Some links:
Philly.com has an interesting comparison about the ballparks in Flushing and Philadelphia. Â As the grass is always greener, in this article the Mets are smart folks who got the ballpark they wanted, and the Phillies have bumbled their way into a homerfest.
Also from Philly, Peter took his usual quality photgraphs and says:
Phillies have ushers to enforce the going to your seat rule while the game is in progress
The older fans were very nice to me but the young fans were drunk and begging for attention
Total cost Parking & Tolls from Bergen County $30.20 it would be $35 just to visit Citi field.
From Mets Police HQ I actually find it easier to attend a Phillies game, and pay zero in tolls. Â The key is the “other 95.”
Finally, A-Train baseball has requested I comment on Arizona.  Let me work out something more thoughtful than just banging out one sentence.  Can’t do that right now.
Also from Bergen County.. It’s I think..$18 tolls to Citi Field, plus $19 parking (if you pay for it) Of course, I could park at my friends in downtown Philly and carpool or take the subway thing too.
but left off that figure is $15-20 in gas to Philly.
And of course, time. Depending on the day, 20-60+ minutes to get to Citi Field, but it’s gonna be at least 90 to get to CBP.
Personally, I’ve always liked Citi Field better than CBP. I never liked that place, always seemed a little generic to me.
I think that so far as the A-Train request goes, perhaps it is better to refrain from commenting on that particular issue for a couple of reasons:
1. Despite some people’s wish to raise cain with regard to professional sports franchises who are located in Arizona (and may actually have the name of the State on their uniform), the players and team owners are innocent people so far as it goes. Many of them strongly disagree with the law that was made in a state they happen to reside in.
2. Political arguments (which, at the end of the day this is) tend to take on a life all their own.
3. This actually has nothing to do with Mets baseball.
I agree with Michael. (and no, I’m not just feeling slighted as not being one of the blogs requested to comment 😉 )
It’s an unnecessary and unwanted distraction to the baseball game. There is a time and a place for polical statements, and this would be better served in Times Square or City Hall, or something. Or in a NYC subway station where they basically do the same sort of stereotyping and can search your possessions at whim.
Baseball and politics don’t mix, I mean, people are still upset that an American, Carlos Delgado, chose to make a statement once by not standing for God Bless America.
I dunno, folks – I don’t think we can hide ourselves away in entertainment and just fob off issues that make us uncomfortable by just calling it all “politics” and turning a blind eye. Besides, it’s a pressing social issue not just “politics.”
I have to say, I got more interested in the issue when Rod Barajas (leading the team in homers!) decided to stand up and speak out. I admire that. It’s kind of in the spirit of Jackie Robinson and those wonderful words in the Rotunda in our home ballpark.
Shannon runs a great blog and has never shied away from speaking his mind; love to know what he has to say and I think a respectful conversation among (always open-minded, in comparison to that team across town!) Mets fans is actually welcome in today’s vitriolic world….
Jackie Robinson was a great patriot, baseball player and human being. That being said, he did his part to integrate the game of baseball, and American society, by going out on the diamond every day and playing outstanding baseball. He did not take public stands against politics during the time he played professionally. Indeed, even after he retired from baseball in 1957 he actively supported Nixon’s candidacy for President in 1960 (much to his dismay later) and Nelson Rockefeller for Governor in 1964. This issue is politics, pure and simple, and is better left outside the realm of sports because there are no winners in this argument here.
Ah, let’s get our facts straight about Jackie Robinson. During his playing career, he:
– Testified in favor of actor Paul Robeson before the infamous red-baiting House Un-American Activities Committee.
– Accused sportswriter Dick Young of being a bigot (he was, by all accounts)
– Slammed the hideous Yankees for their refusal to sign a black player well into the 1950s
– Edited Our Sports magazine, which featured articles on racial segregation issues
– Campaigned against segregated hotels used by the Dodgers
He took public stands on issues all the time – as a player. If you guys want to leave a brave dude like Rod Barajas out in the cold, that’s your business. I’m with Barajas, and the growing legion of players opposing the bigoted Arizona law.
I’m actually in agreement with a Yankees player on handling this (from the New York Times – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/sports/baseball/01pins.html) –
“Jorge Posada, the Yankees’ catcher, is from Puerto Rico. He said the union had sent players an e-mail about the matter on Thursday. But Posada declined to offer comment.
‘I’m not a politician, I’m a baseball player,’ Posada said. ‘It’s tough to answer that one. Yeah, we heard about it. Not much you can say about it.'”