Disney Sports Movies, Life, Playoff Baseball

As I sit here watching game 4 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, I am reminded of a few things:

1. The American League is a poor excuse for a baseball league. Tell your pitchers to learn how to hit and tell that extra juiced bat on the bench to lay off the roids and play right field!
2. Those that know me know that my dislike for the Yankees is great. One of my classic young memories was when I attended the first regular season interleague game between the Yankees and Mets at the old Yankee Stadium. Upon entering the stadium with my Mets jersey on, I was immediately the object of scorn for two inebriated Yankee fans, who hurled profanity my way until my father ushered me to our seats. So, I love the Mets but as they are terrible, I watch the Yankees this postseason. THAT BEING SAID:
3. I don't trust the Angels. When Disney makes a movie featuring your real team, a team that exists in the real world and plays real baseball, you are an object of scrutiny. Angels in the Outfield? Come on.
4. That goes for the Mighty Ducks also. This isn't Air Bud, this is the NHL. 
5. In the National League, we've got the Phillies THE WORST POSSIBLE TEAM and the Dodgers (spurners of Brooklyn). What's a Met fan to do?
6. Watch football, we've got 2 good teams in New York
7. WHAT? The Jets and Giants both lost this past week?? Badly? Jesus
8. I'm going back to reading tech blogs.

Schiti Field

Not only did I get a new camera this week, but I also had the opportunity to go to an exhibition baseball game at Citi Field, the new ballpark of the New York Mets. Here are some of the pics I snapped on a windy, cold April day.

The new park will never have the same place in my heart as Shea Stadium. I grew up at Shea, watched the Mets lose 100 games a season in the early 90s, win the pennant in 2000, and dozens of other games in which the Mets characteristically underperformed. Citi Field certainly does have its positives; when sitting in my seats on the second deck in left field, I felt like I was closer to the game then when I used to sit out on the foul lines in Shea.

I didn't even get to sample the new fancy food at the stadium, becuase the lines were unbearably long with people moving around the new concourses in a seemingly haphazard manner. At Shea, you were either in your seat, getting food, or going to the bathroom. Now we've got people chilling out at picnic tables and generally loafing around instead of watching the game in an uncomfortable seat, the way baseball is supposed to be watched.

Citi Field does not project itself in the same imposing manner as Shea Stadium did, either. The architects who designed the stadium were modeling it off of multiple different historic ballparks. What they failed to realize is that those parks were crammed into historic city centers and poorly designed as a result. Citi Field follows in this "great" trend, with much success.

Finally, I am not even going to get into the name of this stadium. Not only was it bulit with government subsidies, it is named after a company that is not solvent or heading in a positive direction. To this end, I will briefly mention a revolution coming to Mets Nation:

Shea Guevera.

Expect to hear more about this in the weeks to come.

Its going to be a great summer.