Shea Then and Now
Baseball news has been slow lately. Pitchers and catchers will report soon so it’s about to get a lot more interesting. I have just found Delta is offering a $200 fair for DFW airport to LaGuardia and promptly purchase passage aboard said airline to attend the April 17th-19th series against the Braves. I have not secured lodging or Game tickets yet and still have some planning to do but it’s enough to fire me up.
I have a different aspect of Mets Baseball as I live in Texas. I do not have regular access to the Mets or Shea. Hell, I can’t even watch 162 games on television. Catch all of the big league, hard hitting action with MLB EXTRA INNINGS my ass. Although I’ve been to Shea only once and The Ballpark in Arlington more times than I can count, I still feel like Shea is my home Stadium. I’ve been to Shea once in 1985, saw a Mets win, got a free Batting helmet, took one picture (pictures are coming soon), saw one Carter homerun and I’ve couldn’t wait to get back ever since.
The times I’ve seen the Mets I’ve been in enemy territory. The Rangers fans didn’t seem to care I was there to support the Visiting team. I spent many days and nights at the Old Stadium the Rangers played in, which was a minor league park converted for the Rangers. I saw a triple play there, met Bobby V. several times there, once saw Dave Valle go after Valentine there, waited out a rain delay to see Nolan Ryan and many other countless experiences in the old park. I have some great memories there but honestly the place was a leaky hole that was poorly lit and had no unique feel to it.
The Ballpark in Arlington (Ameriquest Field just doesn’t seem right) is a beautiful place. The food is unbelievable. I saw the 2nd game ever played there. The Mets visited to take on the Rangers in a 2 game exhibition before opening day. I saw the 1999 Mets play an exhibition before opening day and met Captain Franco and Dennis Cook and took, my then fiancé, Della to her first big league game as the Mets came for inter-league. I went for the whole series and say Reyes’s first game in the Bigs.
I first felt the hatred from the Houston fans when I was 10 and visited the astrodome 2 years after they were knocked out by the 86 Mets. Those people loathe us. People were actually swearing at a 10 year old who just wanted to see Cone pitch. But hey, if you can’t beat them, berate them.
They have a new stadium now and guess what? Nothing changed. Last year my fiancé (at the time) and I left at 5 in the morning from Arlington to get down to Houston for the last game of a 4 game road trip The Mets were in danger of suffering a sweep as Ishii would take on Oswalt for the Sunday day game. I was now 27 and I actually used to being a Mets fan surrounded by the other team’s fans. Della (My then fiancé) and I entered the building and surveyed our surroundings. Again beautiful ballpark. Della, new to the game and sick of hearing my drone on about 1986, 1988 and 1999, leans over and says, “I can’t believe people actually wear Clemens jerseys.” I remember thinking, “If my mission was to vilify Roger Clemens in her mind, consider that mission accomplished.” Unfortunately the Astros don’t have Sunday batting practice so we watched various pitchers stretch. I saw Benson bristle as someone yelled out a question regarding the whereabouts of Anna and missed out on a Braden Looper autograph. After that let down of an experience that was in no way worth waking up that early for we proceeded to our seats. The Astros have the worst ticket sales scheme I have ever heard of. You can’t call on the phone and talk to a live person. You can call and enter in how much you want to spend. No matter what price you enter you are told by an automated voice, “there is nothing available in this price range.” Under no circumstances can you choose what section you will sit in. Some random formula puts you in some random section with no logical reason. So as we walk up to our god awful seats we got jeers from every Astros fan in the joint. The Astros took an early lead and diligently booed Beltran during every at bat and defensive play he was involved with. The Mets broke through later in the game and with the Tying and go-ahead aboard Beltran stepped to the plate to a thunderous booing. When he promptly drove in the runners Minute Maid Park became silent until Lonestar Met stood up and bellowed, “HOW DO YOU LIKE HIM NOW?” I was met with some of the deadliest looks I have ever seen. A woman grabbed Della’s arm and instructed her, “You better tell him to watch it!” The Mets salvaged the last game of the series. I walked out of the stadium high-fiveing any and all Mets fans I passed on the way to the exit and visited the sports bar across the street to drink in the conquered foes bar.
As fun as that was, I am about to revisit the home land in April. I can’t wait to experience the friendly confines of Shea accompanied by a majority of Mets fans. I am curious to see what that feels like as well as see what Shea has to offer. I have secured passage and am currently trying to find affordable lodging and I am planning to use the subway to see the city. If anyone who reads this site has any suggestions, travel tips, don’t miss or must avoid places in New York please feel free to comment or email me at Danjziegler@yahoo.com Pitchers and Catchers hurry up and report already- I can’t wait!
I have a different aspect of Mets Baseball as I live in Texas. I do not have regular access to the Mets or Shea. Hell, I can’t even watch 162 games on television. Catch all of the big league, hard hitting action with MLB EXTRA INNINGS my ass. Although I’ve been to Shea only once and The Ballpark in Arlington more times than I can count, I still feel like Shea is my home Stadium. I’ve been to Shea once in 1985, saw a Mets win, got a free Batting helmet, took one picture (pictures are coming soon), saw one Carter homerun and I’ve couldn’t wait to get back ever since.
The times I’ve seen the Mets I’ve been in enemy territory. The Rangers fans didn’t seem to care I was there to support the Visiting team. I spent many days and nights at the Old Stadium the Rangers played in, which was a minor league park converted for the Rangers. I saw a triple play there, met Bobby V. several times there, once saw Dave Valle go after Valentine there, waited out a rain delay to see Nolan Ryan and many other countless experiences in the old park. I have some great memories there but honestly the place was a leaky hole that was poorly lit and had no unique feel to it.
The Ballpark in Arlington (Ameriquest Field just doesn’t seem right) is a beautiful place. The food is unbelievable. I saw the 2nd game ever played there. The Mets visited to take on the Rangers in a 2 game exhibition before opening day. I saw the 1999 Mets play an exhibition before opening day and met Captain Franco and Dennis Cook and took, my then fiancé, Della to her first big league game as the Mets came for inter-league. I went for the whole series and say Reyes’s first game in the Bigs.
I first felt the hatred from the Houston fans when I was 10 and visited the astrodome 2 years after they were knocked out by the 86 Mets. Those people loathe us. People were actually swearing at a 10 year old who just wanted to see Cone pitch. But hey, if you can’t beat them, berate them.
They have a new stadium now and guess what? Nothing changed. Last year my fiancé (at the time) and I left at 5 in the morning from Arlington to get down to Houston for the last game of a 4 game road trip The Mets were in danger of suffering a sweep as Ishii would take on Oswalt for the Sunday day game. I was now 27 and I actually used to being a Mets fan surrounded by the other team’s fans. Della (My then fiancé) and I entered the building and surveyed our surroundings. Again beautiful ballpark. Della, new to the game and sick of hearing my drone on about 1986, 1988 and 1999, leans over and says, “I can’t believe people actually wear Clemens jerseys.” I remember thinking, “If my mission was to vilify Roger Clemens in her mind, consider that mission accomplished.” Unfortunately the Astros don’t have Sunday batting practice so we watched various pitchers stretch. I saw Benson bristle as someone yelled out a question regarding the whereabouts of Anna and missed out on a Braden Looper autograph. After that let down of an experience that was in no way worth waking up that early for we proceeded to our seats. The Astros have the worst ticket sales scheme I have ever heard of. You can’t call on the phone and talk to a live person. You can call and enter in how much you want to spend. No matter what price you enter you are told by an automated voice, “there is nothing available in this price range.” Under no circumstances can you choose what section you will sit in. Some random formula puts you in some random section with no logical reason. So as we walk up to our god awful seats we got jeers from every Astros fan in the joint. The Astros took an early lead and diligently booed Beltran during every at bat and defensive play he was involved with. The Mets broke through later in the game and with the Tying and go-ahead aboard Beltran stepped to the plate to a thunderous booing. When he promptly drove in the runners Minute Maid Park became silent until Lonestar Met stood up and bellowed, “HOW DO YOU LIKE HIM NOW?” I was met with some of the deadliest looks I have ever seen. A woman grabbed Della’s arm and instructed her, “You better tell him to watch it!” The Mets salvaged the last game of the series. I walked out of the stadium high-fiveing any and all Mets fans I passed on the way to the exit and visited the sports bar across the street to drink in the conquered foes bar.
As fun as that was, I am about to revisit the home land in April. I can’t wait to experience the friendly confines of Shea accompanied by a majority of Mets fans. I am curious to see what that feels like as well as see what Shea has to offer. I have secured passage and am currently trying to find affordable lodging and I am planning to use the subway to see the city. If anyone who reads this site has any suggestions, travel tips, don’t miss or must avoid places in New York please feel free to comment or email me at Danjziegler@yahoo.com Pitchers and Catchers hurry up and report already- I can’t wait!
posted by Talking Head at
4:14 PM
1 Comments:
Useful information, thank you very much.
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gutscheine zum ausdrucken, at 8:27 AM
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