The Curse of Citi Field

Written by Matt Ryan | 12 March 2010

On November 13th, 2006 the Mets broke ground on Citi Field.  At the time, they were coming off of a 97-65 campaign, and even though it ended painfully, the future looked bright.  It was an exciting time to be a Mets fan.  A good young team with a brand new stadium on the way. 

As construction began on the new stadium, the Mets picked up right where they left off in 2006.  They played lights out in 2007, and looked to be playoff bound again.  Up 7 games with 17 games to play, we watched the Mets collapse in historic fashion.  The team never recovered.  They were competitive in 2008, but something was clearly missing.  Willie Randolph was fired midseason (in typical Mets fashion), and Jerry Manuel lead a playoff push that fell just short.

On April 13th, 2009 Citi Field opened its doors.  Then things really got interesting.  20 Mets players landed on the disabled list throughout the year, totaling 1,480 days worth of injury time.  And we're not talking reserve players.  David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, Carlos Delgado, Oliver Perez, John Maine, and JJ Putz all missed significant time.  The team limped to a 70-92 record, and although the core remains intact, the future appears bleak.  During the offseason, Carlos Beltran had knee surgery and is expected to miss at least a month.  Knowing this team, I wouldn't be shocked if he was out through the all-star break.  And it doesn't end there.  Who knows how long Reyes will be out with this extremely bizarre thyroid condition.  It's to the point where you can't even make this stuff up.

So is there really a curse on Citi Field?  At this point in time, the evidence is overwhelming.  The Wilpons get screwed over by Bernie Maddoff.  After signing a 20 year, $500 million agreement, Citibank nearly collapses and gets bailed out by the government.  The team can't buy a break and is decimated by injuries.  It's almost laughable.  I've only believed in one curse in my lifetime, and that was the curse of the Bambino.  But at some point, you have to stop calling it bad luck and see it for what it really is.  A curse.  I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Shea Stadium.