Mets 11, Cardinals 01.
Don’t waste your money at the Mets Clubhouse Store. There’s really no reason to pay full price for an Omir Santos jersey when you know by the end of the season it will half off. Same goes for the overwhelming amount of Daniel Murphy paraphernalia. (I couldn’t decide if was because they have high hopes for him now or had high hopes last year and are just trying to get rid of the extra stock. Seriously there was more Murphy stuff than David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes combined.) Oh and we may want to add the Fernando Martinez collection to this list as well.
2.
Not all game worn jerseys are created equal. The Mets were selling game warn jerseys for $50. A bargain right, but there was just one catch, these were certainly jerseys worn by members of the 40 man roster. Or possibly for players that were non-roster invitees to spring training. You know the kind of players that I am pretty sure the Mets would give you a $10 discount if you could give the correct first name to the corresponding surname. But really, who doesn’t want the “other” Reyes game worn jersey? Or one worn by a Bat Boy 08?
3.
Who said there was no Mets memorabilia at Citi Field? The Mets may not have photos of former and current players strewn all about (although they do have some), but that’s only because they prefer to have them live in person. Rusty Staub was signing autographs for free outside of the Mets store. The only thing I saw outside of the Yankees clubhouse store at Yankee Stadium was some guy in an “official” jersey that had Jeter written on it. Tell me; what part of that jersey differs from the one Derek Jeter actually wears? Could it be that the Yankees players don’t have last names on their jerseys? In addition to Rusty, the bullpen entrance has the original apple and pennants displayed as well as a great view of the actual bullpen. (Hence the name “bullpen entrance.” They are so smart over there in the Mets front office, minus the overpaying of aging free agents and the whole Madoff thing.)
4.
Rain can be good. As I entered Citi Field I was greeted by a little sprinkle. The beauty of threatening weather was that it cut the line for Blue Smoke and the Shake Shack in half. I ventured towards Blue Smoke because I was in the mood for some BBQ and was a bit disappointed. To say the pulled pork sandwich was a bit salty was to describe the Cardinals defense on Wednesday as a bit shaky. I would recommend getting a little extra BBQ to add to the sandwich which I am pretty sure would have cut the salty after taste. Or just jump over to the Shake Shack line which is always a grand slam.
5.
Beware of the obstructed views. My seats were in the left field side of the upper deck. I knew we’d be missing a bit of the action, since the upper deck does overhang left field. But it was more than I had bargained for. Take the left field and cut it in half and that would be my view. Luckily, the right jumbo tron had real time action, so whenever a ball was hit into left field, I just glanced at the screen and saw what was going on. At the same time, I didn’t pay to watch a game on TV, but the Mets did add screens and speakers so that the fans in those sections could remain in the thick of things. Plus anything is better than the two dubious sections in the bleachers flanking the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar at Yankee Stadium.
6.
Major Bathroom Upgrades. If you ever attended a game at Shea Stadium then you know the importance of nice bathrooms. The restrooms at Shea were like a half step up from a port-a-potty and that’s only because the toilets flushed and the sinks had water instead of just Purell. I wouldn’t say the bathrooms at Citi Field are luxurious, but they are clean, they have speakers that play the radio broadcast so you never miss a minute and best of all they have no resemblance to the disaster at Shea.
7.
It is quite possible the Cardinals sent their minor league affiliate to play. Looking at the box score, the Cardinals registered two errors including a near collision between their centerfielder Colby Rasmus and left fielder Rick Ankiel which resulted in a dropped ball. But they also turned some routine plays into missed opportunities throughout the night. Not to mention they failed to score one run while giving up 16 hits and 11 runs for the loss.
8. "
It’s Pat" the sequel. I understand that those “mug shots” they use are not always the most flattering, but poor Brad Thompson may have gotten screwed the hardest. His photo harkens back to the old
Saturday Night Live sketch that turned into the movie “It’s Pat.”
9.
Boston still sucks. And you thought that chant was reserved for just Yankee Stadium.
10.
The Mets have a new homerun apple. Thanks to Nick Evans’ two run shot in the fourth inning; I got to see the new homerun apple. As shiny and pretty as it is, I still miss the kindergarten art project that was the original homerun apple. And where’s the top hat?
Bonus:
The Mets did a lot of things right. After completing
my two ballpark tour of New York City, I can definitively say that the Mets have the better stadium. No question about it. Citi Field is colorful, it’s warm and inviting, it has an open feel that harkens back to stadiums of yesteryear. They even have thoughtful touches like the screen on the back of the scoreboard that faces the never ending lines that wrap around the Shake Shack stand. They also have multiple team stores including one for the women’s line Touch by Alyssa Milano and one for 47. Plus they’ve created areas for kids to expel their excess energy when the game gets a little too boring for them and they start to get a bit cranky.
Comparatively, Yankee Stadium is cold and uninviting. Its enclosed bowl shape is outfitted in grey concrete, making me wonder if at some point they plan on finishing it. This is not to say that they didn’t get anything right. The expanded bleacher section is a welcome sight for any bleacher creature attending a game. I enjoy the food court and food carts which offer a variety ranging from Brother Jimmy’s and Johnny Rockets to Carvel. It also has an area which allows fans to stand at tables and watch the game while chowing down. But in a face off, it’s hard to see how the Yankees spent $1.5 billion and ended up with the charmless New Yankee Stadium while the Mets only spent $800 million and ended up with a wonderful place to see a game.
It’s hard to top George Jones in anything but Iowa offensive tackle Kyle Calloway tried his best when he was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicate. The vehicle you may ask was a moped. Not exactly as sexy as driving a tractor down the street completely wasted after your wife has taken your car keys away, but a valiant effort for the upcoming Iowa senior.
Baseball: Albert Pujols slugged two homeruns helping to give the Cardinals a 12-5 win over the Royals and Tony LaRussa his 2,500th career win as a manager...Barry Zito is making a bit of a comeback for himself, flirting with a no-hitter until the seventh when Rangers slugger Andruw Jones his a two-run homer. No worries, the Giants still prevailed, 3-2...Speaking of comebacks, Justin Verlander has proven over the course of the year that he is back, especially after his 7 2/3 performance on Sunday. Verlander's efforts were aided by a three run homer by Brandon Inge as the Tigers completed a sweep of the Brewers, 3-2. What has happened to Milwaukee?...The Phillies were swept by the Orioles, 2-1...Phillies slugger Ryan Howard was released from the hospital after being treated for flu like symptoms. Howard also went the ER on Friday night and was released...Also completing a sweep were the Cubs who did it without the any extra inning heroics, 6-2...Good news for the Yankees, A.J. Burnett's suspension was lessened by a game. The Bad news, well CC Sabathia left in the second inning of the Yanks 6-5 loss to the Marlins...It only took one pitch in the ninth for the Red Sox to top the Braves, 6-5. Damn you Nick Green for finally starting to hit well!...The Red Sox sent Dice-K to the DL and do not expect him back anytime soon...The Hall of Fame has begun a new tradition, old times game. 
