Chief among the many complaints about Citi Field during its first season -- excluding the team that called it home -- was the fact that many of the seats didn't offer views of the entire outfield.
That seemed like a major design flaw, albeit one that could be rectified by merely letting people know what they were buying before they got to the stadium and got upset by finding they bought something less than they thought they were paying for.
The Mets went a different route, however. In a truly bizarre appearance on WFAN, team executive David Howard told fans that they didn't understand the nature of obstructed views because these seats merely had blind spots that meant you weren't able to see the entire field. While the Mets took that for granted, they didn't think it was necessary to tell anyone else about it because, hey, geometry will do what geometry will do.
It was just one more example of a team battling poor PR with even worse PR. Just as they refused to admit any mistakes with the medical staff or front office employees challenging minor leaguers to fights, they refused to admit that they made a mistake by not telling customers the whole story.
That's changed. The New York Times reports this morning, well after Mets Police reported it in a post we're sorry we missed, that the Mets are now selling those tickets with a warning. "View: Limited portions of the playing field may not be visible from this seat location.”
It isn't perfect. The word obstructed, a word they clearly have problems with, isn't included and the prices haven't been changed to reflect the admission of limited views, but this is still a big step for the Mets. When faced with a problem, they've chosen to admit it instead of continuing to treat people like idiots. While holding a pipe in one's hand, it's best to actually admit it's a pipe and not claim that it is a turkey or Kevin McReynolds.
It's an encouraging way to start the season. Let's hope honesty remains the policy in Queens for the rest of the season.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
