Citi Field may be beautiful, but struggling Mets are not

[Lil Bit Special]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/04/15/mets.citi.field/index.html?eref=T1

NEW YORK -- Mets higher-ups were accepting compliments Monday night for their stunning new ballyard, Citi Field, which has nothing in common with the former, dreary, dumpy ol' Shea Stadium aside from its location near the intersection of the Grand Central Parkway and Roosevelt Avenue. "It's a ballpark, not a stadium,'' Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said of the new digs.

But while Mets people are all understandably thrilled to be in their comfy new confines, a slow start that has revealed weaknesses in the team's rotation, defense and lineup has offset the jubilation. Although the new season is just seven days old, Mets people seem genuinely dismayed.

"We have a good team ... on paper, anyway,'' lamented one top Mets decision maker.

There's little doubt the Mets' three straight less-than-fantastic seasonal finishes are affecting their overall angst and compounding their so-so start. Even consistently upbeat manager Jerry Manuel seemed slightly depressed while talking about the team -- and that was prior to the 6-5 home-opening defeat to the Padres that dropped the Mets a game below .500. Manuel lamented his team's surprising defensive woes in that pregame press conference, only hours before a dropped fly ball cost his team its second straight game.

If anything, Mets executives worried heading into the year about their infield defense, where range on the right side is limited and otherwise perfect third-base superstar David Wright possesses one known flaw: an occasional tendency to spray routine throws. However, left fielder Daniel Murphy's (who's beloved by his bosses for an otherworldly work ethic) dropped ball Sunday against the Marlins and Ryan Church's the next day against the Padres led to two straight losses, dropped the Mets to 3-4 and raised the anxiety level in Flushing to levels beyond sensible proportion.

Manuel appeared disturbed enough by the recent events to schedule a lecture. If he does give his players a talking-to, he might want to touch on these topics:

1. The defense looks slipshod. There's no excuse for back-to-back games in which players drop routine fly balls, though it's possible Church is still getting acclimated to what looks like a difficult right field. And by the way, Gary Sheffield is not going to help there. Manuel intends to give Sheffield starts in right and perhaps even left, but only to keep him sharp, as Sheffield, 40, himself admitted he's concerned about his outfield play after a whole year away. "He can't play the field anymore,'' one scout said, flat out.

2. There are a few issues with the starting pitchers, too. Yes, Johan Santana looks more terrific than ever, Livan Hernandez turned in a nice Mets debut and John Maine was solid the first time out after a dreadful spring in which higher-ups questioned whether he had lost his confidence, but Oliver Perez struggled badly out of the stretch in his outing and Mike Pelfrey hasn't yet shown the dominant stuff he flashed last year.

3. The offense is underachieving. One Mets exec remarked that the Padres' Mexico League reclamation project Walter Silva shut them down "on nothing'' before Wright's three-run home run put them in business -- at least until three Padres' relievers, including Duaner Sanchez, whom the Mets released in spring, did the same.

4. There isn't enough fire. Another Mets person said the players seem to "lack a killer instinct'' so far, which might reflect leftover feelings from their two straight September fades.

This Citi reflects the City

Seemingly, the greatest thing about Citi Field is that it bears no resemblance to Shea Stadium. But here are a few more:

1. The intimate feel. If anything, 41,000 might be a tad small in such a big city.

2. The bridge in right-center field. Mets GM Omar Minaya said he loves this feature, which symbolizes New Yawk. While it ain't exactly the Verrazano Narrows, I agree.

3. The overhang in right field. It doesn't have quite the stateliness of old Tiger Stadium (which served as inspiration), but if you're out in right you can see just how pronounced it is.

4. Quite a few quirks. Including the tall wall in left and uneven wall in right.

5. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Which serves as a lovely lobby and tribute to perhaps baseball's greatest figure. It displays history and class. (Though we might have considered more odes to the Mets' own past, as well; it has been 47 years, after all.)

6. The food is spectacular. They brought the great sandwiches over from Mama's of Corona (the section of Queens that produced Minaya) and added the Shake Shack (best fast food east of In-N-Out Burger), plus Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria and fancier fare.

7. It's not all good, however. Fans have complained about "obstructed views," which make the outfield corners invisible from certain seats. Just remember, fans, none of the views at Shea were great, because they were all views of Shea.