Observations From Opening Night At Shea

We attended our first baseball game of the season last night, a sloppy, ugly, slightly comical 8-2 Mets win over the Phillies. We tried to attribute it to a cold April night, but seriously, we're not sure the Phillies were actually wearing gloves.

A few thoughts:

• The pictures of the new Citi Field make it look like an Ebbets Field throwback, but once you're up close, you realize it looks just like the new Busch Stadium, and Citizens Bank Park, and Camden Yards, and all other "retro" stadiums that are going up now. As we've mentioned before, the great irony is that we have replaced all the old cookie cutter stadiums with new cookie cutter stadiums.

• Sadly, opening day was the lone day for Rick Astley. Last night they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer," which received a much heartier ovation. Also of note: That pro-union song was actually sponsored by The United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. We thought that was great.

• We'll kind of miss Shea in a way we won't miss Yankee Stadium. Both are antiquated, uncomfortable ballparks ... but at least Shea knows it, and revels in it. And you watch people get in fights in the upper deck at Shea without worrying that one of the snipers on the roof is going to take them out.