In the meantime, it will take years to reach a verdict about the stadium’s character. Will so much premium seating subtract from the Yankees’ home-field advantage? Will the pressure of playing in such a high-priced palace come to affect the Yankees’ stars?
Will fans eventually balk at the cost of so many seats, particularly in a sport where everything from the weather to the lineup — Ramiro Pena at third, Jose Molina catching — can be unpredictable?
Will home runs continue flying out at the startling rate of 3.6 per game? Most significant, will the Yankees’ tradition survive the move across the street? For now, all the money in the world can’t raise Mark Teixeira’s batting average above .200.
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The Mets’ stadium has its flaws, most notably few links to the history of a franchise that has won two World Series. Some upper-deck seats have poor sightlines, and the Mets employ an incomprehensible five-tiered variable-pricing system.
Were it not, though, for a ramshackle neighborhood of auto body and muffler repair shops beyond right field, Citi Field would take its place among Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco as the best ballparks from this current generation of building.
As it stands, the Mets will have to settle for winning the latest version of the Subway Series — for about $700 million less.
