Mets ornament of the day: Citi Field

I love baseball stadiums.

Lets' face it, with very few exceptions, a hockey rink is a hockey rink, and I think it's safe to say the same goes for the other lesser sports.

But a baseball stadium is different. It can have an impact on the game itself, with green monsters, short porches, Tal's Hills, bricks and ivy and deafening Metrodomes.

The ballpark can be a point of pride, like Camden Yards and Dodger Stadium, taking on legendary status. Or they can evoke shame, like the Tropicana Dome in St. Petersburg.

I think Mets fans were hoping for pride when Citi Field opened in 2009, and were disappointed that the team lavished so much attention on Jackie Robinson and so little on the team's own former stars. It was like going to Grandma's house and seeing photos of the neighbor kids on the mantle.

The team seems to have made up for it with an amazing Hall of Fame and other touches, none of which are easily viewed in this ornament. It's got some other issues, too. Unlike other stadium ornaments that have a team logo on which to extend a hook, this one has the loop in the middle of the field, and it just doesn't hang well – hence the photograph on the table.

But the park is still new, and I'm sure a better ornament will arrive soon.