RSS
Home
Shea-ing goodbye to an old friend
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
One of life’s great questions remains unanswered.
How do you say goodbye to an old friend?
Shea Stadium closed her doors for the final time on Sunday, marking an incredible 44-year run that left many with a lifetime full of memories.
Shea Stadium is a place where many people attended their first baseball game. It’s a place where father-and-son bonds were formed and strengthened. It’s a place where for three hours, 81 days a year; all of your problems went away. Except, of course, for the Mets’ play on the field.
Shea Stadium is a place where one of the most important moments in music history happened. In 1965, the Beatles opened their North American tour at Shea; marking the first time a concert had taken place at a major stadium.
Shea Stadium, the first-ever stadium built specifically for multi-sport use, is a place where the New York Mets, New York Yankees, New York Jets, and New York Giants have all called home. A feat that no other stadium in New York, not even Yankee Stadium, can lay claim to.
Shea Stadium is a place where the first sporting event in New York was held following the September 11th attacks. Fittingly, Mike Piazza belted a two-run game-winning home run in the bottom of the 8th inning as fans shed tears of both joy and relief.
Shea Stadium is a place where so many important moments in history, both sports and pop culture, have taken place that it is almost an insult to be forced to list them. It’s a place that never got its due because it was never Yankee Stadium. Truthfully, that’s unfortunate.
On a personal level, Shea Stadium is a place that I considered home. It’s a place where, as both a season ticket holder and as someone who attended countless games without a ticket, I have cried both tears of joy and sadness.
Shea Stadium is where I saw President Bill Clinton retire Jackie Robinson’s number 42. It’s where I saw Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Brad Clontz throw the wild pitch that allowed Melvin Mora to score the winning run as the Mets forced a one-game playoff in 1999. It’s where my father and I never saw the infamous Todd Pratt home run in the 1999 NLDS because we were trying to sneak down from the upper deck. It’s where I saw pitcher Bobby Jones fire a one-hitter to clinch the 2000 NLDS. It’s where I felt the ground beneath me literally shake for the first time in the 2000 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s where I saw Mike Piazza fly out to deep center to make the final out against the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series but it is also where Mike Piazza launched a ball over that same centerfield fence in 2001 in the first game back after September 11th. It’s where I saw tears roll down my face as Tom Glavine couldn’t get the job done on the final day of the 2007 regular-season. It’s where I saw Johan Santana throw a complete-game shutout on three days rest on the final Saturday of the 2008 season. And lastly, Shea Stadium is where my father and I cried on each other’s shoulders as the Stadium’s closing ceremony took place.
Goodbye Shea Stadium.
Thanks for the memories...
