While everyone showed off their red, white and blue on the Fourth of July, in Queens, the colors are blue and orange. The people that wear those colors show spirit in a different way while doing something that is truly American – going to a baseball game and rooting on the hometown New York Mets.
Many elements go into creating the atmosphere for America’s favorite pastime that keeps fans returning season after season – the sights, the sounds, the interactions. Moreover, plenty of people work in the background at any stadium to make it all happen.
Citi Field, the new home of the Mets, has many individuals working to make sure everything goes smoothly and fans enjoy their experience. Whether they are taking care of the field, cueing up the music, announcing the game, or overseeing the food preparation, these people are just as important to a day at Citi Field as the ballplayers.
This behind-the-scenes look highlights just a few of the stadium’s faces that you probably will not see on TV, but are working hard to provide top-notch entertainment value.
The Voice of the Mets: Howie Rose
BY ALICE LOK
The Bob Murphy Radio Booth has been home to an exclusive fraternity of Mets announcers, and Howie Rose is proud to be part of it.
Rose, who is in his third season as a full-time Mets announcer at WFAN Radio, is no stranger to the Mets. Rose grew up in the stands of Shea, then moved into the radio booth and began announcing for the team in 1995.
However, like everyone else, it’s the first year for Rose at Citi Field.
“It’s a phenomenal ballpark; everything feels so intimate and close,” he said.
Although the season is approaching its halfway point, Rose has not had the chance to explore the new stadium. He said he walked around a bit during the exhibition games against the Red Sox, but the weather was so cold that he didn’t have the patience to explore the park in its entirety.
“I’m still waiting for a day where it’s actually sunny and warm when I leave my home so I can get here early and do exactly that,” he said.
When that chance comes, Rose said he plans to sit in various sections in the ballpark to really get a feel for it because he doesn’t have a basis for comparison yet.
“I know that most people who have come here just rave about it,” said Rose.
However, one thing Rose has not gotten used to is the closeness of the fans.
“They come walking by and they want to say ‘hi’ when I’m on the air,” he said.
The architecture of the stadium also requires Rose to make subtle adjustments when he’s calling games. Sometimes, when fans stand en masse, Rose has to stand as well to keep track of the action.
A typical day for Rose begins around 4 p.m. He gets to the stadium, collects the press notes and scorebook, then goes downstairs to the clubhouse to get the lineups. If he has some time, he begins scorebook preparations for the broadcast.
He sticks around to get the latest team news, and then heads up to the radio booth. From 5 to 6 p.m., Rose adds statistics and notes to his scorebook, which keeps track of information that he will use during the broadcast. He usually keeps the last hour free for himself and waits for the game.
During games, Rose and co-announcer Wayne Hagin banter and keep the broadcast conversational, cracking jokes in between calling the game, relaying statistics and reading the occasional drop-in ads, all without missing a beat.
Rose said he grew up watching and listening to the original voices of the Mets, Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy, for whom the radio booth is named.
“They had such an impact because they were your couriers for six months, and they were almost part of your family if you were an ardent enough fan,” Rose said.
When something special happened on the field, instead of wondering how it would feel being on the field with the team, Rose began to wonder how Nelson, Kiner and Murphy would describe what they just saw.
Despite the huge time sacrifice involved, Rose, who also calls hockey games for the Islanders in the winter, loves his job.
“You are painting a picture on radio that you don’t have to do on television and that’s a far greater and intrinsically more rewarding challenge,” he said.
To read about the person in charge of the food click here
To read about who takes care of Citi Field click here
To read about the person in charge of the scoreboard click here
