The LTJ Editorial: “Renovation around Citi Field another step towards success”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 10-18-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Renovation around Citi Field another step towards success”

For well over two decades now, I've been going to a ton of NY Mets games. I have many fond memories of going to Shea Stadium with my family and friends to see the Mets play while having a great time at the ballpark. I remember wins, losses, the organ music rallying the crowd, and of course, getting ice cream in a small Mets helmet. One of the memories though that has always stuck around when I think back to Shea Stadium was the area around it. It was literally just a dump. I never understood why the surrounding area was always filled with way too many places for tires, car parts, and used automobiles. It stuck out like a sore thumb every single time you walked around the area because it looked dingy and trashy. There was really nothing justifying having all those places around Shea Stadium that had no business with baseball.

Back in 2009, the Mets debuted Citi Field which would usher in new memories for us all. A brand new home for the Mets which featured so many new advancements, I figured they would also open up nice places around it. Nope, it seems they didn't really pay much mind to the surrounding area and left things as is. I always thought how does that look for baseball fans who travel from all over the world to see the Mets and they take a look around the area? If you have tourists coming in, there really isn't anything to see around Citi Field besides Flushing Meadow Park, the subway station, and the parking lot. After most Mets games, I love walking at that park since it's beautiful, especially after a victory. Only thing is, that's pretty much all the options you have. There are no nice restaurants, places to shop, not even any nice hotels around the area if you're visiting from abroad and looking for a place to spend the night. Just literally, tons of places to get an oil change, change your tires, and look at over 50 car shops to get random parts for cars.

I am happy to say though, the Mets and the city of New York finally took note of what I've been writing about and announced a renovation project. I guess it's something about “2014” that will bring a new aura to the Mets and everything they are involved in since we all correlate it with possible success. In addition to doing their best to have an offseason of bringing top talent to the team, they will begin a $3 billion renovation project for the area around Citi Field. It was approved by the City Council of New York and they will fill the area with brand new retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and small businesses to make the area more appealing for tourists and baseball fans worldwide. It will be performed by the Queens Development Group and it couldn't have come at a better time.

It's safe to say ever since the Mets opened up their new stadium, it's been filled with nothing but declining issues. They've steadily gone down in ticket sales, concession money, attendance, and even in team losses. It's a bit sad that the only time the stadium was filled to the brim was when the MLB All-Star Weekend came to town this year and whenever the NY Yankees visit. Every other time, unless it was a Matt Harvey or Zach Wheeler start, was a very light crowd. I'm not saying the area around Citi Field has anything to do with what I mentioned, but it could only add more value to what should be a solid new outlook for the Mets. I don't know if the Mets will be in the postseason next year, but at least they are doing the right steps to achieve better than what we have been getting use to. Getting rid of the nonsense around Citi Field and bringing in more attractive places to visit, shop, and eat is what New York is all about. Nobody wants to travel from a far away state just to look at car part shops in an area around a MLB stadium. People want to eat, shop, and see attractions so they can remember it for a lifetime.

Once the renovation project is done, which I'm sure will take a few years, it'll be a refreshing change to the area surrounding Citi Field. It'll be nice to see it all be transformed so in addition to nice walks at Flushing Meadow Park, I can go sit in a nice place to eat to talk about the game and relax. By then, the Mets will surely have a winning season and more. If not, at least we'll have retail outlets to spend our sorrows away at.

The LTJ Editorial: “The best memory Mike Piazza gave me”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 9-27-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“The best memory Mike Piazza gave me”

I will have the privilege of attending the final NY Mets game this coming Sunday, September 29^th, 2013 at Citi Field and it won't just be another baseball game for me. This will be the day the Mets will induct Mike Piazza into their own Hall of Fame and will honor him in a pre-game ceremony tribute. I have plenty of memories about Pizza especially a huge one that I'll never forget to this very day. More on that later in this article but for now, let us take a look at some of the accolades Piazza earned wearing a Mets uniform.

Piazza is a 12-time All-Star and in the eyes of most baseball enthusiasts, easily one of the best catchers to ever play the game. When you look at professional baseball as a whole, he holds the most home runs hit by a catcher at the amazing number of 427. The last time the Mets went to the World Series back in 2000, one of the biggest reasons they were able to get there in the first place was because of the hot bat of Piazza. I remember he had a hitting streak of 15 straight games where he at least got one run batted in. During his tenure with the Mets, he honored every single game in the contract he signed back in 1998 and played for about 7 years. During that stretch, he played in 972 games, had 532 runs, 1028 hits, 193 doubles, two triples, 220 home runs, 655 runs batted in, 7 stolen bases, a batting average of .296, and a .373 on base percentage. Absolutely incredible stats and many say that the trade the Mets made to acquire Piazza was one of the best in baseball history to turn a franchise into the right direction. A winning direction at that.

When you look at his career, he has not only been quite the class act, but he's been a phenomenal superstar no matter where he ended up playing. Even though he debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers and played for teams like the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Oakland A's, he will almost always be remembered for his tenure with the Mets. He even said when his time comes to get into the MLB Hall of Fame, he wants to be inducted as a Met. Before his professional baseball debut, ever since he was a little boy, baseball was his world. Did you know when Piazza was just five years old, his Dad was working on his arm strength by making him throw baseballs and practice catching? Another fun fact is that when he was just twelve years old in his custom-made backyard batting cage, he had a very special instructor. One who showed him what kind of batting stance he should always use. It was Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams! It was Williams who actually showed him how to bat and made sure to teach Piazza that no matter what any coach ever told him, to never change his batting stance.

Many baseball fans, especially Mets fans, cherish every memory he brought to this team. I remember one very big memory though because it helped distract me during a difficult time not only in my life but in the lives of millions. I will never forget the terrorist attacks that struck this nation, especially in New York with the September 11^th, 2001 attacks. I remember just a huge sadness that hit me the day it happened that lasted that entire week and still bothers me to this day. Everything in New York was on lock down, every night I went to bed I would worry if in the news the next day more attacks would occur. The sports world stopped and you couldn't even watch TV or even listen to Sports Radio because everyone was focusing on the coverage of what would be another upcoming war this country would face. After the week was over, some kind of sports returned that weekend I remember. It was another NL East game featuring the Atlanta Braves coming to Shea Stadium to take on the Mets. Everyone was sad, crying, it was really emotional since all the players wore NYPD/FDNY caps to honor New York. It was the first sporting event held after the 9/11 attacks, so it meant a lot to a ton of people, regardless if you followed baseball or not. What's my all-time favorite Piazza memory? That at-bat where Piazza hit a ball for a home run that even though I wasn't physically at the game, I heard the Shea Stadium crowd from my home in Queens. It was huge and gives me goosebumps every single time I see that hit. At the time, it lifted the entire city to forget just for a little bit of what occurred earlier that week.

Mike Piazza stands for a lot of things. Integrity, loyalty, and of course, doing things the right way. I know a number of years ago he admitted to using something called Androstenedione but at the time it wasn't anything banned by MLB. Piazza used it for muscle mass and it really isn't any kind of Performance Enhancing Drug when you think about it. It's not like he was a horrible player, took Andro, and starting to hit 10 home runs a game thereafter. As far as I'm concerned, he has brought nothing but great memories and will be remembered as an incredible player. Does he belong in the MLB Hall of Fame? Absolutely! No catcher in the history of the game has made as much an impact as Piazza did and while he didn't get enough votes the last time he was eligible, he will eventually get in. This time though, in Cooperstown.