FLUSHING, NY – I never thought I’d write this but it’s reality. For a good time, head over to CitiField, which for me will always be called Shea Stadium. The home of the NY Mets has become the place to be seen. It all starts as soon as you approach the ballpark and confront the security guards. They give you absolutely no attitude and treat you with the utmost respect.
As you walk to your seat, have your camera set cause the odds are that you will confront Mr. Met. The whole setting inside the park has the feeling of a nightclub, as the lights flash during pitching changes and the music blasts through the air.
Even the lead-off batter, who is the team’s leader named Francisco Lindor, gets into the act with his walkup music, which starts with the words, “I got sunshine on a rainy day, when it’s cold outside I got the month of May.” The crowd goes into a frenzy once the song stops and finishes up the lyrics in unison with, “I guess you’d say what can make me feel this way, my girl,my girl, my girl, talkin’ ‘bout my girl.” All this goes on as Lindor is trying to get on base.
Even when tragedy strikes, the Mets know how to help the healing. The massacre that took place in midtown Manhattan recently left the city numb. The day after the tragedy, the giant screen outside Citi Field, which overlooks the Whitestone Expressway, had an image of Police Officer Didarul Islam. The officer, along with 27-year-old Julia Hyman, 46-year-old Wesley LePatner, and 46-year-old Aland Etienne were shot to death by a deranged wacko. One look at Officer Islam’s face, which was shining through the screen, was a reminder to pray for their souls.
Leave it to the Mets to do the right thing. From the top of the front office with Steve and Alexandra Cohen, and into the dugout with the cool Carlos Mendoza leading the troops, and the PR department treating everyone like they belong.
The Mets simply get it.
Now if only they could get some wins.
