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 Met spam went out this morning, offering the faithful Citi Field Subway Series Ticket pack. You can buy a ticket to the Met/Yankees series...as long as you buy tickets to four other games. I took a look at the process. After selecting two tickets for tomorrow's game, then a Dodgers, Phillies, Braves and D-backs game, I got my suggested price. $900. BTW, they are only selling seats in the more expensive areas (Metro box, Baseline box, etc.), not Promenade box or other less expensive locales. As Ron Hunt said, " The Flushing FlashThe soldout Subway series is now available because they haven't sold enough
season tickets or six packs and are now offering deals." BTW, for the first subway series game at Citi Field, there are currently 3,141 tickets available on StubHub. Presumably the Mets are holding at least an equal number of tickets. So who actually has tickets to this game, beyond season ticket holders? On another note, Ron Hunt reports this parking update: The Flushing FlashA flyer was handed out at the Southfield parking lot this morning, dated 6/9/09.
Now for weekday day games the $4 rate is in effect until 9AM, then full rate
$18. For weekday night games the $4 rate is in effect until 12noon, then full
rate. And for weekday games vs. the Yanks and during the US Open the commuter
lot is closed until 4 hour prior to gametime and then it's the full rate.
The latest MeiGray Group auction ends Thursday night. Among the more collectible of the collectibles - an original lighted Men's Bathroom sign from 1964.  The listing describes it as "An original Shea artifact that spans Shea Stadium's 45 seasons. This original bathroom sign hung in Shea's Upper Level throughout the stadium's history. (Size 8" x "12)."
It can be yours for only $250. Amazingly no one has bid on either this or the Women's Bathroom sign. Man if only I had been born rich. Every bathroom in my house would have a lit sign. On second thought, I wouldn't need the Women's sign because my wife would have left me after spending money on bathroom signs.
 According to TicketsNow.com, Paul McCartney will be the first rock concert at Citi Field, although nothing is yet confirmed. Citing "various reliable touring industry executives," the site said Paul will play July 17 and 18 during the All-Star break. A third show may be added for July 21. Paul played a part in the last concerts at Shea Stadium, when Billy Joel was the headliner. Of course, before his successful solo career, McCartney played in a small little rock and roll band that played the first concert ever at Shea, which was the first time ANY rock band played a stadium show. Folks can debate Shea Stadium's aesthetic limitations and its contributions to baseball lore, but there is no questioning the Mets former home's contribution to rock and roll history. It was the only arena on earth to host The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Grand Funk Railroad, The Police, REM, The Clash and The Rutles. Not impressed yet? Peruse the Shea Rocks section of Loge13 and you will change your mind, Paul would be the best choice to play the first gig, no doubt. Expect an official announcement in two weeks.
Forgot to mention that last night was the first time I saw no more Shea Stadium, not even the ashes. The parking lot memorial is complete: 
More on Queens Crap. Thanks for the link, Yankee John. I forgot my camera last night. Long live Shea. 
 We were in Citi Field Wednesday night for the Mets 7-4 win over the Nationals, completing a three-game sweep. A weird night overall, from Murphy's Subway home run to Fernando making his first rookie mistake (run, Fernando, run!) to Johan doing an Ollie imitation. Plus Citi Field was a massive distraction last night, thanks to the new exclusivity rules in the bars and my first fight with a drunk at a Met game in a few decades. More on that later. First the game: despite no Reyes, Church, Delgado and the rest of the injured parade, the Mets put up a good fight. Johan was erratic, striking out 10 but walking 6 along the way. With a 3-0 lead in the 4th, Johan came a bit undone, giving up a massive 2-run homer to Adam Dunn that almost hit the old Apple beyond the bridge. Later in the inning, Santana walked in the tying run. Ugh. But the Mets did not let themselves get beat by a lesser team. Murphy redeemed himself for a missed catch at 1st in the first by crunching a 2-run homer in the 5th. At least it was a home run eventually. The ball hit the Subway sign on the Pepsi Porch, now known as Wilpon's Folly, as our owners' desire to create a quirky homage to dead old stadiums not named Shea resulted in this ground rules trivia question. The umps had to leave the field and review the tape. Meanwhile, 40,000 of us in our seats were not allowed to watch an instant reply on the two giant Citi Field screens. Eventually, the HR was acknowledged and the Mets kept the lead for good. It should be noted that just below Wilpon's Folly, young Fernando Martinez made a great catch early in the game, crashing into the bullpen at one of its nooks (or is that a cranny?). A great catch all but forgotten when, during his next at-bat, Martinez watched as his meager pop-up in front of home plate fell out of the catcher's glove. By the time Fernando ran, it was too late - he was out at first and in the dog house of impatient Met fans. Welcome to the big leagues. It can only get better from here kid, unless you cut a rap record with Lastings Milledge. But I'd say Citi Field had a worse night. The stadium itself is fine and I'm getting to like the sight lines. But last night's experience was the opposite of my Citi Field trip a few weeks back. Last game, O entered the Promenade Box bar and enjoyed the view while dining and drinking - very civilized. Last night, when my Dad and I tried to enter, we were stopped by two ushers who demanded our tickets, then informed us we didn't have access. But I was here last game, I reasoned. "We've changed our policy," I was told. So the Mets have gone back to excluding fans from even the most modest of bars. Never mind that the food and restaurants are touted as a selling point for the stadium. Never mind that the Promenade Box Bar was EMPTY. Never mind that I had cash in hand and was not afraid to spend. We walked out and pocketed the dough I would have gladly coughed up to the Mets. Foolish. But this policy is nothing compared to the Ambulatory Rules of Citi Field. As previously mentioned, our seats are in the last row of our section, on the same level as the Promenade walkway. Folks are allowed to stand directly behind us. Most of the time, that's fine but occasionally people will stand there jabbering about anything but the game. Or a drunken lout or two will scream nonsense gibberish in the general direction of the field, their slobbering syllables passing first through my aching head. Last night we asked the green jacketed director matron of our section to clear the area when folks were lingering too long. She said she can't - it's stadium policy to let people stand there. That policy was in full effect, when around the third inning, two drunk guys stood behind us to the side, talking on their cell phones and to two tourist ladies. They weren't directly annoying; most of the time they weren't even watching the game and were easily ignored. But when the ladies left, the guys finally noticed the game and began to randomly blurt out cheers. By the 6th inning, they were directly behind me. Finally, after one particularly loud random "Lets Go Mets," I politely asked the louder dude to move 10 feet in either direction. To which he replied, "I said lets go Mets, what the F#*& is your problem." This argument usually wins with me, at least it did 20 years ago. But not last night. Words were exchanged; Ron Hunt asked the dude where his seats were. he told us way up behind us. And that's the galling part. Folks can buy inferior tickets, then move around the stadium as part of the "experience." Instead, they move to right behind us and set up beer camp and our "experience" is obliterated. A few minutes after our spirited debate subsided, I got up and talked with the drunk dude, explaining that when he cursed, he blew it. I don't care what you're chanting but don't curse me out in my seat. He apologized, we shook hands and he moved on. He was actually not a bad guy at all. The real problem here is the policy...and the "directors" whose job it is apparently is to stand around telling us about the policy. Our green jacket witnessed the whole affair and did nothing to intervene. Unacceptable. Fred or Jeff, feel free to come sit with us one night and see if our experience matches what it used to be like in Ebbets Field. Anyways, the Mets are in first with a day off to mend.
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Comments
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You're just mad because they don't let you smoke in your seats.
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 Not lots of good news to report for the Mets. Delgado is out for 10 weeks. Reyes is headed for the DL. The Mets were swept by the Dodgers and have lost four in a row. Meanwhile, in case you missed it, Scott Schoeneweis' wife was found dead yesterday at home by the couple's 14-year-old daughter. What an awful story. Schoeneweis and his wife have been through alot of awful patches, from his cancer to her difficult childbirth for their third child hast September. Very sad news. Say a prayer for that family. On a lighter note, the NY Times today has a big feature on Bobby Valentine. Fans of the Chiba Lotte Marines have mobilized to force team ownership to keep Bobby V as manager past 2009. Our ex-manager has been a real American Idol in Japan, and fans adore his extroverted persona...and the fact he won a chanpionship for the team. We of course thought Art Howe could do a better job.
 In March, the Mets held an important toilet test, in which volunteers flushed every john in the joint, in an effort to expose any flaws in the system. I'm sure they didn't test for stuck fans. Read on for details:Apart from the burgers at Shake Shack,
can we all agree that it's been exceedingly hard for either of the new
ballparks in New York to generate any positive headlines? Most of the time, the issues have been within team control (ie: bad sightlines for the Mets at Citi Field , expensive seats at new Yankee Stadium). But
also consider these two Citi Field-related headlines that are
circulating the web today and make it seem like the baseball gods might
actually be angry at New York for taking Shea Stadium and The House
That Ruth Built out of circulation: "The Mets have swine flu, pass it on" "Officials
in upstate Sullivan County said yesterday that the Mets may be linked
to the swine flu outbreak. A resident of Liberty became ill last
Wednesday, three days after attending a Mets game at Citi Field on
Mother's Day, said Sullivan County manager David Fanslau. The
unidentified victim became the county's first confirmed victim of the
H1N1 virus Monday afternoon, he said. "Because the woman's trip
to the game was her only known foray out of Sullivan County lately,
Fanslau said, local officials suspect there may be a link."
"Woman trapped by Citi Field toilet" "A
hapless Mets fan tried to make a diving catch when her gold tooth fell
into a Citi Field toilet -- and got her arm stuck in the commode. "The unidentified woman's bizarre Flushing adventure happened during last Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves, sources said yesterday. "It's
unclear how long she was trapped screaming in the john, but stadium
security guards and emergency medical personnel eventually showed up."
Almost makes you want to design a new sleeve patch for the Mets, doesn't it? Citi Field: "Come for the swine flu, stay for the evil toilets."
You have to admit: It does have a certain ring to it.
More on the toilet incident here: An unidentified female fan seeking relief amid the Mets 8-7 12th-inning defeat somehow had a gold tooth come loose. Unable to bear the idea of parting with it, she fruitlessly jammed her hand into the toilet bowl, The New York Post reported.
Instead of coming away with a handful of gold, the toilet had a handful of her. She sat there screaming as the toilet continued to flush over her arm until security arrived; they in turn called Cardoza Plumbing, the folks who installed all 646 toilets in the Mets new home. The low-flush "green" toilets installed at the stadium use powerful vacuum suction to cut down on water use, which may have contributed to the problem, according to the Post.
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As a Cardoza plumber drove from his Jamaica headquarters to Flushing, the toilet continued flushing and a crowd gathered outside the women's room near Section 338. Suffice to say, the man from Cardozo was able to rescue the hapless maiden.
"The truth is, this kind of thing happens all the time -- usually with wedding rings or cellphones," a Queens plumber told the Post. "People have probably been getting their hands stuck in toilets as long as there have been toilets."
 Looking for some of those nice Citi Field seats? Apparently the Mets are tired of StubHub selling the choice tix and have just released this offer to "Flusing Flash" subscribers: The Mets and Citi are pleased to offer all Flushing Flash subscribers a special ticket offer for the Mets' upcoming homestand at Citi Field Monday, May 25 - Sunday, May 31 when they host the NL East Nationals and Marlins. Baseline Box tickets start at $30! Purchase your tickets on the special offer page to any of the qualifying games during this homestand and receive up to 33% off the regular ticket price in select categories, based on ticket availability. Ticket quantities are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
 Ron Hunt just dropped off his car at Shea Field for tonight's Mets/Braves game. If you are driving out to the old ball game this year, take heed of the following:
- Commuter parking is up $1 to $4
- The Mets, who now run/own the lots have caught on a little. For a day game now, like tomorrow, no commuter parking unless you're in the lot by 3AM! Full load after that, $18.
- Had a good look at the Shea parking lot from the elevated #7. There is no home plate, bases or diamond yet. They are still working on removing the rubble and just starting on the asphalt behind that blue fence.
I have not yet driven to a game (mass transit for me). Even though I have been warned, I will still punch my steering wheel the first time I am charged 18 clams to park for a game. Parking has now essentially become another ticket to the game.
Don Hahn Solo was also at Thursday night's game. He paid $50 for this view:  If you only pay $40, construction guys come down and turn your seat away from the field.
In Prom 427, we can't see about 20 percent of left field. When a ball is hit in that corner, it's kinda like listening to the game on radio.
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I don't see any rip off.
The Mets (among others) have trouble selling the mid-priced tickets. Because people that can afford it buy better tickets, and people that can't can't.
Especially given the secondary market, I'd just buy a decent ticket on Stub Hub without having to buy the four other games.
Whatever, this is business of baseball when you have that type of demand.