Cold Beer, Cold Baseball

I went with my dad to Dodgers-Mets last night.  It was the fourth time I've seen Clayton Kershaw in person (twice in New York, once in Washington, once in Los Angeles) and it was his worst performance in those games.  He wasn't terrible, but his pitch count got too high and he left after allowing two runs in five innings and took a no decision.  The Dodgers scored one run stranded some runners early on against Jon Niese.  Mark Ellis knocked him out of the game in the third inning when he hit him on the leg with a line drive.  My dad wanted Niese to stay in the game because he hadn't been particularly sharp, but I looked up the Mets' bullpen ERA and found out it was 5.12 going into last night's game.  With the Dodgers trailing 2-1 in the fifth, Mark Ellis tied the game with a solo home run.  In the seventh inning, Ellis hit another home run to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead and they never looked back, winning by a final score of 7-2.  Other than Mark Ellis, it won't be that memorable of a game, but the Dodgers improved to 4-0 when Clayton Kershaw starts with Jim in attendance.

Our view from section 415

The day reminded me of the Dodger-Met doubleheader I went to three years ago (almost exactly, it was April 27, 2010).  I was really excited for my first doubleheader.  I took the train from work in Valley Stream and got there in the second inning and met my dad.  I was surprised that they were playing a true doubleheader rather than one of those split doubleheaders.  It was fairly warm that day, like high 50s.  I figured it would be colder at night so I dressed warmly, or so I thought.  I wore the jacket I would wear when it's like 40 degrees outside over a sweatshirt.  Although it was 53 when the second game started (I looked it up on my favorite app), it was a very windy night and it felt a lot colder.  My dad and I gave up on the second game (the Dodgers lost both and never led either game) and left around the fifth inning.  I never leave early.  That's how cold it was.  My dad drove me back to Valley Stream to pick up my car and then I drove home.  By the time I got home, I was still cold, and I had been in a car for over an hour.

Yesterday was kind of cloudy and low 50s all day.  It was 52 at the start of the game, one degree colder than it was for the doubleheader.  Remembering how cold that was, we were more bundled up this time.  The wind was also much less of a factor.  We also had access to the Promenade Club and went in there in the bottom of the sixth to warm up.  But we were outside for most of the game.  Although it was a long game, my dad and I stayed until the end and we were literally the only people left in our section by the bottom of the eighth.  It was the smallest crowd for a game I've been to at Citi Field (21,135, the only other game I've been to at Citi Field with less than 30,000 was last year against the Marlins with 25,446).  By the end of the game, there might have been fewer than 1,000 fans in the stadium.  It's hard to know for sure of course, but it was empty.

This gives you an idea of how many people were left at the end of the game.

During the game, I found a design flaw in Citi Field.  Our seats were in what I think is the best row of the stadium in terms of value.  We were in Promenade Gold area (400 level behind home plate) and in the wheel chair row.  Besides having a good view of the field, it's an awesome row to be in for two reasons.  First, there's plenty of room so it's easy for you to get out and you never have to get up to let somebody else out.  Second, you have to go down a few steps to get to the next row in front of the wheel chair row.  That means that when people in that row are getting up to get out, they never obstruct your view.  Behind the Promenade Gold sections, there's a little walkway and then the Promenade Club.  It had some more food and drink options than the concession stands on the concourse.  I had this burrito with pork, black beans, rice, guacamole, and salsa.  That was nothing special, but the good news was that I was able to get a Summer Ale (I will totally drink Summer Ale when I'm wearing a sweatshirt, winter jacket, hat, and gloves).  But there's a problem with the Promenade Club.  It has windows where you can look out and see the field, only you look out and you see second base and the outfield.  You can't see the pitcher or the batter (they do have TVs, but I'm not going to the ballpark to watch on TV).  I feel like they could have elevated the club a few feet and you wouldn't have this problem.  That would have meant sacrificing a few rows of seats in the sections above the Promenade Club, but if they were concerned about that, I'm pretty sure they could have found other places in the stadium to add some seats.  Unlike some of the other things that they messed up with Citi Field (the bullpens, not making it feel like the home of the Mets), I would think it's probably too late to fix that one.

Inside the Promenade Club

The Dodgers don't come to Citi Field again this year.  I don't know when I'll get to Citi Field again, but I'm sure I'll make it to another game or two there before the season is over.  Hopefully the next time I'm there it will be a lot warmer.

I sent this picture to some people with the text:  "52 degrees at Citi Field?  You know what I'm drinking."  Bobby's response:  "It appears to be a Samuel Adams Summer Ale being held in the hand of Cookie Monster"