Monday, August 17, 2015

Stadium 12: Citifield and the haunted hotel in baseball.

The Marlins open a three game series in Milwaukee tonight. Most MLB teams stay in the historic Pfister Hotel.



The hotel has been in service since 1893 and is located in downtown Milwaukee. What you do not know is that this place is haunted. Haunted? Well according to the urban legend the original owner, Charles Pfister, likes to overlook the hotel to make sure that things are running smoothly from this balcony.



Fine, no big deal. That is until you hear the stories from MLB players who have stayed in the hotel.

Our own Giancarlo Stanton compares it to the Haunted Mansion at Disney World with its weird paintings.

CJ Wilson has his story:
"I've had lots of experiences there. I was on the computer one night, doing my typical shtick -- surfing the web, sending an email, editing a photo -- and then all of a sudden the lights started flickering. I'm thinking to myself, I'm going to be so pissed if my computer dies. Then the light just shuts off. And then the TV shuts off. And then the light turns back on, but the light at the front door turns off. I just yelled out, "Really?"
I have this thing with ghosts. Just engage them or confront them. Just say, "Hey, man, I'm here to chill out. I'm just here to send some emails, no big deal. Just leave me alone." So after that, I went back to whatever I was doing on the computer, but then 30 minutes later there's scratching in the walls. Now I'm thinking, Okay, it's the Midwest, there could be a possum or something in the wall, right? That's possible, isn't it? All I knew was that there were definitely noises coming from the wall. I just said out loud again, "Can you please just leave me alone? I'm really trying to work here."
At this point, I'm on edge. I'm literally looking to see if there are people in the hallway, if someone's trying to pull something. We'll do that sometimes -- take a guy's key card and hide in the closet or behind the shower and jump out. But then the lights really start going crazy, and I'm like, "Are you kidding me? I don't want anything from you! Leave me alone! Or write it down. Write down what you want. I can't communicate with you through the lights."
The next day, we all show up at the park, and everyone has this uneasy feeling, like we had bad Chinese food or something. I said to one of my teammates, "You wouldn't believe the s--- that was going on in my hotel room last night." And another guy said, "Oh my god. Are you talking about that s--- you heard?" Everybody had a story. One dude got locked in his bathroom and he had to get the hotel to get him out. Another guy had the lights turn off when he was in the shower. Another guy saw something." (ESPN)
Pablo Sandoval: who is a big guy said this
"I don't like the ghosts there. In 2009 I went to take a shower, and I remember putting my iPod next to a speaker. When I came out, it was playing music, and I have no idea why. I left the hotel after that. I didn't want to stay there. In 2010 me and Edgar [Renteria] stayed down the street and paid for it on our own. Then last month, I decided to stay there again. I asked myself, Why do I have to be afraid? The only thing I asked the ghosts was to let me sleep. And they did." (ESPN)
One more story from Michael Young:
"Oh, f--- that place. Listen, I'm not someone who spreads ghost stories, so if I'm telling you this, it happened. A couple of years ago, I was lying in bed after a night game, and I was out. My room was locked, but I heard these footsteps inside my room, stomping around. I'd heard all these stories about this hotel, so I was wide awake at that point. And then I heard it again, these footsteps on the floor, so I yelled out, "Hey! Make yourself at home. Hang out, have a seat, but do not wake me up, okay?" After that, I didn't hear a thing for the rest of the night. I just let him know he was welcome, that we could be pals, that he could marinate in there for as long as he needed to, just as long as he didn't wake me up." (ESPN)
There also have been stories of Marlins players who demanded to sleep in the same room because they were scared of the hotel. (Players normally have their own room) There have been other players that simply will sleep at a neighboring hotel on their own dime. The fear is real, which makes me wonder why MLB teams still stay at the Pfister Hotel?

Stadium 12: CitiField 
Located in Queens at the end of the 7 line is CitiField. The stadium opened its doors in 2009 and has been the new home of the Mets since. The transit on the 7 train can take you a little while unless you take the express route since it is at the end of the line.
As you walk in to Citi Field, you are welcomed with a dedication to #42 Jackie Robinson who was the first African American player in MLB baseball. It is a beautiful entrance and ode to a very brave individual who broke down the color barriers.
That is officially heaven. You will wait the line for the amazing custard and burger and fries that comes from the Shake Shack. I know they have opened a few down here, but nothing beats the novelty of having it there at a Met game.
Games are fun at Citifield. It is a much more fun atmosphere to watch a game at than at its counterpart in the Bronx. They want you to sit and enjoy the fun of Mets baseball. 
So what is missing at CitiField? There is nothing back there. You have the possibility of amazing NYC skyline and it is not there. I mean I get that you can not face west in baseball, but find a way! The other odd part is that this is one of the few stadiums that will not let you sneak in behind home plate even in the 8th or 9th inning, even if it is empty, even if it is 14-0. Seriously? Why do we have to be ticket nazis CitiField? Why
Luckily they make that 7 train an express to get back very quickly to Manhattan...
Next up: Blue Moon brewery at a ballpark??

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