34:00.000-04:00

As previously discussed, I cannot accept that it is "too much work" to have Old-Timers Day.

So since I have this real job and all, I ask for some help from you.

Pick a Met you'd like to see attend 2010 Old-Timer's Day and see if you can figure out how to contact them. Just find "edkranepool.com" or whatever, see if there's a way to contact, hit the comments button on this post so all can see (even people named Wilpon) and we'll generate a contact list.

Since we don't have a 2010 Mets schedule, I propose that Old-Timer's Day be either Saturday July 31, 2010 or Saturday August 7th, 2010 depending on when the Mets are home. Ceremonies will begin at noon. So if you run into Edgardo Alfonzo at the movies, ask him if these two dates are good for him.

For example...I googled "contact Mets Joel Youngblood."

I found this article: Youngblood says, now 57 who resides inPhoenix, Ariz.with his wife.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/02/14/2009-02-14_where_are_they_now_former_mets_of_joel_y.html#ixzz0LElZCibg&D
So we know Joel is in Phoenix, and that writer Mark Lellinwala of the Daily News had a contact for him as of February 2009.

The News' webpage says:
LOOKING FOR SOMEONE?Who do you want us to find? E-mail us atsports@nydailynews.com.

So it can't be that hard to contact Joel Youngblood.

See what you guys can do and don't forget the Doug Flynns of the world.

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The Cardinals Also Honor Their History

2009-07-14T16:19:00.001-04:00

I thought the below was interesting.....the wall street journal waxing poetic about Busch Stadium

Inside are other attractive images: old photographs and player cards going back to the game's early days. You also come across legends of the broadcast booth -- Jack Buck and Harry Caray back in the day and the current voice of the team, Mike Shannon -- who did their part to popularize the Cardinals. There's even owner William DeWitt Jr. in a St. Louis Brown's batboy uniform pictured next to Babe Ruth in 1948. His father owned the old St. Louis Browns. His son currently runs the Cards' day-to-day operations.

These nods to history serve a marketing purpose, of course, keeping local allegiances firm. It helps that the team can call up images of past glory so easily. The Cardinals have won 10 World Series, second only to the Yankees' 26, starting in 1926.

Hmmm, keeping allegiances firm. Interesting. Honoring old broadcasters. Interesting. Even a memento of a rarely mentioned team that has left your city. Interesting. So the Cubs get it, the Cardinals get it, the Yankees get it.....

Read here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124752583441435271.html#mod=WSJ_myyahoo_module

No Steroids Committee For The Baseball Hall of Fame

2009-07-14T14:45:00.001-04:00

Baseball writers have turned down a proposal to form a committee for developing guidelines on evaluating players from the steroids era in Hall of Fame voting.

Read here: http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/07/14/3025690-baseball-writers-vote-down-steroids-committee?category=sports

I don't know much about the proposal, but seems like a reasonable idea...unless you want to leave out the all time Home Run leader, the guy who hit the most home runs in a season, and the second most, and the third most...and some 3,000/500 guys...and a guy with 354 wins

Oh and the hit king isn't in either.

Nice sport you guys have. Let's be sure to keep the hall clean.

Unrleated thought: Make sure you cheer for all the first basemen in tonight's All-Star game.

Watching Old All Star Games On MLB Network

2009-07-14T14:02:00.001-04:00

Treat yourself to some of the old All-Star Games on the MLB network.

Some quick observations:

Players were a lot smaller (duh....and there's one current player being extra celebrated this week, and while his numbers are excellent, I won't be the least bit surprised if his name eventually is on some sort of list.)

The 1971 Mets road uniform with the slightly darker blue looked great on Buddy Harrelson. As I've mentioned before it is time for Buddy to return to Shea er um The Field.

I noticed the different style of wind-up Marichal and Palmer had. Very wide and open...glove practically touching their sock when they do a high leg kick. I wonder why that style has left the game?

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Lee Mazzilli In The All Star Game

2009-07-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

A cool article from MLB.com remembering when Lee Mazzilli was in the All Star Game.

When Mazzilli was selected to the Midsummer Classic at age 24, many figured he would make a return trip to the game at some point in his career. But in 10 more seasons with five different teams, the outfielder and eventual first baseman never again was selected to play among baseball's best.

Luckily for him, his one memory is a good one.

"You want to get back as much as you can," Mazzilli said. "But I was just fortunate to get in one and hit a home run. Just being picked for one was overwhelming getting a chance to play with the greats of the greats. I played with players on that team that I watched when I was younger.

More here.

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New York Jets Tickets Not Going Fast

2009-07-14T13:22:00.001-04:00

The Jets have written for a third time to let me know that season tickets are going fast.

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Shades of McDowell and Orosco

2009-07-14T11:53:00.001-04:00

Did you catch this the other day? Shades of McDowell and Orosco.

Sean Marshall was pitching for the Cubs. Lou Piniella called time out replaced Alfonso Soriano in left with Marshall. One hitter later, Lou put Marshall back on the mound.

Good recap here.

You kids might want to take a quick look at this boxscore from 1986 - take a close look at the positions for Carter, Orosco and McDowell. SNY should dust this one off.

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Touring Citi Field Between Right Field And Center Field (Part 1)

2009-07-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

As we continue our tour of Citi Field, we head from the right field corner toward center.

The first thing we found were these poor man's dippin dots. I haven't had them, but I didn't realize there was a market for two ice creams of this style. Maybe they are awesome.

Next you will find the Catch of the Day.

I'm not sure I get it. Baltimore, I get it. Flushing Bay, seafood...I don't get it.

So you don't have to squint:

Fresh Flounder $8.50

Grilled Shrimp Po' Boy $12.75 (because $13 would be pricey)

Lobster Roll $17

Shrimp Cocktail Salad $14.75

and some other things.

Off to the bridge we head...

..right below our feet are the banner flags from the various championships. Well buried at the Bullpen Gate.

Look at the beautiful view of 126th!

More tomorrow.

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New Scoreboard And More New York Mets Stuff Coming To Citi Field

2009-07-14T09:29:00.001-04:00

Mark Herrmann in Newsday says:

(Dave Howard) We've heard our fans," he said.

So, he said, the Mets received permission from Major League Baseball to show the live feed on video screens the instant the ball is in play, allowing fans to follow action they might not see live. Also, an additional video board will be installed in the rightfield corner after the All-Star break.

Howard added that more Mets memories will be reflected with displays in the park this summer, and that there are bigger long-term plans to give the place a Mets atmosphere.

Read more here.

That's good news. I'm here to help if y'all need me, and I suspect you actually do.

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Eulogy For A Long Time Mets Fan

2009-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

My Mom started going to Mets games in the 60's. At the time, being an immigrant from Ireland, she had no clue what was happening on the field. Gradually though she learned the basics of the game and came to root and follow them from year to year. During Game 6 she even pulled out her rosary beads and knelt down in front of the TV.

My Mom passed away on Sunday, her 72nd birthday. Last year on her birthday she had one of her happiest Mets-related moments. I wrote about it at the time, and in honor of my Mom, I'm reposting it now. Rest In Peace Mom

Mr. Met, Pedro, and My Mom

From time to time we here at the Mets Police have given the Mets grief on some of the things they do - it's what we are here for after all. Today however I must tip my cap and publilcly thank the Mets, Mr. Met, and especially Pedro Martinez for something that was very personal.

Saturday was my mom's 71st birthday. A few thing about my mom. She is a small Irish woman who came here over 50 years ago but still has her accent. Back in the 60's she worked for a company that had a box at Shea and she attended a number of games (she likes to tell people how she sat next to Joan Payson). But she stopped going (and stopped working) after I was born. So she has not been to Shea since 1966. Now to give you an idea how much of a fan she is, during the 10th inning of Game 6, she had her rosary out and was kneeling in front of the TV set saying Hail Mary's as fast as she could.

My sister, through some people she knows, was able to get a field box at Shea for Saturday's game. She also was able to contact someone she knows who works for the Mets and let him know that our mom would be there on her birthday.

So, we go to the game - my parents, my sister, and I. Our mom is tickled pink to be at Shea. At the gate they are handing out teddy bears as a promotion to all kids. Of course my mom wants one, and as soon as they hear that it's her 71st, no problem, they give her one. That was very nice.

Skip ahead to the fourth inning. One of the staff comes over and lets my mom know that during the 4th, Mr. Met is coming over to give her a present. Middle of the 4th and here comes Mr. Met to present her with the 1-800-FLOWERS birthday cake bouquet. Mr. Met sat down behind her and she is giddy - starts talking to him and laughing. Then at the end of the inning they put her and my dad on Diamond Vision with Mr. Met. Priceless! So we thought that was the highlight of the day. After the game, we took some pictures, then went up to check out the Diamond Club. While up there she (as only an older Irish woman does) starts chatting with the security guys - asking about Pedro, her favorite Met, and where he might be. Security actually tells us that because of the Billy Joel concert set up, the players are coming out from Gate D today. So Mom now wants to go down to see if she can spot Pedro. All 0f a sudden this 71 yr old woman is acting like a 16 yr old. We get to Gate D and looking around, set ourselves up at the end of the crowd that has gathered. Wouldn't you know one of the security guys mom had talked to is now right near us. He points out Pedro's driver to us and tells mom and I to go over to him and tell him it's her birthday. We go over, I talk to the guy (Angel) and ask if he thought Pedro would take a picture with my mom for her birthday. Next thing I know he gets a cop to escort us over to Pedro's car.

When Pedro comes out, Angel tells him about my mom - he immediately comes over and give her a huge hug and kiss. Security cordon off an area around Pedro, his cars, and us. Then they start talking - seriously their conversation went on for a good 5 minutes - he was the nicest guy to her. When she told him he was her favorite player, he said "Really? Me? Not David Wright?" She said something else to him that had him laughing. Really, a very very nice guy. I thanked him and he said it was a pleasure to meet us then hugged my mom again. Walking back to the car people kept coming up to her wishing her a Happy Birthday and congratulating her on meeting Pedro. So a hundred thousand thank yous to the Mets, Mr. Met, and especially Pedro Martinez for making my mom's birthday an amazingly memorable occassion.

These 2 pictures say it all:

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New York Mets: Half Way To Nowhere

2009-07-14T07:44:00.000-04:00

On Monday I write a weekly column for Flushing University. This is this week's column.

So Mets fans, how did you enjoy the first half? Remember way back when, when we were mad they didn't have a 10 game lead and we would talk about breaking up the core? Well, the baseball gods decided to break it up for us. Instead of the core we have Francoeur. Instead of the core we have Cora. I shouldn't pick on Cora, he's like Mr. Reliable, so is Sheffield. I think that says it all, when we make it to the All-Star Break and Gary Sheffield is somehow one of the most important Mets. What's more troublesome is that there is nowhere to go. There's nothing to rebuild with, unless you want to go whole hog and deal David Wright (see June 15, 1977 for how that will go), Santana (lightning strikes me down) or...well...there's nothing else. I guess you could get small change for Sheffield. Two weeks ago i thought you could get small change for Livan Hernandez but that ship has sailed. Speaking of June 15, 1977 - that was the day the Mets traded Seaver for you younger folks - I find myself thinking that there was more hope on June 16, 1977 than there is on July 13, 2009. On June 16, 1977 you had hope. Sure M. Donald Grant had ripped the soul out of the franchise by trading The Franchise - but in theory at least they got something back. Pat Zachry had won 14 games as a rookie in 1976. Doug Flynn was 26 and had hit .283 in 1976. He could be the starting second baseman for years! Steve Henderson was highly touted, and actually hit .297 with 12 home runs in 99 games in '77. Those were 12 1977-home runs, when a home run was a home run, and 32 might lead the league. Despite the burning in your soul, and the pain you would feel when Tom Terrific would throw a no-hitter for the Reds, you had hope. Maybe these guys would be the core of the late 70's championship Mets. Flash forward 30 years and....um.....does anyone believe Nick Evans is destined for the Hall of Fame? Murphy-mania didn't quite work out. Fernando Martinez is so young that there's hope there - but I don't see him starting in the 2010 All-Star game, do you? So we sit on our hands and wait. Reyes will return some day. Remember when we all thought Jerry had benched him for a game for whatever the controversy was? I don't even remember what the issue was, but I thought Jerry was lying. Guess not. Beltran will return some day. So will Maine (on his second straight season of arm troubles). Delgado will come back just in time to leave (you really can't sign him for 2010 unless he is dirt cheap and you hate Murphy.) There's some other guys missing, but they have been gone so long I no longer miss them. It would be like waiting for John Stearns. I spent half of '82 and all of '83 waiting for him to return. By the time he did in 1984 I had made new friends like Mike FItzgerald. (By the way, did Stearns actually appear in 4 games in 1983 - with zero at bats? What's the story there? I don't remember). So we can't rebuild, and we have nothing to trade. I often say that if the core must be broken it is Reyes who should go - but with bad wheels, he isn't going anywhere. So we sit and wait. Enjoy the break. I'm going to clear out the DVR and price Francoeur jerseys.

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Total cost of new Marlins stadium put at $2.4 billion - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

2009-07-13T17:09:00.000-04:00

Total cost of new Marlins stadium put at $2.4 billion - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

The team is contributing $120 million toward construction, plus the repayment of a $35 million county loan. But the team doesn't have to pay until the final phases of construction.

If I lived in Miami/South Florida whoever, I'd be nuts over this.

Honestly $2.4 billion that will take 40 years to repay? I'd rather my team move than foot that kind of bill.

I think I read somewhere they will become the "Miami" Marlins when they move. They should have been that all along. Maybe they can be the Miami Marlins of Florida.

Paul McCartney Citi Field Parking To Be $30?

2009-07-13T17:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know if this is accurate but according to a report Loge 13, parking may be $30 for Paul McCartney.

If this is accurate, it's an insult. Does it really cost more to use pavement during a concert?

Mets Police suggest you try Corona if you must drive. Park at like 113th and 34th Avenue and walk over the 34th avenue bridge along the Whitestone ramp. It's not as far as you think. You're also "out of there" in two seconds after the game/concert.

Full story here: http://www.loge13.com/2009/07/parking_heads-up_at_citi_field.php

Touring Citi Field: Nonna Delia's

2009-07-13T12:30:00.001-04:00

As I continue my circular tour of Citi Field, next we came to Nonna Delia's which is out in right center.

I haven't tried it so I can't rate it, but pizza doesn't interest me.

Cheese Slice $5.75

Pepperoni $6

Sicilian $6.25

Really?

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Inbox: Black Uniforms, Ebbets Field, Wally Backman

2009-07-13T11:34:00.000-04:00

Some recent e-mails:

Thomas Ogilvie has left a new comment on your post "Good Looking Bobby Thomson New York Giants Jersey":

The all-black jerseys (spit spit) do look marginally better when the blue is totally stripped out, a la these 'fashion jerseys' on the Mets shop:
http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3204256

Still, if it isn't pinstripes, don't take to the Field in it.

I'm having a crisis of conscience. I am warming up to the pinstripeless whites. Maybe a decade of blue/black hybrid hats is wearing me town. I still will offer the Mets "no black, just wear the white pinless" when we sit down for the Treaty of Flushing.

Sparks has left a new comment on your post "ESPN's Insider On New York Mets David Wright's Slu...":

I'll say it yet again: HoJo's performance needs to be evaluated. The strikeouts may say otherwise to the uninformed, but Wright's aggressiveness is gone. As the above snippet implies, the reason he's striking out so much is because he's watching pitches he used to hammer and it's putting him in a bad position. That Wright has changed his style so much (as noted by numerous TV commentators and himself in interviews) just because of Citi Field is just plain silly. Just let him do his thing, and he can be successful anywhere. Last year's David Wright in the new park would still have better power numbers than he has now. Sheff is one of the few players regularly producing some RBIs, and you haven't seen him adjust his swing to play the park, have you?

It's team-wide, too. I forget which game is was, but just recently an opposing pitcher was grooving 1st-pitch strikes in there and no one on the Mets were attacking them. I understand trying to work the count, but you're already behind the 8 ball talent-wise, you can't afford to be passive. It's bad enough you have a starting 2nd baseman who can barely get the ball to the outfield. Your power guys have to take their hacks.

And it's not just HoJo, mind you. The entire staff is to blame, as I presume they share responsibility for the team's approach.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Shopping At The New York Mets Team Store (Part 1)":

That photo of Jackie Robinson is at -- you guessed it! -- LA Coliseum, the LA Dodgers' first stadium when they moved west! Since Jackie was an LA native.

It's not the only Los Angeles picture in the rotunda, either -- there's another one of him at UCLA.

We still have his wife coming to Dodger games. You know how thrilled Dodgers fans are at having our team's history plastered all over a DisneyEbbetts Stadium?

Not.

You know I was thinking about this, does any Mets fan actually care that the outside looks like Ebbets Field? I don't think about that at all. To me, it looks like Citi Field...so they could have made the outside look like anything. Sure it made for good press the day they announced it, but really does anybody but Fred Wilpon care?

In this next one, I had made a comment that I would like to see Lee Mazzilli manage the Mets some day (really because I obviously have a man-crush on him). I also wouldn't mind Wally Backman at all, and think he should have gotten the job when Willie did:

Mr. Met has left a new comment on your post "Former New York Met Lee Mazzilli Guarantees Happy ...":

Well I would disagree with that. It's like the Yankee fan who wants Don Mattingly to manage, except that Maz has actual experience. See the disaster in Baltimore a few years ago. Personally, I'd love to see Mattingly manage the Yankees because he would cause no end of heartache to Yankee fans when it became obvious he needed to be fired. This is like a Mark Messier coaching the Rangers scenario. Other than fan nostalgia there's no track record to show any ability to do the job.

If he wants to manage let him go work out the kinks with some small market team for a decade or two. I put Gary Carter in this same category. Willie Randolph, too.

Wally Backman, on the other hand, has shown he can manage. It's a shame he's also got a track record of fisticuffs with his wife (or was it his girlfriend?). The Wilpons will never give Backman a shot.

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Of Course The Apple Doesn't Work Right

2009-07-13T07:37:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it, when Tatis homered after the Schneider home
run, the ugly new oversized apple failed to come up.

Why? The new design takes 2.5 minutes to reset.

What contractor sold Jeff Wilpon on that?

The old apple was fine as we said on this site all along. You know
what, it worked too!

Sent from my iPhone

Church for Francouer: A Few Words On The Trade

2009-07-13T06:29:00.000-04:00

A guest column from Sparks:

Originally, my thoughts on Church-for-Francoeur were, in order:

1) This is a even swap, change-of-scenery deal for both players that probably won't mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

2) The Mets get a younger body and somewhat better defense, so that's a good thing.

3) Oh, crap. What's it say about a player when a team a couple of games ahead of you in your own division goes, "Yeah, we'd feel better about things if he were on your side?"

Given the historical competence of both the Braves and Mets on matters of personnel, this trade scares me. As a former Atlanta-suburbanite friend mentioned to me just this morning, the Braves have a history of unloading players just before their careers tank. The Mets, as we alll know on the other hand, have a rather solid history of picking up such players.

However, after mulling over the online Saturday morning papers, I'm warming up to this trade. The statheads seem to think this is an awful deal, and that's always a good sign. Honestly, I just can't take seriously someone who will say "his numbers were never really good to begin with, if you took the time to look past HR and RBI" as if 100 actual runs on the board are somehow negated by a poor OPS or UZR (whatever in the crap that even is). I'm sure those are the same people clamoring for Bobby Valentine to come back, too.

The larger issue, though, is once one peels back the immediate numbers and all the silly "Oh, poor Ryan Church. Jerry just never liked him" stuff, while certainly a solid player, what we saw out of Church in the first half of last season was probably as good as he's ever going to be. In his fourth year in the bigs, he had a great 2007 and followed it with that stellar early 2008, but he's yet to regain that form, and concussion or not, at age 30, the time for any big improvement down the road is running out. While Francoeur still hasn't regained his early form, either, he's only 25. Francoeur won't be the same age Church was when he had his best season for another 4 years. Even though the Braves' have apparently given up, there is still plenty of time for Francoeur.

The Braves throwing in the towel on Francoeur just might give him some added motivation, too. It's got to sting a bit to have the team you grew up watching and seemed destined to play for unload you in a trade, especially to the direct competition.

Above all, though, beyond all the numbers, rumors, and opinions, I keep coming back to one question:

Did Jeff Francoeur ever miss 3rd base on his way to a game-winning run?

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2009 Mid-Season Report: New York Mets - Wait Til Next Year

2009-07-12T21:01:00.001-04:00

There are going to be a lot of Mets fans that are not going to be too happy with me after they finish this article. In fact, I'd venture to say that there will be a few who will refuse to finish it because they will say I'm not a true fan, I am being too negative, and that I am giving up the remainder of the 2009 season.

All of the above may be so, but since this is definitely an opinion piece if you don't mind, allow me to fire away.

The 2009 season started with so much promise it was very hard not to get caught up with the hype. For that alone, I plead guilty as charged. Omar did a credible job in the off season fixing the most glaring problem the team had in 2008. By adding Frankie Rodriguez, JJ Putz and Sean Green it certainly looked like, at least on paper, that the Mets wouldn't blow 29 games more or less.

If in fact they only blew half that number in 2009 and continue to smash the ball as they did in the previous year, it would not be unexpected to see the Mets be able to compete with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies for the crown in 2009.

There was some criticism that Omar had a chance to improve the teams offense with the acquisition of Orlando Hudson and Manny Ramirez but he felt that his bench of Tatis, Cora, and Reed could get the job done and money was tight.

I expressed my displeasure at this as well as not resigning Pedro Martinez since I questioned a pitching staff whose 60% of the starting rotation was coming off surgery.

Even with all that I was right there and predicted in my article of predictions that the Mets would win the NL East and go on through the playoffs and meet and beat the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

So I challenge anyone reading this to say that I was not on board with this team on opening day. I was also one of the first if not the first person in our Mets community to be delighted in the acquisition of Gary Sheffield. After commenting on it through very negative articles I wrote an article, I believe in May, thanking the Mets for making Gary a Met.

Then came the injuries like flies to the flypaper. Out went 3/4 of the core. Delgado, Reyes and Beltran were all out of the line up by June. JJ Putz went down. So did Angel Pagan, Alex Cora, and a host of minor players.

Even before the slew of injuries I started questioning the moves made by Jerry Manuel. Jerry had taken over for Willie Randolph last June while the Mets were struggling early which was unacceptable to management who needed a scapegoat for the collapse of 2007 and Willie was going to be that sacrificial lamb.

It was a terrible move at the time because the Mets faults were not Willies and not only did he not need to be replaced, they did it in such a non professional way the Mets organization was an embarrassment to the entire baseball community.

The rest of 2008 is history. Jerry led the team to a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 to go and let the Phillies do their September thing and let another flag get away and to add insult to injury they lost to the Marlins again on the last day and saw their Wild Card hopes go up in flames.

A correction here. Jerry didn't lead them anywhere. Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran led them to the heights they achieved and for the those who know and understand the game realized that the 2008 Mets were actually overachievers and Jerry got most of the credit as I cringed like I had a crystal ball to see into the future.

Jerry Manuel was NOT a good manager in Chicago. Yes he won a Manager of the Year award but with the team he inherited there Mike Kent could have got the White Sox to the World Series that year. BTW, that's a compliment Mike.

Jerry misused his bull-pen in Chicago and had a well known, in the public eye, feud with superstar Frank Thomas. His reputation confirmed by the Chicago media was that Jerry had a problem with veteran players simply because of all his line up changes. They did not know where their place was. Ultimately the players went over Jerry's head and as a result, there went Jerry's head as a manager in the major leagues.

Getting back to the Mets. Almost from day 1 in Spring training Jerry had Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy on his radar. For whatever reason and he never explained it to Church, the media or anyone he was not a Ryan Church fan. Perhaps maybe when Ryan was healthy he kept the Mets in the early 2008 race until he was nailed with the concussions.

His use of Church was abominable. 10 games into the season Ryan was batting .385 so Jerry benched him. He wanted to give Reed and Pagan more playing time. He took Murphy out of the lineup when he was batting .365 because he was having defensive problems in left and was trying to keep him away from facing left handers. At the time he was 3 for 8 against lefty's.

His constant everyday changing the line up gave whatever players he had out there no chance to get comfortable with their place in the order. He would say he was going to go with the hot bat and so what did he do? He stayed with Tatis after all he could do was hit into double play after double play ending so many Mets threats I lost count.

" No matter what, I'm going to rest Wright and Sheffield in tomorrows day game in Milwaukee because those guys are trying to carry the load by themselves". The fact that David Wright is hitting around .220 since Beltran left the lineup didn't seem to register with Jerry. So what happened?, Wright went 3 for 4 that night and Jerry had him in the lineup the next day. Since that game Wright is hitting under .200. Good job Jerry.

The Mets are 42-45. They are 6 1/2 games out of first place. They have lost 6 of their last 10. The Phillies are in first place. They have won 9 out of their last 10 and have put the problem of winning at home behind them.They stand at 48-38, ten games over .500.

Last year it took 92 wins to win the NL East. If the Phillies went .500 the rest of the way (doubtful) that would give them 86 wins and to beat them the Mets would have to go 45-30 the rest of the way. That is a pretty good possibility if the Mets gets their players back, but here's the problem. More likely than not the Phillies will not go .500 the rest of the way.

If they go another 10 games over like they did the first half they will finish with with 91 wins. In order for the Mets to catch them they will have to go 50-25.

Well folks, that ain't gonna happen. Not under Jerry Manuel. Not in a million years. That's .667 baseball and this team doesn't have spark or the guts to get that done.

Until A.Reyes bunted for a hit to lead off an inning the other night it was the first game it had been accomplished in the last 25 games. Until Angel Pagan stretched a double into a triple when was the last time that happened?. When was the last time you saw a hit and run attempt with a man on first or first and second? When was the last time you saw somebody move a runner by hitting to the right side? I could go on forever but I have already done that.

Despite early misgivings upon the initial announcement of the Church for Francouer trade, I decided I like it before Jeff's first start. He is 25 and his upside is far greater than Church, but it's not nearly enough.

If Minaya is still serious about making a run at this he must take a bold shot at Roy Halliday. You can not let the Phillies get him and Pedro to slam the door in our face. If it takes, Maine, F-Mart and Parnell and Murphy then so be it.

Will they even offer that deal to the Blue Jays? Not a chance. Why you ask? Because the Mets have pretty close to the worst ownership in baseball and a General Manager that has zero eye for future talent.

Now is the time for the Mets to be sellers for 2009 with the thought to rebuild this organization for 2010 and beyond. In my humble opinion there are only 3 untouchables on the Mets 40 man roster. They are the obvious ones to most. Jose Reyes, David Wright and Johan Santana. Everyone else, and yes Carlos( never hustle) Beltran my preseason MVP pick, has to go.

As far as 2009 is concerned, the Phillies are going to win this division by 10 to 15 games. The Mets will be battling out the Braves and the Marlins for second place.

They are, as of today, 7 games behind in the Wild Card race with 7 teams they have to climb over.

I have always hoped for best while expecting the worst. This is not negativity. This is reality. I swear to all of you reading this. I hope beyond belief that I am 100% wrong in my beliefs.

Do you really think I want to be seen wearing Phillie red on the Brooklyn Bridge replica under the sign for the ESPN Zone in front of the NEW YORK NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO in Las Vegas, Nevada this October and send those pictures to 30 Phillies writers on the BR? I don't think so. Christian will use it as a dart board. I can just see it now.

My hope is that the Mets organization, who are morons at best, will look ahead to 2010 season and start making moves that don't look like attempts at continuing to be a small market approach and be the step brother to the New York Yankees. It's finally that time to step up and become a force to be reckoned with for years to come and the best way to get that started is threefold. First the Wildon's need to sell the team. Second Omar needs to be replaced and third and best of all Jerry Manuel needs to go NOW!

Amen About Kiner

2009-07-12T19:54:00.000-04:00

Metsblog said it just right:

Ralph Kiner is awesome at 87. It seems like he’s now a little more boastful (rightfully) about his playing career than he was when he was broadcasting everyday, and it suits him.

I wish the Mets would do more to honor this guy while he is still around. Let's have another day for him and name more stuff after him....and yeah, the more unrestrained he is on the air the better. Any man who hit 54 home runs before 1995 and dates Marilyn Monroe deserves our cheers.

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Most Popular On Mets Police (July 12th)

2009-07-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

Today is a sad day for one of our Mets Policemen, it's not my story to tell but we add a black armband to our blue and white pinstriped uniforms on this day.

Below is the usual Sunday combination of most popular, and stuff that deserved better:

I'm out of my mind that Mets officials allegedly said that Old Timer's Day is too much work. Especially when some of us can figure out a plan in 5 minutes.

Here is our mid-season update to The Unofficial Uncensored Guide To Citi Field.

Here is our mid-season compilation of links to Pictures of Citi Field.

I love that the Times is starting Virtual Banner Day.

What about an orange jersey? Wouldn't the Mets look sharp dressed like this?

We updated the Tour of The Mets Team Store.

Selfishly - click the Facebook fan box on the lower right of the page and help spread the word on Facebook. Our articles will show up on your page, as if we were just another friend - and hopefully more people who hate black uniforms will find the site. More here.

Always popular: Inside the Acela Club, Inside the Caesar's Club, pics of the Delta Club, and the NY Mets Uniform Survey.

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The Uncensored Unofficial Guide To New York Mets Citi Field (Mid-season Update 7/12)

2009-07-12T13:54:00.001-04:00

Here at the half-way point it seemed a good idea to update our Unofficial Uncensored guide To Citi Field.

A half-season in we are still getting to know the place. The original article on the Mets Police was written early in the season after we were fortunate to visit the stadium a few times between the St. John's exhibition games, and the workout. Then of course we went to games, and most recently I toured the lower deck with my camera in hand.

So with some help from Mets Policemen Osh41 and Dan Twohig...here's the uncensored unofficial guide to Citi Field.

It's a great great park. There's so much to love. We discovered a few troubling things, but overall it's fantastic.

THE ROTUNDA

Osh41: Getting off the subway - it was jarring walking down that ramp and not seeing Shea. There was a physical and emotional jolt not seeing it there. I hate comparing things to 9/11 for obvious reasons but when you went downtown after it happened there was a hole in the sky where the buildings were. You saw them there for so long, they were so big, you'd never imagine them not there. So coming down the ramp and seeing nothing?? Very strange and that will I think be something a lot of fans will have to get used to.

Getting in - kind of seemed like Shea! Long lines, check your bag. Everyone looking up instead of ahead. Long line at main gate for obvious reasons - 1st day, everyone wants to go in the main door. There are other entrances so for future games I'll go to more seat specific gates. Rotunda - very nice, still not finished, looks like they are going to hang some more pictures of Jackie up. Huge #42 behind the escalator will be a photo op for a generation of kids. Huge Mets Clubhouses shop right behind the escalators.

Shannon: I found the rotunda to be overrated. It's nice enough, it's big...but there's nothing Mets about it, and the Jackie Robinson video is going to get quite old fast.

Dan: The entrance to the ballpark is magnificent. Coming off the subway you are lead right towards the Rotunda. The landscaping around the park is still in progress but you can already tell that once it's all completed it will look really nice. They already have blue, orange, and white flowers planted out in front, and the trees are going in along both sides if the park.

The rotunda itself is not nearly as obnoxious as I thought it was going to be. It honors Robinson, but in a very tasteful manner. A few things to know:

the turnstiles now have an attached ticket scanner (no more hand held ones)
there is a very large team store located on the ground level with an entrance inside the rotunda to the right (there is also a street entrance as the store is open everyday 10-5)
Two video screens on either side of the rotunda show highlights from Robinson's career. I think Shannon is correct that it will get old fast

One thing that Shannon and I noticed when we were there was that as we walked around the Field Level and went out by the Rotunda, it really did feel like we were outside even though we were still inside. I can see the balcony becoming a big hangout place during rain delays

FIELD LEVEL

Osh41: At top of escalator we went in and made a left, nice wide concourses. Felt it was kind of dark in there, lights looked to be there but not set to go yet. Bathrooms, concessions all there. Spotted pics of Ebbets Field and saw the Ebbets Club entrances are on that level. You keep walking and then boom on your right, concourse opens up to the field. Looks great, grass is green, dark green seats etc. Seen pics of it but to see in person for the first time was great.

Dan: This is really the best part of Corporate Field - the Field Level concourse wraps all the way around the ballpark. You can't see the field when you are behind the home plate area (the Delta Club is located there), but once you get past there the concourse opens up to the field.

There are 2 Ebbets Clubs on the Field Level, one along each baseline. Truthfully they really aren't that special, just small interior areas with a bar, some tables, and private bathrooms.

THE CAESARS CLUB LEVEL

Dan: This is the small mid-level area (kind of like the Loge Level at Shea). Unlike the Field and Promenade Levels, The Caesars Club Level is only accessible to those holding tickets to this level.

The level includes several food options as well as two full bars with seating, one on each base side. In addition, there is also the Caesar's Club, an expansive area located above the Rotunda with leather chairs, tables, bar seating, and many food options, including salads and wraps.

Here are a few pictures taken from the level and inside the Caesars Club.

THE PROMENADE LEVEL (AKA UPPERS)

Osh41: Let me tell you the trip wasn't half as long as it took to get to the uppers at Shea. Quick trip, could have taken an elevator if I wanted.

The promenade is great. Huge upgrade over Shea. You feel much closer to the field. The upper deck is split in half so you can walk down or up. Lots of room to stand around and watch the game. No more craning your neck to see a TV to know what's going on, just turn your head and the field is right there.

Dan: Yes there are some obstructed seats (see below) but it's amazing how much closer to the field you are here compared to the top deck at Shea. The incline isn't that steep so no sense of vertigo, and the seats really are all angled towards the infield.

The concourse up here is huge - in some areas it seemed even wider than the concourse on the Field Level.

Above home plate is the Promenade Club. No specialty foods or beers, just an enclosed area with tables, a bar, and windows looking out onto the field. Admittance will be to only those holding specified tickets.

Behind the Promenade Club along the concourse is the Promenade Level Food Court. Here is where you will find Mama's of Corona, as well as other staples (burgers, dogs, etc.) Several picnic tables and benches ensure that this will be a popular hang out area.

The thing I liked the most about the Promenade Level though was the lack of wind. Shannon and I were up there during the Friday night Boston game, and even though we could see the flags on top of the park whipping in the wind, we felt little more than a breeze. Granted it was only one night but I don't think early Spring and Fall games will be as bad to handle here as they were at Shea.

CENTERFIELD / THE PEPSI PORCH

Osh41: Osh41 is of the middle class. He is an upper deck/bleachers guy. I would sit in these Apple seats in center ahead of 95% of the park. They are fantastic. You're right behind the pitcher, its like watching it on TV. You walk out behind you and you have the food, drinks etc.

I didn't know anything about the Shake Shack until the past few weeks but their burgers are terrific. $5.75 for a great cheeseburger - I didn't feel violated on the price either. I think I ate 1 burger in 30 years of going to games at Shea - for a reason - they were awful. This stand is going to be mobbed every night. They should use half the parking lot as a grazing field for cattle because they will need to keep the beef coming.

Dan: Out beyond center field at Citi Field is Taste of the City- the concession area that everyone (from the Times to NY Magazine) is talking about. This is where you will find Danny Meyer's Shake Shack and Blue Smoke stands,as well as Box Frites and Nona's Deli. During the open house workout the missus and I sampled the Blue Smoke Pulled Pork Sandwich. At $9 not cheap - but considering it was as filling as 2 hot dogs it's overall a cheaper (and tastier) meal.

But for me, the happiest moment on Sunday was when I met Will. Will is the man in charge of Big Apple Brews, a beer oasis that will make any beer aficionado smile. A 4-sided,12 door refrigerator stocks dozens of micro and imported beers - and the selection is constantly changing based on sales and consumer feedback. I met Will while gazing at a bottle of Longboard Lager from Hawaii's Kona Brewing Company. According to Will it was a big seller over the weekend. Not so much the Kirin or Tiger (which only sold "maybe 4 bottles").

Shannon: Center field is definitely one of the best places in the park. Googling God blog has a video of the area.

BIG APPLE SEATS

Osh41: Cool. And there is tons of space behind it to hang out, eat, drink etc. There are going to be tons of homers hit up there. Under the big scoreboard there's tons of space too but its fenced off. This is where I saw they had a chance to add some more seats - I have a problem with only 42.5k. This is NY, you need more seats, bottom line.

Shannon: I'd like sit out there, but at $42 a pop I'm going to have to pass. This could be "the bleachers" but the price will keep it from being that. I disagree with Osh41 about home runs being hit out there...the fence says 415....and you need to hit it over, and when I was there I didn't think the ball carried at all.

THE ACELA CLUB

Dan: It's a nice place....a very nice place. Tables are tiered along five levels - four inside and one outside - offering full and clear views of the playing field for all patrons.

The menus looked good (they were not serving today but had menus posted). Yes, the price of brunch or dinner here is not for everyone ($41 for brunch, $48 for dinner) but the selection seemed decent. I seriously doubt whether we will be dining there during the season - but if any of you think you might be, here are some pictures.

OBSTRUCTED VIEWS

Shannon: Some of these are very troubling. I couldn't believe how bad it was until it happened to me at the Red Sox game. You can see video of another fan's experience here.

The shot on the left is from Row 3 of section 504. It looks like if you're in the lower three to five rows of the Promenade you will be in danger of views like these. However, early reports have the Mets being accommodating about moving people.

You may also want to check out a video from left field below the scoreboard. (thx 'the Ropolitans blog).

As the season has gone on we have unfortunately discovered plenty more obstructed views, a compilation of which is here and you'll find even more by picking through the Citi Field pictures gallery. We believe this video is shot from the worst seat of them all.

Dan: This picture is from Section 529, Row 3. When we got there man was I livid. Almost the entire row has an obstructed view of 3rd Base and the right-hander's batters box.

FOOD

Shannon: I'm both cheap and went on a Lenten Friday, so I haven't had much yet. The concession lines were longer than long, mainly because the wireless credit card systems keep crapping out. My beer and Nathan's onion rings were fine....Dan's hot dog was so cold he returned it. Gothamist has a summary of all the fancy places here. The National hot dog council reports that the Mets are expected to finish second in sausage consumption.

Dan: As Shannon mentioned the registers were all screwed up as the WiFi apparently wasn't working. Additionally some of the food wasn't getting cooked (my first dog was ice cold). Hopefully they will get this worked out - it's why they have exhibitions.

As for options, there are plenty of concession stands all around the park on both levels. It looked like each stand had it's own kitchen area as well - or at least most of them did. This is good news as the food should be a lot fresher. Even the pizza looked good - the ovens were right there.

My one wish is that the specialty items (Blue Smoke, etc) be offered beyond the CF Food Court.

Shannon: In right field you'll find World's Fare. Home of $4.50 Gatordade and $1.50 bananas. We have a separate article about that.

BATHROOMS

Osh41: Very big, waterless urinals - no dividers though - they should have sprung for them. Some folks are going to be have some stage fright issues which will cause delays.

Shannon: The urinals are pretty well spread apart so the lack of dividers isn't as bad as it could have been. They are much bigger than Shea. I notice wetspots develop in front of the urinals. My fellow Mets fans need some better aim. By the seventh you'll need to stand spread eagle.

SOUNDS, SCOREBOARDS, AND SCREENS

Osh41: Looks great, if you're in left field you're going to have a problem seeing it. Didn't sit in the seats that look to be obstructed by it.

Shannon: I found Citi Field to be a refreshing change from the wall of noise that Shea was. Lots of organ music, lets noise and nobody encouraging everybody clap your hands clapclapclapclap. I hope it stays this way. (As the season has gone on the noise has crept in, including these annoying "Make Some Noise" invitations.)

Dan: "We Built This City" - the worst song in the history of rock was used in a between innings spot to show the construction of Citi Field. I really hope they don't plan on using this throughout the year.

I haven't seen anyone else mention this, but among the so many things that we noticed last night were these huge blank spaces at different areas around the ballpark, specifically around the scoreboard and video screen. The Mets have not sold all their advertising space - and some of it premium spots too. The result is probably the biggest eyesore in the new park. Big gray squares of nothing look bad. I can understand that the Mets may be having a tough time selling the space - it's bad out there right now. But why don't they at least have those spaces a Mets blue, or put up Mets logos - something, anything but that blank gray. There are also blank spots along the Pepsi Porch in RF.

SMOKING

Shannon: Sorry smokers. There's only one area, it's at the left field gate and it's going to take you half an hour to go smoke and return.

STORES

Shannon: This is a link to our tour of the Mets Team Store. It's a fun way to kill half an hour. Prices are reasonable-ish. Some nice Mets stuff, too much Dodgers stuff, and does anyone really need a Dan Warthen jersey?

Dan: Can a guy buy a regular cap? I went to 2 team stores looking to replace my old cap with a new one. All they had for sale were ones with a commemorative patch on the side. The logo is a nice one, but caps should not have patches. I left cap-less.

However, beyond my cap issues, there are numerous full stores to browse in - a total of (I think) 4 team stores, A Majestic store, a Players Association store, Alyssa Milano's Touch store, a memorabilia store, and I think 1 or 2 others I'm missing.

One thing you don't see are the old stand alone souvenir concession stands.

CHILDREN'S AREA

Shannon: I haven't made it out there yet - but Mets Today did.

Dan: This is a really nice addition, with a mini T-ball field in the configuration of Citi Field (even down to the retired numbers), pitching and batting cages, and video game consoles. It's not overdone though (ala the ferris wheel at Comerica Park)

126TH STREET

Shannon: 126th street has gone form being the random pavement on the far side of the Shea lot, to being right next to the park. It's ugly, and it won't be there long. There's no way those chop shops will stay.

Osh41: Holy Cow! The chop shops - I always knew they were there and have even patronized some of them. But the view of the area from the park never existed at Shea. It's crazy having this brand new park on one side of the block and this hell hole on the other side. There were pot holes filled with water over there that looked like the reservoir in Central Park.

Dan: We went in the RF gate - which is on 126th Street, right by the chop shops. Memo to Fred - get on the phone to Bloomberg and do what needs to be done to get rid of that area.

LACK OF METS STUFF

Osh41: (this was after the St. John's game) Things I noticed that I hope is something that is being worked on - as you walk around there are no pictures inside the park of any Mets! You wouldn't know what team plays there. In Shea there were the big banners and pictures all around. Mr. Met was on the signs saying 'Thanks for coming' 'Thanks for eating that knish etc.' . Mr. Met wasn't anywhere in signage as far as I saw. I loved seeing the big pics of Tug, Keith and Tom hanging there. This could be something they are working on for the real opening in a few weeks.

Shannon: When I went for the first Red Sox game the exterior had been decorated with flags with pictures of all the "right" players - the list of heroes any Mets fan would make. The inside could get Metsier.

Dan: I mentioned to Shannon at the Red Sox game that it felt we were on a road trip. Right now, beyond the numbers on the wall and the scoreboard, there really is no way to tell you are at the home of the Mets. Definitley need more blue and orange around.

OVERALL

Osh41: I think they did a good job. I'll never be happy until I see a statue of Seaver and them wearing hats and uniforms with no trace of black on them. But for the ballpark - it really is nice and the fans should really enjoy it - and trust me on the burgers.

Dan: It's still really hard for me to believe that this is our new home. I really like it - but it will take some time for me to get fully comfortable. More Mets history (I agree with Osh41 on a Seaver statue) and more blue and orange will go a long way to making it feel like home.

Shannon: It's great. I'm bothered by the obstructed views - how did they not catch it...but other than that, great park. It will be nice to have the better of the city's two ballparks for the next 50 years.

A collection of various pictures from around the park can be found here.

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