I wanted to post a story that was published in the February 2011 issue of the MLB Insider Magazine, who allowed me to share my memory of a great night at Citi Field with another huge Mets fan, my mother. This is my story:

In September 2009, my wife, son and I traveled from our home in Florida to visit family in Brooklyn, NY. When we arrived my stepfather Joe surprised us with six tickets to a Mets game.

Ever since I can remember, I have been a Mets fan. It started with my mother buying me my first Mets hat at the age of two and then taking my sister Vanessa and I to games at Shea Stadium. We went to games when the Mets were really bad in the early 80’s, but it didn’t matter because we were all together.  Shea Stadium was our place of refuge, a place where we could build memories together.

When the Mets won the World Series in 1986, my mother made sure we were up bright and early so we could be at the ticker-tape parade.  Joe even suggested that we get there around 7:00 am, a good three hours before anyone arrived. Good thing we went early, though, because we had a front row spot for the parade.

But, on this wonderful night in September 2009, it marked two milestones: the first game that I attended with my mom since the Mets lost a playoff game at Shea Stadium to the Dodgers in 1988 (the game when Mike Scioscia hit his famous home run off of Dwight Gooden), and also my first Mets game with my 3-year old son, Christopher. Additionally, it was also our first visit to the club’s beautiful new home, Citi Field.

It was a great night of reminiscing, talking with my mom about our memories and making new ones with my son.

Writing this story brought back so many memories with my mother and how baseball was just a huge part of our lives.  She always made it a point to be at my little league games, I could see her behind the plate excited to see me playing the game I love.  My mother knew what we needed when times just seemed so hard and instilling the love of a team in our lives was just what the doctor ordered.

Being able to visit Citi Field for the first time and having my mother there with me made the night extra special.  I can’t remember if the Mets won that night, but in my mind, it didn’t matter because the night was a huge hit and a victory in our family.

I thank my mother for introducing me to the Mets, and for taking the time to take us to games even when they didn’t count.  But in her mind each game was important because she watched her children grow and survive one of the hardest years of our lives while rooting for our favorite team.

I want to wish my mother a Happy Mother’s Day and thank her for always supporting my life decisions.  I am who I am because of how she raised me and I will continue the tradition with my children that my mother started with us.  The Mets mean more to my family than just being a baseball team.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mother’s that sacrifice their lives to raise their children. You are all extremely appreciated.

The funny thing is, I was talking to Joe D earlier that day about how I was going to groom my son to be the next great Mets catcher, and then found myself standing in front of that beautifully framed picture of Carter. I had been in that store many times in the past, and never have seen a picture of Carter.

People sometimes wonder what the big deal of owning an autographed picture of a great athlete is. Well, if you find the right piece of memorabilia, it should stir up some memories…

Only the good die young.

We hear that saying all the time, but for a man that carried the nickname “the Kid,” it couldn’t be truer. As I sit here and reflect on one of my childhood heroes, it’s hard to envision the 1986 Mets team that we hold so dear in our hearts, ever reaching the heights they did that season without Carter. He brought stability and leadership to a young and immature team that was in desperate need of guidance. The Mets may have only one World Series under their belts today if it wasn’t for the Mets bringing Carter in for the 1985 season. I think everyone that knows the story of the ’86 Mets would agree that (sorry for the cheesy line but) without No. 8, they would have never been great.

Carter was the only good guy portrayed in the book The Bad Guys Won, which chronicled the crazy journey of 1986 Mets. He has an entire chapter dedicated to himself. The chapter starts off by calling him a “geek.” Literally.

The reason people called him a geek was because if you lumped all the other Mets players in a tank, and the water that filled the tank was represented by all the drug use, womanizing, and alcohol they consumed, Carter was like a bead of oil sitting on top of the water.

He never cursed, never wore cool clothes, never drank alcohol, never smoked, never used illegal drugs or cheated on his wife. For these behaviors, he was alienated in the clubhouse, and labeled a “geek.” The truth is Carter wasn’t a “geek.” He wasn’t a “kid.” He was what we would consider a man in it’s truest form. He was a role model. He was who every parent hoped their child would grow up to be. Oh, and the man could play ball.

The picture in the mall that stirred the emotions.

I remember when I was in little league, I convinced my coach to move me from my main position of shortstop, where I was an all-star, to catcher. I wanted to strap on those shin guards for one reason: Gary Carter. I still had the No. 1 on my back because Ozzie Smith’s back flips and smooth shortstop play had me hooked, but I was behind the plate grinding it out every game because of Carter. And I mean I was grinding it out. I’m not sure how many of you have played catcher in little league, but it isn’t as easy as it seems on the T.V. screen.

The professional pitchers hardly ever throw the ball in the dirt. Little League pitchers, on the other hand, throw it in the dirt quite often. I was bruised up from blocking all the balls, but I stuck with it, and it wasn’t long before I was named an all-star at catcher too. I remember the umpires would thank me at the end of every game because I would block all the wild pitches, saving them from taking their usual beating behind the plate. Evidently that was a rarity at that age.

They really should have thanked Gary Carter. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been back there blocking the balls that would normally giving them bruises. Carter was my favorite Mets player, but I eventually couldn’t take the abuse anymore that comes with blocking all those wild pitches. I ended up moving to the outfield to try and follow in the footsteps of my next childhood hero who also carried the nickname “the kid” – Ken Griffey Jr. I played the outfield all the way through college, and it earned me some tryouts for some major league teams, but I always regretted giving up on catching too soon.

I was a young boy during 1986, so I don’t remember much from that season. However, there are two moments that always stick out in my mind: the ball squibbling through Buckner’s legs in game six, and Gary Carter jumping into Jesse Orosco’s arms with that completely elated look on his face at the end of the ’86 World Series.

I also vaguely remember being at a game one summer night with my parents. At some point during the game, the umpire made a bad call. The three young men sitting in front of us decided to show the umpire how displeased they were with the call. First they got the umpire’s attention. Then they turned around very calmly, so that their backs were facing the field. After that, they dropped their pants in perfect unison, and proceeded to “moon” the umpire. Evidently, the 80s were a different time, because they didn’t get in trouble, but I can’t go to a Mets game without thinking about that moment.

Gary Carter will always be remembered as a great player (11 time All-Star and Hall of Famer), but he should also be remembered as a great man.  He showed us young Mets fans growing up how to play the game the way it was supposed to be played, and how to be a man, and not a “kid” like his nickname portrays him.

When looking back at that 1986 Mets team, it’s hard to believe that Carter was the youngest man to perish. With the way some of those Mets players abused their bodies with that indestructible feeling so many young men have, it’s amazing they haven’t experienced more health issues. It doesn’t seem fair that a person such as Carter was taken from us so young, especially when he lived his life in a manner that is said to provide us with longevity. I guess it must be true…the good really do die young.

We’ll always remember you No. 8…

I know that at times my comments and points of view were not exactly agreeable, and sometimes were downright pessimistic, but I know that much of that stems from how passionate I am about the Mets.  I’ve been a fan since the early ’70′s and have lived through many of the ups and downs, which we all know includes lots of downs.

But I’m proud to be a Mets fan and I know we have some of the best, if not the best, fans in baseball.  This has always been a lovable franchise, win or lose, and we’ve had the opportunity to watch many world class players wearing blue and orange, and of course two championships.  We’ve also witnessed some of the greatest moments in sports history following our Mets–in particular in that magical ballpark known as Shea Stadium.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say how pissed off I was Monday night when I heard about Matt Garza’s no-hitter.  First no-no in Rays’ history, blah blah blah.  Really now?  No hitters have also become as common as complete games, but of course, our Mets still do not have one.  We’re fifty years in and still not a single no-no.  Somethings gotta give on that front soon.

With that, I thank you all for reading my work these past 15 months, and I wish Joe and all of you the best of luck.  And oh yeah, Let’s Go Mets!

Off the field, however, there were others who were just as much a part of Shea Stadium folklore. One such Mets icon was organist Jane Jarvis. Miss Jarvis died a few days ago in Englewood, NJ. 

Just as the performing of The National Anthem or singing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ is a deep seeded Baseball tradition, so was Jane playing ‘Meet The Mets’ on her organ for us Mets fans. As those first few notes filled the air in Flushing and the Mets took the field we all knew it was time to ‘Play Ball.’

At just 5 years old Jane was considered a piano prodigy. Her family relocated to Gary, Indiana and at 12 she was playing the piano at radio station WKJS. However, just one year later, she was orphaned when both her parents were killed when their car was struck by a train.

In 1954 Jane was given her own TV show in Milwaukee entitled ‘Jivin’ With Jarvis’ where she was allowed to create and pursue her first love: Jazz Music. It was at this time when the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. They were looking for an organist and hired Jane. She was reluctant to take the position due to the fact that she knew absolutely nothing about sports, especially Baseball. During her interview she asked the Braves executive, ‘When do I get to play?’ The Braves employee replied, ‘Whenever a team gets three outs.’ Jane looked at the man with a quizzical expression and asked, ‘When is that?’

She stayed with the Braves for 8 years before moving to New York in 1962 where she took a position with the MUZAK corporation as staff composer and arranger. She would quickly ascend the corporate ladder and become Vice President.

As the Mets prepared to debut their new home in 1964, they decided to draw on yet another tradition of NY’s baseball past. The Dodgers organist, Gladys Gooding, developed a fan following and became a huge part of Ebbets Field history. The Mets wanted to do the same and brought Jane on board. Although she remained working at MUZAK until 1978 during her stint as Mets organist, she became an integral and unforgettable part of our club. She was as much a part of the Shea Experience as The Sign Man Karl Ehrhardt and Mr. Met himself. She worked for us almost as long as our original broadcast team of Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner.

On June 13th, 1977, during the 6th inning of a game against the Cubs, the city was besieged by a massive blackout. Shea was suddenly thrust into darkness. Total blackness stretched as far as one could see in all directions. However, as strange as it was, Jane’s Thomas’ Organ was not affected. Sitting in total darkness, blinded by blackness, Jane began playing upbeat tunes in a attempt to calm the nerves of frightened fans.

Jane came full circle with the Mets. In 1964, we were in last place. She was there for the Miracle in 69 and the pennant in 73. But by 1979 the Mets were once again in the cellar. Nelson Doubleday bought the Mets in 1980 and GM Frank Cashen was determined to make serious changes to the team. One such change was to start playing pre-recorded music rather than sticking with the traditional organ playing. After 16 seasons Jane was uneventfully let go. Organ music would never again be heard at Shea.

She remained in the city performing Jazz at various nightclubs. She is credited with having written or co-written over 300 compositions as well as recording several albums. Her final jazz album was entitled ‘Atlantic/Pacific’ which was released in 2000. She was 85 years old at the time.

In 2003, now living in Cocoa Beach, FL, she was given a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Space Coast Jazz Society. But she missed the culture and excitement of The Big Apple. She decided to forego the warm Florida weather and moved back. In 2008, however, Jane was forced to vacate her home on E 50th St when a construction crane collapsed and damaged her apt. She spent the last months of her life residing at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, NJ. She passed away on January 25th,  2010 at 94 years old. She leaves behind 1 son, 1 daughter, several grandchildren and great grandchildren. And also memories to millions of fans who can still hearken back to the days of their youth and hear Miss Jarvis playing ‘Meet The Mets.’

“I cant even bear to think about it,” stated Jane in 2008 as sadness came over her. Her voice cracked. Her eyes watered up. Her beloved Shea would soon be torn down. She hoped that perhaps the Wilpons would welcome her back to Shea for one final visit. Mets management spent much of that season bringing back historical figures from our past. But the phone call never came. However, she harbored no hard feelings towards the Wilpons since she never really worked for them. “I’m 93 years old,” she stated and then added with a smile, “And no matter what, I’ve had an amazin’ life.”

Rest in Peace, Jane. And Thanks for the Memories

Naturally I don’t condone what those guys did, but in a small way I definitely appreciate McGwire admitting it and wanting to move on.  All of which reminded me of the 1987 season, and specifically when a young Mets pitcher named Dwight Gooden failed a drug test and shed light on what many of us suspected–that something had affected his performance in 1986.  He began that season 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA before the wheels began to fall off and he finished the campaign a more pedestrian 17-6 with a 2.84 ERA.  Gooden was even more pedestrian in the postseason, including Game 5 of the World Series when he was visibly sweating in frigid Boston, while giving up four runs on nine hits in four innings. I had gone to almost every home game Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1986, so I knew something with him was not right.

Then he failed that whiz quiz in April of 1987, and while it was shocking and disappointing, we as fans were a bit relieved that Gooden’s recent shortcomings were now easier to explain.  He probably wouldn’t have admitted guilt on his own, but before being admitted to the Smithers Clinic he at least showed remorse, and seemed relieved to be able to rehab from cocaine addiction and get on with his life and career, and I respected that.

Gooden didn’t pitch again until June 5, 1987, a Friday night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea.  Dick Young of the New York Daily News, who was never afraid to stir up controversy, offered this advice to fans: “Stand Up and Boo!” Well I was there, and that’s not what happened….we all gave Doc a standing ovation for like five minutes, and had chills when he struck out Bonds to start the game.  He then went on to beat the Pirates in what was, despite four walks, vintage Gooden.

Gooden’s career would have plenty more ups and downs, and he’s still battling the demons that caused him to use drugs in the first place.  But I remember June 5, 1987, and I remember it because, after accepting Gooden’s shortcomings, I and many others forgave him and welcomed him back with open arms.

Citi Field opened and it was beautiful, much nicer to the eyes than Shea Stadium was.  It was an old fashion design, a bit of a throwback to the old days of baseball stadiums with modern technology and a lot of good restaurants to eat from.  There was something that was missing however: the lack of Mets history.  The ballpark was designed like Ebbets Field and the rotunda was named after Jackie Robinson, a player who deserves the respect of every baseball fan because he changed the game forever, but had nothing to do with the history of the New York Mets.

Walking around this new ballpark, the lack of history was evident.  The criticism came in fast and early and only grew as the Mets season got worse.  This past weekend the Mets issued a press release informing their fans and the media that there will be more Mets history present in 2010 at Citi Field.  First I had to laugh because a team that actually has to issue a press release that promises they will celebrate their own history at their home ballpark is pretty funny.  The fact is that they are only adding this history to appease the media and the fans, not because the Mets feel that this is the right thing to do by us and the history of the team.  To check out all the changes click here.

The one thing I would like to see changed is the color of the outfield walls to blue.  For some reason the Mets in their mockup of Citi Field had blue walls in the outfield. In fact for those that don’t know, in “MLB ’09 The Show” Citi Field even has the blue walls.  I know some would like to see the seats painted Orange and Blue but I don’t mind the seat colors, I think they are friendlier on the eyes the way they are right now.

I have to say though making these additions after 2009 is smart.  The Wilpons needed to find a way to attract more fans, especially if they have a weak 2010 free agent season. The Mets museum is something I cannot wait to see and it’s long overdue.  I hope that in addition to all the changes the Mets make they will also retire more numbers such as Keith Hernandez’, Daryl Strawberry’s and Doc Gooden’s.  I know a lot fans want Piazza’s number retired, but that won’t happen until he goes into the Baseball Hall Of Fame.  I wouldn’t mind a statue of Tom Seaver as well as Bill Shea considering he brought the Mets to New York City.

Now, one year after Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza closed the doors to Shea Stadium, I’d like to share something with our readers that I wrote last year after I got home from the final game.  Please feel free to share your memories of Shea after you read this.  I’d love to hear your favorite moments and how you feel about it one year later.

Why do inanimate objects have such a profound effect on our lives?  For some people, it’s a family heirloom.  For others, it’s something as mundane as a car.  Heck, even for Linus Van Pelt, it was his security blanket.  For me, in addition to my Mets rally bears (who are the most animated inanimate objects you’ll ever see), it’s Shea Stadium.

I attended my first game at Shea on June 15, 1983.  I went with the rest of my Little League team.  That was also the same day the Mets acquired Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals.  I remember how happy the crowd was when the news was flashed on DiamondVision and how confused I was at the same time that the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the “big TV screen in left field” rather than events taking place on the field.

The Mets lost that game to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings by the score of 7-4.  If I remember correctly, Bill Buckner drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th.  Who knew that he would play such an important role in Mets history just a few years later when the little roller went behind the bag?

It didn’t matter that the Mets had lost that game.  It was one of 94 games they lost that season anyway.  That day was important to me for more than just a game.  That day began my love affair with Shea Stadium.

I have many memories at Shea.  I had my first real date at Shea (the Mets won that game…yay!).  I saw four bench-clearing brawls, including one in 1996 where Cubs’ first baseman Mark Grace accidentally punched me in my left cheek (that’ll teach me to get too close to the action to take a picture.  By the way, the Mets won that game on a homer by Rico Brogna in the bottom of the ninth).  I witnessed numerous walk-off wins and dramatic comebacks (the 10-run eighth inning against the Braves on 6/30/00 and the 5-run ninth inning on 5/17/07 against the Cubs come to mind), experienced division clinchers and postseason games (9/18/06 against the Marlins and three playoff games that same year, all Mets victories) and enjoyed many great times from my Sunday seats with family and friends.  I even purchased my beloved Mets rally bear, Joey, in the Mets Clubhouse Shop behind home plate (see photo of Joey standing outside his “home” below).

Not all memories are fond ones.  I’ve been at Shea for numerous heartbreakers, including each of the last two seasons when the Mets lost to the Marlins on the final day of the season to eliminate them from playoff contention.

Even the moment I refer to as the greatest moment of my life is a Shea Stadium moment.  Does Game 6 of the 1986 World Series ring a bell?  I was home with my parents watching that game in their bedroom with them.  My mother had a habit of holding a ceramic elephant facing away from the TV when she wanted the Mets to rally for a victory.  After the first two outs were recorded in the tenth inning of that game, she tossed the elephant away.  I immediately picked it up and held it facing away from the TV as she did.  Then Gary Carter got a hit, followed by Kevin Mitchell.  Then it was Ray Knight’s turn to get a hit.  Then Bob Stanley came into the game to pitch and promptly threw a wild pitch to Mookie Wilson.  Then came the immortal twenty words uttered by broadcaster Vin Scully.

“Little roller up along first…behind the bag!  It gets through Buckner!  Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!”

In my excitement, I threw the elephant up into the air and it hit the ceiling at full speed.  Then it came back down and bounced on the bed.  Despite the fact that it was a ceramic elephant, it did not break.  Just as the Mets did that Saturday night, the elephant lived to see another day.

But now Shea Stadium doesn’t live to see another day.  The Mets have played their last game there and Shea has closed its doors.  I will never set foot inside its doors again (and Joey will never enter his first home again).  Citi Field is the new home of the Mets and many new memories will take place there.  But I will never forget Shea Stadium.  From my first game there to my last, it will always be my second home.  It gave me joy, it gave me tears, but it will always be a place where I can come back to in my mind and in my heart and I can always relive some of the best days of my life.

Goodbye Shea. I will never forget you and I will always love you…

The last couple of weeks Mets Weekly, a magazine show that airs on SNY on Saturday’s they have been counting down individual Mets all-time best seasons.  They have featured Mike Piazza and his 1999 season as well David Wright’s great 2007 season that is highly under-appreciated by fans and writers given the collapse of 2007 as well as Jose Reyes’ 2006 season.  Carlos Beltran, Tom Seaver and Daryl Strawberry are also in the countdown.  What these have in common is that Mets Weekly while showing clips of these former and current Mets all-time best seasons at Shea Stadium and I admit seeing all the clips have gotten me nostalgic for Shea Stadium again.

My favorite memory of Shea was Piazza’s homerun on September 21, 2001, 10 days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  But it’s not just this one memory that makes me miss Shea.  It’s the look of the place, the energy that stadium had over the years for players like Seaver, Koosman, Jones, Hernandez, Carter, Gooden, Strawberry, Piazza, etc…

Now Citi Field is beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  It’s state of the art, the restaurants are nice, the fan walk is cool and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda is nice to experience but it does not seem like home.  To me it just seems like a new ballpark, no matter who plays there.  Now I’m not going to go over the lack of Mets history, I only mention it now because I know that it will come up in the comments and in the chat box, I’m talking about some sort of overall feeling I get from the place.

Shea had it’s problems, it was not state of the art, it was not pretty to look at but I sometimes think you can say the same things about the Mets over the years.  Even through the bad times it always felt exciting to me.  Whether it was filled or if there were only a couple of thousand people there was an energy in that stadium.  It was a blue collar place for a blue collar team with mostly blue collar fans.

I don’t know if it’s just that this season has been terrible for the Mets but I don’t feel any emotional attachment to Citi.  It’s not for the lack of history either.  When I see the clips on Mets Weekly or think back to the games I see I feel happy and a bit sad knowing that we will not see another game at Shea or that we can’t see the stadium anymore since it’s gone.  Even while the Mets were playing decent ball you just didn’t get a sense of the energy you would experience at Shea.

Obviously Citi Field doesn’t have the history Shea did as it’s less than one year old.  It hasn’t experience the miracle that was ’69.  There was no black cat circling an opponents dugout.  A Beatle has played at Citi Field but The Beatles did not grace Citi with their beautiful music.  Citi has yet to experience a routine ground ball go through the legs of Bill Buckner.  Citi Field has not experienced a Robin Ventura grand-slam single.  Citi Field has not experience the joy of a Mike Piazza homerun that made people forget the horrors for a few minutes and just smile, something that we had not done in over a week, a homerun that made children and grown ups cry in joy not in terror or sadness.

Memories will be made over the years at Citi, I don’t doubt that but the history of Shea is just part of why I miss that stadium.  It was the character that stadium had.  The battered old blue outside of the stadium.  I miss the Blue and Orange seats, I miss the Blue walls in the outfield, I miss the old scoreboard and the old facade that is now on display above the Shake Shack.  I miss the old apple coming up even though we have an apple now at Citi that is new and bigger.

As the deconstruction of Shea Stadium got underway I refused to look at the pictures and the video’s.  I didn’t want to acknowledge that the place where my Mets played and I watched them play was going to be a parking lot.  It wasn’t until the final piece of Shea Stadium feel that I watched the video.  As I much as I didn’t want to see it I felt I had to see it, I thought perhaps that would give me some closure and get me ready to welcome Citi Field.  I didn’t experience the closure I was looking for.  I felt a little emotional, I could feel tears forming in my eyes but I did say goodbye to Shea that afternoon but I was wishing that it was not goodbye.

Maybe I just don’t like change, maybe I’m just trying to forget this 2009 season but I miss Shea.  I hope to one day feel the same way about Citi Field.  I want to feel like I’m at home at that park, that it gives me a feeling that the New York Mets are playing there the way Shea does/did.  I know there will be some disappointing seasons as well as some good seasons and I hope that the ballpark where the Mets play will help me enjoy the good seasons more and somewhat soothe me when the Mets don’t have a good season but I will always have a spot in my heart for Shea.

Shea was not much to look at but it she was home.

 I read an interesting article on ESPN by Tristan Cockcroft entitled Shea It Isn’t. The piece is well written and well researched and is a fair comparison of the two parks.

One of the interesting parts of his article was the following chart which shows exactly which non-homers would have been homeruns at Shea Stadium.

Hitter	Team	Date	Pitcher	Team	Result
J.J. Hardy	MIL	4/18	Johan Santana	NYM	Fly out
Justin Maxwell	WAS	4/25	Brian Stokes	NYM	Double
Josh Willingham	WAS	4/26	Oliver Perez	NYM	Fly out
Brett Carroll	FLA	4/27	Sean Green	NYM	Fly out
David Wright	NYM	4/27	Renyel Pinto	FLA	Triple
Gary Sheffield	NYM	4/28	Ricky Nolasco	FLA	Triple
Cameron Maybin	FLA	4/29	Johan Santana	NYM	Triple
Brian Bixler	PIT	5/8	Sean Green	NYM	Double
Carlos Delgado	NYM	5/10	Ian Snell	PIT	Double
Carlos Beltran	NYM	5/10	John Grabow	PIT	Double
David Wright	NYM	5/11	Derek Lowe	ATL	Double
Chipper Jones	ATL	5/12	Mike Pelfrey	NYM	Fly out
David Wright	NYM	5/12	Jair Jurrjens	ATL	Triple
Chipper Jones	ATL	5/13	Jonathon Niese	NYM	Double
Kelly Johnson	ATL	5/13	J.J. Putz	NYM	Double
Jose Reyes	NYM	5/13	Mike Gonzalez	ATL	Double
Austin Kearns	WAS	5/25	John Maine	NYM	Fly out
Adam Dunn	WAS	5/27	Johan Santana	NYM	Fly out
Daniel Murphy	NYM	5/27	Jesus Colome	WAS	Double
Jorge Cantu	FLA	5/30	Tim Redding	NYM	Double
Brett Carroll	FLA	5/30	Ken Takahashi	NYM	Double
Dan Uggla	FLA	5/31	John Maine	NYM	Double
Hanley Ramirez	FLA	5/31	John Maine	NYM	Double
Pedro Feliz	PHI	6/9	Johan Santana	NYM	Double
Gary Sheffield	NYM	6/9	J.A. Happ	PHI	Single
Fernando Tatis	NYM	6/9	J.A. Happ	PHI	Double
Mike Pelfrey	NYM	6/10	Cole Hamels	PHI	Double
Jayson Werth	PHI	6/10	Mike Pelfrey	NYM	Single
David Wright	NYM	6/11	Jamie Moyer	PHI	Single
Luis Castillo	NYM	6/11	Jamie Moyer	PHI	Double
Evan Longoria	TB	6/19	Fernando Nieve	NYM	Fly out
Ben Zobrist	TB	6/19	Fernando Nieve	NYM	Fly out
David Wright	NYM	6/19	A. Sonnanstine	TB	Double
Evan Longoria	TB	6/21	Mike Pelfrey	NYM	Double
David Wright	NYM	6/21	Lance Cormier	TB	Double
Ryan Church	NYM	6/24	Brad Thompson	STL	Double

Poor David Wright seems to have had six homers lost to the spacious Citi Field. I think most fans would be less concerned with his power outage, if Wright had 10 homeruns and 51 RBIs, instead of 4 homeruns and 39 RBIs.

The author recognizes David Wright for adapting so quickly to his new surroundings.

One must applaud Wright for putting up the numbers he has, adapting as quickly as he has to his new home park. In addition to his nine-homer pace, he’s batting .351 and is on pace for 213 hits, 50 doubles and 43 stolen bases, all of which would easily represent new career highs. He’s also on track for 88 RBIs and 107 runs scored, and if you go back into baseball’s annals, only one player in history had a season of at least a .340 batting average, 50 doubles and 40 steals with 10 home runs or fewer: Tris Speaker in 1912, the year he won his only MVP award.

Check out the rest of the article by clicking here. ]]> http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/06/citi-field-where-homeruns-go-to-die.html/feed 6 http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/05/look-shea-stadium-bases-home-plate-pitchers-mound.html http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/05/look-shea-stadium-bases-home-plate-pitchers-mound.html#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 00:26:28 +0000 Hojo's Mojo http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=4659 Check out these great tributes to Shea Stadium that are located in the parking lot of Citi Field.

These gorgeous plaques mark the spots of first base, second base, third base, home plate and the pitchers mound at Shea Stadium.

Nice job by the Wilpons for preserving a little bit of our former and much beloved home.

Keith Hernandez should sign this in gold!

Let’s get Fonzie to sign this one!

We might have to wait 15 years before DW5 can sign this one!

Come on Mikey! Get over here and get your John Hancock on this!

Hey Tom Seaver… This one’s for you!

Thanks to Stadium Page for these wonderful shots!

He went on to say how Jeff Wilpon mentioned that the Citi Field was setup so that if necessary they could bring in the fences next season if the park effected the Mets offense adversely.

After many, many years of playing in a pitchers park like Shea Stadium, and never getting a no-hitter to show for it, I was kind of hoping to see a different kind of baseball in Queens with the new ballpark.

I was envious of how the Phillies left the deep caverns of Veterans Stadium for the launching pad that is Citizens Bank Park.

I think I would have enjoyed seeing David Wright and Carlos Beltran toying with 40-45 HR seasons, and Jose Reyes upping the ante to 25 homers.

It looks like this season will sap some of the power from this team, a contingency that wasn’t well thought out in my opinion. Especially when you already had little power coming from Dan Murphy, Brian Schneider and Luis Castillo.

Sure, everybody loves a pitching duel, but I was kind of hoping to see a brand new era of Mets baseball where maybe the longball would have been more prevalent, and the cheers and excitement as well.

And if we are going to stick with a park that is even more pitcher friendly than Shea was, why don’t we have more than one lights out pitcher in our rotation?

Most teams tailor their rosters to fit the park. You have a short porch in left, then you bring in some right-handed power hitters, you have a short alley in right then you load up on lefthanded thumpers.  Shouldn’t we have loaded up on at least one other top of the rotation starter to really take advantage of our park effects and have a real home-field advantage?

We can always make Citi Field a little bit more hitter friendly next season. Wilpon said, “We can make the dimensions smaller if we have to, but we wanted to start off deep and then go from there.”

 What are your thoughts? Pitchers park or hitters haven?

I’m somebody that does not like change, in fact I hate it.  Ask anyone who knows me and they will say that I like things to stay the same for as long as possible.  I understand that change is an inevitable part of life and the Mets were going to change what they considered home.  It was with much trepidation on my part when I heard that the Mets would be calling a new park home and that Shea was going to be demolished and used as a parking lot for the Mets new home.   As the last few years progressed and I saw the computer models of what Citi Field was going to look like I was to my surprise excited about the idea of a new ballpark even though I was sad knowing that every game that I attended at Shea meant that it was getting closer to be demolished.  Over the last year SNY had been airing specials on the progress of Citi Field and giving tours of the work in progress park I was looking forward to attending ball games in this new home.  I was worried however that I would disappointed once the park was done and I attended my first game at this new home.

I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed.  Citi Field is beautiful.  It did feel strange as we got close the ballpark and Shea Stadium was no longer there.  I had not been in the area since the last game of last year.  I saw the deconstruction of Shea on the news as well as on the Internet.  I’m man enough to admit that when I saw Shea Stadium come down I shed a few tears.  I had seen Strawberry, Hernandez, Wilson, Carter, Gooden, Darling, Piazza and the beginning of our future stars in Wright and Reyes play so many games on that field it was unavoidable that I was going to be emotional. I got to the park early so I could walk around it and get a feel for it.  The first thing I did after we parked was walk over to where home-plate was at Shea and touched it for a couple of seconds.  I’m happy to say many others were also doing this.

Outside the park is beautiful.  The bricks give the idea of an old time field which is what the Wilpons wanted.  The fans were very excited and energized for our new home.  Inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda is very impressive.  There are pictures and quotes of Robinson and really makes you appreciate what Jackie Robinson had to endure to break the color barrier.  The restaurants are plenty and the lines move very swiftly.  There are TV’s everywhere so you never miss the game.  We went over to Bullpen Plaza and looked at the old apple from Shea.  Touching it really made my day.  I remember being a child going to Shea and wanting a Met to hit a home-run not to win the game but to see the apple rise up, it was the biggest thrill for me.

The seats are very comfortable.  My back did not hurt me, they were a little wider, not much but I was more comfortable.  The leg room was much better.  I don’t really like the green, I would have preferred orange and blue seats instead.  The field is beautiful, the grass looks very green, the dirt is really brown.

The opening ceremony was well done.  It was not overdone, we got to see our team out on their new field.  Seeing Piazza and Seaver walking to the mound for the first pitch was really special for me.  Two of the most respected players in Mets history who played in different generations opening the new field just felt right.  I knew Ollie was going to get booed but I was actually surprised that Castillo got a favorable reaction.  The flag covering that very large outfield was a sight to see in person.  The sound of the F-18′s flying overhead was a sight that I cannot really describe, you had to be there to get the full effect.

When Jody Gerut hit his home-run there was a very large gasp it seemed from the entire crowd.  I think everyone in attendance was stunned that the leadoff man from the opposing team would hit the first home-run out of Citi Field, I know I was.  Pelfrey falling was met with concern at first but once we saw he was fine people were laughing.  The crowd got really hot when David Wright hit the first New York Met home-run in Citi Field.  The crowd was electric, you honestly could not hear yourself think when the new apple rose for David’s homer.

Unfortunately we could not walk away with the victory in our first game in our new park but that didn’t seem to really effect the mood.  The fans walking out of the park still seemed excited as we walked out of the park, taking everything that’s new in, ready to play another night.  I’m still not a fan of change but I’ve become a fan of Citi Field.