Citi Field Review

Growing up in Connecticut, I always had three options for attending Major League Baseball games. There was Fenway Park, with all its history and seats that were too small by the time I was in the third grade. There was Yankee Stadium, which provided the equal chance that you would see great baseball or get mugged on the subway. And then there was Shea Stadium, a place that was about as plain as the little league fields in New Haven.

I probably went Shea two dozen times in my life and I have very few memories about that place. It was, and any Mets fan will admit this, one of the least exciting professional sports stadiums ever constructed. In fact, it's possible the only good part of the stadium was that it was usually so empty that you could were almost guaranteed a full row to yourself whenever you had tickets.

The stadium was a lot like the franchise that played in it - second rate and until the past few years, boring as hell. So when I got Mets Tickets yesterday at the new Citi Field, I didn't expect much. I assumed the owners probably cut every corner to save money and it would just be another cookie-cutter park that we could all make fun of for years to come.

Boy was I wrong. Citi Field is absolutely gorgeous. It's spacious, obviously very clean and after walking around the entire park, I was convinced there wasn't a bad seat at all, which automatically one-ups Yankee Stadium and Fenway right off the bat. The game itself was a blowout. The incredibly injured Mets got four hits from David Wright in an 11-0 win over the Cardinals. But a less-than exciting game didn't disappoint me at all thanks to the new stadium.

Citi Field is a 21st century ballpark with a 1950's "good old days" feel to it. It's the perfect place to watch baseball and has surpassed the other two local stadiums in my eyes.

Now, if the Mets can only start winning...