SPECIAL GUEST
Great Niece of Gil Hodges & Mets Fan Extraordinaire
120 minutes
OPENING DAY at CITI FIELD
Review of Series at Philadelphia
Gil Hodges, Umpires, and so much more!
#LGM
Showing posts with label Shea Stadium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shea Stadium. Show all posts
Friday, April 09, 2021
Thursday, September 03, 2020
Stickball, Seaver and the 70's: Rest in Peace Tom Terrific
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
... along the third base side, check it out one day.
The year 2020 knows no limits.
I'm devastated like all Mets fans are to learn of Wednesday's passing away of Tom Seaver. I wish his family peace and calm through this very sad and difficult time, and offer my humblest prayers and sincerest condolences to all he loved and held dear.
Time has no mercy. We know this well. We're just never ready for news like this. It needs a moment to sink in, then in rushes the heartbreaking sense of loss. As I look back on my own life and contemplate some of the genuine influences in my life, Tom Seaver is in the conversation. Rarely, if ever, would I include sports figures. But Tom Seaver was different. There was no one on my childhood television set representing themselves quite the way Tom did during post-game visits to Kiner's Korner. I wasn't getting that from Looney Tunes, or Wonderama, Kaptain Kangaroo, Spider Man, or Happy Days, the Merv Griffin Show, Abbott and Costello or the Bowery Boys, certainly not from Archie Bunker or Mary Tyler Moore, not Godzilla, Evel Knievel, Planet of the Apes, or Richard Nixon, but maybe Morgan Freeman when he appeared on the Electric Company. Seaver constantly preached accountability and championed camaraderie. He always said something worth listening to, unlike, say, Don Rickles. Alas, no one was demonstrating to me the level of comportment being put forth by Tom Seaver.
I pretended to be Tom Seaver when playing stickball against my cousin when we were kids. Growing up watching The Franchise was like having a childhood coach by your side. I tried imitating his motion the best I could.
Funny thing is my Pop and my uncle were Yankees fans, and my cousin and me were Mets fans (from our Moms' side of the family)! We all spent equal time watching and going to see both teams. However, my Pop was a particularly huge Tom Seaver fan and made it his business to ensure we took in as many Seaver starts as possible. The Yankees fan that he was, we connected through Seaver. I speak of the seasons spanning 1973-1977, until he was traded to the Reds. I was coming up on my eleventh birthday, my cousin a year younger. Tom Seaver's seasons pitching in that classic New York Mets uniform are ingrained in my mind forever. Tom Seaver and company are the ones who gave this pinstriped blue/orange color scheme its pride and prestige. That's why I hate when the Mets deviate from their traditional uniform.
In the lead-up to his Opening Day start in 1983, being there to witness him appear from the Mets bullpen and his ensuing walk down the right field line towards the dugout is one of the happiest moments I ever spent at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver in an interview once said in order to be successful there are three outs in any given game that you absolutely must execute. Those words never rang more true for me than when I coached little league baseball for ten seasons.
As a baseball fan, I know this: Tom Seaver is one of the greatest craftsmen to ever toe a major league rubber. Physically durable, powerful and pure genius on the mound, there are few pitchers who before or since have matched his absolute mastery with a baseball from sixty-feet six inches away.
He is also one of New York City's premiere titans of sport.
I'm otherwise a little short for words. Another prominent figure of my childhood has moved on.
The first pitch of his forever game is delivered ... the perfect game that never ends, begins.
Rest in Peace.
Love,
Mike
My Brick at Citi Field Reads:
1977 STILL HURTS!
... along the third base side, check it out one day.
The year 2020 knows no limits.
I'm devastated like all Mets fans are to learn of Wednesday's passing away of Tom Seaver. I wish his family peace and calm through this very sad and difficult time, and offer my humblest prayers and sincerest condolences to all he loved and held dear.
Time has no mercy. We know this well. We're just never ready for news like this. It needs a moment to sink in, then in rushes the heartbreaking sense of loss. As I look back on my own life and contemplate some of the genuine influences in my life, Tom Seaver is in the conversation. Rarely, if ever, would I include sports figures. But Tom Seaver was different. There was no one on my childhood television set representing themselves quite the way Tom did during post-game visits to Kiner's Korner. I wasn't getting that from Looney Tunes, or Wonderama, Kaptain Kangaroo, Spider Man, or Happy Days, the Merv Griffin Show, Abbott and Costello or the Bowery Boys, certainly not from Archie Bunker or Mary Tyler Moore, not Godzilla, Evel Knievel, Planet of the Apes, or Richard Nixon, but maybe Morgan Freeman when he appeared on the Electric Company. Seaver constantly preached accountability and championed camaraderie. He always said something worth listening to, unlike, say, Don Rickles. Alas, no one was demonstrating to me the level of comportment being put forth by Tom Seaver.
I pretended to be Tom Seaver when playing stickball against my cousin when we were kids. Growing up watching The Franchise was like having a childhood coach by your side. I tried imitating his motion the best I could.
Funny thing is my Pop and my uncle were Yankees fans, and my cousin and me were Mets fans (from our Moms' side of the family)! We all spent equal time watching and going to see both teams. However, my Pop was a particularly huge Tom Seaver fan and made it his business to ensure we took in as many Seaver starts as possible. The Yankees fan that he was, we connected through Seaver. I speak of the seasons spanning 1973-1977, until he was traded to the Reds. I was coming up on my eleventh birthday, my cousin a year younger. Tom Seaver's seasons pitching in that classic New York Mets uniform are ingrained in my mind forever. Tom Seaver and company are the ones who gave this pinstriped blue/orange color scheme its pride and prestige. That's why I hate when the Mets deviate from their traditional uniform.
In the lead-up to his Opening Day start in 1983, being there to witness him appear from the Mets bullpen and his ensuing walk down the right field line towards the dugout is one of the happiest moments I ever spent at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver in an interview once said in order to be successful there are three outs in any given game that you absolutely must execute. Those words never rang more true for me than when I coached little league baseball for ten seasons.
As a baseball fan, I know this: Tom Seaver is one of the greatest craftsmen to ever toe a major league rubber. Physically durable, powerful and pure genius on the mound, there are few pitchers who before or since have matched his absolute mastery with a baseball from sixty-feet six inches away.
He is also one of New York City's premiere titans of sport.
I'm otherwise a little short for words. Another prominent figure of my childhood has moved on.
The first pitch of his forever game is delivered ... the perfect game that never ends, begins.
Rest in Peace.
Love,
Mike
1944 ~ 2020
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
N.Y. Mets: Year Sixteen After Doubleday
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
The AGE of WILPONianism
METS YEAR 0016 A.D.
(AFTER DOUBLEDAY)
New York Mets: Blame SON of PON For Setting My Mood.
It's that time of year again.
The equipment truck has been unloaded; pitchers and catchers have arrived; and the Wilpons still own the Mets.
Despite being one of the winter's busier teams, COO Jeff Wilpon nevertheless made finances an issue again this off-season when he informed media and fans of the club's intention to shave $20 million dollars from this year's opening day payroll.
Son of PON offered no particular reason why; offered no particular insight into the team's plan; and quite frankly, said nothing worth my while other than they're trying to spend less money more wisely.
Therefore, I'm going to make their finances an issue as well. Because fifteen years have passed since Fred Wilpon's acrimonious divorce from Nelson Doubleday, and where has it gotten us?
In order to answer that, we must rewind this saga back to its genesis.
After the passing of club matriarch Joan Whitney Payson, her widow Charles Shipman Payson (and daughter Linda de Roulet) eventually put the Mets up for sale. Ed Kranepool led a group of investors and submitted a bid which was rebuffed. According to SABR, Kranepool says that after making a presentation to Linda de Roulet, "... she put together her friends, her social group, and they (Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday) bought the ball club."
It was Fred Wilpon who initially convinced his brother-in-law and Sterling Equities partner Saul Katz into submitting a $21.1 million dollar bid. According to a 2011 article in the New Yorker, Wilpon and Katz put up a mere $650,000 each, thus requiring investors still willing to sign on despite knowing control of the team would ultimately be vested in Wilpon's hands.
Jeffrey Toobin of New Yorker magazine continues with John Pickett, then owner of the New York Islanders, informing Fred Wilpon that Nelson Doubleday's publishing company was interested in financing the rest of the bid. According to a 2015 article in the New York Times, Nelson Doubleday (through Doubleday and Company) put up eighty percent of the purchase price, a record at the time for a baseball franchise. It's partners were the City Investing Corp, and Fred Wilpon.
With Nelson Doubleday in the midst of selling his family business in 1986 to Bartelsmann, the New York Times wrote it was possible that he and Fred Wilpon would not have become 50-50 partners if Doubleday had been aware of a clause in their original agreement which gave Wilpon the right of first refusal on any sale of the team. Doubleday, Wilpon and Saul Katz, would ultimately resolve the matter by becoming equal partners in purchasing the Mets from Doubleday and Company for $85 million dollars (and an agreement to assume $25 million dollars in team liabilities).
The issue of Fred Wilpon's right of refusal resurfaced six years later. A 1992 New York Times article reported on Doubleday's veiled threat to sell his half of the Mets after a majority of MLB owners voted in favor of ousting then commissioner Fay Vincent. At the time, the team's valuation was estimated between $180 million to more than $200 million dollars. Doubleday said at the time he would not be putting his half stake in the Mets on the market, but would instead be offering it to Fred Wilpon.
The two never did get along very well - if at all - and they disagreed over a great many things. Most famously, Nelson Doubleday felt it business wise to extend Mike Piazza's contract, whereas Fred Wilpon did not. On the flip side, Fred Wilpon wanted to build a new ballpark. However, Nelson Doubleday knew they couldn't afford it, preferring instead to renovate Shea Stadium. Their differences and overall business relationship had become irreconcilable, and by 2002 Doubleday decided he wanted out.
That led to their most infamous disagreement, as the two engaged in a contentious court battle over the team's fair market valuation. Nelson Doubleday believed the team should have been appraised for $500 million dollars, but was forced to accept a $391 million valuation established by a previously agreed upon independent appraiser, Robert Starkey. As a net result, a furious Nelson Doubleday was forced to settle for $135 million after debt, with a promise for upwards of $40 million more if the Mets moved into a new stadium.
On the way out, Nelson Doubleday took some rather harsh parting shots at his former partner, going so far as predicting Fred Wilpon would "... run the Mets into the ground." He also likened Jeff Wilpon to a little pharaoh, and scoffed at the notion of the boss' son learning how to become a baseball man.
Looking back, much of what ensued does indeed make Mets fans young and old shake their collective head, oft times in bewilderment, sometimes even in shame. I speak for myself when saying along with Mr. Doubleday so went ownership's better baseball acumen, this team's authoritative check and balance, the front office's operational conviction, and above all else, there went the organization's Mets-centric sensibilities.
Nelson Doubleday may have said some things in anger, but it's more likely he knew things most of us did not.
For instance, in 2015 the New York Times wrote Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz used their accounts with Bernie Madoff to persuade lenders into refinancing certain loans thus allowing them to buy-out Nelson Doubleday, according to the lawsuit filed against the Mets owners by the trustee for the victims of Madoff's fraud.
In a separate 2011 article, former Mets general manager Frank Cashen acknowledged to the New York Times it was his understanding that several million dollars of his deferred compensation had been invested with Mr. Madoff.
This suggests Madoff was a stranger to no one and had long remained at the forefront of Fred Wilpon's financial operations right up until Dec. 8, 2008, when the greatest investment ponzi-scheme in American history was revealed.
There's no need rehashing all the financial minutia as it relates to Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz in the aftermath of the Madoff implosion. They already simplified the details for us. In the summer of 2015, Fred and Saul refinanced $700 million in remaining team and SNY debt. According to the New York Post Sterling Equities owns 60 percent of SNY, and 60 percent of the Mets. The five year loans against separate entities carry lower interest rates and tie the maturity dates together. We are now inside year three of their continuing debt repayment schedule.
However, they were initially forced into selling limited minority shares of the team in order to survive and even get to that point. We know Anthony Scamarucci, Bill Maher, and Steve Cohen are just some of the new silent, minority owners. All told, the Mets reportedly raised $240 million from the sale of twelve minority shares according to a report in Newsday, with some shares purchased by SNY, and some privately purchased by Fred and Jeff Wilpon, and Saul Katz themselves.
It was also around this time Ed Kranepool and team COO Jeff Wilpon crossed paths at a team dinner. Kranepool said to Jeff, "I hear you're selling shares in your team" according to the New York Times. Kranepool immediately followed-up, "I don't want shares. I want to buy the whole team so I can run it better than you and your father."
EDDIE!! EDDIE!! EDDIE!!
Fast-forward, and Fred Wilpon is upset with the cross-town Yankees over their off-season acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. He says their business model is unsustainable. Hal Steinbrenner continues operating as if it is.
Why is it Fred Wilpon has no problem purchasing the (AAA) Syracuse franchise; has the want and wherewithal for developing the chop shops across the street from Citi Field; and tried involving himself in the Belmont Park project approved for the New York Islanders; yet has stated numerous times that in order for the Mets to increase spending, fans must attend more games and spend their money first?
Baseball Reference says Mets attendance for the years between 2012 through 2014 averaged 2,175,756 fans per season. Between 2015 and 2017, they averaged 2,606,659 fans per season which translates into an average of 430,903 more money spenders per season.
Is it coincidence, then, that in 2003 the Mets finished in last place with a 66-95 record, then ordered Jim Duquette to freeze spending, only to finish in fourth place fifteen years later with a 70-92 record, and hand general manager Sandy Alderson a reduced budget over the winter? Outside of Omar Minaya's ability to extract money from the Wilpons, the evidence suggests this is standard operating procedure.
Sure they recently signed Todd Frazier. But it was the least they could do considering their recent increases at the gate. Heaven forbid we expect more.
In the fifteen years between 2003 and 2017, the Mets compiled a sub par 1,194-1,235 (.491) record. Over that time, they've posted only six winning seasons, won a Wild Card, captured two division flags, and clinched one National League pennant. They've also posted nine losing seasons (including six in a row). They won a single-season high 97 games in 2006, and in 2003 won a single-season low 66 games.
We are now 5,523 days and counting into what I call the AGE of WILPON.
I don't know about you, but I'm convinced ...
The Nelson Doubleday prophecy is fulfilled.
Sunday, February 05, 2017
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Mets vs. Royals: The First All-Expansion World Series
Here's my latest for
This the 54th
WORLD SERIES
of the Expansion Era.
Of the 14 major league expansion teams,
the Mets lead with five WS appearances.
New York Mets
vs.
Kansas City Royals
marks the first ever
All-Expansion Fall Classic.
Mike
Senior Staff Writer/Rising Apple
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
N.Y. Mets: The Going Back to Cali Podcast; Game Five
Here's our latest podcast at
GAME FIVE
New York Mets
vs.
Los Angeles Dodgers
FROM
CHAVEN RAVINE
Just me
and Gary Mack from MetsMusings.com
talking NLDS and the Mets:
Jacob deGrom; Tom Seaver; Dwight Gooden;
Chase Utley, violent fandom; distant relatives;
Dave Kingman's thumb; Omar Minaya; Continental League
anxiety; anxiety; anxiety;
make it shake; lovechild;
Curtis Granderson;Citi Field
Saturday, June 02, 2012
N.Y. Mets ~ Johan Santana Pitches Mets First Ever No-Hitter
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
It came, finally, in the Mets' 50th Anniversary season. It happened 8,019 games after they played their first ever game, in their first ever season at the old Polo Grounds. It happened roughly 7,700 games after they played their first game at Shea Stadium. For me personally, it came somewhere around my 6,200th game as an astute Mets fan. But come it did, finally, in the Mets fourth season on the grounds of Citi Field; their newest home.
The Roosevelt Avenue Nine, and Johan Santana, together achieved what no pitcher in Met history has ever accomplished before - throwing a no hitter. The latter portion of the game was ripping at Terry Collin's sensibilities as a responsible manager. Johan's pitch count was creeping up on his career high levels. He already walked five batters heading into those late innings. The obvious problem looming like an 800 pound gorilla in the dugout was this was Johan's first season back from major shoulder surgery, and more specifically, this was only his eleventh start since the 2010 season. Heading into the eighth inning, he was already over 100 pitches. At one point, Coach Terry ran out to the mound to speak with his starter after Johan released a pitch high and away. Coach then promptly ran back into the dugout, apparently reassured by his "hero", as Johan Santana later revealed was the way Coach Terry referred to him during the game.
This was Johan Santana's second consecutive complete game shut-out victory. But obviously this win was a vastly more majestic effort authored by one of the true pitching titans of 21st Century baseball.
NEW YORK METS: FINALLY!
JOHAN SANTANA
TOSSES METS FIRST EVER
NO-HITTER!
NO-HITTER!
The Roosevelt Avenue Nine, and Johan Santana, together achieved what no pitcher in Met history has ever accomplished before - throwing a no hitter. The latter portion of the game was ripping at Terry Collin's sensibilities as a responsible manager. Johan's pitch count was creeping up on his career high levels. He already walked five batters heading into those late innings. The obvious problem looming like an 800 pound gorilla in the dugout was this was Johan's first season back from major shoulder surgery, and more specifically, this was only his eleventh start since the 2010 season. Heading into the eighth inning, he was already over 100 pitches. At one point, Coach Terry ran out to the mound to speak with his starter after Johan released a pitch high and away. Coach then promptly ran back into the dugout, apparently reassured by his "hero", as Johan Santana later revealed was the way Coach Terry referred to him during the game.
This was Johan Santana's second consecutive complete game shut-out victory. But obviously this win was a vastly more majestic effort authored by one of the true pitching titans of 21st Century baseball.
Johan Santana's Line ~ June 1, 2012
9 Innings - 0 Hits - 0 Runs - 5 Walks - 8 Strikeouts - 134 Pitches*
* Career High
There have been six no-hitters thrown against the Mets. And an astonishing thirteen former Mets have pitched no-hitters elsewhere. For the Mets' part, they've thrown thirty-five one-hitters in their history. Now, finally Flushing, we have our first. A representative crowd of twenty-seven thousand and sixty-nine people trekked out to Citi Field this Friday night and were treated to history. And to think, I contemplated being a walk up for the game tonight. But you'll get no tears over spilt milk from me; only tears of joy and champagne in my eyes. I watched on TV, and what a great night it was.
For my fellow Mets fans who date back to the pre-Tom Seaver trade, congratulations to you, and to us all. And to the rest of my fellow Mets fans, congratulations to you, and us, just the same. At this point, the last five years in Flushing are an era that binds no matter how old we are.
Coming off pitching a complete game shutout against the Padres in his last start, I still do not think anyone saw this coming. If anything, any recent speculation as to who could and might pitch the first Mets' no-no leaned towards R.A. Dickey. If you weren't aware, while pitching for Buffalo before Dickey's promotion to Queens, there was a game in which he allowed the lead-off man to get on, then proceeded to retire the next twenty-seven batters he faced; perfectly I might add.
As Johan's game gets recorded in the annals of baseball, the Mets' first no-hitter was ultimately thrown by a pitcher with stature. It wasn't Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Doc Gooden, David Cone, et al. But Met History wasn't created Friday night by a transient pitcher either. Johan Santana turned in this gem. And Johan Santana's is as formidable a name as you'd want associated with the Mets, and with regards to all-time performances.
The Mets' 3,840th win in their history came in historic fashion. But it did not come without a price. Mike Baxter rammed his shoulder into the left field wall retrieving a fly that threatened Johan's no hit effort. Baxter made a fine, yet difficult play, but was forced to leave the game, just adding to the growing list of Mets' casualties.
However, unlike so many other of Johan's starting efforts, this game came with plenty of offensive support. The Mets put Johan ahead by two in the fourth. Then up by five runs after six. And up by eight runs after seven.
Lucas Duda is now wielding a hot bat. He hit his third home run in the last two games, and resumes the team lead. He also had four RBI on the night. Daniel Murphy was 2 for 4, with three RBI. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was 2 for 3, with three runs scored, and has his batting average back over .300 again. And then, get this - the unteenth sub to fill in at shortstop this season, Omar Quintanilla; was 2 for 4, and is off to batting at a .417 clip.
This Friday night affair came against Adam Wainwright; the man who threw the curve ball which ended the Mets' 2006 dream. This game came against Carlos Beltran, who is now leading the Cardinals, and is among National League leaders in a few offensive categories, and who incidentally was the beleaguered former all-star Mets center fielder, who in 2006, was the one at bat and watched Adam Wainwright's curve ball drop in for strike three. This game also comes after a scheduled day off on Thursday, before the team embarks on a twenty game stretch against above .500 teams.
Unlike the Mets' effort against the Phillies, Johan Santana showed his team how to seize the moment. On a team filled with so many young players; home grown players; that can tend to dominate fan affections; Johan Santana came from places elsewhere which makes it a little harder to win those same fan affections. Justask Carlos Beltran. Till this day, I am still embarrassed FOR my fellow Mets fan, regarding those who booed Johan Santana during his first ever start at Shea Stadium against Ben Sheets, and the Brewers. I said it then, and I'll say it again now - Shame on you! Shame on all of you who booed him that day. The simple fact that game was his first day pitching in front his new home crowd, and that we greeted him that way, astonished me! But then again, as a New Yorker, I wasn't surprised. Just embarrassed!
On June 1, 2012, Johan just etched his name onto the stone Doric column permanently listing the Mets of Forever.
Met fans, we have our No-Hitter!
Mike.BTB
Sunday, November 27, 2011
N.Y. METS ~ State of METropolis Report; Part IV
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
If you are familiar with Head-Butting Mr. Met, or not, welcome to...
"The Age of WILPONianism"
State of METropolis Report
VIII. - BANNER DAY
After a fifteen year absence, Banner Day; an important and fond link to our past and tradition, and one which ties the Mets to an earlier era of baseball; is returning toPolo Grounds Shea Stadium Citi Field.
The reason why they discontinued the event in the first place was because the signs and banners were becoming increasingly "too negative" according to the team back then. After Met Fans suffered literal embarrassment due to acts committed by several team members between the years 1992 through 1995, and the overall woeful play that accompanied them as a whole, was it any wonder Fans increasingly used Banner Day as a venue to vent their frustrations? After all, the Internet wasn't the outlet it is today. It's a good thing too. Those years were literally like Delta House at Flushing University but in the most negative ways. So if there was anyone to blame for the air of negativity hanging over Flushing that needed to look themselves in the mirror first, there were two GM's during that time, a Team President, two adversarial partners, and a collective Front Office that was always bickering with each other, to choose from.
It also proves some things never change around here. Lest we forget the Wilpons banned newspapers from the clubhouse a few years ago so as to not have the players read negative press about themselves.
But dare I say the decision to bring back a tradition very unique to the Mets' organization should be applauded. Great move by the Wilpons! But really, let's be true to ourselves and say it was the least they could do. Let's keep this real. Because this falls right in line with a recent history of neglecting this team's past. While the decision to suspend Banner Day was made under the old regime of Doubleday and Wilpon, it was the beginning of a trend towards more neglectful decision making in the future regarding what Fans deemed important and treasured about their team.
Just for fun, might I remind you, then GM Al Harazin came so very close to receiving ownership's approval to officially change the dominant color scheme of our NY Met LOGO/patch to black. But ultimately ownership feared the repercussions. Yeah... I take great pride in our team logo. I believe it to be one of the finest in all sports. But I digress.
Back to the point; - The Mets' Hall of Fame was figuratively brushed aside by the Wilpons. Tommy Agee was the last inductee in 2002. Nelson Doubleday was still around for that one. Then since the full ownership of Fred Wilpon took effect, the doors were figuratively chained up till 2010. Finally, Gooden; Strawberry; Frank Cashen; and Davey Johnson gained their due enshrinement. Established in 1981 by this very ownership, they maintained a somewhat regular process of enshrinement for twenty years. But for the seven years sandwiched between 2002 and 2010, nary a word regarding the Mets Hall of Fame was ever spoken again.....until......
The grand-daddy of all mindless, neglectful, derelict, oversights and Fan insults occurred when the Wilpons swung open the doors to their neo-Ebbets Field without of course, the New York Mets' Hall of Fame anywhere within the building.
Want more? The original big red Home Run Apple, which grew on fans in the thirty plus years since it's debut at Shea Stadium, became symbolic of a very friendly place for Met Fans to come out and watch their team. But to begin the post-Shea era, our Apple was originally packed away out of view, down in a corner beyond the bullpens, and below the center field bridge at Citi Field, like an old Victrola player buried in your grandpa's basement.
Want more? How about not replacing the Met Championship and winning banners formerly in the right field corner of Shea Stadium. Those never found their way back to the walls of Citi Field in that first season. Did they? No. A slight omission? Sure, if you're being kind. But the fact remains it was another oversight in a growing pile of Metropolitan omissions. No Dodger or Jackie Robinson omissions; ...only Met omissions.
These four items of discussion share one common denominator. The fact that the New York Mets Hall of Fame has since opened it's doors (...and it's very nicely done by the way); and the original Home Run Apple is now properly positioned in a much more prominent place in front of the Citi Field plaza; and the championship banners were painted back on the walls; and the fact that we are finally getting our beloved Banner Day back, are all the direct results of Fan outrage! And in classic cause/effect, wholly reactive corrections were hastily initiated by ownership. All the re-decorated trimmings you see on and about Citi Field today are because the Fan base quite literally flipped out. The Apple has been relocated and the Banners got painted because the Fan base quite literally flipped out. And after demanding Banner Day back for years, ownership finally relented. Or did they?
Getting back the privilege to parade our sentiments on one of mom's old bed sheets or some other home-improvised signage should be celebrated indeed. However, past practices have not only made me question why the tradition was suspended in the first place but it prejudices me into receiving the news with one raised eyebrow. Were it not for the Wilpons being in such dire straights, and desperate for Fans to show up and pay the reduced, yet still outrageous prices they ask for admittance to a game, would they have still considered bringing Banner Day back otherwise?
Say team fortunes had turned out differently after the 2006 season. Other than our requests and demands continuing to fall on deaf ears, would we be talking about having Banner Day again today? Think about it. Doesn't this wreak of the Wilpons trying to get in our good graces again? You know what they say; Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Even though potential Banner Day participants will no doubt be screened; censored; and or flat out rejected; chalk one up for the Fans anyway.
IX. - RETIRED NUMBERS
There has been a long-time yearning among Met Fans to have at least one more member join the ranks of the New York Metropolitans' retired numbers club. Of course, Casey Stengel's number thirty-seven and Gil Hodges' number fourteen were the first two gentlemen to receive the distinction. Tom Seaver, who entered the Hall of Fame in a landslide, remains the only player have his number retired by the Mets. And maybe rightfully so. That's for us to debate as many Fans believe it's finally time for another.
In no particular order, these are the candidates I most often hear spoken of by Mets Fans:
Jerry Koosman - Kieth Hernandez - and Mike Piazza. I also have a personal candidate of my own, for I would like Tug McGraw's number retired as well.
I do not sense Met Fans want to retire the big three post-haste. Mike Piazza's HOF status is still yet to be determined. If he goes in as a Met, of course that pretty much seals the deal for him. There has however been a long standing debate whether Jerry Koosman and Kieth Hernandez should have their numbers recognized as well.
In Jerry Koosman's case, my answer is an unqualified YES. He's actually one of the best left-handers to ever throw a baseball; period. In the case of Keith Hernandez, he's among the three or four most influential and impact players this team has ever had in all their fifty-year history. And like many things in sports, the ring's the thing. So maybe he deserves it too. But I'm not as committed yet like I am with Jerry Koosman. I guess I was younger and more impressionable. But if I feel Keith's number should indeed be eventually retired anyway, then why not just do it soon. Right?
Retiring some numbers would be a fine way to put a bow on the first half-century of Mets Baseball. Which ones? We'll continue debating. I know this however, along with the current three retired numbers, this class would accurately reflect and neatly encapsulate three distinct eras and be representative of the best from this organization's last fifty- years without any fear of watering down the honors due a Tom Seaver; Hodges; or Stengel; for having a uniform retired.
X. - UNIFORMS
I'm not trying to be a Debbie-Downer, but the Mets only got this three quarters correct. With the unveiling of next season's 50th Anniversary uniforms, I was reminded how beautiful our traditional uniform looks minus the black. And in that regard, the pinstriped home uniform and the old road versions are home runs. But the Mets' insistence to go with their solid whiteBrooklyn Dodgers alternates with blue piping still does not sit well with me.
What ever version or variation of Mets jersey they care to sell in the gift shop matters not to me. Hell, I own two. But what the team wears on the field does matter to me, and in a very big way. This is just me speaking here, but I want those alternate whites done away with. Or at a minimum, made to be worn as the occasional change of pace. It's as if these have become the norm, and we are left craving our old pinstripes that the team gifts us with on a weekend or at their discretion.
And while I'm at it, I want all the black trim elements of the on-field, home as well as road uniform, and the softball uniform if you will..., eliminated all together...for good. I'll buy one. That's what they really want anyway. But please Mr. Wilpon, don't make them wear it. Once a week? - If we must. But please, let us stick with our traditional uniform as our standard. For the time is long over due that this organization start setting standards in something; .....anything.
Period.
XI. - CITI FIELD
From the beginning, I thought the outfield contours, dimensions, and quirks were way too contrived. It's not like the chop-shops across the street necessitated all that. In light of the alterationsSandy Alderson the Mets have announced, I myself would have just lived with the mistakes made in the original configuration of Citi Field and reconfigured my team. Twenty seasons from now, Citi Field would have had an interesting story to tell regardless.
However, what I originally didn't like was the left field wall's gradual upgrade starting in the corner and extending towards the Great Wall of Flushing. So if pressed to make changes, I would have leveled off the initial portion of the left field wall and incorporated two right angles between the foul pole and the Great Wall. Additionally, I would have just lowered the Great Wall, but not by much. Shaving five feet or so would have sufficed to preserve the original idea of a high wall. And without a doubt I would have leveled-off the center field wall and not have placed the new Apple in straight away center field. Otherwise, I would have kept the right field Modell's Zone as it was.
The Mets have also announced the outfield walls will also be getting a fresh coat of Met Blue paint. Gone will be the Black covered walls lined in Orange; - a feeble attempt to pay homage to the New York Giants. That gesture by itself was impotent, not to mention the relevance was not easily detectable by most fans today, unlike the unmistakable Dodger motifs which dominate the building.
With the changing of colors, Citi Field will have rid itself of any and all reference to the New York Giants. With such an emphasis on the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Mets still miss the ball on embracing all of it's National League Baseball heritage considering the Mets played their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds and more importantly, borrowed the inter-locking NY on their caps from them.
Of course the story goes we took orange from the Giants and Blue from the Dodgers. While generally accepted as fact, the color scheme also happens to be the official colors of NYC; white; blue; and orange. As we are the NY Metropolitan BBC, there's probably less of a Giants' influence in that respect than we give the legend credit for. However, the idea of celebrating and incorporating all New York's National League heritage still remains a good idea with Met fans. There's never been issue with that idea. It's how Fred subconsciously makes us and our Mets feel second fiddle to his boyhood heroes; the Brooklyn Dodgers; that irks us because it comes at our Met expense.
XII. - PRICING
I've been going to games on a regular basis since 1975. From 1977 through 1981, my Yankee-fan Pop split season tickets with a buddy; - field level behind the visiting dugout. Rooting for a bad team NEVER stopped me from going to the ball park and enjoying a Mets game. And as a paying adult, I was always more than willing and happy to buy my ticket through the years. I've watched some good teams along with many lousy teams.
With the passage of time, of course ticket prices rose from the time I was eleven years old. But ticket prices remained manageable throughout my lifetime right up until my last game at old Shea Stadium. The old blue Loge Section at Shea and Mezz box seats were always one of the greatest ticket purchases ever. And even in the orange field level seats, there was never a great divide between the "one-percenters" and the rest of the "ninety-nine"...(to borrow OWS terms). Throughout the life of Shea, if you so desired field seats, they were obtainable even at the premium price of the day. But the cost was never obscene like it is now, and the atmosphere never made someone feel like those in attendance around them wanted the lower classes and less well behaved banished to the proletariat section. Eewww, how R... Roman.
All matters in pricing and cost at Citi Field have changed that. While not quite as obscene as what the Yankees charge for nine innings, the Mets followed suit (albeit to a slightly lesser degree) with egregious pricing of their own. Even though the organization has taken steps towards lowering our price, even those with the best intentions to attend multiple games per home stand, the cost of attending a game is still much too prohibitive for the common fan's weekly budget. If a Met Fan attended Shea Stadium frequently before, odds are that same person has to pick and choose only a select few games at Citi Field now, or is having another aspect of his/her quality of life affected in order to afford a game(s).
This phenomenon is not ticket price Darwinism. The cost of going to a game did not slowly evolve into an event this costly; not in baseball anyway. Like I said, everything was still copacetic when games were still being played at Shea. This is a Citi Field phenomenon and the dynamic of newly built parks. There is the obvious debt that needs to be paid off, which naturally gets passed off on us. But many owners studied and tried cashing in on the after-market prices for their tickets. What those knuckleheads failed to realize was that's what people were willing to pay for a Yanks/Red Sox game on a one game basis, or Mets/Phils - when it meant something....on a one game basis - a one time event. It's something they thought they could corner themselves by just charging the secondary market price up front. - And for EVERY game! In effect they are also taking the havoc ticket brokers have wrought out on us.
Mike.BTB
METropolis; Year Nine A.D. - (After Doubleday)
If you are familiar with Head-Butting Mr. Met, or not, welcome to...
"The Age of WILPONianism"
and the continuing sagas of...
The Saul B. Katz Dilemma
...DUN, Dun, dunnnn!
State of METropolis Report
PART IV ~ THE FANS and TRADITION:
Ownership Toying With Our Tradition
and Trying Our Patience.
Vol 1. Sub; VIII-XII?
Vol 1. Sub; VIII-XII?
VIII. - BANNER DAY
After a fifteen year absence, Banner Day; an important and fond link to our past and tradition, and one which ties the Mets to an earlier era of baseball; is returning to
Banner Day; Shea Stadium - 1994
The reason why they discontinued the event in the first place was because the signs and banners were becoming increasingly "too negative" according to the team back then. After Met Fans suffered literal embarrassment due to acts committed by several team members between the years 1992 through 1995, and the overall woeful play that accompanied them as a whole, was it any wonder Fans increasingly used Banner Day as a venue to vent their frustrations? After all, the Internet wasn't the outlet it is today. It's a good thing too. Those years were literally like Delta House at Flushing University but in the most negative ways. So if there was anyone to blame for the air of negativity hanging over Flushing that needed to look themselves in the mirror first, there were two GM's during that time, a Team President, two adversarial partners, and a collective Front Office that was always bickering with each other, to choose from.
It also proves some things never change around here. Lest we forget the Wilpons banned newspapers from the clubhouse a few years ago so as to not have the players read negative press about themselves.
But dare I say the decision to bring back a tradition very unique to the Mets' organization should be applauded. Great move by the Wilpons! But really, let's be true to ourselves and say it was the least they could do. Let's keep this real. Because this falls right in line with a recent history of neglecting this team's past. While the decision to suspend Banner Day was made under the old regime of Doubleday and Wilpon, it was the beginning of a trend towards more neglectful decision making in the future regarding what Fans deemed important and treasured about their team.
Just for fun, might I remind you, then GM Al Harazin came so very close to receiving ownership's approval to officially change the dominant color scheme of our NY Met LOGO/patch to black. But ultimately ownership feared the repercussions. Yeah... I take great pride in our team logo. I believe it to be one of the finest in all sports. But I digress.
Back to the point; - The Mets' Hall of Fame was figuratively brushed aside by the Wilpons. Tommy Agee was the last inductee in 2002. Nelson Doubleday was still around for that one. Then since the full ownership of Fred Wilpon took effect, the doors were figuratively chained up till 2010. Finally, Gooden; Strawberry; Frank Cashen; and Davey Johnson gained their due enshrinement. Established in 1981 by this very ownership, they maintained a somewhat regular process of enshrinement for twenty years. But for the seven years sandwiched between 2002 and 2010, nary a word regarding the Mets Hall of Fame was ever spoken again.....until......
The grand-daddy of all mindless, neglectful, derelict, oversights and Fan insults occurred when the Wilpons swung open the doors to their neo-Ebbets Field without of course, the New York Mets' Hall of Fame anywhere within the building.
Want more? The original big red Home Run Apple, which grew on fans in the thirty plus years since it's debut at Shea Stadium, became symbolic of a very friendly place for Met Fans to come out and watch their team. But to begin the post-Shea era, our Apple was originally packed away out of view, down in a corner beyond the bullpens, and below the center field bridge at Citi Field, like an old Victrola player buried in your grandpa's basement.
Want more? How about not replacing the Met Championship and winning banners formerly in the right field corner of Shea Stadium. Those never found their way back to the walls of Citi Field in that first season. Did they? No. A slight omission? Sure, if you're being kind. But the fact remains it was another oversight in a growing pile of Metropolitan omissions. No Dodger or Jackie Robinson omissions; ...only Met omissions.
These four items of discussion share one common denominator. The fact that the New York Mets Hall of Fame has since opened it's doors (...and it's very nicely done by the way); and the original Home Run Apple is now properly positioned in a much more prominent place in front of the Citi Field plaza; and the championship banners were painted back on the walls; and the fact that we are finally getting our beloved Banner Day back, are all the direct results of Fan outrage! And in classic cause/effect, wholly reactive corrections were hastily initiated by ownership. All the re-decorated trimmings you see on and about Citi Field today are because the Fan base quite literally flipped out. The Apple has been relocated and the Banners got painted because the Fan base quite literally flipped out. And after demanding Banner Day back for years, ownership finally relented. Or did they?
Getting back the privilege to parade our sentiments on one of mom's old bed sheets or some other home-improvised signage should be celebrated indeed. However, past practices have not only made me question why the tradition was suspended in the first place but it prejudices me into receiving the news with one raised eyebrow. Were it not for the Wilpons being in such dire straights, and desperate for Fans to show up and pay the reduced, yet still outrageous prices they ask for admittance to a game, would they have still considered bringing Banner Day back otherwise?
Say team fortunes had turned out differently after the 2006 season. Other than our requests and demands continuing to fall on deaf ears, would we be talking about having Banner Day again today? Think about it. Doesn't this wreak of the Wilpons trying to get in our good graces again? You know what they say; Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Even though potential Banner Day participants will no doubt be screened; censored; and or flat out rejected; chalk one up for the Fans anyway.
IX. - RETIRED NUMBERS
There has been a long-time yearning among Met Fans to have at least one more member join the ranks of the New York Metropolitans' retired numbers club. Of course, Casey Stengel's number thirty-seven and Gil Hodges' number fourteen were the first two gentlemen to receive the distinction. Tom Seaver, who entered the Hall of Fame in a landslide, remains the only player have his number retired by the Mets. And maybe rightfully so. That's for us to debate as many Fans believe it's finally time for another.
In no particular order, these are the candidates I most often hear spoken of by Mets Fans:
Jerry Koosman - Kieth Hernandez - and Mike Piazza. I also have a personal candidate of my own, for I would like Tug McGraw's number retired as well.
I do not sense Met Fans want to retire the big three post-haste. Mike Piazza's HOF status is still yet to be determined. If he goes in as a Met, of course that pretty much seals the deal for him. There has however been a long standing debate whether Jerry Koosman and Kieth Hernandez should have their numbers recognized as well.
In Jerry Koosman's case, my answer is an unqualified YES. He's actually one of the best left-handers to ever throw a baseball; period. In the case of Keith Hernandez, he's among the three or four most influential and impact players this team has ever had in all their fifty-year history. And like many things in sports, the ring's the thing. So maybe he deserves it too. But I'm not as committed yet like I am with Jerry Koosman. I guess I was younger and more impressionable. But if I feel Keith's number should indeed be eventually retired anyway, then why not just do it soon. Right?
Retiring some numbers would be a fine way to put a bow on the first half-century of Mets Baseball. Which ones? We'll continue debating. I know this however, along with the current three retired numbers, this class would accurately reflect and neatly encapsulate three distinct eras and be representative of the best from this organization's last fifty- years without any fear of watering down the honors due a Tom Seaver; Hodges; or Stengel; for having a uniform retired.
X. - UNIFORMS
I'm not trying to be a Debbie-Downer, but the Mets only got this three quarters correct. With the unveiling of next season's 50th Anniversary uniforms, I was reminded how beautiful our traditional uniform looks minus the black. And in that regard, the pinstriped home uniform and the old road versions are home runs. But the Mets' insistence to go with their solid white
What ever version or variation of Mets jersey they care to sell in the gift shop matters not to me. Hell, I own two. But what the team wears on the field does matter to me, and in a very big way. This is just me speaking here, but I want those alternate whites done away with. Or at a minimum, made to be worn as the occasional change of pace. It's as if these have become the norm, and we are left craving our old pinstripes that the team gifts us with on a weekend or at their discretion.
And while I'm at it, I want all the black trim elements of the on-field, home as well as road uniform, and the softball uniform if you will..., eliminated all together...for good. I'll buy one. That's what they really want anyway. But please Mr. Wilpon, don't make them wear it. Once a week? - If we must. But please, let us stick with our traditional uniform as our standard. For the time is long over due that this organization start setting standards in something; .....anything.
Period.
XI. - CITI FIELD
From the beginning, I thought the outfield contours, dimensions, and quirks were way too contrived. It's not like the chop-shops across the street necessitated all that. In light of the alterations
However, what I originally didn't like was the left field wall's gradual upgrade starting in the corner and extending towards the Great Wall of Flushing. So if pressed to make changes, I would have leveled off the initial portion of the left field wall and incorporated two right angles between the foul pole and the Great Wall. Additionally, I would have just lowered the Great Wall, but not by much. Shaving five feet or so would have sufficed to preserve the original idea of a high wall. And without a doubt I would have leveled-off the center field wall and not have placed the new Apple in straight away center field. Otherwise, I would have kept the right field Modell's Zone as it was.
The Mets have also announced the outfield walls will also be getting a fresh coat of Met Blue paint. Gone will be the Black covered walls lined in Orange; - a feeble attempt to pay homage to the New York Giants. That gesture by itself was impotent, not to mention the relevance was not easily detectable by most fans today, unlike the unmistakable Dodger motifs which dominate the building.
With the changing of colors, Citi Field will have rid itself of any and all reference to the New York Giants. With such an emphasis on the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Mets still miss the ball on embracing all of it's National League Baseball heritage considering the Mets played their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds and more importantly, borrowed the inter-locking NY on their caps from them.
Of course the story goes we took orange from the Giants and Blue from the Dodgers. While generally accepted as fact, the color scheme also happens to be the official colors of NYC; white; blue; and orange. As we are the NY Metropolitan BBC, there's probably less of a Giants' influence in that respect than we give the legend credit for. However, the idea of celebrating and incorporating all New York's National League heritage still remains a good idea with Met fans. There's never been issue with that idea. It's how Fred subconsciously makes us and our Mets feel second fiddle to his boyhood heroes; the Brooklyn Dodgers; that irks us because it comes at our Met expense.
XII. - PRICING
I've been going to games on a regular basis since 1975. From 1977 through 1981, my Yankee-fan Pop split season tickets with a buddy; - field level behind the visiting dugout. Rooting for a bad team NEVER stopped me from going to the ball park and enjoying a Mets game. And as a paying adult, I was always more than willing and happy to buy my ticket through the years. I've watched some good teams along with many lousy teams.
With the passage of time, of course ticket prices rose from the time I was eleven years old. But ticket prices remained manageable throughout my lifetime right up until my last game at old Shea Stadium. The old blue Loge Section at Shea and Mezz box seats were always one of the greatest ticket purchases ever. And even in the orange field level seats, there was never a great divide between the "one-percenters" and the rest of the "ninety-nine"...(to borrow OWS terms). Throughout the life of Shea, if you so desired field seats, they were obtainable even at the premium price of the day. But the cost was never obscene like it is now, and the atmosphere never made someone feel like those in attendance around them wanted the lower classes and less well behaved banished to the proletariat section. Eewww, how R... Roman.
All matters in pricing and cost at Citi Field have changed that. While not quite as obscene as what the Yankees charge for nine innings, the Mets followed suit (albeit to a slightly lesser degree) with egregious pricing of their own. Even though the organization has taken steps towards lowering our price, even those with the best intentions to attend multiple games per home stand, the cost of attending a game is still much too prohibitive for the common fan's weekly budget. If a Met Fan attended Shea Stadium frequently before, odds are that same person has to pick and choose only a select few games at Citi Field now, or is having another aspect of his/her quality of life affected in order to afford a game(s).
This phenomenon is not ticket price Darwinism. The cost of going to a game did not slowly evolve into an event this costly; not in baseball anyway. Like I said, everything was still copacetic when games were still being played at Shea. This is a Citi Field phenomenon and the dynamic of newly built parks. There is the obvious debt that needs to be paid off, which naturally gets passed off on us. But many owners studied and tried cashing in on the after-market prices for their tickets. What those knuckleheads failed to realize was that's what people were willing to pay for a Yanks/Red Sox game on a one game basis, or Mets/Phils - when it meant something....on a one game basis - a one time event. It's something they thought they could corner themselves by just charging the secondary market price up front. - And for EVERY game! In effect they are also taking the havoc ticket brokers have wrought out on us.
Mike.BTB
Monday, January 18, 2010
...Missing Shea
I was asked by someone in this BloggerHood, as a Mets fan, how I felt about the Mets' new park, Citi Field, in relation to Shea Stadium. Well my friend, you asked me some time ago, but finally here is your answer. I miss Shea. As they say, it was a dump, but it was my dump, and I loved it. What do I think of new Citi Field? It's nice; beautiful actually. It's got some things going for it. That's the extent of the good comments I have. How do I really feel about Citi Field?
I hope this answers your question.
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