Mets owner Fred Wilpon puts Brooklyn first, and forgets about fans of the New York Giants with the construction of Citi Field.
In April 2009 the New York Mets and owner Fred Wilpon will open up their new ballpark Citi Field. Fans are promised a cozy and intimate atmosphere. They will be welcomed into an impressive rotunda which replicates that of Ebbets Field, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Citi Field will be clad in brick closely resembling the masonry used at Ebbets Field, both in color and texture. There will also be several shops and restaurants dedicated to the Dodgers. Feeling nostalgic yet? Probably not, if you are an old fan of the New York Giants turned Mets fan.
Maybe Wilpon and his son, Jeff, who is the COO of the Mets, are not fully aware of their team’s heritage to both the Giant and Dodger franchises. As New York fans know, the Mets were formed to fill the void created when both National League teams left for California. Dodger fans were not the only ones to have their hearts broken at that time.
In 1962, National League baseball returned to New York City. Then, as now, the Mets colors were Dodger blue and Giants orange, symbolic of the two departed teams. Also, the “NY” lettering on the Mets’ hats matches that of the old Giants. In fact, the circular Mets’ logo was designed to represent all five boroughs, including Manhattan and its skyline.
In 1964, William Shea christened the stadium named in his honor. Two champagne bottles were used. One was filled with water from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, the other with water from the Harlem River. Prior to the stadium’s completion, the Polo Grounds was the home of the Mets. Yes, the same Polo Grounds where arguably baseball’s most famous home run was hit and also, the site of the 1954 World Series of one of baseball’s most thrilling catches.
The Wilpons have made a small effort to appease old-time Giant fans. They will dedicate the area beyond the left-field fence to the old Harlem team. They will call it “Coogan’s Landing,” named after the site that overlooked the Polo Grounds: Coogan’s Bluff.
“Coogan’s Landing” won’t do much for Giant fans, when they walk into a stadium that’s landscape is inspired by Ebbets Field. The Mets also will dedicate their entry rotunda to the Jackie Robinson. Surely, Giants fans must be made uneasy by the idea of eating at “Ebbets Club,” which will be behind home plate. Current plans show that the Wilpons and the Mets have a clear bias in favor of the Dodgers.
Hopefully there will be room in the rotunda to honor milestones achieved by not only the Dodgers, but by the Giants, too, including “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” The history of the New York Giants should be highlighted not diminished. This includes the club’s rivalry with the Dodgers.
Without question, Jackie Robinson deserves all the recognition and honor that Citi Field and the Mets will surely foster and encourage. The statue planned in his honor would be just a small part of the tribute to Robinson. But Jackie aside, the Wilpon’s have done too much to promote the Mets link to Brooklyn and far too little to highlight the teams lineage to the Giants. This trend has been happening for quite a while. Countless Giant fans remain unhappy with Mets’ ownership over their current plans for Citi Field.
Undoubtedly, Fred and Jeff Wilpon will enjoy their trip down memory lane, beginning in 2009. Whether or not vintage Giant fans will feel welcome in their homey new venue is another question. Maybe the owner’s attitude if not the new park’s design will change. Stranger things have happened. Remember in 1956 the Brooklyn Dodgers traded Jackie Robinson to…………The New York Giants.
