“The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.” (A. Bartlett Giamatti) I enjoy baseball as much as the man who said that quote seems to enjoy baseball. Baseball is America’s pastime to a lot of people, and I think visiting a Major League Baseball stadium sparks feelings that can make any person feel like a kid again. Although I believe the true feeling can’t be described and has to be experienced, I will do my best to do so by writing about my experience earlier this year when visiting Citi Field in New York City.


It was opening day, and my Dad and I decided to make the four-hour trip to Citi Field to see the Mets play. On our route to the game we pass the stadium and every time we do, it gives me goosebumps. It’s a state of the art, fairly new, three year old stadium. It is an amazing work of art in it’s own right. Just driving past it and knowing what is inside it and the work that went into it, was gratifying. This was not even my first time visiting Citi Field but I still had those feelings when passing by the masterpiece.

When it came time to enter, my Dad and I entered through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, as we always do, regardless of where our seats are. We do this because of the Rotunda itself. It was modeled after the entrance to Ebbets Field, the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1913-1958), and also built as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in the major leagues. From the outside, you see a number of brown arches made of brick. When one walks through them, the first thing one sees is a big blue 42 in remembrance of Jackie Robinson. The rotunda is rounded in the front and architecturally amazing. For both of us, the entrance means so much because we both get chills when learning about the history of baseball, watching baseball, and just being around the game. So even though it is a new stadium, the history of baseball stands tall in the front entryway to Citi Field.

During the game, the atmosphere is heartwarming to all Mets fans and even just baseball fans in general. It’s heartwarming because the Mets, once again, were picked to finish last in their division, but all the fans, including myself and my Dad, were happy, cheerful and were ready to cheer them on for 162 games. Random people giving compliments about your team apparel and other things like that are all part of the amazing experience and relationship the fanbase possesses. Hearing the fans chant, “Let’s go Mets,” the big screen egging them on and the occasional hilarious drunk chants, makes my Dad and me feel like little kids again.

This game, the Mets won by the score of one to nothing. My favorite player, David Wright, drove in the only run. When he got that base hit, the whole stadium exploded with a cheer. When the newly acquired closer, Frank Francisco, struck out the last Atlanta Brave, the stadium exploded even more. It’s these stadium explosions that I live for. On the way out, just being so happy that the Mets won and seeing the happiness in the faces of all the other fans, is so captivating to me. This happy environment was highlighted by a group of Mets fans singing, “Sweet Caroline, Good times never seemed so good, so good! so good! so good!” from Neil Diamond’s, “Sweet Caroline.” They sang as they exited the stadium with more and more people joining in. That was only one win out of 162 games.

The exiting of the stadium always has kind of a sad effect on me. One reason is because I will not be back there for a couple of months and the other is that I will return home to Auburn, a place full of football fanatics and Yankee fans. I love the environment around a baseball game, the game itself, the history of the game, and the relationship of hardcore fans. This definitely could make any person feel like a kid again. All of those things have a profound effect on my life. Again, these feelings are truly indescribable but I did my best.