The [Worst Kept] Secret is out: Citi Field to Host 2013 All-Star Game

Everyone knew it was eventually going to happen. Now, there will be an official announcement at City Hall in Manhattan today awarding the New York Mets and Citi Field the priviledge of hosting next year’s midsummer classic. Mayor Bloomberg will be on hand for the ceremony today, marking the second time the MLB All-Star game will be in New York in the last five years, with the last one coming at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008.

This will be the second time the Mets are hosts of the All-Star game, with the only other time coming at the then brand new Shea Stadium, in July 1964. There were rumors that Citi Field would be the hosts next year for the past few months, so why the delay in the announcement? There were quite a few things still left for Major League Baseball to negotiate with the city, some of which included

staffing with the NYPD and Parks Department, as well as a contract with the Javits Convention Center, which will be host the MLB Fan Fest. Bud Selig made a solid move by not officially annoucning Citi Field as the host so the league wouldn’t lose leverage in any of these negotiations.

The announcement took longer than anyone associated with the decision would have liked, but it’s better late than never. This is a great opportunity to put Citi Field on one of the nation’s biggest stages for everyone to see. It is a beautiful ballpark, and it was only a matter of time before they received the nod to host one of baseball’s most star-studded events. When asked about the news, David Wright shared his excitement:

"“It’s great for the city. I got a chance to participate in the one that closed out Yankee Stadium — a tremendous stage for an All-Star Game. I think, deservingly so, it will give a chance for kind of the world to see the stadium, see the new place, and kind of show it off a little bit.”"

There will be some similarities to the All-Star game at the old Yankee Stadium as well; there will be a procession of All-Stars through Manhattan in vehicles, a charity run, as well as a concert in Central Park. This will be a big boost for Citi Field and like Wright said, it will be nice to show off their new diggs to everyone. I’m going to try my best to snag some tickets to at least one of the events…worth a shot, right?

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