The AP got the scoop on opening days at the two new stadiums in 2009. The Mets will play at Citi Field on April 14, against the San Diego Padres. New Yankee Stadium will open with the Yanks against the Cleveland Indians on April 16. This year, the home openers for both teams were notable for stupid fan tricks: At Yankee Stadium, fans tried to steal bunting/banner while at Shea, some guys kicked a seat......

Graphic from the NY Post, with a sad Mr. Met added in Tickets for top of the line Mets tickets at will nearly double next year when they move into Citi Field. That means that seats right behind the dugout will go for just under $500 a pop. At Shea this year, Mets tickets are already the fourth most expensive in the league. Demand is likely to rise next year not only because of......

Team Danny Meyer has partnered up with Aramark to bring some serious food to the new Citi Field. When it opens next season, Mets fans will have both Shake Shack and Blue Smoke on the premises along with a taqueria and a Belgian fry stand to be called Pop Fries. The stadium's Sterling Club will also receive the Meyer treatment, with the Union Square Hospitality Group handling all of the dining options there. According to......

Smoking sports fans beware, Shea Stadium is cracking down on the nicotine set this season. While the Smoke-Free Air Act has been in effect for 13 years, security at the stadium has turned a blind eye to those lighting up -- but that's all changing. The Observer reports on one fan's encounter with the new guard:“A security guard told me I can’t smoke and then ripped off a piece of my ticket,” the 26-year-old fan......

You may have heard that New York City will have two new ballparks to attend in 2009. Of course that means that Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium will close their doors forever after the 2008 season. And if you want to be there for the last scheduled game at either venue, you better have a lot of money. Tickets for the finale at Yankees Stadium are being scalped online for as much as $17,000 with......

The holy Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, adored for its succulent burgers, righteous shakes and hellish lines, will soon expand into multiple locations. Owner Danny Meyer has signed a lease for a branch at 366 Columbus Avenue (at 77th Street), the former home of New Orleans import Jacques-Imo's. The new location will be entirely indoors, enabling delicate Upper Wide Siders to do their time on line out of the elements. And two Shake Shack......

Bronx snowfall, by Somebody Shouted McIntyre at flickrToday on the Gothamist Newsmap: person under a train fatality at Lafayette and Classon Aves. in Brooklyn, another person under a train at 53rd St. and 5th Ave. in Manhattan, and yet another person under a train at Lincoln Ave. and N. Railroad on Staten Island. The giant apple will be popping up every time a Mets player hits a home run at the new Citi Field......

Put any thoughts of the new Giants-Jets Stadium being named Mara Field (after the recently deceased and beloved Giants owner Wellington Mara) far from your heads. Sports marketing experts believe that the value of slapping a corporation's name on the arena, which is expected to be completed in 2010 and cost $1.3 billion, could generate revenues of $25 million to $30 million annually for the two teams. In comparison, the Mets are charging Citigroup $20......

In 1965 The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium (video), beginning a tradition of rock on the ball field. Sadly, they won't be around to bookend the life of the stadium, which opened its doors on April 17th, 1964 and gets torn down after the 2008 season. Helping them close up shop are Billy Joel and his piano. On July 16th Joel will make "The Last Play at Shea," and later in the year The Mets......

Mike Huckabee, featured in a profile in Sunday's New York Times magazine, chose to eat at T.G.I.Friday's when given a choice of lunch spots in Manhattan. The author vetoed his choice, and they ended up at his second choice, the Olive Garden. Politics aside, that's reason enough for us not to vote for the guy. Then again, we're pretty impressed that he lost over 100 pounds and runs marathons despite eating such crap. Gael Greene......

In the final year of baseball in Yankee Stadium, the legendary park will host the 2008 All-Star Game. In its 45th and final year, what does Shea Stadium get? A commemorative logo from the New York Mets. Fitting for the multi-purpose stadium that is a relic of the 1960s. Today, the Mets, the stadium's primary occupant since it opened in 1964, unveiled a logo that players will wear on their sleeves during the 2008 season.......

If you make it out to Shea Stadium the rest of this season and next season, and you witness a Mets home run, be sure to wave bye-bye to the Home Run Apple. We previously wrote about the movement to save the Home Run Apple when the Mets move to Citi Field in 2009, but recent reports makes it look like its days are numbered. The Times reported yesterday that the apple will be retired......

With Citi Field construction making progress towards Opening Day 2009, we turn our attention to a relatively small detail at the stadium - the Home Run Apple. There's a movement afoot at SaveTheApple.com to...save the apple as it currently exists at Shea Stadium. While the website points out that renderings of Citi Field show an apple behind the outfield walls, there is no word on whether the apple is the same as the existing......

Mets 2, Reds 1: On a night when the Mets honored one member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, a future member inched closer to the 300 win milestone. It was Ralph Kiner Night at Shea Stadium and the Mets announced that their broadcast booth at Citi Field will bear the broadcaster's name. The TV booth at Shea is already named after Kiner, who played in the Majors for 13 seasons, mostly with the Pittsburgh......

Assuming an arena for the Nets ever gets built in Downtown Brooklyn, it will bear the name of Barclays Bank. The Post is reporting that the Nets and Barclays have reached a record setting, multi-year agreement for the naming rights of the proposed arena. No specific dollar amount was mentioned in The Post's article, but it does say that the rights will cost Barclays more than the $9.3 million-a-year figure that Philips is paying......

The Giants made it official today, naming Jerry Reese Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the club. Reese had been in charge of player personnel and is probably most famous for insisting that the Giants select Osi Umenyiora in the second round of the 2003 draft. Besides the Umenyiora pick, Reese has been widely respected for his work in scouting and was considered in many circles as a potential GM for some time. Since......

With the Citigroup buying the naming rights to the new Mets Stadium, MTA executives are hoping to hitch a ride on the company's money train. On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that the MTA will be in discussions with Citigroup about renaming "two MTA stations: the Shea Stadium stops on the subway and commuter railroad systems, an authority spokesman confirms." There were two opinions in the article: An MTA board member who said he would......

Yesterday, the Mets organization and various city and state officials broke ground on the new Mets stadium, Citi Field. There had been criticism about the Mets taking $20 million a year for 20 years (aka a "multi-faceted strategic marketing and business partnership") to name the stadium after CitiGroup, and not name the stadium Shea again or after Jackie Robinson. To which the Mayor said, "The people who said that aren't the ones putting up......