Opening Day 2008

The Mets home opening day, the last one at Shea Stadium (good riddance) was yesterday. I was lucky enough to accompany my good and always generous friend Bill. It was a beautiful day for baseball...60 degrees and sunny.



As always, the thing I think about for months prior to the start of the season was...



As always, I opted for the Fresh Turkey (not cold cut type turkey), Fresh Mozzarella, Gravy, with marinated peppers and mushrooms.





Now there are many who have been to many more ballparks than I have visited, but this sandwich is one of the best I have had anywhere, so having at a ballpark makes it a remarkable find! Mama's is along the third base side of the ballpark. I am hoping the new stadium will have a special place for Mama's to continue.

Oh, and the Met's lost 5-2.

I had to leave in the 7th inning to make it home for an even more important opening day!

But Santana had a good outing.

quote:

Originally posted by susanll

But Santana had a good outing.

Oops, I should have written HOME opener! You are right, Santana looked good in the real opener, which the Mets did win. Unfortunately, they didn't fare as well in the home opener.

Tony, those Mama's sandwiches are excellent, aren't they? One other great baseball food: Tony Luke's in Philly. It'll be interesting to see what kind of local food (if any) lands in Citi Field.

Minnesota develops them (Santana, Randy Moss, David Ortiz, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, etc.) and them ships them off usually and eventually to Boston. How the Mets got Santana over Boston is now one of life's little mysteries. You'll enjoy having him. Remember too he gets better as the season wears on.

Very, very cute picture. There is nothing better than watching T-ball, Little League and Babe Ruth League baseball.

What fun!!!!Thanks, Tony.

Thanks for sharing, TonyBad.... used to go to Shea a lot in the 70's....
now my 13 year old nephew is a huge Mets fan, so he goes to Shea for a few games a season, and gets there early to watch batting practice..

In July, I'll be going with him and my sister to see the Mets play in Philly...

The kids playing are really neat to watch, if we can keep the parents in check.

Tony,

I've not had the opportunity to go to Mama's yet.

I'm not sure if I'll get to see the Mets at Shea again (I went twice last year anyway) however I hope to catch the Bronx Bombers one last time at the old ballpark (well I know it's not really the original park) before it goes under the wrecking ball.

Why are no Mets fans lamenting the coming closure of Shea?

Have you BEEN to Shea?

Actually, I am lamenting the passing of my youth (as represented by Shea) more than the stadium, itself.

With any good luck (i.e. weather cooperation), I plan to attend tomorrow's game versus the Brewers. I am not sure if it will definitely be my last game at Shea, but I will likely treat it as such - just in case.

I haven't been to Shea and from what I've heard, there's no need to see it before its demise. I do have tickets for two Yankees games in September. I've been to the Stadium twice before the '70s renovation and once after, but I have to see it before it too meets the wrecking ball. I'm not embarrassed to say it is one of the great shrines of the world and I'll be sorry to see it go.

The Travelin Man is right again(how does he do it???), a visit to Shea will leave you feeling very un-sentimental about its imminent demise. It is purely a functional structure, with no warmth or charm...and lousy restrooms as well. With the prices they charges to get in, they NEED a better building.

A local minor league park has an equally bland stadium, but with free parking and $8 to $10 admission, I can live with it.

Anyone have pictures of the opening at Yankee stadium..now there is a lot of sentiment at the closing of that great park!

Hello all ,

Attend a few games every year at both Shea ( wife is the Met fan ) and Yankee Stadium ( I'm the Yankee fanatic)

Usually run one bus trip to both games and try to keep the costs down .

I will not miss Shea at all , just a gloomy structure , Mamas not withstanding , its a dump.

Now as far as Yankee stadium , when it was redone for opening in 76 , it appeared to be entirely different stadium , just at the same location.

Have had the opportunity to see playoff , WS and opening day ,oldtimer games and more .

I will truly miss this place , .

Oldtimers day 1998 , in the upper deck behind home plate , Bus Trip I organized had some first timers , two kids . I spent the better half of the ceremonies mentioned how great some of the players were . Whitey , Yogi , Bobby , Reggie .

Than , a chill came over me ,

Bob Shephard comes over the loud speaker
" Ladies and Gentleman , The greatest living ballplayer - Joe Dimaggio "

One of the kids next to me says " Hey Mr. Benz , who is that "
I proceeded to tell both kids that he was , perhaps the greatest Yankee , in fact one of the greatest ballplayers to ever live.
Remember this moment , I told the kids , as the fans stood and cheered , for what seemed five to six minutes .
I knew Joe was in deteriating health , through the grapevine of reliable info , and got goosebumps as I feared it would be the last time I saw him .

It was .

" Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio , a nation misses you ..."

Don't know if those two kids remember that game or not , but I sure do .

Thanks for letting me ramble on

Benzee

Benzee, As a loyal Yankee fan since I was 5 years old in the very early 50's,I envy your frequent visits to the House That Ruth Built. I too will shed a tear when that hallowed ground is no more...I was at Shey once and it IS a dump.
My greatest rememberence of Yankee Stadium in the early 50's. My dad took me...and from the left field stands,I got to see Dimaggio and Mantle in uniform,on the same team...to say nothing about the other great Yankees of the early Fifties. What memories...what history...what a team!!!!!!

It appears as though someone with better access to a broad public has written how I feel much better than I ever could.
[url='http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmarcus0409,0,529129.column']Tearing Down Shea Still Unthinkable[/url]

Shea Stadium in 1964 was the World's Fair of ballparks. No one ever thought it would be considered decrepit. It was destined, for all young fans of that day, to be a shrine.

What hit you walking in was the greenest grass you ever saw. Suburban lawns, fed by sprinklers, were no match for the sod field in Shea. During the heat of summer, when there were water restrictions, Shea trucks had the lettering "well water used," so as to be politically correct in feeding the turf.

Walking, make that running, up the cement ramps to the highest seats seemed like fun, an adventure. Long lines for the bathroom and concession stands, who cared? It was part of the charm. The hot dog vendor seemed genuinely happy to be at the game. If was as if he was one of us, a fan. What a great job, to be at the game every day. And to get paid! I told my guidance counselor in school that if I couldn't play for the Mets or Yankees I wanted to be a vendor. He looked at me askance on both accounts. Turns out, the only running I ever did in Shea was on a typewriter in the press box.

Ed Kranepool could have been Mickey Mantle, for all we cared. He was young and a Met (an expression that Tom Seaver would later make iconic for the 1969 Mets). To be young and a Mets fan was even greater.

For the rest of the article, click on the link.

I still remember my first game at Shea (vs. Cincinnati, 1980, we lost). I remember the green grass - and the smell of the grass when you came through the tunnel. I remember how hot dogs tasted better out of that dirty water than they ever did when Mom cooked them at home in the {GASP} toaster oven. I remember going to Dwight Gooden's first game back after his {first} rehab stint - we bought tickets from a scalper and sat in the very last section in left field - in the very last row - it seemed like the top of the world (vs. Pittsburgh, we won). I remember Bat Day. I remember a doubleheader on Banner Day. I remember being allowed to ditch school for Opening Day - because Opening Day should be a holiday anyway. I remember being at Game 2 of the 1986 World Series - Doc vs. Clemens - they both got shelled, but we lost. I remember being at Game 3 of the NLCS in 1988 because my neighbor had tickets to the game that got rained out the night before. We won. I remember being at the legendary 15-inning thriller in the 1999 NLCS (Robin Ventura's Grand Slam single!).

Believe me...I have my memories of the building and it isn't nearly the "dump" that most people claim. It pales in comparison to Yankee Stadium - but, Yankee Stadium pales in comparison to Fenway and Wrigley. There are probably 10 stadiums in the majors worse than Shea - and I think I have a reasonable point of reference having been to nearly all of them. Being ranked 19 out of 30 wouldn't get you into the Hall of Fame, but it would keep you out of the bottom third!

The biggest shame in all of this is that Citi Field will likely still pale in comparison to the new Yankee Stadium, too.

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

It appears as though someone with better access to a broad public has written how I feel much better than I ever could.
[url='http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmarcus0409,0,529129.column']Tearing Down Shea Still Unthinkable[/url]

From a memory standpoint, it is always sad to see the temples of our youthful worship destroyed (and the pieces sold for enormous profit), but after too many trips to Shea where 50% of the bathroom stalls are out of order...and stink, as they did on opening day (HOW could they stink on opening day??? That is when the place should be at its best condition of the year!!!), dealing with wholly inadequate vending systems, all while paying some of the highest ticket prices in MLB, from a practical standpoint I am happy the place is going.

How is that for a run on sentence!

As for Citifield being second banana in NY, they could build the Taj Mahal of stadiums and it would still rate #2 here in NY. As a lifelong Met fan I take no joy in saying that. It is just the facts ma'am.

Tony Bad....What's Mama charging for that sandwich? Just curious.

My one sincere regret is that I don't think I'll see Yankee Stadium this season. As a Red Sox fan, it looms large in our consciousness. It was indded a temple to the religion of baseball.
I would LOVE to see agame there...*sigh*

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

Tony Bad....What's Mama charging for that sandwich? Just curious.

The sandwich is $9.75, but keep in mind a hot dog is $4.75, soda is also close to $5, and a beer $7.50. On a relative scale, the sandwich is the best bargain at the park.

Tony, loved these pics and report!! That sandwich sure looks tasty. Any idea where they get their bread from? Looks fresh. What's in the cup next to the sandwich? Balsamic vinegar? I love your most important Opening Day. I spent many days playing Little League and watching my little brother play. Now those are some happy memories.

There could be the ugliest, smelliest, dirtiest park in the world, but if you have a ton of happy memories from your childhood there, it just doesn't matter. It'll always be a special place. The Mets will probably always be the bridesmaids (or ugly stepsister) to the Yankees as the Bombers have soooo many memories and such iconic moments and players that have been branded into the collective consciousness of almost every New Yorker.