Kevin Burkhardt (Transcript)

Robby: We are now recording with Kevin Burkhardt, the 92nd interview, so thank you for doing this. Number one. Number two, hey, tell me about Citi Field. If you're a baseball fan who hadn't had a chance to go there, why would they have a good experience?

Kevin: That's the word actually, for Citi Field—experience, right? I mean, look, you go from old Shea, which was what it was. It was a baseball stadium, right? It was a place to watch the Mets, and it was old, and it was rough, and there were rats running around in the basement, and all kinds of glorious things that are associated with Shea. But that was the Mets, good times and bad. And then you move to Citi Field. And you know, that was a transition, because there was so much love for Shea from die-hard Mets fans, right? And I was one of them. But the cool thing is, I think that I got to experience Citi Field in a different way than others. You know, when I was working for SNY, the network that airs all the Mets games, we had this really fun thing when the stadium was being built. You know, we're watching it go up, obviously. But every week I would kind of go inside the construction with a New York City union carpenter by the name of Danny Cesa. And we did these skits on the air, these kind of fun skits about building the stadium. So I kind of got to see it step by step along the way.

And then I think it really is—it's an experience. It's entertainment. Yeah, you're going to watch the ball game, and you're going to get a good seat, and you're going to have all the entertainment stuff that's there. But I think the food is terrific. When I worked there—and Robbie, you know this—but when I worked there, I roamed around a lot. I like to kind of experience the different places of the yard, and kind of take in watching a couple of innings from a certain place or certain seat, and see what fans are out there, what kind of food is out there. And I think you do that as a fan too. You know, a lot of people walk around and the meeting place is kind of the Shea Bridge, that's kind of like right center field. That's where the fans walk around, maybe to get a Shake Shack burger, and you kind of gravitate there and eat with some friends and hang there and watch the game from there for a little while. So I think that's what's cool about it. It's experience. It's still got the fan energy from Shea, and I think that probably took a while, like it does with most new stadiums, right? But it's got the experiences and the entertainment just up to the modern level, basically.

Robby: Yeah, no question about that. Now, let me ask you this, because a couple things I want to touch on—the Shea Bridge out there in right center, obviously, the apple's there, that's such a key part of Mets baseball. But how important is that to the Mets, KB, in your experience? Because that's part of the beauty of a ballpark, right? Like it connects a city with its team. So to have that Shea Bridge there and have that be an important part of that ballpark, how cool is that to kind of connect the ballpark with the city?

Kevin: Well, I think the biggest thing is, yeah, connecting the ballpark and the city, but also keeping the connection to the Mets and to Shea Stadium, right? And Mets fans have been nostalgic—Mets fans have been talking about 1969 all the time, right? And they'll tell you plays, exact plays, and where they were during the season, during the World Series, all of that stuff. And so finding a way to have Shea involved in the stadium was a creative way to do it. And then the Home Run Apple, you said it—that's iconic. That had to come over. You had to find a way to incorporate it. You could not build a new Mets stadium without incorporating the Home Run Apple. The apple was such a fabric of the Mets for so long. And the joy of seeing the apple pop up when someone hit a home run, so that had to be a part of it. That was, in my mind, that was the number one thing when you're moving to a new stadium. If you didn't have that, it felt like you were severing ties completely. And I think that would have been a mistake.

Robby: Right. And it all kind of adds to the atmosphere in each place. You know, when you look at all these different facets, like the pool in Arizona, the ivy at Wrigley, you know, all that kind of stuff. How do you describe the passion Mets fans have for their team?

Kevin: Mets fans—look, maybe I'm biased because I grew up a Mets fan in a Mets fan family, but show me a more passionate fan base that lives and dies with their team no matter what. I mean, no matter what, right? And I knew that growing up as a fan, but then when you're working there, and you know, I worked during some lean years winning-wise. We had some great stories, but some tough years. Yeah, doesn't matter. You know, it's mid-August, and you're 18 games out of first place, and Mets fans are watching every pitch, and it's like reality TV. They want to know everything about their players, and who's the guy that just got called up from Double-A and what's his story? And so it's just—there is an affinity for the current team, no matter what, for the history of the team. And there's always been this underdog mentality, right? There's always been this underdog mentality, you know, from playing in the same city as the Yankees to—it's like the Mets fans, they're going to love you if you run through the wall, right? If you give it your all, maybe you don't hit .300, you know, maybe your ERA is over five. But if you absolutely give it everything you got, you've got some blood, sweat and tears left out there, Mets fans will love you forever, and so I think that's what separates them.

Robby: Now, speaking of Mets fans, tell me about the seven line and how, what they bring to the atmosphere at Mets games.

Kevin: Well, it's just cool. It's, you know, I think that Darren has done a great job with this group of die-hards, and turning it into a really amazing thing, a part of that experience that we talked about, right? And you know, it started from him selling a couple T-shirts out of his garage. And then he turned it into a really formative, together experience where you were part of a group, going and enjoying these games, and being in on certain chants and just kind of tailgating before the game. So you know, I think it's been awesome. They still have the 7 Line Army too, which was really, really cool. And I just think he's brought a different kind of energy to Mets fandom and their games. You know, when you look out in center field, you've got this group all wearing the same T-shirts and chanting at the same time, but the scope and the reality of it—what they have in common is they're all die-hard Mets fans, right? So I think that's the fun thing. I got to know so many of those fans, because they're there all the time, and I see them and get to know their story and what job they're coming from to make it to the game and all those things. I think that's the coolest part. It just becomes like a family, and the Mets are their second family. They feel like they know them. They watch them on TV. They watch them in person. I think that's what's really neat about what's gone on with the seven line.

Robby: And I have the Renegades of the Rotunda—they're in my book. I have the Bleacher Creatures in my book, Mark Chappell, the founder, Tina Lewis, and then Milton Ousland. So I got three Bleacher Creatures. I'm gonna have Darren in there too. Can you just explain this, KB? As you travel throughout baseball, you see the passion for the game, how much—and I know, like the fans of the fans, we get all that. But when you talk about these types of fans, like the seven line, the Bleacher Creatures, the Renegades of the Rotunda and that group, and the relationship that we're able to develop with them. Being a reporter, I've had a chance to experience it myself. You did it yourself, right? You connected me with Darren. Like, how special is that bond that you have between like, the guys in right field in section 149, in Oakland, you know, Will and those guys, like, we get a chance to get to know these people and know who they are. What do they bring to the game day atmosphere?

Kevin: I think they bring love and passion. And I think, listen, these sports don't exist without that, right? And I just think that baseball is a little different than every other sport in the sense that it's every day, and I always equate it to a reality television show. You know the characters, right? These are your characters who you form an affinity for. Obviously, you know, as Seinfeld once famously said, you're rooting for the laundry, of course, that's part of this. But the other part is, you're rooting for these people that are in the laundry. And I think that's what makes baseball so unique. And when we're doing our thing and we're out there on the field, and I think the fun thing is, you're trying to bring that experience to people at home, watching, maybe who've never been to a game, just to show them what is it like to be with this group of fans, to sit here? You know, what are they doing? How are they affecting the team? And the players know it. They hear it. I think that's the thing. They make a legitimate difference in a home field advantage and support. And I think that part is really, really cool. And I think for all the other sports out there, and obviously, you know, you and I have worked a bunch of them, and there's passionate fans everywhere. But I think that is the unique thing about baseball.

Robby: Yeah, there's no doubt about it. And let me ask you this, when you look at our role, like we're the conduit to the fans, as my boss put it to me, people root for who they like, so make me like them. How much did you make that personal? Like just your job was to humanize these guys? Yes, we know their batting averages, their ERAs. All that. And yes, we're going to talk about that, but at the same time, we can talk about their mother, father, brother, sister, kids, friends, anyone like, how much pride do you take in having a job like that to kind of humanize these guys a little bit and bring them closer to the fans?

Kevin: Oh, I took a lot of pride in doing that when I was there. And I think I was lucky enough to have a great producer in Greg Picker, and a group of guys in Gary, Keith and Ron, who were awesome and embraced it and would join in the discussion with me. So I think, as you know, Robbie, it depended on the situation, right? It's not always like, "Oh, here's Joe. He's got a wife and two kids, and his nephew does this." That's part of it. But I think it's just like, what are their stories? So yes, there's always interesting things about—did they change their batting stance and why? Or what are they doing? But I think there is—the way you get to know someone and decide whether you root for them or not, is to hear a little bit about them. And I think for me personally, I always wanted to dive in and find that out myself. So in getting to know these guys, and over time, and getting to know what makes them tick a little bit, and what's their story and their upbringing and things like that, I always found it really enjoyable to try and tell that story to the fans. And I think that is a big part of it. I think that does make up that reality TV portion of it that, okay, great. You know, Paul Sewald's going out here pitching, we know he throws 103. Well, what else about him, right? Like, what else? Find me what else. Oh, interesting. Okay, so Air Force and what else we got there. How can we dive in and have some relatable piece of information that people can understand? You know? Mike Pelfrey started the first game at Citi Field, right? The first round draft pick of the Mets. Mike Pelfrey had some really good years, but Mike Pelfrey was beloved by the fans for who he was. He was a good guy, and had all this relatable stuff in his past. So I just think that's a big part of the job. I really do. Fans are obviously going to root for success, they want to know the reasons why things are happening. And there's always the baseball and the numbers. But I think especially some of the guys that you really don't know about, like, who's the third string catcher from the Dominican Republic who just got called up? Who is that? Where's he from? I just think the more we know about the guys, the more the fans could latch on and understand and have someone to root for.

Robby: Yep, yep, no doubt, man. So in closing here, I'm gonna let you go, and I can't thank you enough for doing this. KB, what advice would you have for a fan? So say they get on the seven train. They get there, there's the apple outside. What would you tell a fan to do if they were making their way into Citi Field for a baseball game?

Kevin: Wow. Now it's been a while, Robbie.

Robby: Yeah, you don't have to answer. It's all good. No worries.

Kevin: No no. I would say, look, I would say this. I would say, you got to take the seven train to the game, or the LIRR. LIRR will do just fine, right? But I would take the train to the game if you can. It's a better experience, and you save 100 bucks on parking. Now, the only caveat to that is, you know, sometimes if you're not going to do that, you want to tailgate too, right? So there's great tailgating there. That's part of the experience. So I would say, if you're coming during the week, take the train to the game, maybe Saturday or Sunday. You want to drive because you want to be part of the tailgating, which always used to be great. I don't know if it's still the same case there, but I imagine that it is. And then you get there and you want to walk around a little bit, walk around the grounds outside, and you got to enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. It's kind of the signature entrance where you walk in. It's kind of this grandiose tribute to Jackie and obviously his time in Brooklyn, because Fred Wilpon, who owned the Mets, grew up—the reason he owned the team, he was a huge baseball fan and a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan, right? So that's the tribute there to Jackie, which is a really nice way to enter a baseball park. And then you go in and wherever your seats are, I think there's a couple things you can do. You find your way to the Mets Hall of Fame, which they've done a really nice job with. I forget what concourse that's on—might be the first, but they've done a really nice job with that. You can walk through and they've got some cool little things there. And then I would walk around and check out all the food if you've never been there for the first time. The beauty of Citi Field—and it's not that every ballpark doesn't have their own individual stands, but it's kind of like New York with the food trucks. And you walk around, there's a cool little stand here, and then there's this here, and then you go to center field, and there's Shake Shack, and a bunch of restaurant type things there. So there's all these different little cool spots. If you're sitting in seats, you can walk around, you grab your food, and then if you're sitting in the upper deck, you take the escalator up to the upper deck. So that's what I would give if I was bringing my son to a game for the first time, or whoever it is, and kind of take it all in, make sure you get your proper nutrients, and then go sit down and enjoy the game.

Robby: Yep, last thing, sorry, I meant to ask you, Jackie Robinson Rotunda, how cool is that?

Kevin: It's pretty awesome. It really is. And I think it's something that's been embraced more and more over time, because like, again, when it was being built, I think people were saying, "Well, wait a second, the opening to Citi Field's gonna be Jackie Robinson and not a Met, you know?" And there was some question about that, like, not a Mets hero, right? But I think once it was opened, and once people saw the shrine to Jackie and to really baseball as a whole, I think it's just amazing what they did. I think it's the perfect way to enter a ballpark. If you've never done it, that's why I said, if you're going to Citi Field for the first time, that's the way you've got to enter. You've got to see it. It's kind of awe-inspiring. You're going up the escalator, Robbie, you've done it. You kind of look around and say, "Wow, this is pretty cool." And obviously a reason why the game is the way it is today, because of him. So I think it's perfect.