New Yorkers Slam Citi Field

New Yorkers who called into WFAN on Tuesday night put on one heck of a show while commenting on the Mets' new home stadium, Citi Field.

The majority of callers were not impressed with Shea's $850 million replacement, while some callers found Citi a pleasant baseball experience.

The biggest complaint emanating from New York is that Citi field pays too much homage to Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers and not enough to the Mets' own legacy. Many also noted that it's been over 50 years since the Dodgers left Brooklyn and that this generation of New York Baseball fan does not know or care about the team now residing in Los Angeles.

My response to that would be that regardless of the fact of whether today's fans remember the Brooklyn Dodgers or not- they should, and now they will. Americans are short on honoring history, maybe because the history of this country is so short, and throwbacks to the past add to the nostalgia of the present.

The city of Rome, for instance, is so striking because intermingled with modern urban life are relics of the past empire. The Roman Coliseum, maybe the most famous in the world, is a 2000 year old monument entrenched in the middle of modern society. No one in that city will ever forget the past for two reasons:

1) Reminders of the city's history are everywhere, and
2) They don't want to forget.

That's not to say that Citi Field could ever rival the historic nostalgia of Rome, but Citi field is a standing reminder of the city's past, and there is nothing wrong with putting the current generation (most of which who could not name their State Senator but could name that Jackass on the current season of Dancing With the Stars) in touch with that past. On that note, I would hope that William Shea and Joan Payson are also honored for bringing National League Baseball back to New York.

I haven't been to Citi Field yet and I will reserve full judgement for that time.

Another very valid gripe is the fact that Citi holds 42,000 fans as compared to the 55,000 that could pile into Shea. That was a terrible error in judgement that will hurt the atmosphere of the stadium, especially come playoff time. Of the 42,000 fans that will pack the stadium, less will be the hard-nosed baseball fans that make all the noise and more will be the corporate types who just like to say they were there.

Other complaints have been the quirky outfield and less than stellar ballpark food.

For the outfield walls, let's give the stadium a season of existence before passing judgement and for the food- If you're going to the ballpark for a three course dining experience and not a beer and a dog, then don't go to the ballpark.