Opening Night nuggets

Here are some nuggets of info from the gameday press pass for tonight’s game…

• Tom Seaver will throw the first pitch to Mike Piazza.
• On hand for tonight’s game: Rusty Staub, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and John Franco.
• The Broadway cast of West Side Story will perform the National Anthem.
• 200 veterans will be on the field in a pre-game ceremony to unveil a football-field size American flag.
• Four F-18 Hornets will fly over as the National Anthem comes to a close.
• Sgt. Felix Perez, the wounded solider who was in the clubhouse after the Team USA WBC win over Puerto Rico, will be in attendance tonight as a guest of the Mets ownership.
• The Empire State Building will be lit up in orange and blue.
• The game will be broadcast in front of SNY’s studios and will also be carried on the ABC SuperSign  above the Good Morning America studios in Times Square.
• The Mets are 30-17 all time in home openers. (0-2 at the Polo Grounds, 30-15 at Shea Stadium.)

Why is it Opening Night at Citi Field?

There has been some questions about why the Mets and the Padres are set to face off at night for the first game at Citi Field.

Ben Shpigel provides an answer.

When a draft of the schedule was released to the Mets last August or September, this game was originally scheduled for Tuesday. But they asked the Padres if they would be amenable to playing Monday to give them two chances to play the game should there be a rainout. [Dave] Howard said Sandy Alderson, the Padres’ former chief executive, agreed, as long as the game would be played at night.

Interesting.  Hope everyone enjoys the game tonight, on TV or in person.  It looks like it’s going to be nice, albeit chilly, tonight.

Also, if you are staying home for the game, drop by around 6:30 p.m. to chat about the game with some other fans.

Piazza, Seaver, Sharks and Jets to open Citi Field

Press release from Mets.com:

FLUSHING, N.Y., April 11, 2009 - The New York Mets today announced that Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver will throw out Citi Field's inaugural ceremonial first pitch to All-Star catcher Mike Piazza prior to the Mets Home Opener, this Monday, April 13 vs. the San Diego Padres at 7:10 p.m.

Seaver, the club's all-time leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched, will be reunited with Piazza, who ranks second in team history in home runs and RBI. Seaver and Piazza closed the centerfield gate following the Mets final game at Shea Stadium September 28 last year.

The cast of the Broadway revival West Side Story will perform the National Anthem. The uniquely New York classic opened on Broadway in 1957 when New York had two National League baseball teams.

More than 200 veterans representing all five U.S. Armed Services - Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy - will be on the field during the presentation of a football field-size American flag. The Anthem will conclude with a flyover by four U.S. Marine F18 Hornets from VMFA 251 based in Beaufort, S.C.

The Empire State Building will light its world-famous tower in orange and blue to commemorate the opening of the Mets' new home. Monday's 7:10 p.m. game will be broadcast live in Rockefeller Center at SNY's Studios and carried on ABC Television's SuperSign above their Good Morning America studio in the heart of Times Square.

Emphasis mine.

Please, just for a moment imagine Jake Peavy and the Padres facing off against Johan Santana and the Mets, snapping and dancing in this video.

It’s quite humorous if you have a vivid imagination.

Things I found at Citi Field: Part 13 – The complete recap

Citi Field officially opens it’s door for the first of many regular season games tonight.  The San Diego Padres are visiting and the New York Mets will send Mike Pelfrey to the mound.

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to get into Citi Field for the first time for the college game between St. Johns and Georgetown.  While I was there, I was snapping photos left and right.  Here is a rundown of links to all the posts about Citi Field.

• Jeff Wilpon
• Worst seats in the house (bonus video update)
• Closed captioning
• Food
• The home run apples
• The outside
• The skyline
• K-Rod in a Mets uniform
• The lights
• Right field overhang (Good luck, Ryan Church!)
• The scoreboards
• Really cool trash cans
• Also, check out my Citi Field vs. Yankee Stadium review.

If you’re going tonight, enjoy!  Hopefully the Mets can christen the stadium with a win.

Twitter Poll: What are you most excited to see at Citi Field tomorrow?

With the San Diego Padres and New York Mets set to square off for the first regular season game in Citi Field history tonight, I asked my Twitter followers what they are most excited to see at the new ballpark.

Here are the responses…

• kerelcoop said: Since I've already been there once, I would say Seaver/Piazza 1st pitch.
• djeffreys said: David Wright hitting the first homer in Citi Field (regular season) history.
• gwong said: A game that counts.
• letsgoduke said: seeing how espn covers it! i bet they make a bigger deal over new yankee stadium :(
• acesigma said: HOW ABOUT A WIN?????
• charlieryczek said: the new home run apple! i hear this thing is huge and im anxious to check it out
• MetsNY81 said: Francisco Rodriguez striking out the final batter to give the Mets a win! (Feeling a bit optimistic)
• mets_geekette said: I'd like to see Pelf dominate and the boys settle into their new digs.
• fullnelson said: I'm most excited to see a win in Citi Field & some good damm Sushi

And from the peanut gallery…

• ChuckKnoblog said: A stadium that is so much nicer than Shea!
• mlblogs said: the new clubhouses
• ProctorsArm said: I'm most excited to see My Mets on the field. (ed. note: He always jokes about “My Mets” even though he’s a Yankee fan.  I think he wants to convert.)

Not on Twitter? Hit the comments to put in your 2¢.

Follow me on Twitter to participate
in the next Twitter Poll!

Blog redesigned

Hello readers of The ‘Ropolitans!

Just alerting you to a blog redesign that I’ve been working on for a few weeks.  It been implemented, so you might need some time to get used to it.  I hope not, but check it out, click around and let me know what you think.

I wanted something fresh and new, and I really like the final product.  I’m trying to put more “Mets” stuff in and around the site.

All critiques and comments are welcome.  Please either shoot me an e-mail or comment below.

Thanks and let’s go Mets!

-Andrew Vazzano

Game Recap: Marlins 2 – Mets 1

A pitchers duel that went down to the final out, but for the Mets it was too little, too late.

The Mini Recap

Johan Santana squared off against Josh Johnson, and both pitchers brought their A games.  The game only lasted a tad over two hours, but unfortunately for the Mets, a misplay in left field cost them the game.  Daniel Murphy flubbed a can of corn on the warning track, allowing a run to score.  Another run followed on a single.

The Mets rallied late, but fell just short.

For the full recap, head over to Baseball Digest…

Grub Wow

The Brooklyn Cyclones have delved into the infomercial industry.  Too funny.

Via The Final Score.

Aaron Heilman has more wins than…

Aaron Heilman has pitched 3 2-3 innings for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.  He’s allowed three hits, three walks and no runs.  He has a 0.00 ERA, two holds and a win under his belt.

That means...

• That means Heilman has more wins than Oliver Perez and John Maine.
• That means Heilman has a lower ERA than Pedro Feliciano, J.J. Putz and Bobby Parnell.
• That means Heilman has more holds than Darren O’Day, Brian Stokes, Feliciano, Putz and Bobby Parnell.
• That means Heilman has surrendered less hits than O’Day and Parnell.
• That means Heilman has a lower WHIP than O’Day, Feliciano and Parnell.

Just sayin'...

The Sheffield effect

It will never be seen if this is why the corner outfielders are performing like they are, but the signing of Gary Sheffield might be the best motivator ever.

Through five games, here are how the starting corner outfielders are performing:

• Daniel Murphy: 8/23 (.348), 2 BB, .400 OBP, 2 RBIs, 7 runs
• Ryan Church: 10/19 (.526), 3 BB, 0 K, .591 OBP, 5 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 runs.

Not too shabby.  Sheffield, on the other hand, is 0-1 with a walk and a strikeout in two plate appearances.  Sheffield will not play in the field until Wednesday, when he will get the start at Citi Field with Oliver Perez on the mound.

Again, it cannot be known if these players are performing like they are because they don’t want Sheffield to creep up behind them and swipe their roster spot, but it’s entirely possibly and plausible.