As Coop reminded me in her recent post, it's hockey season already. Preseason hockey anyway. While that is a good thing, it also signals the end of the baseball season.
That means there's only a limited number of times to listen to Howie Rose and Wayne Hagin (especially if Howie leaves us a bit early to go back to his winter job with the Islanders) and a limited number of times to listen to Gary, Keith, and Ron (and Kevin and Ralph, especially Ralph since you just never know). And it means there's limited window to watching baseball, meaningful or not, before the Yankees playoff games are thrown in our faces.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ballpark Review - Philadelphia
Forgive me for saying this (my blue pinstripes may be taken away for this), but I went to the baseball stadium in Philadelphia on Sunday and enjoyed the ballpark. The Mets lost (so what else is new). But my friend and I walked all over the ballpark and we really liked it.
There was a great atmosphere in the park. The home team is in first place. The fans were all into the game, and the day. Cheering on their failing closer and other stars. Making noise mostly without being asked to do so. Almost everyone there was wearing a Phillies jersey of some sort (they have a few different types, all represented in my section), and none of these were cheap knockoffs (and not saying all of our Mets jerseys are, and meaning that the proper colors were used for the name and number of the back of the jersey). The seats are all Phillies-blue (it's a seldom used color, but it's there), and it was a really good visual contrast with the fans in the seats wearing different whites and reds, showing you all of the team's colors. It was good. It was fun.
Walking around my eyes started seeing many comparisons to Citi Field. A Phillies fan may come to Citi Field and call it a cheap knockoff of the Philly park. So let me begin the comparisons in the outfield area.
They had lots of open space, wide and open concourse, varried concessions, sunshine, and just a feeling that this park belonged to the Phillies (I couldn't quite put my finger on it). The outfield area is the most unique. Wikipedia describes Ashburn Alley better than I do. Hidden behind the pictures on your TV is a Phillies Hall of Fame. A big, but not eye sore-big, scoreboard is over there too. And bullpens that you could spit into.
Except for the food, Philly set up the space better. A bar and grille named after a popular broadcaster (Harry the K's after Harry Kalas) - does anyone want a place at Citi Field called "The Happy Recap" named for Bob Murphy? A BBQ pit named after another well liked player ("Bull's BBQ" for Greg "The Bull" Luzinski, or for the Mets, "Rusty's"). The whole open area named for a popular Phillie player and broadcaster (how about Casey Stengel Plaza at Citi Field, I like it for the area above the Rotunda on the Promenade level).
Inside, where the color of the brick fits the Phillies scheme, there's plenty of Phillies stuff inside, but otherwise almost identical to Citi Field. Except that I noticed something while going over the pictures, something that Citi Field was lacking that I just couldn't put my finger on. Sunshine. The Philly ballpark main concourse is at street level, so the entrances from outside go right there. Openings in the brick castle. As someone once sang, "Let the sunshine in" (or was it "Let the sun shine in"?). The two parks were so alike that the layout of the concourse and steel in RF and the bridge from the 2nd concourse above me to the RF area looked almost exactly like Citi Field. Another thing inside, and a few of my blogger-friends can appreciate me saying this, were hanging banners of different Philly players. Something greatly missing at Citi Field.
Citi Field's Excelsior level seemed to be modeled after the second deck in Philly. My friend and I went up to our seats out in LF (this part is miror image from Citi Field - Citi has the LF landing and Philly has it in RF). We got up, went to walk, got two sections over, and got stopped at the entrance to the Hall of Fame club. The RF side looked bigger but we never got over there. Many suites, and many were full for a Sunday afternoon game. Their seating comes out to meet the regular folk.
Upstairs to the very open upper level (I think they call it the Terrace there). Very similar design to what Citi Field has, except for one big thing that I noticed in the pictures. There are no back walls, so it feels real open and the sun shines in (concessions along that side did have back walls though, but the concourse wasn't completely enclosed0. Even the staircases are open, and not enclosed (probably bad in a rain storm, though, to be open). This level also had a Phillies feel. Even the steel beams in the ballpark are the old Phillies maroon color.
They did appear to do something better in Philly - access to the upper seats (the seats above the concourse). It's a staircase underneath the seats that winds up to the middle of the section (think of the seats behind home plate at Citi Field where you basically walk over the club into the seats). So the fans in the first rows aren't distracted by those plexiglass railings and barriers, or even by people entering the seating area. That's really the way it should be.
One other thing that I saw on the LED ribbons was something that said "Welcome to Citizen's Bank Park - Home of the Philadelphia Phillies". Has anyone seen something similarly worded at Citi Field? Maybe I just didn't notice. My friend didn't recall seeing one.
Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
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There was a great atmosphere in the park. The home team is in first place. The fans were all into the game, and the day. Cheering on their failing closer and other stars. Making noise mostly without being asked to do so. Almost everyone there was wearing a Phillies jersey of some sort (they have a few different types, all represented in my section), and none of these were cheap knockoffs (and not saying all of our Mets jerseys are, and meaning that the proper colors were used for the name and number of the back of the jersey). The seats are all Phillies-blue (it's a seldom used color, but it's there), and it was a really good visual contrast with the fans in the seats wearing different whites and reds, showing you all of the team's colors. It was good. It was fun.
Walking around my eyes started seeing many comparisons to Citi Field. A Phillies fan may come to Citi Field and call it a cheap knockoff of the Philly park. So let me begin the comparisons in the outfield area.
They had lots of open space, wide and open concourse, varried concessions, sunshine, and just a feeling that this park belonged to the Phillies (I couldn't quite put my finger on it). The outfield area is the most unique. Wikipedia describes Ashburn Alley better than I do. Hidden behind the pictures on your TV is a Phillies Hall of Fame. A big, but not eye sore-big, scoreboard is over there too. And bullpens that you could spit into.
Except for the food, Philly set up the space better. A bar and grille named after a popular broadcaster (Harry the K's after Harry Kalas) - does anyone want a place at Citi Field called "The Happy Recap" named for Bob Murphy? A BBQ pit named after another well liked player ("Bull's BBQ" for Greg "The Bull" Luzinski, or for the Mets, "Rusty's"). The whole open area named for a popular Phillie player and broadcaster (how about Casey Stengel Plaza at Citi Field, I like it for the area above the Rotunda on the Promenade level).
Inside, where the color of the brick fits the Phillies scheme, there's plenty of Phillies stuff inside, but otherwise almost identical to Citi Field. Except that I noticed something while going over the pictures, something that Citi Field was lacking that I just couldn't put my finger on. Sunshine. The Philly ballpark main concourse is at street level, so the entrances from outside go right there. Openings in the brick castle. As someone once sang, "Let the sunshine in" (or was it "Let the sun shine in"?). The two parks were so alike that the layout of the concourse and steel in RF and the bridge from the 2nd concourse above me to the RF area looked almost exactly like Citi Field. Another thing inside, and a few of my blogger-friends can appreciate me saying this, were hanging banners of different Philly players. Something greatly missing at Citi Field.
Citi Field's Excelsior level seemed to be modeled after the second deck in Philly. My friend and I went up to our seats out in LF (this part is miror image from Citi Field - Citi has the LF landing and Philly has it in RF). We got up, went to walk, got two sections over, and got stopped at the entrance to the Hall of Fame club. The RF side looked bigger but we never got over there. Many suites, and many were full for a Sunday afternoon game. Their seating comes out to meet the regular folk.
Upstairs to the very open upper level (I think they call it the Terrace there). Very similar design to what Citi Field has, except for one big thing that I noticed in the pictures. There are no back walls, so it feels real open and the sun shines in (concessions along that side did have back walls though, but the concourse wasn't completely enclosed0. Even the staircases are open, and not enclosed (probably bad in a rain storm, though, to be open). This level also had a Phillies feel. Even the steel beams in the ballpark are the old Phillies maroon color.
They did appear to do something better in Philly - access to the upper seats (the seats above the concourse). It's a staircase underneath the seats that winds up to the middle of the section (think of the seats behind home plate at Citi Field where you basically walk over the club into the seats). So the fans in the first rows aren't distracted by those plexiglass railings and barriers, or even by people entering the seating area. That's really the way it should be.
One other thing that I saw on the LED ribbons was something that said "Welcome to Citizen's Bank Park - Home of the Philadelphia Phillies". Has anyone seen something similarly worded at Citi Field? Maybe I just didn't notice. My friend didn't recall seeing one.
Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
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More on Keith Hernandez
Neil Best of Newsday has more on Keith Hernandez, here (on his wife Kai) and here (on his retirement from being a player). This goes with the story that Best wrote on Keith and Kai as well as the main article and video.
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Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
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Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Mets have been officially eliminated from playoff contention
It's over. Officially. And there's still baseball to play this season.
11:00pm, September 13, 2009 - After being swept in a doubleheader in Philadelphia, the Mets have been eliminated from both Division play and the Wild Card in the same game. With 18 games left ot play, the Mets have also assured themselves of no better than a .500 season.
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11:00pm, September 13, 2009 - After being swept in a doubleheader in Philadelphia, the Mets have been eliminated from both Division play and the Wild Card in the same game. With 18 games left ot play, the Mets have also assured themselves of no better than a .500 season.
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I'm Keith Hernandez
Neil Best of Newsday recently spent a night at Keith Hernandez's house in Sag Harbor. He wrote his Sunday column about the experience. A video tour followed (the Newsday website has been a bit flaky since it was redesigned a few months ago, and the video page is no different).
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Neil Best writes a column called Sports Watch for Newsday and a blog called Watchdog that cover sports media
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
Flashback Saturday
To borrow (and change) an expression from the blog Faith And Fear In Flushing, today is Flashback Saturday watching the Mets game.
Former Mets TV play-by-play man (and current Radio play-by-play man) Howie Rose is filling in on the FOX Sports telecast with former TV announcer Tim McCarver. The duo never worked together (like when FOX had Ralph Kiner visit the booth for an inning last year working with Tim McCarver), but it's both good and a bit strange to hear both familiar voices in places that I knew them when I was growing up.
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Former Mets TV play-by-play man (and current Radio play-by-play man) Howie Rose is filling in on the FOX Sports telecast with former TV announcer Tim McCarver. The duo never worked together (like when FOX had Ralph Kiner visit the booth for an inning last year working with Tim McCarver), but it's both good and a bit strange to hear both familiar voices in places that I knew them when I was growing up.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
MLB Productions
As I flip between the Mets (playing through the mist), Tennis (now in a weather delay), and some crappy music thing that's supposed to be NFL Football, I came across this non-Mets item.
MLB Productions in Secauscus, NJ, is naming their different studios (like where This Week In Baseball is taped) after legendary broadcasters Ernie Harwell, Mel Allen, and Vin Scully. Read about it here.
All great broadcasters who's careers span almost the entierty of broadcasting. Allen came to the Yankees and Giants in the summer of 1939 to broadcast home games. Harwell started with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 and moved to the NY Giants for 1950-1953 (still alive and retired at age 91, he was recently diagnosed with incurable cancer). Vin Scully, the "kid" of the group, has been with the Dodgers since 1950 and still calls home games and short (distance-wise) road trips (nothing east of the Rockies).
I can't think of anyone else more deserving of that honor. Can you?
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MLB Productions in Secauscus, NJ, is naming their different studios (like where This Week In Baseball is taped) after legendary broadcasters Ernie Harwell, Mel Allen, and Vin Scully. Read about it here.
All great broadcasters who's careers span almost the entierty of broadcasting. Allen came to the Yankees and Giants in the summer of 1939 to broadcast home games. Harwell started with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 and moved to the NY Giants for 1950-1953 (still alive and retired at age 91, he was recently diagnosed with incurable cancer). Vin Scully, the "kid" of the group, has been with the Dodgers since 1950 and still calls home games and short (distance-wise) road trips (nothing east of the Rockies).
I can't think of anyone else more deserving of that honor. Can you?
Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
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