Things I found at Citi Field: Part 2 -- Worst seats in the house

The second in a series of photos and findings from Citi Field...

While wandering the beautiful structure, I made my way to the top of the left field stands. All the way up, at the back of the stadium, I found the worst seats in the house.

Here is the out of town scoreboard (which has it's own problem that will be noted later) that hangs down from the top of the stadium.
It looks nice from this side, but when you get to the seats, there's a bit of an issue. I'm about 5' 7" and when I stand, I could just barely see home plate from behind the scoreboard. Fletch is taller than me, and couldn't see home plate at all.
On top of that, you can't see the left field wall, or most of left field. Anything well hit to left will be quickly out of your sight lines.

For $27 for the Platinum games, you're really not getting your money's worth.

Things I found at Citi Field: Part 1 -- Jeff Wilpon

Here is the first of a series of findings and photographs from my first time in Citi Field...

When I first arrived at Citi Field, we made out way down to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Poking my camera through the fence, I started snapping off a few pictures of the place, and trying to take it all in. It's a very cool place and I love atmosphere it gives off.

While my eyes were darting from side to side trying to absorb all that was going on. Something -- rather, someone -- caught my eye.Oh, hello Jeff Wilpon!That's right. The COO of the Mets was standing just a few feet away. Strangely, no one on my side of the fence seemed to notice him. I started yelling "Jeff! Jeff!" but to no avail.

Here's another shot of Mr. Wilpon riding the escalator.Well, I found that interesting.

Off to Citi Field

On this rain soaked Sunday morning, I'm packing up my media equipment, dragging my roommate out of bed, and heading off to Citi Field for the first time.

Joining me in the park will be Joe Janish, Kerel Cooper and a ton of other Mets fans who bought tickets to a college baseball game just to get a good look around the Mets new digs.

I'll likely be posting short little updates from my BlackBerry and Twitter-ing my thoughts and findings at the new park. A full description, photos and a video or two will likely be posted on Monday and possibly throughout the rest of the week.

Hopefully the weather cooperates and there is a game to attend.

Talk to you later from Citi Field!

The address for Citi Field

In case you're heading out to Citi Field today, and you're looking for the address to plug into your GPS system, here it is.

126th Street and Roosevelt Queens, NY 11368

Hope to see you there!

Madoff tickets back on the market

Do you have a whole lot of money laying around? Do you want season tickets to the New York Mets? Do you want to sit behind home plate? Do you want to sit in the same seats Bernie Madoff would have -- if he wasn't going to jail from now until eternity?

Then boy, do I have the deal for you!

According to the AP, the tickets that Madoff's company purchased in Citi Field will soon go up for sale.

"We have no intention of not monetizing them and letting them go unused," trustee Irving H. Picard said Saturday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "When we have something to announce, we will do so."

Mets executive vice president David Howard said the seats were paid for and were in either the first or second row behind home plate, a section known as Delta Club Platinum. They list for $695 each for Opening Day on April 13 and June interleague games against the New York Yankees, all classified as platinum by the Mets.

They cost $595 for gold games, $495 for silver games, $395 for bronze games and $295 for value games. Overall, the season ticket comes to $40,095 per seat, an average of $495.

"They're paid for. They can do with them what they want to," Howard said.

That's right! Only $40,095 per seat!!

But if you call within the next 10 minutes, we'll throw in a free Mr. Met bobblehead!!

Ugh.

Possible Castillo replacment?

I know I've said that I'm willing to give Luis Castillo a clean slate this season. He showed up to camp in great shape and has put together a great spring. But deep down, I'm still worried about how his knees will hold up and if he can still perform up to his contract and at the major league level.

The Mets are particularly thin at the second base position through the minor leagues, but Jonathon Malo had been impressing Jerry Manuel -- until he was sent down to minor league camp.

And as scant a chance as Green had, it was diminished by the late emergence of Jonathan Malo, a 25-year-old Canadian-born second baseman who has impressed Manuel to such a degree that the manager has told people in the organization that Malo is among his favorites among the possible reserves. But there seems to be no place for Malo on the roster.

Very interesting. Manuel doesn't really keep up with a lot of the minor leaguers, so it's especially telling if he said something to this degree.

Keep on eye on Malo to see if he can play. I wouldn't mind seeing if the Mets can find a suitor for Castillo midway through the season.

Game Recap: Mets 4 -- Nationals 1

Johan Santana was on fire tonight. Enough said.

On The Mound

Santana was in control from beginning to end. There's not much outside of his final line that needs to be said: 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 6 K. He was pitching in mid-season form and absolutely dominating batters.

He is too awesome.

Francisco Rodriguez followed Santana, something Mets fans are hoping to see often during the season, pitching a scoreless inning. He did allow two hits, but struck out two in the inning.

I love it. Santana to K-Rod. Beautiful.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the 9th inning, striking out one in a no-hit effort.

With the release of Ron Villone, it looks like Feliciano is the only left hander going into the season. Very interesting.

At The Plate

The left fielder platoon drove in all the runs tonight. Daniel Murphy went 3-4, driving in two runs and Fernando Tatis drove in two runs on one hit.

Murphy has been absolutely raking this spring. He is such an exciting player sometimes.

Los Carloses each knocked a double, with Carlos Delgado scoring twice in the game on two hits. David Wright made his return to the lineup, singling once.

Delgado was hot during the World Baseball Classic, hopefully it lasts through the whole regular season.

Off The Field

Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling called the game on SNY, and did a pretty good job. There were flubs and mistakes, but overall I would say I was impressed at their play-by-play / color combination without Gary Cohen.

On Deck

The Mets welcome the Florida Marlins to Tradition Field tomorrow for a 1:10 p.m. start. The game will be aired on WPIX.

Ron Villone released; Figueroa, Muniz, Valentin and others demoted

My dreams have come true, but it warrants a major question.

The Mets have released Ron Villone, according to Adam Rubin.

This begs the question: Are the Mets really going into the season with only one lefty in Pedro Feliciano?

Other moves in camp today: Six Mets were sent to minor league camp, among which were Nelson Figueroa and Carlos Muniz.

I was completely under the impression that Figueroa was going to be the long man in the bullpen, at least until Tim Redding was ready to pitch again. I guess I was wrong.

Jose Valentin was also sent to the minor league camp.

So long 'Stache. It's almost time to hang up that uniform and put on your coaching cap.

The State of the Mets -- 3/27/09

Here is the 11th edition of The State of the Mets!

Topics covered: Will Ohman, Oliver Perez and a grab bag of Mets topics to end it.

Enjoy.

Chris Carlin and Bob Ojeda: Your new pre- and post-game hosts on SNY

In the seemingly ever-revolving door that is SNY hosts, the Mets have two new ones this year for their pre-game and post-game shows. Chris Carlin, who is most likely known from WFAN and Loud Mouths on SNY, and Bob Ojeda, who spent five years with the Mets from 1986 to 1990.

From Bob Raissman:

When SportsNet New York executive producer Curt Gowdy Jr. tore the cover off Carlin, he liked what he saw inside. Liked what Carlin, often self-deprecating, had to say, too. First he hired him to co-host "Loud Mouths" with bug-eyed Adam Schein.

Gowdy is now really rolling the dice. Carlin, with no experience in a baseball studio, will be under the nightly microscope anchoring SNY's Mets pre and postgame shows. Bob Ojeda, who proudly admits to being a total TV novice, will sit next to him. The openings were man-made after SNY jettisoned the team of Lee Mazzilli and Matt Yallof.

It's not up to me to judge them -- I'll leave that to Raissman and Neil Best -- but to put an extremely abrasive Carlin with no baseball experience and a novice like Ojeda in front of millions of fans on the team's own network just doesn't make sense to me.

I've never been a fan of Carlin's, so that's where some of this stems from. He just irks me. I'm willing to see what Ojeda has to offer, though. Lee Mazzilli was great last year, as was Harold Reynolds and Darryl Strawberry.

All the best to these two hosts, because I know I'll be seeing a lot of them in 2009. And maybe, just maybe, Gowdy will tear the cover off me one day and like what he sees.