The Mets Police

Two comments about the below, from today’s Phil Mushnick column in the Post.

Well, inspectors of the Mets’ Web site recently discovered that the team is now issuing a heads-up before selling such geometrically functioning seats. The Mets are warning online ticket buyers of obstructed view/blind spot seats with this: “View: Limited portions of the playing field may not be visible from this seat location.”

1.  I’m glad the mainstream has finally picked up on this story, and hopeful we’ll here from Dave Howard on it.

2.  Mushnick likes to give ESPN crap when they claim “ESPN has learned…” and just parrot other sources.  Phil, who exactly are these “inspectors?”   Mushnick’s column is one of several inspirations for this story, but come on dude.

Enjoy the rest of Phil’s column here in the Post, and I look forward to Phil mentioning in a future column that he or his editors blew it and should have credited Mets Police.  At worst Phil, you read the Times last week. “Phil Mushnick has learned….”

If you’re new to all this…here are three videos of obstructed views

Some additional obstructed views are below. Continue reading “…and now Mushnick and the Post discover the truth about obstructed views at Mets Citi Field”

Following up on Ryan’s comments about complaining Mets fans from yesterday, this came in in the email [email protected]:

Shannon –

As you know, I follow Metspolice regularly and have chimed in on occasion.  You can feel free to post any or all of this email.  I don’t think we’re critical of everything the Mets do, but a) we’re fans not only because we are crazy but because we care, and b) we’re paying customers.  I don’t have season tickets, but I have a 15-game plan and will be at no less than 20 games this year, as has been my usual for the last several seasons.

You and I don’t agree on everything either, and that doesn’t make one of us more of a fan or a better fan either.

For Example:

Citi Field: I think it is awesome.  I’ve been at Shea since I was a kid, but have in recent years been to other stadiums around the country.  They used a lot of what Pittsburgh has and that’s my favorite road stadium.  Nothing is perfect.  Could they have used rails instead of plexiglass?  I guess so, but I don’t know which is better.  My seats last year were in Promenade Reserve, 503, Left Field line.  There were a bunch of plays I couldn’t see.  So they put it up on the board.  A lot of stadiums have seats like this now, so EVERYONE can be closer to the field.  The Rotunda is amazing, but even with that they should have had more history, statues, etc. from day 1.  At the start of last season it felt like it could have been anyone’s home stadium for the most part.  That’s my complaint.

The name: I like the name Citi Field.  Like Great American Ballpark, they worked the sponsor into the name seamlessly.  Much better than John Deer Lawnmower Stadium or something like that.  We’ll see if we can keep it for a while, but other than that, it could be A LOT worse.

The black: I love the black AND I still like your blog.  My Strawberry jersey is the all orange “big pumpkin” uniform.  I’ve been told by those in the know that they’re not sure if Straw was around when the Amazin’s went with the safety orange.  I don’t care.  It says Mets and it says Strawberry.  I like the black from when it first came out, when we had Olerud.  I hope you still let me write in even though we don’t agree.

Minors: I’m a full season ticket holder in Brooklyn, and love everything they do.  I get a ton of free stuff.  I get a great hat every year.  I get free food.  I get fireworks, Irish bands and last year, the grand puba, Tommy LaSorda.

Pre-sales: I agree, it was kind of crazy, I bought my additional tickets on 3/1 through the 15-game plan holder pre-sale, then on 3/2 or 3/3 got another email about my next “exclusive” pre-sale.  I do have a complaint about communication.  They didn’t tell us about 3/1 (a Monday) until Friday.  Glad I don’t use my work email for Mets contact.  And two days earlier I emailed someone in group sales and they said they didn’t know when the pre-sales would begin, but soon.  Really?  Either sad they wouldn’t tell me or sad they didn’t know.  It’s not like knowing would have gotten me in front of everyone, I just would have known whether to be ready to do it at work or at home.

How can we be fans? My grandparents were fans from well before the day I was born until they days they both passed away.  And if I had a nickel for every time my grandmother called a pitcher, a fielder, a hitter or the manager from the Mets, stupid, a jerk, or [insert whatever non-curse insult you can think of here] I wouldn’t be writing from my desk at work right now I’d be sipping margaritas down in Florida getting ready to go to the Spring Training game tonight.

I think you and the regular contributors are critical of the Mets and like I said, I don’t always agree.  But you bring to light a lot of good points and people can get on board with whichever one’s they agree on with you.

I don’t read all of the other Mets blogs, and there is nothing wrong with Ryan’s comment about his opinion of what you post, but I WOULD NOT read your blog if it was all, “This is great, the Mets are letting people buy tickets during multiple pre-sales.  I’d like to thank them from the bottom of my heart.  Whatever they want to do is perfectly fine with me.  I hope ticket prices go up every year. Thanks Mets front office, I love you, Shannon.”

Later – Adam

Hey guys, I really enjoyed the back and forth about Ryan’s comments about complaining Mets fans (great stuff in the comments if you haven’t read them.)   I realized last night that I didn’t originally phrase my opening sentence well (shocker)…I meant that if you give it out (me) you have to take it (me).  I didn’t mean to suggest that since Ryan said something I was going to pile on in a post…my intention was the opposite, to respond to the criticism.   The comments make me think y’all caught my vibe, but just wanted to be clear.  I may be annoying but I’m not out to be a rude douche.

The Blue Cap Army signup is coming along.   Assuming everyone brings a friend, and some people don’t show up even though they signed – I could easily see there being 50 of us.  If 50 of us all walk into the Hall of Fame at the same time, as a pack, with blue caps that will be cool.  Spread the word!

I’m surprised there isn’t more about Jose Reyes in the papers today.   I still have that worrisome feeling.   I know people with thyroid issues which are easily solved with medicine as you’ve read elsewhere, but the whole story line this week just seems weird.   Sorry, and I don’t accuse any of of anything, but you know that friend of yours that always has excuses….the guy who got fired seven times because he ran into seven jerky bosses, or the guy who is always late because the bus screwed him again….that’s how I feel about this storyline this week.   Maybe all of Jose’s incidents this week are unrelated.   Change that “maybe” to “hopefully.”

I’m just not personally ready to write this all off as “yeah, he went to the HGH guy but Jose didn’t have anything to do anything with HGH, and the FBI spoke to him but that’s nothing, the FBI just does that, and now his blood work came back weird, but that happens to lots of people.”

And if Jose gets caught up in something, don’t we then look at Beltran?

Is that unfair?  Maybe.   However, 20 years of McGwire, Sosa, A-Rod and others, with baseball marketing them all along the way has taught me to be skeptical.   Maybe I’m just a jerk.

I bet the thought is in your head too and you know it.   I held off yesterday because I didn’t want to be the jerk.  I figured someone would voice it by now.   Fine, I’ll be the one.   You thought it, you know you did.

Hopefully we’re all just adding 2+2 and getting 16, but I can’t shake the feeling.

One of the things we learn in the schoolyard is that if you’re going to dish it out you have to take it too. Ryan posted the below in the comments, and I thought it fair to post criticism of me:

I have read this website several times a day, as well as other mets blogs sites, and of course I’ve listened to WFAN day in and day out for weeks now in anticipation for the upcoming season. I’ve honestly gotten to a point where I can just no longer stand reading most of the arrogant posts and comments that “mets fans” have. How can any of you call yourselves mets fans when clearly you have a problem with every single thing about the mets?

I’ll give my take, and others are welcome to post comments. “Fans” comes from fanatics. We are fan(atic)s. We’re lunatics. We looked at the Shea scoreboard saying “Congratulations Red Sox” and were depressed, and 10 minutes later were on the moon.

As for me, I want nothing more than for this team to win repeatedly. I’d like to see a proud franchise, not a franchise that occasionally has one good year. I want my son to take his son to the Mets museum and look back with pride about Tom Seaver and Mookie Wilson and David Wright and whoever is yet to come.

There are plenty of blogs for game recaps. I can’t do what metsblog does, plus it would be stupid to do when they do it so well. Amazin’ Avenue does a great job, why would I do that? This is a fan advocacy blog. It’s (for the most part) one man’s opinion. Agree, disagree, ignore, support – it’s all good. I’m pleased to have learned that there are others like me.

Every day there are new posts or stories about how terrible citi field is, or the name of it, or how bad our front office is, or how ugly the black back drop on the uniform is, or ticket prices, or how bad our minor league teams are, or how they go about selling there tickets through presales and such. I just want someone to explain to me how people can literally hate everything surrounding the mets organization but still call themselves mets fans. All the crying, all the complaining, all the whining and yet you people can still pretend your the biggest mets supporters alive. Its unreal.

That’s just it..we’re emotionally invested. Something about this franchise spoke to us when we were children, and we actually care. As for your specifics…

Citi Field: we wanted it to be awesome. Then we couldn’t see the left fielder or had plexiglass in our face. That’s like waking up Christmas morning and finding out Mom bought the wrong Star Wars figure. It’s cool but somehow disappointing. Then when Dave Howard goes on record saying the seats aren’t obstrcuted? Now you’ve insulted me.

The name: to me it’s called Citi Field. I still don’t like the idea of tax dollars being used to pay for stadium naming rights (I don’t even know if that’s accurate, but it’s the perception and I personally don’t like the idea). I hope the building remains Citi Field forever, and doesn’t change names every 2 years like what happens in Miami.

The black: it’s ugly. Opinion. My blog, my opinion. Clearly the Mets don’t agree.

Minors: maybe I’m forgetting, but I don’t think I have commented on them to often, other than my current jostling with the Bisons to get one of my guys credentialed.

Pre-sales: again, my blog and it’s fun to write about. I think it’s funny to watch the organization promote “exclusive” pre-sales every day. I do try to be entertaining.

How can we be fans? We want it all. Fanatics. I was there many a Friday night in 1985 when Dwight Gooden was on his way to the hall of fame and it felt GREAT. I was there on Opening Day 1987 and it felt GREAT watching that flag go up. I was there when #41 was retired and it felt GREAT. I was there when Seaver threw the final pitch at Shea and it was GREAT.

I want that feeling. I need that feeling.

I can’t wait until the mets get going this year. I expect them to come out and win 30 games before they lose 15. I cant wait until that day because I know come that day all of you people will all of a sudden be true fans again. Its truly disgusting.

Ryan, I appreciate your comments but if you don’t think I want the Mets to go 30-15 you don’t understand me. I actually want them to go 35 and 5, and when they wear black caps in Game 4 of the World Series sweep, you betcha I’m gonna complain about the black in between the 10 other posts about how great I feel.