Dear Jeff & Fred, Our CITI FIELD Wish List [Archive]

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 10:41 AM

Do you have an idea for paying homage to a Met's player or personality that you would like to see incorporated into Citi, either inside or outside ?

- Got a thing about Wayne Garret or the Sign Man ?
- Think we should memorialize Timo Perez or Ralph Kiner ?
- Should we build a 50ft statue of Tom Seaver or name the toilets
after M. Donald Grant ?

Do you have an idea for paying homage to New York's rich National League history, out of which rose the lovable Mets ?

Be it whimsical or an uber serious formal rememberance, fans always know best. What are your ideas for Citi ?

There's more to the orange & blue than simply saving the Apple.
Here's a link to the Mets Ultimate Database, every coach, manager, player etc...:
http://www.ultimatemets.com/

( *please - no whining or rants about the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, or complaining about ideas concerning old NL NY teams - thanks !)

Ferragamo

04-16-2008, 10:57 AM

Very funny stuff.

How about putting up a giant sculpture of a glove dedicated to the great Rey Ordonez?

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 11:00 AM

I'm going to start off with one of my favorite Met names; Salty Parker.
Salty managed the team at the end of 1967 just as they were on the very edge of the very edge of greatness,(Gil Hodges took over for '68). True, it was only for 11 games,(4-7)but he did spend the entire year on the coaching staff. He also got the nod over more well known canidates like Yogi Berra. He also has a great name.

As a nod toward the laughing stocks of the pre Gil Hodges era, (who we musn't forget, ever);

I would like all pretzles at Citi to be called Salty Parkers.

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 11:04 AM

Very funny stuff.

How about putting up a giant sculpture of a glove dedicated to the great Rey Ordonez?

Actually, I'm serious. I really am interested in what fans want by way of homage at Citi.

And I'm pretty close to serious about the Seaver Statue and the toilets.

Aviator_Frank

04-16-2008, 11:23 AM

[B]Should we name the toilets
after M. Donald Grant ?

I think the floor tile should have his face on it so we can piss on him like he did to us in the '70's.

On a serious note, how about tributes to all of the original and not-so-original Mets who were staples of the team such as Krane, Garrett, Staub and Felix. Their jersey, a photo of the man and a brief history of his accomplishments is all it would take.

nymTom

04-16-2008, 11:24 AM

Actually, I'm serious. I really am interested in what fans want by way of homage at Citi.

And I'm pretty close to serious about the Seaver Statue and the toilets.

I would like to see jerseys and statues and pictures or murals / paintings of former Mets greats like Seaver, Ryan , Koosman , Rusty, , Straw, Mookie, Carter, Hernandez, Doc etc etc, etc. you get the idea.. Have Rusty's Grille if he will endorse it.
I dont know how it will feel entering the rotunda but i have a feeling it wont seem like im in the Mets home park until i enter the concourses, which is a shame IMO. I want everything in the park to scream Mets and be colorful and filled with Mets paraphanelia (sp??) all over the place but in a cool way. The Mets have been a bit cheesy with there themes and colors so keep it loose and carefree not corporate inside like YS

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 11:55 AM

Yea the Mets have always done things a little cheesey or chintzy over the years. I think now that we will have a stadium no longer owned and maintained by NYC we will see a difference, at least thats my hope.

I think the one thing that always bothered me was and still is those wooden placards with mets logos painted on them that ring the stadiums fence if anyone knows what I'm referring to. You would think for a multi million dollar major league ball club they would have nice aluminum or metal signage that is professionally made, but these were just plain old sheets of cut plywood painted black with a Mets logo thats looks like I painted it out of my garage one weekend.
Even the police lights in the visiting bullpen that light up when the Mets hit a homer, just super cheesey and looked like they were just slapped on there.
Also inside, we all know how Shea has those picture banners of famous Mets like Carter, Seaver, Piazza, etc, if they plan on having those maybe clean them once in a while, or better yet make them as actual huge wall pictures that ring the stadium.

Aviator_Frank

04-16-2008, 12:07 PM

Shea Stadium post-1980 reminds me of a Honda Civic base model that the gangbanger owner has added VTEC stickers, exhaust tips, tinted windows, a single wiper, blue neon lights etc etc etc.

Enough already.

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 12:11 PM

Seems obvious here.... you need a Shea moment. You could have head busts of all the greats and the base be shaped like Shea. You must remember, that without William Shea, who bought the national league back to New York, there would have been nothing to cheer about here.

I think those rings that make the drains in urinals should be inscribed "Walter O'Malley"

Should open their doors to the community more, and not just for the kids. Open the park to see the high school state championships, host an annual women's baseball charity game, have a NYPD vs NYFD charity game.

I want to see booths of inspirations. The military, the local colleges that offer the programs/degrees to work in sports, the encouragement of internships, and so forth.

I want Citi Field to feel like home.

The number 1 thing I want the most:

I want to city skyline with the mets logo in the middle erected up at Citi Field.

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 12:16 PM

Have Rusty's Grille if he will endorse it.
I don't think Rusty's turning down endorsement deals left and right these days. I just googled him to make sure he hadn't died. (He didn't). Everybody and their mother knows he had a ribs joint in the city. How can Citi NOT have a Rusty's Rib Joint ?

I dont know how it will feel entering the rotunda but i have a feeling it wont seem like im in the Mets home park until i enter the concourses, which is a shame IMO.
Hey ! Did you read the thread starter ? NO WHINING ABOUT THE ROTUNDA NAME !!! PLEASE !!!

I want everything in the park to scream Mets and be colorful and filled with Mets paraphanelia (sp??) all over the place but in a cool way. The Mets have been a bit cheesy with there themes and colors so keep it loose and carefree not corporate inside like YS

"Loose & carefree". Right On ! Thats the way it shoud be, they way it has to be. I don't ever, ever, ever want Citi or Met fans or the team to develope that superscilious, pompas, arrogant, 'we're all about 26 rings' garbage. That's not the Mets. Met fans have a sense of humor,(we have to !) Leave all those windbag "I thank the Lord I'm a ..." quotes for the frontrunning blowhards in the Bronx.

We're moving into the Grandest Catherdral in baseball and we ought to have fun there, but never forget your roots !

Lafferty Daniel

04-16-2008, 12:20 PM

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 12:28 PM

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 12:28 PM

What about paying homage to New York youth/amateur baseball in Citi Field? Your city has a very deep baseball history that includes a lot of great youth baseball teams and programs. What if Citi Field had jerseys of all the youth teams in New York City hanging on a few of the walls in the main concourse?

That could be a nice little touch. I know at the new Prudential Center in Newark they have all of the NJ high schools hockey jerseys ringing the stadium.

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 12:31 PM

I will say this, the whole Dodgers and Jackie Robinson thing never bothered me one way or the other, but after seeing a little more of it last night and all the emphasis placed on Jackie Robinson, even I'm a little sick of it.

EVERYTHING seems to be Jackie, Jackie, and more Jackie.

Look the guy was a great man and a great ball player who did so much and was the brunt of so much. That will NEVER be debated!

As a Mets fan I want to walk in and ALSO see Seaver and McGraw, Carter and Darryl. The focal point should still be ABOUT THE METS!

Aviator_Frank

04-16-2008, 12:44 PM

Also having entire teams wearing number 42 has become almost comical. The number was retired in '97 and that was it. They should never have allowed a few players to wear it because now look what we have.

A '42' patch on the cap or jersey on April 15th would be commemorative enough.

jimmyjimjimz

04-16-2008, 12:46 PM

As a Yankee fan, I think they should build a huge statue of Bill Buckner in between Citi Field, so it would be like Citi Field is in between his legs.

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 12:47 PM

- Should we build a 50ft statue of Tom Seaver

50ft might be asking for too much, I know. I'll settle for 41ft.

I want to see a big, gigantic, monster statue of Tom Seaver in the parking lot of Citi in the exact spot where the pitching rubber was at Shea. Huge, so you can see it from the parkway.

It's a great way to mark a Shea spot. It's an awsome tribute to one of the greatest pitchers ever on the exact spot he had his greatest glory. What a terriffic rendezvous spot when you're meeting friends at the game. It would be an instant icon of both New York and it's beloved baseball team.

BTW - they really need to sell Seaver's wine by the cup around the Stadium, and by the bottle in the restaurants.
Besides it'll be fun to goof on the yankee fan that's sipping pino noir out of a plastic cup at a subway series game. Drink beer you woman !

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 12:47 PM

That could be a nice little touch. I know at the new Prudential Center in Newark they have all of the NJ high schools hockey jerseys ringing the stadium.

It's a little easier to "honor" high school hockey than it is to honor high school, youth, or amateur baseball. For example I think there are only about 6 to 10 schools on Long Island (not that this is the Mets only demographic) that have HS hockey teams. Pretty much every HS has a baseball team. I think that would be overwhelming. The devils are a Jersey team, but with the Mets, where do you draw the line?

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 12:52 PM

Thank you. Instead of just complaining about what we're getting, you've given us a forum to explain what we want. I like your idea of Salty Parkers!

Your welcome. I'm sick of the complaining already

WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL WHINING ABOUT THE ROTUNDA NAME AND # 42 PATCHES IN THIS THREAD ??

SHUT UP ALREADY !

Be constructive for crying out loud !

Jeeze, you want some cheese with that whine, you freekin babies ?

jimmyjimjimz

04-16-2008, 12:58 PM

I really think that they should mark off the footprints of Shea and the footprints of the field in the parking lot.

Lafferty Daniel

04-16-2008, 01:07 PM

It's a little easier to "honor" high school hockey than it is to honor high school, youth, or amateur baseball. For example I think there are only about 6 to 10 schools on Long Island (not that this is the Mets only demographic) that have HS hockey teams. Pretty much every HS has a baseball team. I think that would be overwhelming. The devils are a Jersey team, but with the Mets, where do you draw the line?

At the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota every high school hockey team in the state has a jersey hanging in the main concourse. (Almost all of the high schools in MN have a hockey program so it's a lot of jerseys, but it doesn't dominate the large concourse.)

I'm sure the Mets can do the same if they limit the jerseys to teams in New York City and not the entire region or state.

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 01:14 PM

Here's what I would like.

I want a baseball stadium not a museum. I want to go watch the Mets play baseball...I don't need sausage/president races(not that the Mets do this) or airplane races (which they have via diamond vision). I don't need to be "told" when to cheer either. I don't want a huge cup of coffee in the visiting bullpen (but tomato plants in the home bullpen are OK). I want a professional Major League Baseball stadium. The Mets are the most successful expansion team and quite frankly by now a New York institution. (First NY team to draw 3 million). I don't want cheese, I want professionalism....I'm way too young to be a curmudgeon...

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 01:16 PM

"The George Foster closet"

To honor George Foster and other legendary Mets (would have to be a LARGE closet nonetheless)

located all the way in the back of Citi Field adjacent the truck garage and underneath the repair shop.

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 01:24 PM

I really think that they should mark off the footprints of Shea and the footprints of the field in the parking lot.

agreed. the braves did a nice job of it, keeping the wall of the outfield there. for a long time, it was the only way i knew where north south east and west was.

i dont want to see shea disappear entirely.

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 01:32 PM

i dont want to see shea disappear entirely.

I'll mark you and about 2 others on that very short list who wishes this! :rofl:

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 01:34 PM

At the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota every high school hockey team in the state has a jersey hanging in the main concourse. (Almost all of the high schools in MN have a hockey program so it's a lot of jerseys, but it doesn't dominate the large concourse.)

I'm sure the Mets can do the same if they limit the jerseys to teams in New York City and not the entire region or state.

Please don't take this a dig but Minnesota has just under 5 million residents. New York City has just over 8 million...but I honestly don't know how many high schools (or other amateur teams) that translates into. As a guess I'd say a few more.

In addition a large percentage of Met fans are from Long Island (since they do "technically" play on (but not in) Long Island). If you failed to include those teams/schools you would have some unhappy fans.

It is in some ways easier to include "all' the teams (ala MN or NJ high school hockey) than it would be to determine which HS teams to include for a team that draws fans(at times) from 3 states.

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 01:37 PM

"The George Foster closet"

Was there was alot about ole George we didn't know then, huh ?

Couldn't stand him. Guy made me want to puke. The king of the 6-4-3 rally killing double play. Now that time has mellowed me, I think the Mets need to have a George Foster Sideburn Night. That guy had some chops. I wouldn't even mind if he came back to throw out the first pitch.

Chevy114

04-16-2008, 01:51 PM

What about paying homage to New York youth/amateur baseball in Citi Field? Your city has a very deep baseball history that includes a lot of great youth baseball teams and programs. What if Citi Field had jerseys of all the youth teams in New York City hanging on a few of the walls in the main concourse?

I think it would be cool to see statues of kids playing stick ball, since that seems to be what people remember about the kids of yesteryear.

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 02:16 PM

I'll mark you and about 2 others on that very short list who wishes this! :rofl:

then put my name in BOLD. I'm proud of where I come from, with all it's faults and whatnots. I spent my childhood inside that park. It means something to me. I'm not saying it was perfect or even pretty. But it's a part of my life and I don't wish to see it disappear in it's entirely. I want to see something left over for sentimental value.

Kind of like Grandma's plastic on the living room furniture she was trying to preserve till the year 3025. Those old stain glass bowls that held all sorts of hard candy. The ugly floral printed wallpaper, wingback chairs, the ice box filled with Strobe bottles and the bulky german furniture.

You wouldn't dare have it in your house, but you cant help but be washed over in wonderful memories every time you visit.

And when that awful day comes that you can no longer visit... that's when you really miss it and understand then what it really means to you. But then, it will be too late.

Lafferty Daniel

04-16-2008, 02:19 PM

Please don't take this a dig but Minnesota has just under 5 million residents. New York City has just over 8 million...but I honestly don't know how many high schools (or other amateur teams) that translates into. As a guess I'd say a few more.

In addition a large percentage of Met fans are from Long Island (since they do "technically" play on (but not in) Long Island). If you failed to include those teams/schools you would have some unhappy fans.

It is in some ways easier to include "all' the teams (ala MN or NJ high school hockey) than it would be to determine which HS teams to include for a team that draws fans(at times) from 3 states.

I understand that NYC has much more people than Minny...but they fit all of those hockey jerseys in an arena, not a ballpark. Citi Field is much larger than a hockey arena. All I'm saying it would be a nice local touch in a corporate ballpark.

Lafferty Daniel

04-16-2008, 02:20 PM

I think it would be cool to see statues of kids playing stick ball, since that seems to be what people remember about the kids of yesteryear.

That sounds like a cool idea. Very fitting for a team in New York City.

whoisonit

04-16-2008, 02:24 PM

"then put my name in BOLD. I'm proud of where I come from, with all it's faults and whatnots. I spent my childhood inside that park. It means something to me. I'm not saying it was perfect or even pretty. But it's a part of my life and I don't wish to see it disappear in it's entirely. I want to see something left over for sentimental value.

Kind of like Grandma's plastic on the living room furniture she was trying to preserve till the year 3025. Those old stain glass bowls that held all sorts of hard candy. The ugly floral printed wallpaper, wingback chairs, the ice box filled with Strobe bottles and the bulky german furniture.

You wouldn't dare have it in your house, but you cant help but be washed over in wonderful memories every time you visit.

And when that awful day comes that you can no longer visit... that's when you really miss it and understand then what it really means to you. But then, it will be too late."

Thanks jeepingbaseball.

This is one of the most beautiful posts about Shea I've ever seen.

I'll cry when she comes down. Not because of what she is, but what she ment to me. All those memories from childhood in there. Sometimes when I'm there I'll pause in a spot and a memory of standing in that exact spot as a kid will wash over me. I have nothing bad to say about her.

There are more of us than there are people like him.

GuitarPunk2512

04-16-2008, 02:25 PM

-Skyline with mets logo on top of citi field CF scoreboard...MUST HAVE PLEASE !!!

-orange foul pouls PLEASE !!!!!

-giant mets script logo on the rotunda floor like the first rendering had...not something that say jackie robinson rotunda in giant letters

-mark out sheas footprint in the new parking lot....should leave the basees, pitcher rubber, and homeplate in th parking lot ( protected under plexiglass or something), mark out the scorebord, and BP, and fence locations, paint the field in the lot, ect.

RoastedPeanut

04-16-2008, 02:29 PM

I think that it would be pretty fitting to have a sandwich dedicated to Bill Buckner.. Afterall, it's eventually going to go right through your legs..

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 02:41 PM

I understand that NYC has much more people than Minny...but they fit all of those hockey jerseys in an arena, not a ballpark. Citi Field is much larger than a hockey arena. All I'm saying it would be a nice local touch in a corporate ballpark.

I disagree for Citi...I think it would be more appropriate if the minor/independent teams did it (LI Ducks, Bkn cyclones, SI Yankees, Newark Bears etc.)

In addition I feel the situation is a little different. Minnesota deservedly or not is thought of as the "home" of US hockey (it has the US Hockey hall of fame). Hockey is Minnesota. Baseball is not New York City. (I know Knickerbocker Nine...but I don't think New Yorkers think of Baseball the same way Minnesotans think of Hockey).

Jim Vaz

04-16-2008, 02:49 PM

I disagree for Citi...I think it would be more appropriate if the minor/independent teams did it (LI Ducks, Bkn cyclones, SI Yankees, Newark Bears etc.)

In addition I feel the situation is a little different. Minnesota deservedly or not is thought of as the "home" of US hockey (it has the US Hockey hall of fame). Hockey is Minnesota. Baseball is not New York City. (I know Knickerbocker Nine...but I don't New Yorkers think of Baseball the same way Minnesotans think of Hockey).

Good point.

Ans something like that would be well suited for Madison Square Garden or if they build the Barclays Center they can easily honor the NYC HS basketball teams. NYC is essentially a basketball city. Many of the greatest players have come from NYCs famous public and Catholic institutions.

six4three

04-16-2008, 02:53 PM

fans always know best.

Um.... no.

I'd like them to bronze the Apple and leave it exactly where it is.

Shbmets

04-16-2008, 03:13 PM

I agree with everything except for the orange foul poles. I hate those orange foul pouls almost as much as all the blue painted on everyting at Shea (including the blue concrete barriors around the perimeter of the stadium).

I did hear Jeff Wilpon say (I believe on the Fox Business News tour) that they are going to pay tribute to the diamond at Shea in the parking lot. They will mark off the bases, homeplate and the mound. This is similar to what they did for Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.

I would add - Keep the current Home Run Apple where it is and make it a meeting place in front of CitiField.

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 03:28 PM

Baseball is NOT New York City??

"Hey every Tom, Dick and Harry? Have you heard? There's a little game call baseball going around here!"

Are you freaking kidding me??? Where do you come from??

Brooklyn Dodgers
1932 - 1957
Brooklyn Robins
1914 - 1931
Brooklyn Dodgers
1911 - 1913
Brooklyn Superbas
1899 - 1910
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
1890 - 1898
Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA)
1889 - 1889
Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers (AA)
1884 - 1888

New York Yankees
1913 - present
New York Highlanders
1903 - 1912

New York Mets
1962 - present

New York Giants
1885 - 1957
New York Gothams
1883 - 1884

And the years a New York City team was in the World Series:

1905 World Series
1911 World Series
1912 World Series
1913 World Series
1916 World Series
1917 World Series
1920 World Series
1921 World Series
1922 World Series
1923 World Series
1924 World Series
1926 World Series
1927 World Series
1928 World Series
1932 World Series
1933 World Series
1936 World Series
1937 World Series
1938 World Series
1939 World Series
1941 World Series
1942 World Series
1943 World Series
1947 World Series
1949 World Series
1950 World Series
1951 World Series
1952 World Series
1953 World Series
1954 World Series
1955 World Series
1956 World Series
1957 World Series
1958 World Series
1960 World Series
1961 World Series
1962 World Series
1963 World Series
1964 World Series
1969 World Series
1973 World Series
1976 World Series
1977 World Series
1978 World Series
1981 World Series
1986 World Series
1996 World Series
1998 World Series
1999 World Series
2000 World Series
2001 World Series
2003 World Series

39 appearances by the Yankees
4 appearances by the Mets
9 appearances by the Brooklyn Dodgers
14 appearances by the NY Giants

And thats a grand total of 66 World Series appearances in 103 years. Now you find a city that has this list for one small geographical area.

Should I bother to mention the numerous minor league/penn league/Independence's league in the tri state area, or will that make things a little more difficult for you to understand that New York City IS INDEED a baseball city?

In addition, I know of no other city with the exception of maybe Boston that actually taught stickball in P.E....

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 03:58 PM

Baseball is NOT New York City??

"Hey every Tom, Dick and Harry? Have you heard? There's a little game call baseball going around here!"

Are you freaking kidding me??? Where do you come from??

Um. Here. Born and raised, Aside from the 7 years I spent in the Army and 3 in college (graduated..thanks) I've lived my whole life here. Both counties on the Island (9 and 9 years respectively) and 2 of the 5 boroughs (2 in Queens and 5 in Manhattan)

I think you misinterpreted or maybe misread my post.

As I posted, I think most Minnesotans (or even residents of other states because of the way it is portrayed in the media) think of Minnesota as the capital of US hockey (whether that is right or wrong). In essence Minnesota is hockey.

New York City on the other hand (IMO) is known and remembered for more than just baseball. New York City is not baseball (Even if it has a better claim to being baseball than Minnesota has to being hockey).

To put it in another way I would guess if you conducted a poll (not on a baseball site) and asked people two questions: Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when I say:

1. Minnesota

and then

2. New York City

In response to the first question hockey would probably be in the top 2 to 3 highest responses among Twins, Vikings or lakes(this is completely unscientific, it would of course depend on where the poll was conducted, someone in Iowa might say...Gophers or University of)

In response to the second question I'm not sure that baseball would be in the top 10 responses.

I hope that explains my position a little better.

Thanks for the history lesson, although I was aware of that information, someone else reading these posts may not have been.

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 04:25 PM

In response to the second question I'm not sure that baseball would be in the top 10 responses.

I hope that explains my position a little better.

Slightly it does. What baffles me is what could possibly be in the top 10 that would beat out baseball?

Broadway.... any name of any skycrapper... the food... yeah sure, those are a given.

Football, Hockey, Basketball... I'm not confident they will beat baseball in NYC as they don't have the greatest long term success as baseball has. The rivalry is always strong, intense, and most sought after events of the year... and the subway series beats the Yankees - Soxs series hands down.

Only reason why little league is not as strong in NYC as in other's is simple: there's no grass left for the 12+ million people living there on the islands.

Even from merchandise standpoint, 3 in 5 wear a baseball cap of their team's choice. Yes, football jerseys are a flood of green and blue in NY but during home games only and home games are in Jersey. You can find someone wearing a Mets or Yankees jersey/t shirt any day of the week all year long. As for the Knicks, Islanders, and Rangers... of the 3... there's more Rangers fan to be seen than the others. As for the Knicks.... I don't know much about basketball, as no one was an admitted fan when I grew up. The Nets... they play in Jersey and I don't even know if they are returning to Brooklyn or not.

Perhaps I'm biased, but I don't see basketball of all sports beating out baseball as New York City's sport. I've been to a few games at the Garden but only because the Bulls were in town and seeing was believing during Jordon's spotlight years. Couldn't tell you who won or what was the score... I simply don't know.

jimmyjimjimz

04-16-2008, 04:33 PM

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 04:38 PM

jimmyjimjimz

04-16-2008, 04:40 PM

i was sparing the guy.... but I said:

"Should I bother to mention the numerous minor league/penn league/Independence's league in the tri state area, or...."

which i assumed everyone knew i was referring to Brooklyn and Staten Island among others. My bad.

There's 2 AA Brooklyn teams that you mentioned, that's why I said you forgot the Staten Island Yankees and the Cyclones.

MSUlaxer27

04-16-2008, 04:42 PM

Slightly it does. What baffles me is what could possibly be in the top 10 that would beat out baseball?

Broadway.... any name of any skycrapper... the food... yeah sure, those are a given.

Football, Hockey, Basketball... I'm not confident they will beat baseball in NYC as they don't have the greatest long term success as baseball has. The rivalry is always strong, intense, and most sought after events of the year... and the subway series beats the Yankees - Soxs series hands down.

Only reason why little league is not as strong in NYC as in other's is simple: there's no grass left for the 12+ million people living there on the islands.

Even from merchandise standpoint, 3 in 5 wear a baseball cap of their team's choice. Yes, football jerseys are a flood of green and blue in NY but during home games only and home games are in Jersey. You can find someone wearing a Mets or Yankees jersey/t shirt any day of the week all year long. As for the Knicks, Islanders, and Rangers... of the 3... there's more Rangers fan to be seen than the others. As for the Knicks.... I don't know much about basketball, as no one was an admitted fan when I grew up. The Nets... they play in Jersey and I don't even know if they are returning to Brooklyn or not.

Perhaps I'm biased, but I don't see basketball of all sports beating out baseball as New York City's sport. I've been to a few games at the Garden but only because the Bulls were in town and seeing was believing during Jordon's spotlight years. Couldn't tell you who won or what was the score... I simply don't know.

As far as contributions to the sport... NYC has had a much bigger impact on basketball than it has had on baseball.

New York City is famous (and in some cases infamous) in basketball for the players it has produced (and have either played here or elsewhere). There are many states/cities that would be more famous (at least in the last 50 years) for producing baseball players.

I would think that "the Yankees" may come up in the top ten, but not a specific sport like hockey would in Minnesota (and I apologize if I'm stereotyping).

Sorry back to the gist of the post....we're getting off topic.

Edit: I think the NYC parks department might take issue with this statement. NYC has one of the best if not the best park system in the nation (and this goes beyond the jewels of Central and Bryant Park).

JeepingBaseball

04-16-2008, 04:48 PM

I will agree to disagree with you. But moving on...

Any updates of what they plan to do with the city skyline and mets logo yet? I really hope it will move into Citi Field

AN EDIT OF HONESTLY:

"New York City is famous (and in some cases infamous) in basketball for the players it has produced (and have either played here or elsewhere). There are many states/cities that would be more famous (at least in the last 50 years) for producing baseball players."

I can admit when I'm wrong, and I am. You are right in every regards here. NYC has produced more basketball stars than it has baseball stars. This is a fact.

parlo

04-16-2008, 05:21 PM

I would like a NL NY Baseball Hall Of Fame. Whether it is a museum, or a corridor, I dont care. Just a tribute to National League Baseball in NY. I dont want statues in honor of John Franco.
Mel Ott
Carl Hubbel
Tom Seaver
Christy Matthewson
Jerry Koosman
Duke Snider
Gil Hodges
Willie Mays
Mike Piazza
Roy Campanella
Keith Hernandez
1947,49,52,53,55,56 Dodgers
31,33,51,54 Giants (I forgot a few)
1969,73,86,2000 Mets.

six4three

04-16-2008, 10:23 PM

As far as contributions to the sport... NYC has had a much bigger impact on basketball than it has had on baseball.

Maybe in players alone.

But New York only created the Knickerbocker Rules, the very foundation for the game. No small contribution there.

New York City is baseball. It's a baseball town, first and foremost. The city lives and dies by its baseball clubs no matter how many other sports are played in town.

The fact that it is also known for being a world center in theatre, cuisine, business, and many other arenas does not diminish its claim to baseball.

Chevy114

04-17-2008, 05:49 AM

That sounds like a cool idea. Very fitting for a team in New York City.

Thank you, I always think each city has their own culture and that always sticks out as one of ny's little nitches in history!

whoisonit

04-17-2008, 06:42 AM

Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when I say:
2. New York City

20,000 dogs named Mookie.
Since this is a baseball forum I'm not going to comment on all those other sports which frankly I couldn't give a rat's tush about.

re:
GuitarPunk2512 & JeepingBaseball's desire's for the Skyline to be atop the Citi scoreboard; I totaly agree. It's certianly become an iconic bit of Shea. What do we do though, to remember the Twin Towers ? They can't stay on the scorebord forever, the site is transforming, the skyline will be changing.

re:
Chevy114's idea of sculptures depicting a stickball game. That's a terrific idea. So original too. Stickball is NYC all the way. I like this original, unique idea.

re:
parlo's idea for some form of NewYork Baseball Hall of Fame. This idea has a tremendous amount of good to it.
It certianly satisfies those among us who feel our Mets are the torch bearers of a rich glorius NL baseball heritage in this wonderful city. Many people feel, with good reason, we shouldn't forget these men who brought so much joy to our parents, grandparents & great-grandparents. Remembering history is never a bad thing.
It also satisfies those among us that feel Citi is all about baseball from 1962 on. We can have our orgy of orange & blue, without being bombarded with uniforms of other, defunct, NY teams. We have every right to revel in OUR METS, and only our Mets.
Since I personaly would take my family to the museum almost every vist, I wonder where inside Citi it should be ?

re:
jimmyjimjimz's contribution to save the footprints of Shea Stadium in the parking lot of Citi is an absolute must, in my opinion. Thank you j-j-j for finally not saying something stoopid. :)

Ferragamo

04-17-2008, 07:47 AM

I would add - Keep the current Home Run Apple where it is and make it a meeting place in front of CitiField.[/QUOTE]

That really is a great idea, especially that the current apple is pretty much right outside the Rotunda.

Aviator_Frank

04-17-2008, 08:18 AM

... any name of any skycrapper...

I didn't know we were gonna have a monument to the pigeons of Central Park too. :rofl:

whoisonit

04-17-2008, 08:41 AM

I want Citi Field to feel like home

Ditto that !

Seems obvious here.... you need a Shea moment. You could have head busts of all the greats and the base be shaped like Shea. You must remember, that without William Shea, who bought the national league back to New York, there would have been nothing to cheer about here.

What, like in the Capitol where they have the busts of the Presidents & VP's ? That would be kind of cool to have ringed around the concourses. Would make for good meet up spots too - "I'm at Grote's head".
Do you really want them mounted on a base shaped like Bill Shea though ?:)

Should open their doors to the community more, and not just for the kids. Open the park to see the high school state championships, host an annual women's baseball charity game, have a NYPD vs NYFD charity game.
They better. This Park is costing us alot in terms of infastructure improvements etc...

I want to see booths of inspirations. The military, the local colleges that offer the programs/degrees to work in sports, the encouragement of internships, and so forth.
This is such a cool idea. It is so original, and definitly inspired ! I'm impressed !

HoJoPiazza2031

04-17-2008, 10:55 AM

Here's my wishlist...

1) Retire #31. I don't care what anyone says, but Piazza re-injected life into the franchise. I think it's appropriate to honor the man once the new field opens

2) The skyline from the current scoreboard has to be preserved and showcased somewhere in the new field (ala Bush Stadium). It's a part of the ballpark, especially since the 9/11 ribbon was put up there.

3) Once a year, cause the toilets to back up and overflow as an homage to the character of Shea. The cleanup may be lengthy, so I would suggest doing it just before the allstar break.

4) While we're on the subject of bathrooms, how about "David Cone Lotion Dispensers" for all of the fans who want to enjoy that private moment during the 7th inning er, "stretch".

5) I agree with others. Bronze the current apple right where it is, and make it part of the "fan walk" near the rotunda. However, when you design the replacement, remember the orginal. DO NOT make it some crappy caricature.

whoisonit

04-17-2008, 11:01 AM

Here's my wishlist...

5) I agree with others. Bronze the current apple right where it is, and make it part of the "fan walk" near the rotunda. However, when you design the replacement, remember the orginal. DO NOT make it some crappy caricature.

But . . . the original is a crappy caricature, that's both the problem with it and what many like about it.

Bruce Boisclair

04-17-2008, 01:12 PM

I like the idea of the Seaver statue where the Shea mound used to be. Makes a great meeting spot and also a landmark in what will be a vast parking lot.

I also think that as opposed to the current crappy perimeter fence, perhaps the Mets can design a perimeter fence around the parking lot where Shea would have stood, that incorporates the blue and orange steel plate design. lol

As far as the inside of the CitiField, I'd still gladly trade out the apple for the classic, original Shea scoreboard (maybe a big Mets script light, instead of the classic logo-on-white), with everything you need to know in it's own little place. Put a huge diamond vision screen in left field.

whoisonit

04-18-2008, 12:40 PM

If you want to submit your ideas or someone elses to the Mets, send them a letter.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> New York Mets
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shea Stadium
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Flushing, NY 11368-1699

There are some good ideas for our new home offered. I am surprised at how very few there are, all together.

Venti

04-18-2008, 01:58 PM

I don't know if this was stated because I didn't feel like reading through every post, but they really should have bronze statues of every Mets Hall of Famer or retired number at each entrance in front of the stadium.

cgcoyne2

04-27-2008, 12:26 AM

agreed. the braves did a nice job of it, keeping the wall of the outfield there. for a long time, it was the only way i knew where north south east and west was.

i dont want to see shea disappear entirely.

Here's a picture from www.maps.google.com . It's the parking lot north of Ted Turner field where Fulton County Stadium stood. It has the footprint as well as the wall section that Hank Aaron cleared for his 715th HR off Al Downing. How about the Mets do the same when they turn Shea into the parking lot. The mound can have the statue of Tom Seaver on it. You can save the spot where Buckner missed the grounder in the '86 WS. How about the spot where Cleon Jones caught the final out of the 1969 WS.

Swoboda4

04-27-2008, 09:17 AM

Love the Seaver statue idea. Love what the Braves did in the parking lot. I agree that specific spots should be marked for plays: Swoboda's catch, Buckner's play, Agee's catches, where the black cat walked.

I always liked the idea of bringing the old white scoreboard over, in its original dimensions, and colors (white, not blue). The main message board on the original scoreboard was always the proper place for the large TV screen, not sure why it was never incorporated there. Text announcements could appear in original 60's light bulb format, just created via computer.

JohnCropp

04-27-2008, 09:30 AM

Here's a picture from www.maps.google.com . It's the parking lot north of Ted Turner field where Fulton County Stadium stood. It has the footprint as well as the wall section that Hank Aaron cleared for his 715th HR off Al Downing. How about the Mets do the same when they turn Shea into the parking lot. The mound can have the statue of Tom Seaver on it. You can save the spot where Buckner missed the grounder in the '86 WS. How about the spot where Cleon Jones caught the final out of the 1969 WS.

As much as I hate the team, I love Turner Field. It's a great place to watch a game (unless you like to see the Mets win :ughh), and for a place that's relatively new, they represent the Braves history well with the old stadium in the parking lot and the footprint of the Ted's Olympic incarnation preserved. From the first base side, you can see all of it plus the Georgia capital and the Atlanta skyline.

I'd like to see the Mets mark Shea's footprint in the parking lot and leave the original apple in place, but with the seating bowl and outfield area already resembling Turner Field, I fear that keeping Shea's footprint would only add to the copycat factor.

Good thing NYC didn't get the 2012 Olympics!

Gary Dunaier

04-27-2008, 08:26 PM

The main message board on the original scoreboard was always the proper place for the large TV screen, not sure why it was never incorporated there.

Because by the time they revamped the scoreboard in 1988, that area was already being used as a Budweiser ad. Perhaps if the technonogy had already been available by then, things may have turned out different.

Swoboda4

04-27-2008, 09:12 PM

Because by the time they revamped the scoreboard in 1988, that area was already being used as a Budweiser ad. Perhaps if the technonogy had already been available by then, things may have turned out different.

Right, I know. But since it was just a big ad, I figured they could retro fit one in there. That big scoreboard has more personality than people realize. Shea as a whole does, but that is a longer post than I have time for now.

DukeBX

10-15-2009, 02:59 PM

-Skyline with mets logo on top of citi field CF scoreboard...MUST HAVE PLEASE !!!

I would love that!:applaud::clapping

RayNY

10-15-2009, 04:14 PM

Honestly I wouldn't like the skyline above the Citi Field scoreboard for the same reasons I wouldn't want the neon silhouettes on the outside walls of Citi Field . It's just a completely different ballpark. Shea was Shea and it had its own cheezy 80's vibe. And the skyline was part of that 80's vibe. Wouldn't look right in Citi Field.

I do know however, that whatever the Wilpons and Dave Howard do decide to do, it will either be done completely wrong or it will be half-assed. Have they proven anything otherwise?

God help Citi Field.

NYFan1stYankFan2nd

10-15-2009, 04:41 PM

mets16

10-15-2009, 07:03 PM

My official wish list.

Make it New York
Have places to display the Mets' efforts after 9/11. Put up murals of Piazza's home run from 9/21. Lets embrace the fact we play in the best city in the world.

Honoring the NYPD and FDNY is a necessity, have some place for them to leave messages for fallen heros and artifacts.

Mets fans are the greatest fans in the world.
Have an area honoring the fans who came out since 1962, not everyone can shell out 100 bucks for a brick. Murals would adorn this area as well.

Shake Shack
It has been said before, but satellite stands are a necessity. People wait on ridiculously long lines and miss the game.

Bullpens
This is a must. I know it has been posted before, but to close up the crazy ugly RF area is needed. Put the fence across and they will connect. Also ad some LED displays by the bullpen to display strikeouts and pitcher's stats. It will also give us an idea as to who's warming up. If you haven't seen my plan to fix this click here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjway2006/4014967263/sizes/l/).

Meet the Mets.
Add the cards from the suite level to the rest of the place. Those would look great and they will honor the Mets rich history, which has been forgotten over the years.

We are the champions
The Mets have taken part of some of the best Fall Classics, and they really go unnoticed. The White Sox put a nice tribute to their champions outside the park and it would look great outside. Have areas to honor the '69 and '86 teams outside and inside. The kids will never have an idea as to their team's history if it continues to be like this. A learning center for first time fans and children can be a great addition to the museum.

Cut the crap.
We all know baseball is a business, but don't shove this FiOS thing down our throats. Keep the interest on the field and it will pay off. Nobody goes to a baseball game to buy a home telephone service. And we don't need a pre-natal center for expectant mothers. I think the demand for Mets outweighs parenting tips at a ballpark. I can think of 10 better things to utilize that area than a retail space.

Club scene
Open the Promenade club to promenade reserved ticketholders. It can only help the Mets out by fans buying their food. Also, don't ever close the bullpen plaza for a private party. Either move the apple or leave it open. Especially in the first few years of the place.

The Mets are starting to do great things but we still need to persist.

RayNY

10-15-2009, 08:20 PM

I agree with your list. The FiOS thing bugs the hell out of me. Biggest waste of space. There absolutely needs to be another Shake Shack and more of the imported beers in the promenade.

And of course, more Mets branding throughout the ballpark. And they need to DO IT RIGHT. Not some half-assed bulls**t. Like instead of Dave Howard and Jeff Wilpon sitting down with crayons and a coloring book sharing their ideas, how about hire a real interior designing firm. Let professionals do this job so it doesn't look lame. (after what I've seen this season I honestly don't believe they have a real designing firm handling this stuff. From an interior design/branding point of view, Citi Field is a disaster.)

... and if the Wilpons are so godamn obsessed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, at least have this ballpark more about NY National League History rather than just Fredo's beloved Dodgers, c'mon.

I too wondered why there's nothing at all to salute the FDNY from 9/11 despite this being NYC. Oh yeah that's right because all Fred Wilpon cared about was making this a Brooklyn Dodgers home.

And YES, I hate the fact that they close off the bullpen entrance for smug pretentious private parties. Nothing says "we are more important than you" than by closing off an entire entrance, in plain view of everyone, to have a private function. Private functions are for PRIVATE ROOMS like the suites!

Bullpens.

BuddyJas

10-15-2009, 08:41 PM

I would convert the promenade dining area behind home plate into a Met museum. I was in there the last Friday of the season to warm up and hoping to view the game behind the glass. Guess what? You cannot even see the batter from there. What a waste.

Rob R

10-15-2009, 08:43 PM

That list seems like a start. But, I'm a little confused. Did Piazza stare the terrorists in the face, hit a homer and say, "Take that"?

I'm all for a memorial in remembrance and honoring the heros of that tragic day, but let's not Giuliani-ize it either by over-dramatizing the trivial and unimportant. It cheapens it.

mets16

10-16-2009, 12:31 AM

That list seems like a start. But, I'm a little confused. Did Piazza stare the terrorists in the face, hit a homer and say, "Take that"?

No but you know what? New York needed something. I was 13 but everything that happened I was on edge. The first sporting event, which was a Rangers preseason game, I was there, and everyone was on the edge of their seats. It is something that will always remain something surreal, and for a group of 45,000 people to be gathered in one place for a single cause even though they all had their own obstacles to handle at the time. Whether it be finding a loved one or even a new job, things seemed bad, for the greatest city to be brought to it's knees in an instant will always be the thing I take away from the attacks. The Piazza home run may have been mediocre in a literal sense but for what he did for New Yorkers (myself included) will rank up with some of the best Mets moments ever. I know it is hard to see the first thing that healed New York was the lowly Mets, but you have to understand, which I find it hard for you Rob, a New Yorker, and someone who was probably older than 13 in 2001, to not think it was a great moment. I know Piazza was most likely "juiced" but for that one moment, everything was ok. Put it this way: It was the first time I didn't think about the WTC in 10 days. The way I was looking to implement this into Citi would be very subtle, something the Wilpons can learn when immortalizing something. It would maybe include a picture of Piazza rounding the bases, American flags waving, and some WTC artifacts. They had some laying around in Penn Station in the weeks following, and I doubt they discarded them. It was not only a defining moment for baseball, but for America. And believe me, this comes from the heart... I am not Rudy-ing anything.

Mary Ellen

10-16-2009, 06:16 AM

There were some good ideas posted here but I am not convinced things will change too much at CF. I hope I am wrong. A Mets Museum would have been pretty easy to do. I would have been happy to see the Shea Stadium dedication plaque in a room to confirm it has not been melted down or is in some demo guy's living room.

Barry Meisel mined a bunch of Mets history out of the old building it would have been nice if some of it did not spread to the 4 corners of the earth. Since the Mets history was such an afterthought for the Wilpon's (who were too busy blowing up photos of the Brooklyn Dodgers) it may be too late.

CandlestickBum

10-16-2009, 07:22 AM

As a nod toward the laughing stocks of the pre Gil Hodges era, (who we musn't forget, ever);

I would like all pretzles at Citi to be called Salty Parkers.

That's FANtastic. Love the whimsy.

That really would be neat if they did that.

BuddyJas

10-16-2009, 10:27 AM

I agree with your list. The FiOS thing bugs the hell out of me. Biggest waste of space. There absolutely needs to be another Shake Shack and more of the imported beers in the promenade.

And of course, more Mets branding throughout the ballpark. And they need to DO IT RIGHT. Not some half-assed bulls**t. Like instead of Dave Howard and Jeff Wilpon sitting down with crayons and a coloring book sharing their ideas, how about hire a real interior designing firm. Let professionals do this job so it doesn't look lame. (after what I've seen this season I honestly don't believe they have a real designing firm handling this stuff. From an interior design/branding point of view, Citi Field is a disaster.)

... and if the Wilpons are so godamn obsessed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, at least have this ballpark more about NY National League History rather than just Fredo's beloved Dodgers, c'mon.

I too wondered why there's nothing at all to salute the FDNY from 9/11 despite this being NYC. Oh yeah that's right because all Fred Wilpon cared about was making this a Brooklyn Dodgers home.
And YES, I hate the fact that they close off the bullpen entrance for smug pretentious private parties. Nothing says "we are more important than you" than by closing off an entire entrance, in plain view of everyone, to have a private function. Private functions are for PRIVATE ROOMS like the suites!

Bullpens.

In the summer of 07, while CF was being built I wrote to the Wilpons and suggesting that they make either foul pole 343 feet away-----to honor the 343 firemen who perished on Sept 11. It wouldn't have been much of a change since the left field pole stands at 335 feet away. I also suggested either a plaque or inscribing the names of the deceased on the pole. Never heard back.

Aviator_Frank

10-16-2009, 12:10 PM

How about something nice atop the scoreboard?

metfan61

10-16-2009, 01:02 PM

You mean like this?

77517

DukeBX

10-16-2009, 01:17 PM

How about something nice atop the scoreboard?

I would love to have one of those. even NYS has it's name in big letters.

metfan61

10-16-2009, 01:26 PM

1. Fix the Bullpens.

2. Plant bushes arount the Apple.

3. Get rid of the Mo Zone and put seats strait across.

4. Put a Mets logo somewhere, like on top of score board.

5. Replace the glass on staircases with simple railings (no glare)

6. Statues of Mets palyers throughout plaza.

I'll think of more.

six4three

10-16-2009, 01:27 PM

I, for one, don't want any more 9/11 memorials.

I was there, too. I remember what it was like. I lost friends on that day. But I don't want a memorial on every block, and I certainly don't want one in any of the city's stadiums.

Put one at Ground Zero. Whenever they build the new WTC. But let's not sprinkle them all over the city. It cheapens them all.

RayNY

10-16-2009, 02:06 PM

Good point Aviator_Frank. Most other ballparks have a nice elaborate sign to proudly display their team logo (as per your examples). Not the Mets!

Lastly, something I forgot to mention before, and I know people love to internet bash me for this, but I hate the way the retired numbers look. I just don't like the slapped on vinyl sticker look. It looks cheap. And it also shares its space with a Bud Lite and Free Credit Report ad, which completely belittles its importance. It looks cheap and rushed, as if they just slapped it on at the last second.

If you look at other ballpark examples of how they display their retired numbers, they put them in more prominent locations that are solely for the purpose of those retired numbers. They seemed to have made a greater effort than the Mets to honor their numbers.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2393861759_c95abe5723.jpg?v=0
http://www.coreybrinn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/retired-numbers1-300x225.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3912700957_64c16b5131.jpg
http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/notaphan/files/2009/08/DSC_0195-499x334.jpg
:banghead:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__I_t30OCWsw/Sej1A9D-fPI/AAAAAAAABOk/Lrso6uVnUnc/s400/2009_0416openingday0091.JPG

AJbaseball00024

10-16-2009, 05:46 PM

My list:

1. Mets Museum in ballpark.

2. Give fans more access to ballpark.

3. Make Home Run Apple faster.

4. Fix obstructed views.

robardin

10-16-2009, 08:39 PM

Fewer ads, especially those facing outwards from the stadium! My goodness, driving past the ballpark from the Flushing side (on Northern Blvd.), all you can see are the billboards like it's a giant annoying web page with banner ads. It feels very minor league!

From inside the park it's bad enough: one blog counted over 30 ads visible from the infield, and the total advertising space surrounding the main center field display is way more than the the space dedicated to game and player information:

http://branddunk.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/citifield_sponsors1.jpg?w=640&h=480

And you know what? It's not the area but the number of different sponsors that makes it so distracting. Shea's center field board also had a lot of area for ad space, but less so than Citi Field, and in the form of 4-6 large ads dominated by the giant Budweiser ad in the center, instead of having 3+3+2+2+1 ads surrounding the center image at Citi Field.

http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/44831/2339756870026680751S500x500Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2339756870026680751jVofPa)

But from the outside it's much worse. Shea had neon ballplayers and one large ad taking up the entirety of the back of the Jumbotron, like this pic of when JP Morgan Chase used to sponsor the "Baseball Is For Kids" theme:

http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/fmcp/shea/09-10-04/38stadium.jpg

When you drove by Shea on the Whitestone or Northern Blvd. you just saw the blue bowl of the stadium and the neon players. Now, though, with most of the stadium brick hidden by the highway walls, mostly what you see are Internet banner ads come to life:

http://umpbump.com/press/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/amazins.jpg

Bleah!!!!

robardin

10-16-2009, 08:45 PM

And, ditto on switching the relative size/prominence of "CitiField" (with the Citi umbrella logo) and "Let's Go Mets" on the center field board. It should say "METS", in the team script, as the big part, and "Citi Field" in small letters underneath it, the way Target Field has it as shown by the picture linked to on the last page.

robardin

10-16-2009, 08:53 PM

I can assume there is no way in at least eight hells that New Yankee Stadium has so many outward facing ads, like a streetwalker flashing the goodies... But even without going up against the yardstick of the Most Stuck Up Team In Baseball (I do mean that in a good way), is there ANY other ballpark that looks like this? I haven't seen a lot of ballparks in person, just Shea, Citi Field, Revised Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Fenway Park (outside only, during the offseason), Wrigley Field and Olympic Stadium (but pardon my non-French, chers Quebecois, I meant Stade Olympique). And from a distance, New Yankee Stadium and I think both Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park in Philly. I can't remember any billboard style ads on their exteriors, except for team ads like the Mets used to have advertising Mets.com and 718-507-TIXX:

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/44591/2638158790026680751S500x500Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2638158790026680751TGgTWl)

Jim Vaz

10-16-2009, 08:58 PM

Gotta love the "save Willets Point" banner.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/480616656_8440d99774.jpg
Yea, so much nice stuff to save, definitely worth it

Rob R

10-16-2009, 09:40 PM

Gotta love the "save Willets Point" banner.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/480616656_8440d99774.jpg
Yea, so much nice stuff to save, definitely worth it

Cab drivers must feel like they're back home when they drive through Willets.

Jim Vaz

10-16-2009, 09:46 PM

Cab drivers must feel like they're back home when they drive through Willets.

People in Sadr City, Baghdad would not set foot in Willets Point! :laugh

Gary Dunaier

10-16-2009, 09:52 PM

Willets Point was across from the Shea Stadium parking lot until someone decided to build a ballpark on it.

RayNY

10-17-2009, 12:11 AM

http://umpbump.com/press/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/amazins.jpg
http://branddunk.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/citifield_sponsors1.jpg?w=640&h=480

Bleah!!!!

Yeah dude I drove back from Flushing a few weeks ago and saw it from that same angle. It looks horrific with all the ads on the outside. It's like the yellowpages plastered onto a giant building. I was literally shocked at how bad it looked. That was the first time I saw it from that angle at that distance.

Even inside Citi Field the ads around the scoreboards are a complete eyesore. When I see NYS, they have ads too, but they made theirs neat and uniformed and it actually blends in well with the rest of the stadium. But in Citi Field everything just looks so cluttered, messy, and distracting.

Mary Ellen

10-17-2009, 06:03 AM

I wonder what the payback is for those ads is anyway. The only ads I noticed are Budweiser and that silly tractor ad which seems so out of place for an urban area.

It must be the TV audience that they are looking for.

NYFan1stYankFan2nd

10-17-2009, 12:48 PM

Gotta love the "save Willets Point" banner.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/480616656_8440d99774.jpg
Yea, so much nice stuff to save, definitely worth it

Streets o' Baghdad look nicer than that, thank's to Uncle Dicks' old contracting firm..uhm...Halli-something? :nod:

NYFan1stYankFan2nd

10-17-2009, 12:50 PM

schnu

10-19-2009, 07:44 AM

schnu

10-19-2009, 07:45 AM

Yeah dude I drove back from Flushing a few weeks ago and saw it from that same angle. It looks horrific with all the ads on the outside. It's like the yellowpages plastered onto a giant building. I was literally shocked at how bad it looked. That was the first time I saw it from that angle at that distance.

Even inside Citi Field the ads around the scoreboards are a complete eyesore. When I see NYS, they have ads too, but they made theirs neat and uniformed and it actually blends in well with the rest of the stadium. But in Citi Field everything just looks so cluttered, messy, and distracting.

As someone who drives past CF every day, the ads on the back of the scoreboard are borderline hideous.

Jim Vaz

10-19-2009, 11:41 PM

RayNY

10-19-2009, 11:50 PM

I swear, the Mets are really the most bizarre franchise out there. Everything they do is either wrong, tacky, and or cheap, from the very top down to the last usher. :shrug:

I second that. It all starts from the top and works its way down. This is why the Wilpons are so disliked. They are completely out of touch with the Mets fans. It really sucks to have them as the owner of the team.

mets16

10-19-2009, 11:57 PM

I second that. It all starts from the top and works its way down. This is why the Wilpons are so disliked. They are completely out of touch with the Mets fans. It really sucks to have them as the owner of the team.

If they were the first bit creative Citi would look good. To look good doesn't always mean expensive. They just are the kings of half-assing things.

Jim Vaz

10-19-2009, 11:57 PM

I second that. It all starts from the top and works its way down. This is why the Wilpons are so disliked. They are completely out of touch with the Mets fans. It really sucks to have them as the owner of the team.

And I always hate making it about the owners and how strange the Mets organization is, but really it always comes back to that.

I quietly pray every day that someone out there or some group is building up a plan to buy the Mets and give the Wilpons an offer they can't refuse.
Of course, thats just a fantasy.:cry:

mandrake

10-20-2009, 04:07 AM

The ads on the back of Citi Field are borderline embarrassing. A very tacky addition to what could be a nice area back there. The Wilpons or somebody over there just trying to squeeze in every last advertising dollar.

Look at the back of CPB in Philly, no clutter, none of that crap like that!
Just a picture of the fanatic!
I swear, the Mets are really the most bizarre franchise out there. Everything they do is either wrong, tacky, and or cheap, from the very top down to the last usher. :shrug:

copied from www.stadiumpage.com

http://www.stadiumpage.com/citizens/bkvue.JPG

copied from www.stadiumpage.com

http://www.stadiumpage.com/citizens/carlton.JPG

All season long, there were Mets apologists claiming that Phillies tickets cost up to 70% less than Mets tickets (depending on sections of course) because there was no comparing the Philly Market to the NY market. And yet somehow the Phillies can charge a lot less than the Mets do, yet they don't find it mandatory to fill every single space with ads. Somehow, the Phillies are making it work without fleecing the fan base, and flooding the horizon with ugly ads. Oh, and it looks like they could be winning back to back pennants....something that the Mets can only dream about right now.

No matter what some pom-pon wavers say, the Mets are NOT the NY market. The Yankees are. The Mets are Long Island/Queens.....not Manhattan, Westchester,Bergen County etc. That is Yankee territory.

(the Mets are the Islanders, the Yanks are the Rangers....except they actually win a lot.:nod:)

To Jeff and Fred and their pom-pon squad....would the Angels, Phillies, or Yankees trade places top to bottom with the Mets??? Stadium,team on the field, treatment of team history...etc etc.

Jeff and Fred... explain to the fan base how the Mets will be as good as Philly, NYY, Anaheim next season. Explain how the Phillies can charge so much less than the Mets do. Explain exactly where the Philly/NYC markets are divided (last time I was at Great Adventure, I must have been in the Philly market because I did not see a single Mets item being worn Everything was Phillies or Yankees).

To those who like to lecture that the NY market warrants the Mets trying to fleece the fanbase, then explain the Jets ticket prices versus the Eagles prices if there is such a huge difference in the markets...unless Giants Stadium sits outside the NY market.:crazy

Strawman

10-20-2009, 06:02 AM

No matter what some pom-pon wavers say, the Mets are NOT the NY market. The Yankees are. The Mets are Long Island/Queens.....not Manhattan, Westchester,Bergen County etc. That is Yankee territory.

(the Mets are the Islanders, the Yanks are the Rangers....except they actually win a lot.:nod:)

Look, you can have differences with the ownership - I certainly do - but statements like these are just plain off the charts wrong.

The Mets are second to the Yanks in the current NY market but 1. it hasn't always been so and 2. the Islanders comparison is silly.

The Mets drew 3.1 million fans this year and from the mid-80s to up to the early 90s regularly outdrew the Yankees - and, of course, destroyed the NYY from the late 60s to the mid-70s - maybe you're not old enough to remember, but it's true. The Yankees' attendance juggernaut is relatively recent.

Further, the Mets do indeed have fans beyond Long Island including, gasp, even the upper class reaches of Manhattan, Westchester (including me), and New Jersey.

Now, if the damned ownership would put a team with perennial post-season achievements on the field, you'd see how quickly the Mets would rival the Yankees as a business.

That said, the ads are pretty ugly - but they're the kind of thing people focus on after a bad year. When you're watching the game you never even notice 'em.

Jim Vaz

10-20-2009, 06:33 AM

I agree with both of you guys in some senses.

I used to though buy into the geographic divide of the NY area, but since the 90s the fanbases are so intermixed now. No longer is long island a majority Met fan base IMO. Its mixed.

If you go back weven to 1996, prior to the Yankees run of the last decade the place was regulary FULL of empty seats. One of the reasons why george whined and cried all those years for his new stadium and threatening to move to NJ

peterrod16

10-20-2009, 06:47 AM

i still say the original renderings was the best
You can see most of the Light fixtures are free of ad's except for RF.
Portals in the promenade
there are millions of advertisments in the metro area
So the ads fit our metro area.
I would accept the ads only if the outfield walls could be blue and replace some of the ads wit old met photos on the wall.
Similar to St.Louis
mandrake in terms of the ticket market.
The wilpons will never go to the phillies prices range unless the team has another awful season.
If you want to see how a new ballpark should look and embrace team history visit the target field page

dstoffa

10-20-2009, 07:26 AM

Gotta love the "save Willets Point" banner.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/480616656_8440d99774.jpg
Yea, so much nice stuff to save, definitely worth it

You sure this isn't a scene from 'The Amazing Race'?

dstoffa

10-20-2009, 07:30 AM

My official wish list.

Club scene
Open the Promenade club to promenade reserved ticketholders. It can only help the Mets out by fans buying their food.

If they open the PC to everyone and use that as a guise to raise prices, then no.

All I really want is to get GOOD TAP BEER.

What they need to do is go old school. Bring back beer vendors who carry around the trays of drafts... but this time, make them Brooklyn Ales.... They'd make a killing I tell ya... A killing...

Hell, even one good tap beer stand in the Prom Food Court would be sat.

Cheers!
-Doug

mandrake

10-20-2009, 04:50 PM

Look, you can have differences with the ownership - I certainly do - but statements like these are just plain off the charts wrong.

The Mets are second to the Yanks in the current NY market but 1. it hasn't always been so and 2. the Islanders comparison is silly.

The Mets drew 3.1 million fans this year and from the mid-80s to up to the early 90s regularly outdrew the Yankees - and, of course, destroyed the NYY from the late 60s to the mid-70s - maybe you're not old enough to remember, but it's true. The Yankees' attendance juggernaut is relatively recent.

Further, the Mets do indeed have fans beyond Long Island including, gasp, even the upper class reaches of Manhattan, Westchester (including me), and New Jersey.

Now, if the damned ownership would put a team with perennial post-season achievements on the field, you'd see how quickly the Mets would rival the Yankees as a business.

That said, the ads are pretty ugly - but they're the kind of thing people focus on after a bad year. When you're watching the game you never even notice 'em.

My first Mets game was a DH vs St Louis in June 1968. I had a Sunday plan through the glory days from the mid 1980's until the mid 90's. I still have my Buckner ticket framed. I do recall when the Mets killed the Yankees at the gate from 1964-1975, and then again from 1984-1992. I have posted several times on the reasons for this on both the Mets and the Yankees forums.

Sadly, the Yanks have outdrawn the Mets for 17 straight seasons, and probably always will since they have 20% more seating now. Even with a brand new Citi Field and drawing 3.1 million based on mostly advance sales, I think the Mets finished 7th in MLB. I would not be surprised if they fall out of the top ten next season if the wheels fall off again.

Just going places and looking around for Mets stuff at Great Adventure where it was all NYY/Philly; I also went several times to Six Flags New England, on the CT/MA border and I never saw anything Mets...75% Red Sox, 25% NYY. Up in Lake George at Great Escape, it was probaly 75% NYY 25% red Sox. At Saratoga, people were expressing 'sympathy' to me when I wore a Mets '69 shirt. Go to the local Modell's up here and it is always Yankees everywhere, very little sales on the Mets stuff.

There was a poll earlier this year which was discussed on BF, where 70% of NY metro fans now claim to be NYY fans.

I can't see the Mets becoming more popular for at least a decade, if ever.:cry:

dstoffa

10-21-2009, 08:26 AM

Sadly, the Yanks have outdrawn the Mets for 17 straight seasons, and probably always will since they have 20% more seating now. Even with a brand new Citi Field and drawing 3.1 million based on mostly advance sales, I think the Mets finished 7th in MLB. I would not be surprised if they fall out of the top ten next season if the wheels fall off again.

The Yanks have become a machine. They will pay players whatever it takes to compete. They will never return to the Stump Merril years ever again. There is too much to loose, considering what they are charging for tickets and YES.

Just going places and looking around for Mets stuff at Great Adventure where it was all NYY/Philly; I also went several times to Six Flags New England, on the CT/MA border and I never saw anything Mets...75% Red Sox, 25% NYY. Up in Lake George at Great Escape, it was probaly 75% NYY 25% red Sox. At Saratoga, people were expressing 'sympathy' to me when I wore a Mets '69 shirt. Go to the local Modell's up here and it is always Yankees everywhere, very little sales on the Mets stuff.

There was a poll earlier this year which was discussed on BF, where 70% of NY metro fans now claim to be NYY fans.

I can't see the Mets becoming more popular for at least a decade, if ever.:cry:

I think the Mets are doomed. Philadelphia looks to be a beast for some time. And Atlanta isn't too shabby. The Marlins always seem to find a way. The Mets are way too far away from being a dynasty team like the Yankees. And until that changes, the Mets will never be on top. That horse left the barn 20 years ago. They had a chance in 2000... had the Mets won that World Series, and continued to compete... but they didn't. Hell, they could have stolen a championship in 2006, and things would be WAY different...

Cheers!
-Doug

Aviator_Frank

10-21-2009, 09:19 AM

The Mets' year was in 2006. They had the 1986 swagger, Reyes and Wright were at the top of their game and Shea had that "this is our year" championship buzz from the All-Star break onwards. The same could be said for the Tigers in 06.

I agree, the Mets are in dire straits when you look at the Phils and even the Braves. I think they should bust up the team and build around Wright, Johann and maybe Pelf and/or Maine with a good pitching coach. Warthen has to go; every pitcher regressed under him this season. Petersen was a good coach - Pelfrey and Maine were steadily showing improvement, hell even Ollie looked like an MLB pitcher. There was no reason to fire him. What, because the bullpen was a disaster? IMHO a pitching coach is more important for your starters who must face the oppostion's lineup 3-4x an outing than someone who comes in to throw to a single batter or two.

Jim Vaz

10-21-2009, 10:01 PM

Phillies are going to be around indeed for a while. As long as they get the pitching, keep the bats, and play in that bandbox they will DOMINATE.

As a Mets fan I know they won't do it right and will eff it up somehow.

But if I was the GM, I don't even worry about next year or the year after that. I know they have this need to sell seats because of the Yankees and the Phillies, but they need to build this whole thing back up. No patches. Adding a piece here and there like so many want us will not make us a winner. This thing is a failure and it needs to be shaken down and built back up.
New GM
New Manager
Whole new approach.

RayNY

10-21-2009, 10:33 PM

I agree but I don't think it even starts at the GM. I think it starts with the owners. You really have to scratch your head after knowing that the Wilpons are so pleased with the outcome of the last 3 seasons that they are giving Omar yet another chance, in full confidence mind you.

They are also completely out of touch with the Mets fans, despite owning the freaking Mets. They have what they always think in their mind are good intentions, but in typical fashion they always end up with something that comes up short, half-assed, or just completely wrong. When is enough enough?

Mary Ellen

10-22-2009, 05:25 AM

I have to agree with you Ray. The Mets problems are poor fundamentals in every aspect of the organization. Omar's team has not performed for the last 3 seasons be it choking or injury and lack of depth and he apparently does not have to worry about the hammer coming down.

Even watching the playoffs this fall - I see teams that do what they are supposed to do. Play hard, drive in runs, long at bats, hit into fewer double plays. I feel like the Mets need to get back to basics. Stop gloating over their new ballpark and play some baseball. PLEASE.

Jim Vaz

10-22-2009, 07:48 AM

Yea it starts from the very top. Just from the way wilpons run it and how they operate spells doom from the get go for this organization.

And what you have to remember too is that even if they are able to get a team thats very good and compettive, the Wilpons are not the types of owners who will go for it all and put everything into itg. They will never take that next most crucial step, either because they cave or they're just plain cheap.
Plus they will never admit their failures or eat their mistakes.

We the fans pay. We pay with our emotions and our wallets.