Fred Wilpon grew up in Brooklyn and has a big-old man crush on the Brooklyn Dodgers. But did he demand too many homages to Ebbets Field and Dem Bums in the new home of the New York Mets? Some hardcore fans think so.
Fred Wilpon grew up in Brooklyn and has a big-old man crush on the Brooklyn Dodgers. But did he demand too many homages to Ebbets Field and Dem Bums in the new home of the New York Mets? Some hardcore fans think so.
In fact, they’re irritated Citi Field contains several tributes to the Dodgers — including a re-creation of the famous Ebbets Field rotunda that features several Jackie Robinson quotes, as well as the Ebbets Club — and none to Shea Stadium, where the Amazin’s had their best years. In fact, the Mets never actually played a game in Ebbets Field; by the time the Mets entered the National League Ebbets Field had been torn down, with the Mets playing their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds.
Whether you loved or hated Shea Stadium, it was undoubtedly a historically significant ballpark, and you’d think the team would do everything it could to pay tribute to that history. The only reminders of Shea are a new Big Apple based on the Shea Stadium original (which has been installed in a Citi Field concourse; it was moved only after an outcry from fans) and the skyline from the old scoreboard. That’s it.
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