We're all of us -- players, announcers, staff and fans -- trying to figure out how Citi Field plays. But this much is for sure: It plays weird.

Two days after the inaugural saw a lead-off home run, a normally reliable outfielder drop a fairly routine fly ball, a speedster overslide second, a fine spot of middle relief spoiled by a two-out balk, and a cat on the field, there was poor Edward Mujica playing Human Turnstile at home plate on one of the nuttier plays I've seen, a 10-second tragicomedy starring one perplexed reliever, two small Dominican middle infielders and baseballs going here, there and everywhere.

Ball gets by Hundley! Here comes Castillo to the plate! Hundley throws it past Mujica! Mujica and Castillo are tangled up! Reyes coming around third! Throw by Gonzalez gets by Mujica! Reyes scores!

If you're scoring at home that's ... oh, just draw a big hairball or a cross-eyed clown face or something. Mujica looked tired and dispirited when it was over, and who could blame him? David Wright looked vaguely confused, and who could blame him? If you'd told him 10 seconds before, when there were runners on first and third, that he would not hit the ball, that no throw would be made anywhere but to home plate, and that when the next pitch was thrown those runners would be gone ... he might have concluded the Rapture was nigh because, really, how much less likely was that than what actually happened? (And, of course, everybody was wearing 42 and Oliver Perez was good. Because things weren't confusing enough.)

That cheerful bit of tomfoolery aside, we got to see balls find various other parts of the yard, from Adrian Gonzalez' Modell's special to Carlos Delgado's second-deck blast off poor Luis Perdomo, facing his first batter in the big leagues. (Sorry, kid.) Daniel Murphy had a rough night in left, letting a runner tag up from first and doing whatever that was involving Reyes and Wright and a runner who should have been out at home, while Gary Sheffield (the man on the other flank of a presumably jittery Carlos Beltran) was blissfully unexposed. I think I speak for all Met fans when I say I felt a lot happier once Ryan Church and Jeremy Reed were on patrol.

Anyway, Mets win. Rachel Robinson looks better at 86 than I did at 26, no cats were frightened in the course of events, and no fans in the front row wound up in a Padre catcher's headlock. (Though if Nick Hundley had throttled that douchebag who spent three entire innings waving on his cellphone, I would have sent him a case of beer.)

All in all, not a bad night's work. Though after these first two games, can Thursday possibly be any stranger?

There was a lovely ceremony this afternoon to dedicate the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, featuring Rachel Robinson, Governor Paterson, Senator Schumer, Fred Wilpon and other dignitaries. It was more moving than you'd expect. Shea Stadium became the home office of Jackie Robinson's legacy on this date in 1997, thus it's right and fitting that his place in this sport, this city and this nation is preserved and embellished at Citi Field. The Mets have done a great job here.

I also want to compliment the Mets on rededicating the area outside the Rotunda as the new Casey Stengel Plaza, which was necessary once the original got lost in the shuffle of construction. No single personality represents New York baseball in all its major league forms than Casey Stengel. No individual was more responsible for creating the Mets Mystique than Casey Stengel. He made us an entity rather than a commodity. I'm so pleased the Mets haven't forgotten to honor Casey Stengel.

As long as we're handing out kudos, how about that Joan Payson Pavilion they've built? What a great way to remember the woman who set the tone for the franchise, who didn't just finance it but loved it. She imbued the organization with a sense of fun and family from the get-go and it's wonderful that the Mets have remembered her in the new place.

And what about Gil Hodges Hall? Could anything be more inspirational than the way the Mets have paid tribute to the manager who molded a roster of youngsters and journeymen into champions? Gil is remembered universally as one of the great leaders the game ever produced and it's reassuring that generations who attend Mets games will be reminded of his influence every time they roam down his Hall. (It's touching that Tom Seaver requested his statue appear there rather than out front as planned.)

You've got to love the William Shea Club. Not every organization would have the presence of mind to maintain a promient reminder of someone whose role in its creation is not easily explained but was absolutely essential. I also like the cheeky decor of blue and orange speckles, but that's an aesthetic choice.

The Polo Lounge, upstairs from the Ebbets Club, is a nice nod to the team's heritage. Great pictures from the Polo Grounds and fine displays devoted to the New York Giants and Original Mets. Nice to see New York's National League club hasn't forgotten any of its forebears.

Oh, and what about what they've done beyond center field? The salute to Negro League teams that played in New York and the semi-pro circuit that thrived in Queens and Brooklyn, the players who were born and/or grew up in the five boroughs...Koufax, Greenberg, Carew, Palmer, Frisch, Lou Gehrig even. It's about time somebody captured all that. Certainly gives us something to talk about should we stop at Murph's next door for a quick one before heading back to our seats (though I hate to leave it since they have that great montage of Mets play-by-play calls serving as the bar's soundtrack; the waiters wearing plaid vests in homage to Lindsey is priceless).

Tell me this club doesn't know how to honor its own self, which is really a way of honoring the fans. I get chills from the Walk of Distinction on the left field side, where they've reproduced plaques for every Met who's in Cooperstown, with a few more arriving soon (Henderson this summer, Piazza eventually...yeah, I'll even suck up Gl@v!ne being included when the time comes). The Mets Hall of Fame is coalescing so nicely in the administration building, too, with all the trophies and memorabilia. Plus the Seasons for the Ages permanent exhibit in right, commemorating each of our seven playoff clubs — funny that some of us worried the Mets would forget about stuff like that.

No, you have to hand it to the Mets. They got it right. They didn't stop at Jackie Robinson and the Ebbets Club. They gave all of us a reason to feel a surge of pride in our team every time we enter Citi Field.

Doesn't that sort of thing make you feel good all over? Isn't this your ballpark like it oughta be?

Turn the sound down on the Mets game tonight at 9 and tune into SportstalkNY when I join host Mark Rosenman to discuss Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets. Read about its cinematic qualities at Sport and Cinema, find out who else will be appearing at Metstradamus and, if you haven't ordered one for yourself or a Mets fan you like, get the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or a bookstore near you. Keep in touch and join the discussion on Facebook.