The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Get Promenade Seats

The Wilpons are at it again. They've noticed the empty seats at Citi Field over the past few weeks. They've seen the decline in SNY's ratings for Mets telecasts. Therefore, they have decided to do something that looks like they have the common fan in mind, when in reality, they're not doing a dang thing for us.

According to an official press release put out by the Mets today, ticket prices for season ticket holders will be cut by more than 10% for the 2010 season. Some locations will see over 20% price reductions.

Let me repeat that for you in bold letters. SEASON TICKET HOLDERS will be getting this discount, or as I like to call them, the ones who could probably afford their tickets no matter what the price is.

The press release did not say anything about partial plan holders (Studious Metsimus owns two 15-game plans) and individual ticket prices. They did seem particularly proud of the fact that no ticket price would increase and made sure to mention that tickets will cost as little as $11.

Of course, they failed to mention that those $11 seats were only available in the outfield area of the Promenade Level. This is the area that has many of those obstructions and poor sightlines that Mutt (Fred) and Jeff (Jeff) promised the fans wouldn't exist at the new home of Amazin'.

Also, these $11 seats were only available for 10 games out of the 81-game home schedule, with all of those games being against the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins. By comparison, 34 of the 81 games were part of the gold or platinum ticket category. Those same seats cost $23 for the gold games and $27 for the platinum games. A fan who wanted tickets in these outfield seats with a nice closeup view of the auto junkyards on 126th Street would have to plunk down a nice chunk of change to see the ants on the field.

I found an old Mets pocket schedule from 1990 and was shocked to see what ticket prices cost back then. Take a look for yourself:
















You could sit in box seats directly behind the dugout for $12. Upper deck seats, regardless of who the Mets were playing or whether you wanted to sit in the infield or outfield were $6. Even the loge seats were only $10.

Think about that. Less than two decades ago you could sit mere feet behind legendary Mets players such as Daryl Boston and Mackey Sasser for only one dollar more than the worst seat at Citi Field for selected weeknight games against the Washington Nationals.

















The Wilpons want the fans to think they're listening to them. Dave Howard, the executive VP of business operations is even quoted in the press release as saying,

"The Mets are sensitive to the economic realities facing our fans and we have lowered our ticket prices in response to these challenging conditions. This move underscores our appreciation of our fans' ongoing loyalty and support. We are committed to delivering exceptional service and value to our customers at Citi Field in 2010."

They're making it seem like the season ticket holders represent the Mets' entire fan base. Fiddle Faddle! The people in the Promenade Level, those who bought the lesser plans, the ones who buy individual game tickets. They're the ones who are the true supporters of the team. They're the ones who wish they could buy more tickets but are priced out of such a luxury. Shouldn't they get a discount as well?

It's nice that the Wilpons have noticed that the performance of the team on the field has not justified the prices we're paying to see them suck, I mean play. It would be nicer if they lowered these prices all around. Hopefully, they're saving that for the next press release.