Yankee Stadium, Citi Field Get Mixed Reviews For First Half Season

New Yankee Stadium, Citi Field Have Been "Talk Of The Town, As Expected"

The new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field for the first half of the MLB season were the "talk of the town, as expected," but the Yankees and Mets "never imagined the conversation would be about obstructed views, empty seats, muted tradition and, above all, too many or too few home runs," according to Mark Herrmann of NEWSDAY. Both teams "point out that most fans really like the new parks," and "as for the kinks, each side said it is working on them." Yankee Stadium has become the "Cape Canaveral of ballparks," as it is a "launching pad for four-base hits and one-liners." A Yankees spokesperson yesterday said that the team is "not commenting on the Stadium now, instead choosing to see how the rest of the season goes." Bloggers have "objected to relentless promotions on the public address system, the fact that Monument Park is basically hidden behind the centerfield fence and that the place just doesn't have the electric feel" that the old ballpark had. Meanwhile, Citi Field has become "baseball's Great Plains, a paradigm for the Mets' offensive drought." Critics also have noted that "some seats have obstructed views and that there is less celebration of Mets history than the Brooklyn Dodgers' legacy." Mets Exec VP/Business Operations Dave Howard said that "more Mets memories will be reflected with displays in the park this summer, and that there are bigger long-term plans to give the place a Mets atmosphere." Howard added that the Mets have "received permission from Major League Baseball to show the live feed on video screens the instant the ball is in play, allowing fans to follow action they might not see live," and an "additional video board will be installed in the rightfield corner after the All-Star break" (NEWSDAY, 7/14).