Once Citi Field is completed, Jeff Wilpon is optimistic about what the excitement level will be.
“I hope high,” the Mets’ Chief Operating Officer said yesterday. “There’s no reason it’s not going to be great.”
Construction continues on the Mets’ new ballpark, and yesterday Wilpon conducted a tour of the site for media members.
Citi Field is set to open in 2009, and while there were some dirt piles, pipes and equipment scattered about yesterday – there were rocks and wood shards in the area of what will be home plate in the new park – media members climbed a staircase and stood on the makeshift metal deck of the main concourse. The basic structure of the right field stands beyond first base is already up.
Hunt-Bovis, the company building the stadium, has also built the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis as well as PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Comerica Park in Detroit and Ford Field (the Detroit Lions’ home field).
A total of approximately 6,000 workers will have worked on Citi Field by the time it’s done. When it is finished, Citi Field’s dimensions will be a tad bigger than Shea’s – meaning it should continue to be a pitcher’s park.
Beginning next week, Mets.com will feature a webcam highlighting construction updates.
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Speaking of Busch Stadium, according to a report on the Cardinals’ Web site, the Mets will have to watch the Cards get their World Series rings before their April 3 regular season game.