Major League Baseball has issued a press release saying the Mets and MLB will make a "major" announcement at City Hall in New York at 11:30 a.m. ET. It will be the long-awaited -- and expected -- official announcement that Citi Field will host the 2013 All-Star Game, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Citi Field has been home to the New York Mets since 2009, taking over for Shea Stadium. The 2013 All-Star Game will be the first the Mets have hosted since 1964, when Shea Stadium was in its inaugural season.
Fans in the Flushing Meadows area of Queens can look forward to being flooded with all kinds of media coverage, in addition to lots of fun events and activities.
Having been around for last season's game in Arizona, here's what I can pass along: Sunday afternoon is the Futures Game, where players such as Jose Altuve, Will Middlebrooks, Drew Pomeranz and Bryce Harper competed last season. Sunday night is the Celebrity Softball Game, which includes a mix of former players, actors, musicians and the like. Kate Upton played last year, so there's that. Monday afternoon is a players workout, which is essentially batting practice with some throwing and fielding. Then Monday night is the Home Run Derby. And, of course, Tuesday night is the actual All-Star Game. In between, most host cities put together a "Fan Fest" type convention area in addition to parties and other activities in the area surrounding the stadium.
While the game is simply of the exhibition variety -- well, other than deciding home-field advantage for the World Series, which is so dumb -- it should be great fun for the local fans.
The 2012 game will be played in Kansas City. Minnesota is reportedly going to host the 2014 game, with Miami and Washington rumored to be in the mix after that.
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