As you may or may not know, the original plans for Citi Field included a retractable roof like the one in Toronto and Houston. I thought about that as I sat in the cold on Saturday. 

It meant I was cold. It meant I couldn’t bring my son with me. It meant that the Mets would’ve lost a big aspect of their homefield advantage. This is a team built on pitching as good Mets teams traditionally have. In the cold October weather, that advantage becomes even greater because the ball doesn’t travel as far. If the Mets had a retractable roof, part of that advantage would’ve been taken away. 

Major League Baseball controls whether the roof is open or closed in the postseason. In these playoffs, they closed the roof on a 54 degree day with no threat of rain. They play in worse weather in April. They play in words weather in important September games. They played in worse weather for Games One and Two of the NLCS. 

The ultimate purpose of the dome is to prevent rain outs and delays. If teams want to close the dome for their fans’ comfort, it’s their prerogative for 162 games. A team makes the playoffs and all of a sudden MLB takes control. What’s the point of earning homefield advantage if a large part of it is taken from you. 

So yes, I was disappointed I had to leave my son home. I’m still hoping I can take him to the World Series.  I’m still hoping I can watch the Mets win the World Series with him. Citi Field not having a retractable roof will help that.