Listening to Jeff Wilpon, son of team owner and former Brooklyn Dodger fan Fred Wilpon, talking about the project convinced me that this was a labor of love. There were original plans for a domed stadium prior to 9/11, but Mr. Wilpon indicated that event changed everything, including the vision for this new park. Now the park is being designed to be more intimate, with a good deal less ground in foul territory because of seats that will be extremely close to the field. And, speaking of seats, there has been obvious attention to the fact that watching games at Shea used to be uncomfortable. The seats will be wider and legroom has been increased significantly.
Besides all the technical information that is impressive, most of all I think the city and the Mets organization have done justice to baseball history. The New York Met fans of today would not exist without the Dodger fans of yesterday. Dodger fans lived for their team, even when it was losing, and they went to games in a small ballpark where there was significant opportunity for exchange with each other and the players too. This has been recognized in the planning of this new park, and in my mind it takes a great deal of love to say we will design a park with ten thousand less seats in order that each fan who does attend a game will feel right at home. That’s a design that doesn’t have making money as a top priority (for more seats = more tickets = more money).
The Dodger fans of the past gave birth to the Met fans of the present. It has been a sometimes difficult process, but all the love, sweat, blood, and tears that were transferred meant more than just the change of a borough (Brooklyn to Queens) or change in name (Dodgers to Mets). For in the end, the quintessence of passion, spirit, and love of team has been passed on to Mets fans. Anyone who has ever been at Shea when it’s a full house and has heard the fans screaming “Let’s Go Mets” will know exactly what I mean.
The Mets are recognizing their connection to the past with the new stadium taking on the ghost of Ebbets Field and giving shape to a new and lasting presence in brick and steel. Now that the city and the Mets organization have done so much right in the planning of this new park, it is time to make the right call and name the park after the greatest Dodger of all: Jackie Robinson. In that way we will be honoring his memory, his team’s legacy, and the hope for the future of Mets baseball will be very bright indeed.
Article comments
1 - Gary Berman
A fitting legacy indeed!
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Victor, nice proposal. Can we name the toilets after Mo Vaughn?
3 - Victor Lana
Suss, we can name the toilets after Big Mo only if the garbage disposal system is named in Bobby Bonilla's honor. Now, if I could just think of something apropos for Richie Hebner, Stork Theodore, and Bret Saberhagen (maybe Waste Management?)
4 - J. P. Spencer
It's a lovely idea. Unfortunately, in this time of extreme commerce, naming a stadium after Jackie Robinson won't make anyone any money in the Mets front office.
Expect it to be named after some huge multinational conglomerate who's willing to shell out millions of dollars a year for the naming rights. Hanging a "42" on the outfield fence, in the mind of Major League Baseball, gets them off the hook. What a travesty!
5 - Victor Lana
Right you are, JP. You know what I find a travesty: that anyplace in baseball could have been named Enron Field. Just a disgrace.
6 - joe
no way,if u want to name the park to a great man fine,not to a baseball player who always would cry the blues and did not like white people,get real,read between the lines of his statements.I would love to see MLK who was for all people,not someone for one people.
7 - MCH
Victor;
Good idea, it'd be a great tribute to a great pioneer. The obstacles he overcame changed the face of professional sports.
8 - Victor Lana
Without specifics and actual sources, I don't know how to comment on #6 directly.
At this point in time, everything I've ever read about Jackie Robinson has been so positive and an affirmation of his conduct as a player and a human being. Ever hear his teammate Pee Wee Reese talk about him? It's worth listening.
Thanks, MCH; I hope Jackie will get the recognition he deserves.
9 - Sean
You want to name the Mets new park (in Queens) after a Brooklyn Dodger?
Did Jackie Robinson ever play for the Mets?
10 - John
Why not name the stadium after Sandy Koufax. He was a Brooklyn Dodger, the greatest jewish baseball player and a friend of the Mets owner.
No wait let's name it after Roberto Clemente. The great Pirate who fought prejudice and died helping victims in a earthquake.
No let's name it after Hank Aaron the great home run hitter for the Braves who help lead the fight against racism.
No wait this is the METS ball park, not the Pirates or the Braves or the bleeping Dodgers. For all the METS fans who were born after the Dodgers left (and the Giants, remember them); any time some old sport writer starts talking about the good ol' days of the Dodgers, we feel like buying them a one way ticket to LA.
Why don't the Dodgers change the name of Dodger Stadium to Jackie Robinson Stadium and just leave the Mets to the MET fans.
Its a given that Jackie Robinson was not just a great baseball player but, a great American. And one of the most important people in American history of the 20th Century.
But, we're just naming a ballpark and while most New Yorkers don't want to go Pepsi Park or The Home Depot Stadium, there are a lot of fans that are Met fan and want the park to embrace the history of the Mets and not the Dodgers.
11 - NR Davis
That makes a lot of sense (sez this longtime Mets fan; they're my National League team). But you know what? Given a choice between Jackie Robinson Stadium and one named after some collective of corporate robber barons, I'll take honoring a ballplayer. The same holds for a Sandy Koufax, Henry Aaron or Roberto Clemente stadium. But in the end... Fed Ex or Comcast or some other icky entity will get the honors.
Of course, in Baltimore we ignore that shit. The city's football stadium is named after a big local bank that shelled out a bundle for naming rights, but ask any real fan - they'll call it Ravens Stadium. (The baseball stadium, reasonably, is named Oriole Park at Camden Yards, "the Yards" being the historic location of the side-by-side sports facilities.)
12 - Doug DeLise
To All, Jackie Robinson, while being a history maker, did not make ANY history for the New York Mets. There are several baseball parks, stadiums, facilities named for him all across our country. The Cubs Minor League in Daytona Beach has one. When the Dodgers build a new stadium (and they will) it will be up to them to name their new stadium after Jackie Robinson, anything else would be premature. The N.Y. Mets new stadium should bear a name in Mets history, who knows maybe Payson Park?
13 - Craig B
If given a choice between a corporate name or another, business wise the corporate name will take place. So if there was that choice there is no way an owner will pass on 50 Million a year in order to name a park after a player, especially a player that never played for that team.
Naming the new stadium after Jackie Robinson will indeed be an honor to his memory. However, it would be a dishonor to all the players, coaches, and managers that have come through the Mets organization over the past 45 years. If we must go back on history then name the park after the heart and soul of the baby Mets, Ms. Joan Payson.
There are so many choices out there, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel, Tom Seaver, etc. Geez, Don Zimmer even played for the Mets. If this is such an important deal, how come the Dodgers never named, or renamed for that matter their park at Chavez Ravine? It has always been called "DODGER STADIUM". If the organization that had Robinson, and so proudly proclaims that "they" had the first black ball player in the majors hasn't named their stadium after him why should a team that has NO connection to him do so? I love the Mets because I was brought up with them, my family were Brooklyn Dodger fans, and like millions were stabbed in the back when the O'Malleys took "Dem Bums" from us, but the Mets came in honoring the Dodgers and the Giants with the Orange and Blue - I think that is enough. We have history of our own that s hould be honored first and foremost! Changing the Interboro to Jackie Robinson stadium was okay. The city shold have just gone and renamed Ebbets Field projects after him. People may not know this but there are many things named after him in New York - next to the aforementioned projects is Jackie Robinson Elementary P.S. 375 - in Manhattan is the Jackie Robinson H.S., even a Jackie Robinson Center for Physical Culture, etc. etc. get the drift? These are proper places for his name. NOT ON THE WALLS OF A STADIUM FOR A TEAM HE NEVER PLAYED FOR!
14 - Wong
They dont need to waste money on a stadium they suck they need to waste money on players not druggy's either