NEW YORK -- The tarp refused to leave the infield. Crews pumped 5,000 BTUs of heat underneath it on Thursday, as Bill Deacon and his grounds crew have been doing around the clock. It was the last clutches of a hard winter's end, an unusual effort that Deacon said was "to keep the frost layer out of the infield dirt" and make sure the Mets have a worthy, not mushy, playing surface for their March 31 exhibition against Army and their April 3 Opening Day date with Atlanta.
But weather is no match for baseball.
Spring will bring the games back as it always does. Noah Syndergaard and all those aces and their strikeouts will be back. So will the Shake Shack burgers and Pat LaFrieda's Original Filet Mignon Steak Sandwiches, the Budweisers, the Free Shirt Fridays and the fireworks, and the McDonald's Family Sundays and the customized jerseys and the beloved traditions until, who knows -- November?
"If the lineup on the field is half as good as the lineup we've got in the kitchen," barked chef Josh Capon as he introduced his new Bash Burger to the Mets' fandom, "we're going back to the Series and we're gonna win the whole thing this time."
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Goodbye, winter. Hello, baseball season. It is coming fast, as fast as Curtis Granderson chasing a ball down in the gap in a playoff thriller. On Thursday, media members were invited to the annual "What's New at Citi Field" event, a tour that went all around the ballpark and ended in the newly branded Porsche Grille (formerly the Acela Club) high in the left-field corner, an epicurean dream where food items from all corners of the stadium were on display and the newest fare found its first placement among the tried-and-true stuff like Daruma of Tokyo's sushi and Tribeca Grill's red-wine braised short ribs and a simple hot dog with mustard.
In no particular order, and with no precise statement of quantity due to a supposedly just-undertaken diet for running season, this reviewer partook in a Mister Softee, a Mets chocolate cupcake, a deep fried New York cheesecake, Daruma sashimi, Signature Flavored Risotto Balls from Arancini Bros, and South Bay lobster tacos from the Catch of the Day stand.

Warm weather is coming and so is new food. As Spring Training marches toward its conclusion down the coast and the roster grows smaller, the possibilities for fan fulfillment grow ever larger up here in the yet-frosty climes.
Here's a hint of what's new for 2017: a light-and-crispy chicken parmesan sandwich from Nicoletta; a Jim Beam Bourbon Bar behind the Home Run Apple in center, where fans can sidle up and watch the games and have good cheer into crisp autumn; Chef Josh's Bash Burger with salt and vinegar fries; a season-ticket holder VIP room; a new Bud Light Landing; and the Porsche Grille.
Some of the upcoming promotions include: a Matt Harvey Garden Gnome; the Citi Perk Patrol's launch of "Here it's Home" T-shirts during games; the first-of-its-kind Syndergaard-Thor Bobblehead, created by Marvel Entertainment; and the first long-sleeve T-shirt to be offered for Free Shirt Friday, coming to every fan who walks into Citi Field on April 7.
"We don't know what to expect. That's why we play 162 games," said Lou DePaoli, the Mets' executive vice president and chief revenue officer. "[But] we are expecting another good year of support from our fans. Our attendance has gone up almost 30 percent over the last two years, and we're pacing ahead of that currently, so we're looking forward to a great year on the field and off the field. We know everyone is going to have a great time when they come to Citi Field because we have so much great food, great baseball and great entertainment."
DePaoli said the new Jim Beam Bourbon Bar is a key addition in 2017.
"Obviously you have to be 21 or older to enjoy that, but it's going to really become a signature piece in the ballpark, because it is very visible," he said. "It's in the high-traffic area in center field, behind our Big Apple seats, and I think that's going to become a destination for people to go to enjoy the game, because you get to see the game there, but you also get to enjoy one of our products. There are also top food options there as well."

Food. Incredible food. DePaoli said the Mets' recognition as the best ballpark cuisine in the Majors really should go across the board in all of sports. On this day, it was hard to argue.
Consider the new, distinctive chicken parmesan item that figures to be a summer delicacy. Chef Michael White is a partner with Ahmass Fakahany in the Altamarea Group of 15 restaurants, and included is Nicoletta Pizzeria at 160 Second Ave. in Manhattan -- home of that sandwich, which White describes as "light and crispy with a crunch."
"It's something I've talked about for years to do, and I'm very excited to be a part of this group," White said. "To know that the product is going to be done the right way. We couldn't be more happy to be here, the Altamarea Group, partnering with Aramark and the Mets."
Down on the field, Deacon, the Mets' manager of field operations, was standing in front of a tarp that is not usually there at this time of year. And he was undaunted. The cold, he knows, will be defeated. Baseball will win.
"We're excited to get ready for the season," Deacon said. "We've spent the last week getting rid of the snow. As you know, we had a late snowstorm. Typically we wouldn't have the tarp on at this time of year -- it's something unusual for us. But what we're doing is actually pumping heat underneath the tarp, just to try to keep the frost layer out of the infield dirt.
"That's our biggest challenge right now, aside from getting the grass nice and green -- getting the dirt playable and safe. That's something we'll have on and off over the next week, we'll be tarp on and tarp off. We're pumping about 5,000 BTUs underneath there, just to keep the temperatures above the 45-to-50-degree range, despite what it was last night, 25 or 26. When it freezes and thaws, you get a mushy layer on top. So we're just trying to keep that out."
Once the Army exhibition arrives on March 31 and then Opening Day against Atlanta on April 3, the thaw should be underway and a rich tradition will be back with high hopes. Fans will walk into Jackie Robinson Rotunda and other gates, and they will enter the place they call home for much of the year. Chefs like David Chang of Momofuku will be ready. The tarp will be gone, and the field playable again. One of baseball's best rotations will be back. Seats of green and streaks of scoreboard light will fill the Queens sky, and summer will be on its way again.
Baseball always wins.