Mets @ The Movies!

Yet another marketing scheme and way for the New York Mets to make money, even when their games are away. But yes, I am a sucker, and lover of all things free and deeply discounted, so I fell for it. Mets at the Movies! Last night, Wednesday, August 29, the Mets had a road game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Instead of just having people watch from home, for free, they teamed up with SNY and Screenvision and invited us to come cheer on the Mets, in real time, at the historic Ziegfeld Theatre in midtown Manhattan. While the game was exciting, it left the whole crowd disappointed because the Mets fell short in their comeback attempt. All in all, it was something I will remember for a long time to come and, if given the choice, I would definitely do it again.

There's no way a game shown at a movie theatre can compare to actually being in Philly, but let me tell you, it was a great experience. The game started at 7:05 but people started lining up before 5, and when I got there around 6, the line wrapped around the corner. Thank God I bought my tickets in advance and went right to the entrance! The viewing screen was huge, 50 ft x 23 feet, and the theatre seats 1,131. Official numbers show that the theatre almost sold out, with 1,100 in attendance. There were even some celebs in the building. 1969 Mets' starting shortstop, Buddy Harrelson, was present for a meet and greet before the game began. I was able to get his autograph and take a pic with him. SNY, a television network devoted to New York based sports, had two of their own anchors, Chris Cotter and Lee Mazzilli, attended the game and answer some questions. Alex Anthony, the Mets PA announcer, emceed the event. There were traditional Shea Stadium amenities; beer, hot dogs, beer, popcorn, and let's not forget beer. There were live giveaways, funny skits, and sing-alongs. Meeting Mr. Met was fun for me. I didn't get a picture with him but I got a hug! The Pepsi Party Patrol made their rounds, launching t-shirts into the crowd and getting the fans hyped. The atmosphere was awesome; 1,000+ Mets fans all gathered together in an enclosed space, in the least likely place one would think to host a game.

The whole time I screamed and cheered, waving my blue and orange pompom through the air. We chanted, we laughed and even sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch! It was like watching the game from home, with 1,099 of my friends. I caught one of the launched t-shirts, which literally fell in my lap. There was a funny skit called "Jose Reyes" where he went around trying to teach people some Spanish vocab. Later in the skit, Carlos Delgado joked that before he took Reyes' class he didn't speak a word of Spanish. Those that attended to game got two free tickets to attend a Mets home game against the Atlanta Braves in September. The tickets to view the game at the theatre were 10 bucks, and I got two free tickets out of it!? BET! I looked at the tix and the seats suck ass. But hey, they were sorta free right? We also got "gift bags" that had SNY trading cards and other promotional items.

The only bad thing about the game was the fact that the Mets lost! It was the top of the 9th, the Mets were down 4-3 in the midst of a comeback. There was one out and two runners on, Endy Chavez on 3rd and Marlon Anderson on 1st. Pinch-hitter Shawn Green hit a ground ball that was caught by SS Jimmy Rollins. A clear double play, Rollins pitched it to Tadahito Iguchi at second getting Anderson out, then to first where Green was ruled safe, and Chavez scored what appeared to be the tying run. The officials ruled that Anderson interfered with Iguchi at second, causing him to miss the possible game ending out at first. And while that was true, the issue was that the throw to first would have been late without Anderson intentionally barrelling into Iguchi. What could have been a Mets win, turned into the Mets fourth loss in a row. Their first place lead in the NL has gone from seven games to three.

I tried to take pictures inside the dark theatre but most of my attempts were futile. Finding the right setting and flash for my camera was a hassle, so I pretty much gave up. Below are some of the pics that weren't half bad. Enjoy!