FLUSHING, N.Y. -- The boards are bouncy and unforgiving, like schoolyard basketball rims or carnival milk cartons. But, boy, what a view.
Of all the new things to do and experience at Citi Field this year -- and the Mets have added many, a window of major marketability flung open by their sudden 2015 success -- the most mesmerizing may be the renovations made to a familiar spot.
High atop the 300-section in right field, the Mets unveiled their sparkling new patio and interactive area to the media Wednesday. The Coca-Cola Corner, rebranded fully after the Mets' six-year relationship with Pepsi ended in November, inspires images of both tailgate and funhouse, all bathed in bright red. Planning and design had been in the works for about six months.
All ticketed guests (for any section) are welcome to enjoy the area.
"The destination, the hangout, the social spot of the ballpark," is how Chloe Stewart, creative action manager for Coca- Cola, described it.
It's certainly unlike any other ballpark space in baseball. The Coca-Cola Corner offers:
• Eight full field-turf corn-hole boards, branded with Coca-Cola logos, and accompanying bags (and a high level of difficulty)
• A brick patio featuring couches and luxury seating with pillows and sofa tables
• A custom-made, 13-feet tall, all red triple-Adirondack chair that faces the field at the corner's entrance and is designed to resemble three standing Coke bottles
• A 4K ultra high-definition multi-screen touch display that will feature both a virtual home run derby game and a live social media tracker, using Microsoft Kinect technology
• And, of course, a 26x84-foot Coca-Cola full color LED script sign hanging over the area, replacing the Pepsi Porch sign that stood there from 2009-2015. The new sign is the second largest freeform display in Major League Baseball, and it is equipped with the ability to display lighting, graphic and content effects on its own and in tandem with the main stadium scoreboard.
"It can be fully animated and we can make it do almost anything we want," said Mets executive vice president and chief revenue officer Lou DePaoli. "When we hit a home run, you're going to see certain animation run through the Coca-Cola sign. When we win a game, you'll see certain animation. When Syndergaard is pitching, and he strikes somebody out, you may see thunderbolts blasting through the sign for Thor."
The Mets also revealed alterations to the in-game fan experience and the continuation of popular promotions from last season. During the fifth inning of every game, a police car, a yellow taxi, a truck and a town car will race in similar style to the sausages in Milwaukee.
Citi Field's renowned food selection adds chef David Chang's spicy fried chicken joint Fuku to section 102 on the Field- level concourse.
The Mets' home opener is Friday, April 8 against Philadelphia. The field looked nice too, and ready.