QUEENS, N.Y. -- As we ride the number 7 train east toward the "Mets-Willets Point" stop on Sunday, my son asks, "Are you sad that Shea Stadium is gone?"
"Yes," I say, which prompts the classic little kid follow-up.
"Why?"
"Well," I tell him, "because that's where I saw all the baseball games when I was a kid like you."
I understand the power of youthful baseball memories. That's why I'm taking him 1,000 miles away -- thanks to AirTran, which flew us there for the express purpose of seeing a baseball game at the Mets' new home, Citi Field, built on what was a parking lot adjacent to Shea Stadium. I want to cement my son's Mets fandom, and seeing a game during the stadium's debut season seemed a pitch-perfect way to do it.
And it is a success.
His first Citi Field snack: a pretzel.
Favorite photo op: the old Shea apple out beyond the bullpens.
What he wants to see most: the apple rise from its home in center field.
Thankfully, the Mets end a long home run drought at the game Sunday and wallop two in the seventh inning, sending the apple up three times in a row (it comes up during the stretch, too). Fernando Tatis, however, has to wait until the end of the inning to get his apple elevation, since the massive fruit didn't have time to reset after Brian Schneider's homer moments earlier.
"Four times," my son tells his grandmother later. "Four times what?"
"The apple went up four times," he says, raising his hand slowly to help her understand. "And we got to meet Mr. Met!"
During the game, we get to meet Mr. Met. Afterward, after waiting in a long line, we -- and hundreds of others -- are let back into the stadium to run the bases. There, we high-five the ball-headed mascot as we head toward third base.
The day is one of the best I've had in a long time: riding the subway out to the game on a beautiful day, spending time with my boy, watching the Mets win, exploring a new ballpark and watching the planes fly past on their descent to nearby LaGuardia Airport.
I love the new stadium, which like most newer ballyards, mimics the feel of an old-time ball park. Even way up near the top, where our seats are, it feels intimate in a way that Shea -- built in 1964, during a time when stadium design was arguably at its nadir -- never did.
Like Miller Park, the concourses are wider and lined with dining options. A nice touch is that there are good places to linger -- like the picnic tables in right-center field -- if you want a different view. Little kids accustomed to Miller Park's awesome play area on the terrace level, will be disappointed, however, that Citi Field does not have a similar amenity.
A nice feature that Miller Park lacks is the ability to walk behind the bullpen and get an up-close look at the pitchers throwing there.
Food and drink is expensive, but not really any more so than at any ballpark I've been to. I paid about $7 for a Stella Artois, for example.
To me, Shea and Citi Field are like County Stadium and Miller Park. My heart hangs on to the old places for the memories they held for me, but my brain knows they were well past their sell-by dates and the replacements are far superior in almost every way.
My first Citi Field snack: a Nathan's hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut.
Favorite photo op: Mr. Met, of course!
What I want to see most: my son shout "Let's Go Mets" without any encouragement from me. I see it in the seventh inning.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
