Tuesday, July 6, 2010
THERE USED TO BE A BALLPARK (a stream of consciousness)
There used to be a Ballpark.....There used to be a Ballpark with a seemingly never ending enormous blue sky above, and with luscious meadow-like green grass, and within, a certain tranquility that enabled a mom or dad to pass on Baseball's idiosyncrasies and beauty....Yeah, there used to be a Ballpark...When I looked for the sky of blue, all I could see were not one , but two huge high definition TV screens/scoreboards, and a massive Pepsi sign encased and surrounded by erector set style steel beams holding up a sign to ther heavens telling me that I was in Citi Field. By the way, the two monumental TV screens would tell me when to cheer, what to cheer, and how loud my cheer should be!....There used to be a Ballpark. And if I did wish to have a conversation with my family, I always seemed to be rudely interupted by some roaring music that forever accompannied the appearence of the next player to bat. There was no time for conversing, and it was no place for the interuption or intrusion of just plain silence.....There used to be a Ballpark. Two women who were friends sat in front of me. They both were texting each other even though they were sitting right next to each other.......There used to be a Ballpark. In between innings the TV Screen loudly told me to text the words on the screen " the quickest" and I could win a prize....There used to be a Ballpark. There used to be ball game too, or has that also become like Ranch Dressing "on the side". I mean there were some wonderful aromas of pulled pork, gyros, and hot dogs, and exotic delights of salsa and sushi - kinda' like a street fair - or maybe it was the food court at Roosevelt Field or the Monmouth Mall. So many people hangin' out at the mall, er oops, I meant the various shacks of vendors. The game, like the Ranch, "on the side".....There used to be a Ballpark where at the end of the game we'd go skipping ahead of our parents down those free flowing ramps and into the street. No more ramps! Can't skip down crowded stairs or claustrophobic elevators - Hey, maybe it really was Roosevelt Field Mall....There used to be a Ballpark.....Where did it go?..........Mitch
6 comments:
mitch - good analysis and poetic too. it was pretty noisy and flashy the other night and no respite from it at all. i wonder if all ballparks are the same...maybe we should explore that...s.
Wow Mitch, very well written. I really think you should send it to a newspaper, not as a letter to the editor but as an opinion piece.
Wow, I think you should put that to music. Sounds very lyrical to me. I also think you have too much history with Shea to allow any new ballpark to take its place. And much of what you said is just a sign of the times i think (like it or not) and is not just inherent to Citi Field. I agree with S-- you should explore other 'new' ballparks.
Great post, but Citi Field is good too. Maybe you had too much of a connection with Shea that to you Citi Field didn't compare, because it is a little different. But just because of that doesn't mean you can't like Citi Field. Every new ballpark will be like that. The music will always be there, but it was there back at Shea. I mean I respect your opinion, I really do. But the 2 HD screens are for the good, well, because if you were in the top row, it would be awfully hard to see what was happening at the game. You may feel like the game is "just a little part" when you go the the field. But that is only true if you choose it to be. You can visit the other fun things in the beginning, and then be glued to your seat for the whole game. The baseball stadiums will keep advancing and getting more noisy and having new technology. Who knows, maybe in 15 years, unfortunately, next to every seat there could be a mini TV screen of the game. These things are out of your control. I have to say, one time, there was a long rain delay. Another time, an umpire got hurt and they had to find a new umpire. These were both long breaks in the game, at least 30 minutes long, probably longer. Thats where the other stuff comes in handy. I went to the team store to get souvenirs, which is good, because you will have something to remember that time. Also, a lot of the stuff is for the little kids. If they get bored between innings, they could go to the Dunk Tank or something. The ads though, like the Pepsi ad, probably can be a little smaller. I think if you go there a few more times (at your own pace, you could wait until next year until your next game) you will start to like it just a little bit more. You will always have the memory of Shea in you, and hopefully you will make new great memories at Citi Field. The game will always be the same. The Mets will continue to win games, they will continue to play intense games against rivals. The game doesn't have to be the "ranch dressing", it could be the salad, the main course. It could be whatever you want it to be.
Nicole,
I must tell you that even though I don't know anything about Shea OR citifield and I think that Mitch's post was interesting and well written, I thoroughly enjoyed your comment also ...love the way you analyzed (sp?) his feelings,made suggestions to him,even looked into the future about other changes in the stadiums etc.It shows how observant you are when you are there, not only watching the baseball game but the entire scene!
I really enjoyed Your Mom's and sister's photos of Italy and looking forward to seeing yours and your Dad's.
So I'm off now, not to see the Wizard but to go to Waldbaum's.
I think that it's maybe a little bit too family-oriented, but generally I'm OK with it. I like that the stadium and the concourse extend all the way around the field. They say that if you want a ballgame and nothing but a ballgame, go to Wrigley.
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.