New York Mets Citi Field Minor Parking-Gate

WINS says…
 
Baseball fans may be able to afford the high prices, but regular commuters are furious with the hikes at the Roosevelt Avenue lot.

“It’s unbelievable…you just eliminated a commuter parking lot…this isn’t promoting mass transit,” a commuter tells 1010 WINS.

The parking rates are hiked on game days to $18 or the “event” rate; these hikes go into effect at 3 a.m. for day games and at 9:30 a.m. for night games.  On “non-event” days the parking rate is $4.

On days when there is a sell-out crowd or for “big” games the “event” rate is in play all day.

The Mets say they have received complaints from commuters and are now re-evaluating the 9:30 a.m. start time for the night game “event” rate. 

 
 
My take, it should always be $4 to park anyway.
 

2009: The Year The New York Yankees Handed The City To The New York Mets For Good

All empires crumble.

You just have to wait long enough.  Eventually the empire grows so large that it cannot sustain itself.

In 2009, the Yankees handed New York City over to the Mets for good.

Twice before New York has been Mets town.

In the late 60s and early 70s the Mets would well outdraw the Yanks.  New Yorkers liked the home grown team and the friendly Shea Stadium atmosphere more than they liked the crumbling Yankee Stadium and the aging team that no longer won.

In the late 1980’s this was Mets town again.  There were a lot of front runners who liked to pretend they were life long Mets fans (I remember in 1989 hearing one guy brag about how he’d had season tickets “sincd 87!”) but the team was more liked than the thousand managers Jack Clark, Dave Winfield, Rent A Pitcher Yankees  .
Only Vince Coleman could screw things up and hand the fans back to Stump Merrill.

Here in 2009 we are at the passing of the torch,

What the Yankees always had was the legacy.  Even in Yankee Stadium II you could lie to yourself and pretend that it was the same center field that DiMaggio patrolled, the same right field where Ruth stood.

Now the new place will be the stadium where Jeter played for four years when he was old and not as good.

All the memories are in the other building and the team is already 6.5 back.

You pick up a copy of Metro this morning and the headline is “Damn Yankees.”  No it’s not about a loss, it’s a bout greed.   The story with the Yankees these days is always money.

I work with two Yankees fans.  Mr. Negative is done.  He went to the new stadium once and didn’t like it.  He’s been spotted at Citi Field a few times.   Mr. Sunshine is having what I call “Atari Pac-Man” syndrome.  he tries to convince me (and himself) every day that the stadium will grow on him, and that he’ll come to like it.  His new seats “aren’t bad.”

Why do kids root for teams.  10% of them pick the team that’s close to them, like I did with the horrible 1977 Mets that were 10 minutes from my house.  Most pick the winners, as evidenced by all the 40 year old and 20 year old Yankees fans, and all the 40 year old and 20 year old Cowboys fans.

Well this is going to be the 9th straight year without a World Series ring in the Bronx, so it’s a fair fight with the kids.

You see a kid with a Yankee shirt its always Jeter.  Jeter will be gone soon.

Mets kids?  Lots of Wright and lots of Reyes.  Those two players have a lot of future left.   Soon you’ll see Murphy shirts….and it’s very early but I think Santos might become a starter and a fan favorite.

You want to go to a game?  Clearly Citi Field is the better option.   Fan friendlier, especially if you read Mets Police and know which seats to avoid, or you can go to the Bronx and eat lame hot dogs in the windy upper deck that looks unfinished.   (If you can afford seats downstairs I doubt you read my dopey blog).

Citi is easier to get to, and you don’t have to leave in the 7th inning to avoid the insane “scan your ticket on the way out” system.   $19 to park in the Bronx is pre-planned to be $29 next year.

So stay home and watch the games on TV.  SNY is the best in the business.  YES is good, but they spend the entire home game showing you weird angles as they try to not-show the empty seats and to not show the game through a net.

The Mets are on their way to winning the division.   Yeah the starting pitching is shaky, but the Phillies pitching is worse.  The Yankees are on their way to another season of articles about payroll and greed and A-Rod and I bet a manager change before the leaves turn orange.

The kids will be Mets fans.   The rich will be Yankees fans until they realize that the Yankees don’t win (see 1990s Knicks vs modern Knicks crowds to learn how that works).

The Mets will sell the ballpark, an advantage they haven’t had since 1975.   The Yankees will sell memories which will contrast unfavorably with the cinderblock palace on the wrong side of the street.

Welcome to Mets Town.  I hope you Yankees fans enjoyed your run.

www.metspolice.com
@metspolice

Enough with the Sheffield (New York Mets)

Enough.

Last night as I switched between Idol and SNY (like you don’t) I saw
Gary Sheffield holding a bat. All I could think was what a wasted at
bat it would be.

There’s talk of Murphy playing first if Delgado goes DL and Jerry says
the Mets can get a look at Sheffield.

Why? He’s old and slow and the Mets play in a triples park with 600
foot fences that are 30 feet high.

Did Ryan Church scratch Jerry’s car? Steal his girlfriend?

Let’s take more looks at Reed. Maybe he’s good and can be part of
core-two with Murphy, Pelfrey, Santos and Niese.

Tatis deserves some at bats too based upon 2008.

Sheffield? No thanks. He wastes a roster spot. There’s no future
there, no need to take a look.

I Hereby Declare The Girardi New York Yankees Watch Open

Sorry Joe. If we did it to Willie we’re doing it to you.
You can’t miss the playoffs two years in a row with a $200 million
dollar payroll.

6.5 games back is the kind of defecit that takes a month to make up.

The fans are not happy at all with the team and the stadium. It’s
going to be very easy to not buy tickets in 2009 and definitely 2010.

The mystique is shockingly gone, left on the south side of 161st The
ghost of Joe Torre haunts from Los Angeles.

The first place Mets head to the west coast which means they turn
media-invisible. All eyes on the under .500 Yankees.

Joe, you better win some games fast or we’ll see Bobby Valentine back
in New York before you know it.

Consider yourself warned. The watch is on.

Here’s the Steiner New York Yankees Press Release And Yankee Stadium Auction Details In Case you Want To Throw Up

Timeless Pieces of Americana From the Original Yankee Stadium Now Available

Yankees-Steiner Collectibles unveils lineup of items from ‘The House that Ruth Built’

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ — People around the world now have a rare opportunity to own a piece of America’s rich history. Iconic and cherished items from the original Yankee Stadium, a landmark that is regarded as one of the most significant monuments in sports history, are now available via a public sale and auction by visiting http://www.steinersports.com/ or calling 1-800-759-SCORE and 914-307-1000.

Yankees-Steiner Collectibles, the exclusive provider of game-used memorabilia from the original and current Yankee Stadium, announced that collectibles – such as the seats where Reggie Jackson’s monstrous home runs landed and the sod where Yankees legends stood to say their final goodbyes to their beloved Stadium – are immediately available to people worldwide.

The “Yankee Stadium Legends” online auction, commencing today and closing on Friday, July 24 between 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, features a total of 1,500 distinctive pieces. Prospective bidders will have the ability to register for the auction and sign-up for updates at http://auctions.steinersports.com/.

Twenty-six unique items, including a Yankees Bat Rack from the home dugout and the “Courage Tradition Heart” sign which was located above the awning of the Yankees front office entrance, will be immediately available through the auction. Each week, additional collectibles will be offered and updates will be provided to the public via registration at http://auctions.steinersports.com/.

In addition to the “Yankee Stadium Legends” online auction, authentic Stadium-related memorabilia will be placed on sale immediately at http://www.steinersports.com/, including:

  • 1 ft. x 1 ft. pieces of live sod from Yankee Stadium: $120
  • Pairs of Stadium seats: ranging from $1499 – $1999; commemorative single seats: $750
  • Final Season Crystals with Genuine Dirt from the original Yankee Stadium: $80
  • Original bricks from Monument Park in a glass case with etched Yankees logo: $150
“The closing of the original Yankee Stadium marked the end of an era in sports history, but today is the beginning of an unprecedented opportunity for people throughout the world to own a piece of America’s past and the great Yankees tradition,” said Brandon Steiner, Founder and CEO of Steiner Sports. “For nine decades, Yankee Stadium was home to the most successful and glorious franchise in all of sports. Legendary heroes such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter were a part of this beloved Stadium which can now live on in each fan’s household.”

“We are excited to give our great fans a chance to take home a piece of the Yankee Stadium legacy through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said New York Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn A. Trost. “These treasures allow the Yankees’ legacy to live on and provide fans with keepsakes they can pass along from generation to generation.”

Yankees-Steiner Collectibles, originally created in 2004, is a partnership between the New York Yankees and Steiner Sports to provide sports fans with unique access to New York Yankees memorabilia and experiences.

To enable fans from around the world to connect to their beloved team in a unique way, Yankees-Steiner Collectibles is joined by DeLea Sod, the official sod grower of the New York Yankees.

About Steiner Sports Marketing, Inc.

Established in 1987 by founder and CEO Brandon Steiner, Steiner Sports has been a leader in sports memorabilia and sports marketing for over two decades. Originally focused on procuring athletes for endorsements and speaking engagements, the company has evolved into the world’s foremost provider of authenticated, hand-signed and game-used sports collectibles.