Citi Field rising in Queens

Standing in the middle of a windswept dirt lot, with a wind chill in the teens, it was difficult to imagine David Wright or Jose Reyes occupying this very spot on Opening Day of the 2009 season. But that's the timetable for Citi Field, and with an iron-and-steel framework slowly rising beyond the outfield wall of Shea Stadium, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said today that the project is right on schedule."There's no reason it's not going to be great," said the enthusiastic Wilpon, who led a group of reporters through the Hunt-Bovis construction site. "All the seats are going to be better. You're going to be closer to the field. The sightlines are going to be better. It's just so vast right now, it's barely taking shape."

The only distinguishable part of the 45,000-seat stadium, which was inspired by Ebbets Field, is the first segment of the rightfield concourse. An elevated steel framework already is in place, giving visitors who climbed the tower a feel of the eventual sightlines from that vantage point. Continue