(NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
MEET THE MESS: Little Robert Sowin experiences a little meltdown eating his ice cream yesterday at Citi Field, where, despite an announced Opening Day sellout, the Mets played before batches of empty seats on a beautiful spring day. (NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg (2))
The cool thing about Citi Field is that there are so many things to do.
You can walk around and sample the various fare, reflect on baseball history in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda or play a game of whiffle ball in the outfield picnic area.
Anything but watch the game.
Sure, the Mets are leading their division, and they have a better record than their crosstown rivals, but let’s face it, the only thing pretty about Opening Day was the weather.
After an uninspiring 1-0 victory yesterday over the Atlanta Braves, once a bitter rival, no one in orange and blue was even thinking about the Canyon of Heroes.
Ya gotta believe?
Ya gotta be kidding.
JOHAN SANTANA LEADS METS TO OPENING DAY VICTORY
“I’m excited right now because we’re undefeated,” said Mets fan Fabian Rosas, 35, of Flanders, NJ. “And the likelihood of them stinking is going to keep the prices low. It’s a win-win.”
Rosas couldn’t believe his luck when his buddy Frank Ardolino scored Opening Day tickets to see their favorite team.
Of course, these days, the only ticket easier to get than a Mets ticket is a parking ticket.
The less-than-Amazin’s had to practically beg fans to come to the ballpark, bribing even the faithful with a shameless buy-one-get-one-free deal to lure them to the game.
In exchange for rescuing the team’s dignity with their Opening Day attendance, 15,000 of their fans were offered free seats to a game this weekend.
What’s next, an offer to pinch-hit?
“It’s the only time we have been able to get Opening Day tickets,” a happy Rosas said. “We have been trying for years.”
Brian Pernice, 27, of Smithtown, LI, wasn’t satisfied with his last- minute tickets. He was hoping for cheaper than the $60 he shelled out.
“All week, we were planning on going to the game,” Pernice said. “But we were hoping for $10 tickets.”
He didn’t watch much of the game.
“There are a lot of distractions,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”
In the end, team officials announced an Opening Day sellout — the 14th in a row — which was far more impressive than the shutout win.
The Mets’ math was especially remarkable given the rows and rows of empty seats. For a while, it looked like they wouldn’t draw a bigger crowd than Keith Olbermann.
Charles Rindos, a correction officer from Lindenhurst, LI, had his own theory about the rows of empty seats under the Pepsi Porch, where he was sitting.
“Times are hard in New York,” Rindos said. “To come out here with your kids, it’s tough.”
Rindos lamented the damage done by Bernie Madoff and the team’s penny-pinching owners.
Still, Rindos said he was impressed by the crowd’s enthusiasm and the hustle on the field. His optimism was almost convincing, until he revealed the bitter truth.
“I’m a Yankee fan.”
He had to rub it in.