November 11, 2008 [LINK / comment]
Citi Field photos + diagram fix
I have posted some of the photos I took on the Citi Field page, as well as a panoramic image that I stitched together from three photos sent to me by William Kooney. Citi Field truly is photogenic, and I expect it will come to be regarded as one of the best of the post-1992 "neoclassical" ballparks. The design elements and color scheme are all well thought-out, and it fits right into the neighborhood. It's almost as if Ebbets Field had been reincarnated... (I said almost.) My only quibble is that they should have built it closer to the side of 126th Street in the Willets Point neighborhood, so that sidewalk pedestrians could get a quick glimpse of the game, as is the case at Wrigley Field. [That would also more closely resemble Ebbets Field, in which right field was flush up against the street, squeezing the outfield dimensions.]
Roll the mouse over this exterior photo to see a panoramic interior view of the field, kindly submitted by William Kooney. (Both photos are reduced size to fit on the blog page.)
While I was at it, I made some major revisions of the diagram. I was told that somebody at baseball-fever.com mentioned the inaccuracies. Hey, nobody's perfect ... not even obsessive perfectionists like me! I made it clearer that "under construction" applies to the diagram as well as the stadium itself. By rolling your mouse over this thumbnail image, you can compare Citi Field to the classic-era ballpark that was the inspiration for its design.
Shea demolition
Next door, meanwhile, demolition of Shea Stadium has begun in earnest, and most of the movable portions of the lower deck are Already Gone... Helicopter-view photos can be seen at wcbs880.com; the link to that was on the afore-mentioned Baseball Fever page.
Rookies of the Year
Congratulations to Evan Longoria, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Geovany Soto, catcher for the Chicago Cubs, for being named, respectively, AL and NL Rookies of the Year. Longoria was chosen by unanimous vote, while Soto came very close, getting 31 of 32 first-place votes. They both played a big part in getting their teams to the postseason this year. See MLB.com.