Hello fans, welcome on back! Well over the weekend it was announced via press release that the Mets organization will be doing a little bit of remodeling as far as Citi Field is concerned. Sadly no major press releases were released as far as the remodeling of the Mets roster is concerned, still waiting for them to trickle in. The changes that were announced are nothing but pleasing to a Mets fans ears. Citi Field is a gorgeous baseball stadium, there is no denying that statement. However…
Despite Citi Field’s beautiful and elegant look, it was obvious to a lot of fans over the 2009 season that it had its share of flaws. Upon first glance, what really made it stand out and shout in the face of all the other 29 teams and their fans faces "Hey this is the glorious home of the New York Mets, be jealous!" Not a whole lot. With Citi Field, the team seemed to be sort of ashamed and embarrassed of its history, originally hiding the playoff banners out of the way near the bullpens, and being more or less devoid of any photos commemorating historic moments and championship clubs from the days of old. Remember how Shea had the ’69 and ’86 championship murals out in the outfield visible from both in and outside of the stadium? Shea even had that collage of Mets memories outlined in between the mezzanine and loge sections. It wasn’t a whole lot of homage, but with Shea Stadium being what it was, was there really a whole lot of space to do more?
But with Citi Field (a park much larger than Shea ever was) other than some banners outside the stadium - the place where people obviously are going to spend significantly less of their time – there was next to nothing honoring past Mets feats inside the stadium’s confines. And that is something that aggravated me to no end. I’m happy that the announcement of a Mets Hall of Fame & Museum was made. This will boast the teams past accomplishments, things the team should be proud of and should want to flaunt to all people visiting the Mets home, whether they are fans of the club or not. Also renaming various areas of the park, such as VIP entrances and the lower level bridge are great ways to honor and appreciate the men who gave it their all and succeeded immensely when donning Met uniforms. Other smaller additions to Citi Field will include more visible Met logos throughout the park, staircases painted blue and orange, and the flowers outside the Rotunda entrance will also be colored in the same two tones.
The colors blue and orange need to be more prominent throughout the ballpark. They’re the Mets colors, they’re the Mets identity. Ask any baseball fan in any part of the country what the blue and orange mix represents and of course they’ll respond by saying, "The New York Mets." Those colors are who we are; they should be glowing from every nook and cranny of the ballpark. I personally can’t stand this sea of green Citi Field has when it comes to the seat color and the outfield wall. Green?! Why? The color has absolutely nothing to do with the Mets, it makes Citi Field look so cliché and makes it look like its a neutral stadium that any team can play in because two of the most viewable portions of the stadium are shaded a color that had nothing to do with the home team whatsoever. Why not make the seats and wall blue? That color would definitely emanate a more Mets-related feel to the ballpark’s visitors. I dig the upcoming Hall of Fame & Museum very much, but I think a dream of mine would be the Mets management saying they’re going to rip every neutral green seat and outfield wall padding out of Citi Field and replace them with blue, blue, and more blue!
Longshot? Maybe yes, maybe not, but one thing I really dislike about the new field that’s an even bigger longshot for replacement is the Jackie Robinson rotunda. It’s an admirable beautiful thing to see, it really is, but why Jackie Robinson? I know he’s a baseball pioneer and all, but can’t we save all that lovey doveyness for a place like Cooperstown? This is the home of the New York Mets, a place where biasness towards one team isn’t just recommended, it should be expected! Why not Tom Seaver Rotunda? Replace the #42 with the #41, and engulf the rotunda with historical Mets moments. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda may be beautiful, but it honors a man who has no connection to Mets history. It doesn’t belong here. Fred Wilpon got a little to selfish with this area, being a past Brooklyn Dodger fan and all. We fans don’t want to honor a Dodger. There’s more Jackie Robinson honor and tribute in this one area then there is Mets remembrance in the whole ballpark. Thankfully the much needed changes have been announced. Let’s just see how much more Metsy this park feels come 2010.
What do you guys think? Think these changes were absolutely necessary? Did you like Citi the way it was, or did you want some remodeling as well? Why did it take the brass until season #2 to realize, "Hey, there really isn’t a lot of Mets homage in this place, is there?" Comment your thoughts below, I look forward to hearing from you! As always my dear readers, thank you for stopping by!
