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C I T I F I E L D
August 29, 2011
Florida Marlins v. New York Mets
4:10pm
New York 2, Florida 1
WP: Dickey (6-11, 3.57 ERA)
LP: Sanchez, An. (7-7, 3.97 ERA)
S: Parnell (2)
Attendance: 29,335
Time: 2:44
76 degrees, partly cloudy
Citi Field replaced Shea Stadium in 2009. It seats over 41,000 and is located in Flushing, adjacent to the U.S. Open complex. Everyone should know from John Rocker’s comments a number of years ago that it is a simple ride on the 7 train that gets you here.
Today, the gates only opened 1 hour before first pitch. The game I went to was the first part of a doubleheader with the second game being a makeup from earlier in the year. Normally, you can get in via the Jackie Robinson Rotunda 2 hours before first pitch. The Marlins were taking BP when I walked in, but I didn’t have time to do any ball shagging.
The Atmosphere: It’s a good place for a game. But, it was QUIET here. This was not an originally scheduled game time so I’m sure that had something to do with it, and the crowd got bigger as the game went on in prep for game 2. Still, at the start of this, I didn’t know if I was at a baseball game or stuck in the Bailey Library.
The Scorecard: Tucked inside a thick $5 program. You couldn’t even take it out, so it was basically like keeping score inside a Pathophysiology textbook. I had to close it when not in use and then open it back up again when something happened. It also had the dreaded predrawn diamond.
The Hot Dog: New York is all about Nathan’s, so that’s what they serve here. I was pleasantly surprised. It was not grilled as far as I could tell. But, it had very good taste. I didn’t put any ketchup on this one. They do have a lot of garnishments but not exactly what I was looking for. I’m actually going to give it the #4 spot. Though not perfect, it has enough taste to get it there. Of note, if you are at all calorie conscious and like to count them, it’s easy to do here. Every item has the calories printed on the menu. I think that’s some NYC law, but I didn’t notice it at the restaurant I later ate at.
The Broadcasters: They did just fine, but they didn’t pop out. Not the classic radio voice. Former Cardinal announcer Wayne Hagin is part of the crew, along with Howie Rose. They call the game on 660AM.
Entertainment: Mr. Met didn’t make an appearance until the 7th inning stretch. Maybe he’s not healthy enough to last 2 full games, but I thought I’d seen him earlier than that. There is some “race” where a few rows see who can get the pizza box from one end to the other the fastest. “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” is a fallacy here. I think this is the second place I’ve been where they shout out, “Home Team”. What is that? Say your team’s name.
The card in a book.
You can get game-used items here. I was actually able to get one from today’s game immediately after. Good system.
Views from Around the Park:
Other words: Would go back when the Mets are doing better and the crowd is larger.
I also found this on their website:
There is one tryout at MCU Park for young players who feel they have been overlooked by the scouting process. For information, send a letter with your name, address and background to: Scouting Office, New York Mets, Citi Field, Flushing, NY 11368.
I haven’t seen that anywhere else.
Gripes: None really concerning the park. Root, root for the ______? Get a scorecard.
C I T I F I E L D
F L U S H I N G , N E W Y O R K
H O M E O F T H E M E T S
Both the teams are essentially just trying to get through to the end of the season. The Mets are playing under .500 baseball, and the Marlins are holding up the entire N.L. East. The game was a low-scoring pitching affair with the Mets coming out on top 2-1. Former Cardinal Jason Isringhausen gained a hold in the 8th. I didn’t even know he was still playing...
The Crowd: Were they studying? Very quiet. I’m sure the night game was louder. I did get a kick out of watching the family of 4 in front of me. I’m assuming they were from Queens by the way they talked. The kid in front of me, probably 14ish, did not stop talking the ENTIRE game. Not once. He even remarked on how someone else talked too much. At one point the kid shouted out, “Mazel Tov!” Outside of the Black Eyed Peas, I’d never heard anyone say that before. The kid and his mom alternated in keeping score, and there was another guy down the row keeping score. No radios.
The Stadium: It’s actually a nice stadium. I wouldn’t say it has any particular style, though there is some retro here. The outside architecture is to remind you of Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the green seats are a reminder of the Polo Grounds where the Mets originally played. If I could go back in time and pick one stadium to go to, it would be Ebbets Field. No question. The park here is easy to get around. You have full access to all the concourses, which almost surprised me given how other large metro areas shut you in a spot. They do limit access to the field box during BP but you can go into the outfield seats, so I have no problem with that. Outside the stadium, is the old hat with an apple in it. At Shea, the apple would jump out when the Mets hit a homer. They have replaced it with the same thing, but it’s four times bigger. They also have plaques on the ground commemorating great games. One of them commemorates game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, one of the greatest games in Cardinal history! It highlights the catch their left fielder made off Scott Rolen. It fails to mention that after that Yadi hit a homerun, and Wainright made Beltran buckle at the knees to send the Cardinals to the World Series.
S T A T I S T I C S U P D A T E
MLB Games Seen
22 of 31
Days
59 of 86
Driving Miles
12,680 of an estimated 18,735
Estimated Gallons of Gas
667 of an estimated 1,102
States
25
Hot Dogs Eaten
Too Many
Border Crossings
0 of 2
P R E D I C T I O N S U P D A T E
(AFTER 21 OF 30 GAMES)
Runs
188 of 249
Hits
371 of 512
Errors
29 of 36
Home Runs
49 of 65
Doubles
81 of 101
Triples
9 of 10
Sacrifices (Hits & Flies)
23 of 31
Strikeouts
326 of 415
Walks
122 of 189
Home Team Wins
15 of 17
Complete Games
1 of 1
Shutouts
1 of 2
(had one here through 8.1 innings)
Saves
12 of 15
Blown Saves
5 of 7
Balks
1 of 2
Wild Pitches
6 of 19
Hit Batters
5 of 18
Walk-offs
2 of 2
Stolen Bases
23 of 40
Caught Stealing
9 of 15
Ejections
1 of 4
(Jack McKeon, Marlins manager, almost got tossed. If he weren’t 80 years old, he most surely would have been!)
Smallest Crowd
18,640
The Coliseum, Oakland
July 27th, Tampa Bay v. Oakland
(I’d argue that today’s game was smaller in attendance, but again officially it was not)
Largest Crowd
45,633
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
August 18th, Arizona v. Philadelphia
B A L L P A R K R A N K I N G S
The Stadium
1. PETCO Park, San Diego
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco
3. Target Field, Minneapolis
4. Comerica Park, Detroit
5. Wrigley Field, Chicago
6. Safeco Field, Seattle
7. PNC Park, Pittsburgh
8. Minute Maid Park, Houston
9. Chase Field, Phoenix
10. Progressive Field, Cleveland
11. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
12. Citi Field, New York
13. Miller Park, Milwaukee
14. Coors Field, Denver
15. Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
16. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington
17. U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago
18. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
19. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
20. Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim
21. The Coliseum, Oakland
The Atmosphere
1. AT&T Park, San Francisco
2. Target Field, Minneapolis
3. PETCO Park, San Diego
4. Wrigley Field, Chicago
5. Comerica Park, Detroit
The Crowd
1. AT&T Park, San Francisco
2. Target Field, Minneapolis
3. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
4. Miller Park, Milwaukee
5. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington
The Scorecard
1. Target Field, Minneapolis
2. Comerica Park, Detroit
3. AT&T Park, San Francisco
4. Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia
5. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington
The Hot Dog
1. Coors Field, Denver
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco
3. Progressive Field, Cleveland
4. Citi Field, New York
5. Wrigley Field, Chicago
The Broadcasters
1. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco
3. Miller Park, Milwaukee
4. Target Field, Minneapolis
5. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Nathan’s.
Served in a handy box.
Out of town scores in upper left field.
U.S. Open Complex easily seen and accessible from the area.
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