(above : the private commode in Jerry Seinfeld’s luxury box)

“Any suggestion that Citi Field is less than an elite, world-class entertainment facility is flat-out inaccurate and unfounded,” complained Mets VP David Howard, who having previously insisted Citi’s many obstructed view seats were a bargain at $50 or more, did his damage control-best with the New York Post’s James Fanelli earlier today. The latter’s sources claim the Amazins’ new $850 million monument to the Brooklyn Dodgers ballpark is suffering from “water damage to several luxury suites — including Jerry Seinfeld’s — as well as mold, falling signs and concrete, flooding in outfield seats, faulty electrical wiring and shoddy tile work.” If much of this is true, shame on the International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers!

Other problems have turned Mets maintenance crews into the team’s real five-tool stars. Among the problems:

* A nonworking elevator last week that forced Mets owner Fred Wilpon to climb four flights to his office.

* An outfield section known as “Mo’s Zone” flooding in a rainstorm three months ago because drains were clogged. The backup was caused by 20 feet of pipe collapsing in the bullpen.

* A 4-by-6-foot illuminated sign falling in the field-level promenade during an off day.

* Electricity in the kitchen above the ticket booths near the rotunda shorting out. One outage caused the refrigerators to fail and water to leak into the ticket booths.

* A piece of concrete breaking off; it’s now sitting in a field crew’s office.

* Air conditioning and heating in the maintenance crew’s locker room that hasn’t worked since Day 1.

* Improperly installed electrical outlets. There is only one socket in the team’s laundry room, so a power strip is needed to plug in all the washing machines.

* A black granite capstone on the stadium’s ground-level façade falling off. Yesterday, Mets workers were spotted fixing the broken tile.

* Soaked seats in another luxury suite caused by a leaky ceiling during a rainy Mets-Yankees game. Crews carrying buckets, mops and towels paraded into the suite all night to stem the tide

Fanelli reminds us New York City and state issued $697 million in tax-free bonds to pay for the construction of Citi Field, but is very careful not to suggest this individual was the foreman in charge. With more of the sporting scene paying attention to the US Open action in Flushing,  Daniel Murphy (4 RBI’s) is one single away from hitting for the cycle, with the Mets leading the Cubs, 4-1 in the last of the 7th. There’s currently a Delta Airlines commercial featuring Carlos Delgado running on SNY and any appearance of the Mets’ MIA first baseman brings the following question to mind : would the ‘Lil Wilpons dare use such a decorated ringer in the NY-Penn League playoffs?