February 19th, what a glorious day!  It is cold as hell up here in NYC, but it is warm and sunny on the fields of Port St. Lucie.  The 2009 season is here, after a kinda quiet hot stove season, the boys are back.  In the past I've talked about what my keys to the season are and my thoughts on the upcoming spring training.  I guess I am going to be bit more plain this year and just say that the 2009 Mets need to play hard, inspired, tough, team baseball. 

- RISP is key this year.  I am still haunted by the Cubs game in September when D. Wright was left stranded at 3rd. 
- Daniel Murphy in my opinion is the key to this team, I think the young fella is going to be one hell of a ball player, he can bring the young, fighting, hard nosed work ethic to the Mets and others will follow.  Even though he is young, he will lead by example.
- Castillo, you are killing me! It can not be much worse than last year, if he can get past the early season booing, I expect a bounce back season.  The fact he pleaded his case to management to stay here means a lot to me, and I think when it is all said and done we will be lucky to have Castillo on this team.
- John Maine will be key to the success of this team.  If he is healthy and we get similar numbers from big Pelf and a stronger year from Ollie, we will pick up 8-10 wins over last years squad.
- The pen has been fixed, end of story.

Finally, in Jerry we trust.  He will be key to pushing the right buttons, playing the correct match-ups and implementing confidence and team into a clubhouse that has been divided and too individual in past years.  We have a manager that is seasoned, unlike Willie.  He knows how to manage and I believe he will the main reason the Mets have success in 2009.

The 2009 baseball season, welcome.  As in years past I am ready for the crazy ride we are about to go on. 

Let's Go Mets!

Update Monday May 18, 2009:
Read my Yankee Stadium Review HERE

Update Friday April 10, 2009:
Citi Field Obstructions Petition, to read and sign click HERE.

Well, this wasn't the tone I wanted my first post of the 2009 season to be, but it has caused quite a stir among Mets fans as well as myself.  Obstructed views at Citi has picked up more and more steam over the past week or so, climaxing in a rumored article that the NY Post was going to run. Again, rumor has it that the article was nixed for one reason or another.  I have looked at the pictures on Baseball-Fever from Citi Field and there are some terrible, terrible design flaws. One which will be quite bothersome to me as our season tickets are the first row of the Promenade Box (we are in section 427, down the line so I am not sure how much it will really affect us) the LED screen blocks a good portion of the view.  I have to admit that I am quite upset that this LED  may be obstructing our view. I called my ticket manger and he told me that he knew of the pictures and that they are skewed.  He went on to say that if we do not like the seats after the first game that we could move; does he really believe that!  Anyway, below are images (click to make them bigger) and a portion of open letter that a user named 'Saltzy' posted on Baseball-Fever, which I thought everyone should read.  Look at these images closely and see how retarded some of these obstructed views at CitiField really are:

"I feel as though I have a story that you should be interested in. I am a die hard, 162 game a year Mets fan. Over the course of the last few years a group of people have had an ongoing conversation regarding construction of the Mets new home, CitiField. The message board I am referring to is HERE ;........

Last Friday, 2/13, I was invited on a tour of Citi Field. Due to my ongoing dialogue on this forum I knew of several areas in the park that seemed to certainly offer some level of obstruction, in a park that has been promised to us will have 'sitelines like no other', with little or no obstructions.

I was able to make my way over to these areas and document seats that offered obstructions that blew my mind. There are several issues. Listed in order of severity from least to worst, the railing from the 1st row throughout the Promenade Level, the staircases leading up to the Promenade Reserve, and easily the worst, the LED ribbon running along the length of the Promenade Box/Club Seats.

Here are some examples of the seats I am referring to:

Railing/Staircase Obstructions:



LED Obstructions:




There are 3 sections of either side of home plate in the Promenade Club sections, where the 1st row is considered 'Premium seating' that are 100% affected by this LED obstruction. (Sections 406-408 on the 1st base side, Sections 421-423 on the 3rd base side) Each picture was taken sitting in the seat, and meant to offer as objective a view as possible from that seat as someone there would get. As you can see, 20%-25% of the field is blocked, including a large portion of home plate and 1st base line. I am 5'7" and needed to strain my neck to see the entire home plate area. These seats are $75 each. The seats further down the lines are $35. These LED boards are unnecessary, and completely absurd. Something MUST be done about this. The thought of a father taking his son to Opening Day this year, only to realize they cannot see home plate has been haunting me since I sat in these seats, forget about the people that have spent over $6,000 per seat for full season tickets. In advance, I will acknowledge that the Mets have labeled the seats by the staircases(facing towards home, for the 1st 2 rows, 1st 4 seats) obstructed, and are not selling full season tickets in them. The ones that face the outfield are equally as bad in my opinion, and are not labeled as such.

Based on the replies I got after posting these pictures(almost 500 in 3 days, MANY from people directly affected by these obstructions), in addition to hearing outcries about obstructions at the new Yankee Stadium that are far less severe,and cost a fraction of the price I am convinced that this is a legit story that needs to get out to my fellow Mets fans that have been duped into these seats at outrageous prices with no knowledge of these obstructions."

Well, there you have it.  If you are affected by these seats, contact me, contact your ticket manager at Shea, let your voice be heard.  I am missing Shea more and more.