It was a dry run for Citi Field Saturday, when a limited crowd saw St. John’s take on Georgetown.
A limited crowd was on hand to see a little history: the first game at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.
The game, featuring St. John’s "hosting" Georgetown, will be a footnote in future years, and the Mets didn’t even put a lot of emphasis on what wasn’t even a real dry run for the facility. (That will happen this weekend, when the Mets host exhibition games.) Work crews are still finishing the place, so not all parts of the ballpark were open or accessible.
But the early results are in, and one thing is clear: Citi Field is a whole lot nicer than Shea Stadium. Sure, you can argue whether a retro design works in Queens — heck, Shea Stadium went from cutting-edge to retro over the course of 40 years, so maybe Citi Field is just moving to the inevitable — but there are some very nice touches in the new ballpark, including tributes to Jackie Robinson and Ebbets Field.
| Citi Field opens with a college baseball game |