5 Things I Learned From Dave Howard

The Mets have announce that Dave Howard is leaving his post as executive vice president for business operations, to accept a position with Madison Square Garden as President of MSG Sports. I guess he must love having crazy owners of sports franchises as bosses.

Shannon has met Dave, and says he is fond of him, and worries about the loss of a rational-thinking buffer between Jeff Wilpon and the rest of the organization.

I’ve never met Dave, or Jeff, or any of the Mets brass, and I am not even 100% sure what Dave’s roles and responsibilities were as executive vice president for business operations. All I know about Dave Howard are his quotes in the press, and in particular one maddening interview with Mike Francessa after CitiField first opened. Those statements to the press don’t inspire a whole lot of fondness for the guy, at least for me, and so forgive me if I don’t think Dave Howard is leaving a gaping hole in the Mets hierarchy.

Time will tell the truth of his legacy, of course, but one day after the end of The Dave Howard Era, here are Five Things I learned from Dave Howard:

There is blue in green
When CitiField opened, Mets fans were annoyed at the lack of Mets-ness in the Mets’ new home. Compared to Shea Stadium, there was barely any blue and orange in the decor. Mike Francessa kind of screwed this question up when he asked about seat colors, because that was the least of it, but Howard’s answer was ridiculous:  “there is blue in green,” he said, and also explained that Mets blue was too light and thus would fade, while a darker blue would be too much like the Yankees.

There are no obstructed view seats in CitiField
I would love it if someone could dig up the promotional videos the Mets had previewing CitiField, because I know it’s not my imagination that they implied every seat at CitiField would be better than those at Shea Stadium.  When we showed up in 2009, fans were ticked off about the sightlines.  Whether we couldn’t see the entire field, or our view of home plate was obscured by panes of plexiglass, or both, clearly there were some poor architectural choices made by the designers.  But rather than admit it, Dave Howard went on air to explain to fans what the definition of an obstructed  view was.  He also said that fans who complained must not have been to other modern ballparks because if they had, they would know that blind spots is the price one pays for having such a great view of the action.   This answer was downright insulting.  Personally I’ve been to over a dozen Major League parks and CitiField is the only one I’ve seen where there are these kinds of issues in so many seats at the higher levels. If Dave Howard had bothered to visit Camden Yards instead of just taking HOK’s word for it, he’d know it to be true.  The Nationals and the Phillies have beautiful new ballparks with beautiful sightlines as well.  And for all the issues Shea Stadium had, the view behind home plate from the upper deck at Shea was much better than from any seat I’ve sat in the Promenade Reserved.

$63 Opening Day Seats Were Well Received
Despite another disappointing 2012 season, the Mets decided to start ticket prices for Opening Day 2013 at $63.  If you ask me, the real crime is what they are charging for seats that aren’t horrible, but when Dave Howard was asked about what kind of nerve the Mets had for charging such exorbitant prices for Opening Day, he made it seem like the Mets were doing us a favor and that fans were gobbling them up. Sales “actually went very well. It was well-received… We made a before-the-holidays sale. We made a limited number available that are not in packs.”

Garbage Is Good
In 2010, windy nights at the ballpark caused an inordinate amount of litter to blow around the outfield grass.  When asked if the Mets would be hiring extra personnel to clean up the garbage, Howard said they would not. “It’s sort of good now that there is debris to be blown out there,” Howard said. “It shows people are spending some money and buying food and drink and enjoying themselves.”

Being a Mets fan Builds Character
Mets fans should be happy that we’re disappointed so often.  Mr. Howard told fans that “being a Mets fan builds character,” so I guess we should be grateful for all the embarrassing moments we’ve shared together.

So, maybe it is true that Dave Howard was stopping the Wilpons from being even crazier, and none of these insane thoughts were his, and he was just towing the company line.  If so, he’s well experienced to handle the wacky Dolans.  But luckily for Knicks and Rangers fans, the renovations at the Garden will be complete before Mr. Howard comes on board.

Good luck, Dave.  Nice knowing you!