Typically, a new stadium attracts the unknown. People go there for the curiosity factor.
Many baseball teams opened up new stadiums since the earlier 90s. We have seen plenty of more in the last few years.
Last year, a couple of New York baseball teams opened up new playpens. On Monday, the Twins open up their brand new stadium. In a few years, the Marlins will play in their new stadium.
Expect the Twins and the Marlins to have good attendance in their new digs. Both teams are quality teams that are well-run by the front office.
The Mets can't say the same.
Citi Field opened up last year, and by the summer, people stopped coming with the team spiraling out of control.
This visitor attended the Braves and Mets game in late August. There were many empty seats. As for the fans that were at the game, they did not pay attention.
The Metropolitans opened up their first week with a six-game homestand. On Opening Day, it was sold out. The place did not sell out in the last three games.
Today was better. The team drew 33,044 in the Mets' 4-3 loss to the Nationals.
If the Mets lose this series and stumble along, look for more attendance the last few days.
No one is surprised to see this development. New York is a no-nonsense town.
If the product stinks, people will turn on the team. No one in this town wants to be associated with a bad team.
The Mets turned people off for so many years. The losing is just the beginning of what has gone wrong.
The Mets front office have not drafted well or sign the right free agents. Their farm system hasn't trot out many good prospects.
It seems manager comes and goes every few years.
This does not represent an organization that is successful and stable. Great teams keep a management team for at least one decade.
The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, Cardinals and the Phillies let players leave, but the organization is in good hand thanks to the management team. It's not an accident why those teams are October fixtures.
With the Mets, it's different. The saying goes about how it starts at the top.
Ever since Nelson Doubleday sold his ownership share to Fred Wilpon. It’s been a disaster. Wilpon creates an environment where anyone can to go him at anytime if there is a problem.
That's not what an owner should be doing. That's why managers and general managers exist.
Bobby Valentine succeeded when he was their manager, but he lost his players after they went up to Wilpon to complain about the abrasive manager.
It's hard for a manager to do well when this is allowed. What manager would ever take this job?
Willie Randolph experienced the same situation Valentine endured. One would think Wilpon would know from past history. It didn't happen.
Carlos Delgado and several others went up to Tony Bernazard, complaining about Randolph. Randolph was undermined from there. This is where Omar Minaya should have stepped in.
Randolph lost his job after that. A strong owner would never let this happen.
Wilpon gave full control to Jeff Wilpon, his son. It turned out to be a disaster.
Can anyone cite his success? That's hard to do.
Based on what goes on, it's no wonder why fans stopped going to the games. Why give money to an ownership who knows nothing about the game or building a stadium?
It's not fun when a new stadium opens and no one goes. A new stadium should inspire happiness. A stadium should be a fun place to go to the game. That's where teams tend to do well.
It's hard to believe it's going to get better. Most fans gave up on the Wilpons long time ago.
What the Wilpons should do is sell this team to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg.
Sternberg is having a hard time getting a stadium in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. It's hard for him to think it will ever happen to him anytime soon. Not with the long lease the Rays have at the Tropicana Dome that ends at 2027.
The Rays owner grew up as a Mets fan. It's a perfect match.
He will bring his people from Tampa to run the Mets, and odds are they would do well.
That's the best hope. Of course, it's a fairy tale. Hard to believe the Wilpons will sell the team. They like being the owners. There's something about being an owner of a sports team.
They like making money.
They should do the right thing in selling the team.
It's the only way the team will get better not to mention drawing bodies to a one-year old stadium.
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