What Mets fans talk about when not talking about the actual games.
Dom D has posted the best of the Citi Field videos yet.
I can’t listen to Talking Baseball any more (the song. I actually thought Ed Randall was good on WFAN last week). Can someone write a new one.
Mute your speakers and hit play.
www.metspolice.com
So, remember I complained about the “shipping fees” for the very heavy Mets tickets? (Who, me, complain?)The New York Yankees announced today that longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard will be unavailable at the commencement of the Yankees’ 2009 inaugural season, including the club’s workout on April 2 as well as the first exhibition games at Yankee Stadium on April 3-4 and Opening Day on April 16, as a result of his continuing recovery from a bronchial infection.
For the Yankees’ workout day on April 2 and their exhibition games vs. the Chicago Cubs on April 3-4, Paul Olden will substitute for Mr. Sheppard in the public address booth at Yankee Stadium while he continues to recover at his home on Long Island. A 12-time Super Bowl public address announcer, Olden’s broadcasting career spanned 17 years, including two seasons in the Yankees’ television broadcast booth from 1995-96, alongside Bobby Murcer and Phil Rizzuto.
This season marks the 58th anniversary of Sheppard’s debut as the Yankees’ public address announcer. His first game was on Opening Day, April 17, 1951, as the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 5-0.
“I will not be able to be at Yankee Stadium for the series with the Cubs or Opening Day,” Sheppard said. “My personal physician advised me to wait until I am ready. It is in the hands of God. I am looking forward to doing games in the new Stadium.”
Got a comment from a reader:
BPALM said…
Get over the day game for opening day. It is a union rule that the Padres cannot play a day game after traveling cross-country to NY. This has nothing to do with the Mets and/or ESPN
I don’t think it has anything to do with anyone, I just think it sucks. I decided to research what BPALM said and the only thing I could find was this which suggests he’s right on fact…
Teams are entitled to an off day for trips from the Pacific Time Zone to the Eastern Time Zone. The Commissioner is empowered to grant seven exceptions to this rule each season, no more than one affecting each club, to allow a club to play an East Coast night game the day after a West Coast day game. Except for transcontinental trips, off days are to be non-travel days whenever possible. As a result, teams head straight for the airport after the last game of a series, even if it’s a 16-inning night game, rather than return to their hotel to rest and travel the next day.
Assuming the above is correct (I’m a blogger not a lawyer), then Bud has already at least stepped in to grant one of his seven exemptions, or the game would be played on Tuesday (which it probably should have been). That being said, the “legality” or it overlooks one thing:
The court of public opinion.
If there were a massive public outcry (which there won’t be at this point), the Mets could take the high ground of “we asked the Commish” – who then could blame the union. I’d love to see the union tell Joe Fan how hard it would be to play at 4:05 instead of 7:05. Waaaahhhh.
Not gonna happen, but seems like I’m not the only out there who’d prefer a day game. I’m going to hold out hope the Post publishes the article (they interviewed us) and that Boomer and Carton wake up to a slow news day. Ya Gotta Belive right?
Looks like they won’t be bringing everything over from the old stadium. According to the NY Post, the 9-year ban on beer sales in the Yankee Stadium bleachers will come to an end when the gates open on the new ballpark.
The bleachers at Yankee Stadium can be the most raucous place a sports fan will find in the US – and for the most part – especially during these last nine years – it has been a great place to go even if you aren’t a Yankee fan. I’ve sat out there with Mets gear on and taken some good natured abuse, but never felt threatened.
However, adding alcohol back into the mix could bring the sections back to how they were in the 80’s and 90’s, when even the mention of another team could cause a riot. Back in those days I witnessed many examples of people being verbally, and sometimes physically abused (hats ripped off people’s heads, beer poured on people, items thrown at people). My younger sister had a beer thrown at her during a game once.
I like beer (I was weaned on Guinness), but it has been shown time and time again that alcohol when abused is dangerous. Ultimately the issue isn’t really whether beer should or should not be served, but how much should be served, and will the Yankees have adequate and active security to ensure a safe and pleasurable experience for ALL fans.
I doubt it.
www.metspolice.com
