Come On Over!

I was thinking it had been a while since I'd done a photo-heavy at-game post, and why not use the opportunity of Opening Day on Friday to bust one of these out. I've generally taken the day-after-opening-day to take everything I didn't like to task, but I think I've mostly covered those issues. Maybe. I can always find more things wrong.

This is new, of course, and one of the first things you see when you get to the part of the Field level where you can actually see the field.

Looping around the Field Level, where not much has changed. The Grilled Cheese stand is still there, although the panache I guess has worn off, and most everything else is the same. This thing is still here, too. I'm not talking about the skyline, I'm talking about the absurd line at Shake Shack. Bear in mind, the gates opened about 15 minutes before I took this.

New York's #1 Power Couple was also out. Here, they're in the part of Citi Field that I always forget exists, and people are lined up for photos.

Here's Fuku, the David Chang outlet. I've always had an issue with David Chang ever since he started charging $115 for a bowl of ramen noodles, but this is supposed to be pretty good. However, this stand won the line battle of the day, as I'd mentioned, and no chicken sandwich is good enough for a 45 minute wait. I'll come back another day. Maybe. I would have loved to show you the line except that this guy's head got in the way.

Here's the new dugout roof.

I bet you didn't know that all On Deck Circles are stored in the On Deck Circle warehouse in New Jersey and they have to be carted in every game.

But what I can't understand is if they're going to drive them in on a cart, why then, do these poor schlubs have to carry the damn thing across the perimeter of the field to put it down in front of the Mets dugout?

Bunting! It's not Opening Day without Bunting. There appeared to be a short supply of bunting this year, though. George noticed it too. It's only been hung off of the front of the Excelsior Level and the Suites. And a small portion of the Promenade. At Shea Stadium, they hung bunting off of every available surface. Time to step up the bunting game, Mets.

Here's the blowing of the Shofar, the presentation of the Bill Shea wreath to Terry Collins. Bill Shea is of course long departed but his son and two grandsons are here to do the honors. At least two of these guys look like they just stepped out of a 1920s Speakeasy, and I'd have to guess they sound like it too.

And now, some players. Wonder what these guys are talking about? Noah Syndergaard is probably trying to discuss where he gets his favorite Raw Juice from. Matt Harvey might be eyeing up some ladies. Either way, they've excluded Matz from the discussion.

All right, all right. Now I'm just showing off how good the zoom lens on my camera is.

Now they've stopped talking. Anthem time. If this were at another ballpark in this city, Syndergaard, Verrett, Blevins, Campbell and Familia would have 55,000 people screaming at them to "TAKE YOUR HAT OFF!!"

More of these guys.

Again, they got guys from Hamilton to sing the anthem. If you don't follow Theater (and I have to since I work in the business), well, then you probably don't care, but basically there's a 6-month waiting list for the privilege to pay upwards of $500 a ticket to see Hamilton, so, yeah. It's a big deal.

Here's the NYPD helicopter flyover. I guess the days of the B-52s are over, which is OK with me. I think those are probably best reserved for things like the Super Bowl. The helicopters were adhering to Bill deBlasio's schedule, so they were about 90 seconds too late.

David can still get that leg up, but I'm not sure how early in the morning he had to get there in order to be able to do that now.

More Coca Cola Corner. I've always preferred Coke to Pepsi so this change in vendors is just fine with me. But it was too cold for soda on Friday.

More fun with Zoom lens.

It's like Jacob deGrom is going to pitch right into your lap!

Jim Henderson, too.

And, of course, with new companies come new mascots. I forgot that the Coke mascot was a bear, and so when I first saw Mr. Met hanging around with a bear, I wondered what the hell was going on.

But then, of course, they go out for the 7th inning Stretch, and Mr. and Mrs. Met are there singing and dancing and whatever it is they do together, while they sent the bear down on the side by himself. This is supposed to be a partnership, why is the bear all the way off on the side?

And, that's all I've got for today, photo-wise. When they raised the banner, the wind immediately died down and the banner just hung there, but the wind eventually picked up so I could get this picture.

Maybe we'll have some more of these posts in the future. Right now let's just get through April without freezing to death.