And now, the long anticipated Top 20 All-Time Shea Stadium Memories
(Side note: I am not including Shea Goodbye as one of the Top 20 due to the raw emotional roller coaster that was that day, as well as I don’t think I could even begin to discuss it in any further detail beyond what I wrote in my “Shea Goodbye” post.)
Editor's note: It's 9:51 AM on game day. I'm not done yet, I actually have about 4 more to write about and I'm running out of time, so to start, I'm posting the Honorable Mention and number 20 down to number 6. The top five as well as pictures and videos will be posted soon.
Honorable Mention: “This one’s deep and I don’t think it’s playable” Mets vs. Phillies on Pepsi Free
The summer between senior year of high school and freshman year of college was the first year I ventured out to Shea on a regular basis. I believe I hit 9 games that year. I had a car, no girlfriend and a lot of graduation money. On top of that, the Mets had finally become relevant again, McGwire and Sosa saved baseball and I was about to become a college kid. Ah, to be young and free.
During our last day of classes senior year, also known as Senior Day, I asked Joe if he wanted to go to the Mets game. It was Pepsi Free Friday, we didn’t need tickets, just a Pepsi can each and get there early for bleacher seats. Joe responded with his token, “I’ll go!” So we took a drive in the late Joemobile out to Shea, waited on line and got into the bleachers. This was my first ever bleacher experience. We had a good time. This was during a time when the Mets used to pound on the Phillies. I miss those days.
The teams traded 0’s during the first two innings before John Olerud rocked a two-run homer to right and before we could finish celebrating that one, Mike Piazza blasted a solo shot to go back to back. That’s when the fun really started. On the mound for the Mets was Orel Hershiser. Some kids in the crowd spelled OREL on their chests and we established the Orel Sec-tion. High school humor, I know, but we thought it was funny at the time.
Hershiser blazed through a lineup consisting of future Met Marlon Anderson, Scott Rolen, former Met Rico Brogna, Ron Gant, future Yankee Bobby Abreu and future Met Desi Relaford, backed by an offensive explosion from the likes of John Olerud, Piazza and a rookie by the name of Benny Agbayani, who went 3 for 4.
The Mets piled on 3 more in the 4th on a single and stole base by Benny, an RBI single by Hershiser and back to back doubles from Edgardo Alfonzo and Olerud. God, I miss that 2-5 of Fonzie, Olerud, Piazza and Ventura.
Orel went 6.2 solid innings to pick up the win, but before giving way to Turk Wendell. Joe had never seen Turk’s act, so we stayed around to watch him slam the rosin bag once, before giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, then we left. Joe was driving, it wasn’t my fault. One of my fondest memories of the evening was the fans in the bleachers getting all over Doug Glanville, just because he was there and he sucked. No other reason. That’s when I started to learn the art of heckling.
20) We’re finally hosting a playoff game. 1999 NLDS Game 1, October 8, 1999, Mets vs. Diamondbacks
It took 11 years for playoff baseball to return to Shea and I was sure to be there for it. This was during a time when you didn’t have to sign up for a lottery to have the right to buy a ticket. Nope, they did it the old fashioned way, the way it was meant to be, through people waiting on line at the stadium and over the phone. I still do not understand how the lottery system makes it more “fair.” Gimme a break. And yet I digress.
Frank actually was the one who scored the seats. We sat in the upper deck, pretty high up, but right behind home plate. I can remember before the game started the deafening noise in the crowd. The Mets were actually in the playoffs. Holy crap! The starters for the game were the ever reliable Rick Reed for the Mets against Omar Daal for the Diamondbacks. This day also marked the 11th anniversary of Game 3 of the 1988 NLCS between the Mets and Dodgers, a game the Mets won 8-4, which I still remember because it was the day my Godmother got married and I was in the wedding as the ring bearer. I can remember watching that game in my tux. Now, for the first time in my life, I was at a Mets playoff game and the Mets didn’t fail to please.
The Mets offense didn’t wait very long to get on the board, Benny led off the second inning and came around to score following two walks sandwiched to Ventura and Todd “Tank” Pratt sandwiched around a Shawon Dunston double play and an RBI single from Rey Ordoñez. The Mets tacked on two more in the 3rd on 3 straight hits, a double and two singles from Alfonzo, Olerud and Benny. It just occurred to me that the later-named Hawaiian Punch was batting cleanup that night. Ordoñez picked up his second RBI in as many chances with a single plating Olerud.
The D’backs scored their only two runs of the game in the top of the 4th on a Kelly Stinnett, yes THAT Kelly Stinnett, double and a Turner Ward (WHO???) pinch hit home run. Now I’ve pretty much recognized every player so far on the rosters of the teams mentioned in this posting. Who the hell is Turner Ward? Well he apparently played 12 seasons, but only cracked 100 games twice. Hey, that’s more than I can say for my Major League career.
In the fourth, despite not allowing any runs, the wheels came falling off for Daal. Ordoñez reached on an error by the pitcher, prompting “O-MAR!” chants from Frank and me, which quickly grew louder. Omar ended up loading the bases, but caught a lucky break when he struck out Olerud with two outs on a wild pitch and Rey-O was thrown out trying to advance home.
The flood gates opened the 6th, when the Mets scored 6 runs in merry-go-round like fashion. Pratt led off to start the inning, and came around to score on a Rickey Henderson RBI single. Even Bobby Bonilla in his second tour with the Mets got in on the act with a walk and scored on an Olerud RBI single. Roger Cedeno then singled scoring Fonzie, who was intentionally walked and came around to score on a Darryl Hamilton single, which also scored Olerud. This was a fun inning. We all know these types of innings when the Mets offense is clicking and seems to do no wrong. Bobby Couinard, future Bridgeport Bluefish came in to record the final out of the inning.
Reed went a solid 6 for the victory handing the ball over to Turk, John Franco and Orel Hershiser, each throwing one inning allowing just a walk (Turk) and a hit (Franco) and the Mets won their first home playoff game in 11 years.
19) Double Dip: 1999 Double Header Mets vs. Cardinals
On the heels of his record breaking season, Mark McGwire went on a victory tour in 1999. Everywhere he went, the crowd followed. So late in the summer of 1999, a summer that has come to be known as my greatest baseball summer, my cousin Donna and her husband Eddie, whom has been mentioned on this blog before, bought tickets to a game against the Cardinals. The night before the game was rained out and so we were treated to a double header.
The Cards wasted no time in Game one as future Met “Super” Joe McEwing led off the game with a home run to left field off Mets starter Octavio Dotel. Two batters later, McGwire strode to the plate. On the third pitch of the at bat, the Mighty McGwire swung and blasted the longest home run that I have ever seen in Shea Stadium. The ball left his bat with such a force and immediately the entire stadium knew it was gone, it was just a matter of where it was going to land. It never actually did. The ball had just begun its downward descent when it hit the number below his on the scoreboard. Unreal. 3-0 Cards.
Dotel would settle down only giving up another run in the 5th before giving way to Jeff Tam who allowed two in his three innings of work, including another long home run by McGwire that took forever to come down. It was at this point that the Mets fans stopped respectfully applauding McGwire and began to boo, once we realized we were down 5-1, as future Met Darren Oliver was cruising along into the 7th. Oh yeah, future Met, Fernando Tatis scored on a single earlier in the game by Willie McGee.
Tam pitched into the 8th, allowing another home run, this time off the bat of former Met Alberto Castillo, to extend the lead to 6-1, but the Mets would not go quietly. Rey Ordoñez led off the bottom of the 8th with a double. Two batters later, Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonzo walked consecutively. With 1-2 count, John Olerud hit a rocket foul into the seats in right. At this point, I turned to Eddie and said, “You think he’s thinkin’ granny here?” Eddie replied, “Not Olerud, he doesn’t play like that.” BAM!!! Olerud blasted a grand slam into the Mets’ bullpen and the lead was cut to one. Once again, before we could even turn around, the crowd had roared again as Piazza hit a lazer of a home run to tie the game. This game was far from over.
In the top of the 9th, our buddy Armando was back surrendering a lead off walk to J.D. Drew and a single to McGwire. Two batters later, Tatis grounded out scoring Drew after he stole third. And you wonder why I hate Armando Benitez so much, but not to worry, the Mets had his back. In the bottom of the 9th, with 1 out, Ordoñez walked against future Met Ricky Bottalico. Matt Franco followed with a walk, then Henderson doubled scoring Rey-O to tie the game again. Then during a 7-pitch at bat, Old Faithful Alfonzo dribbled a single through the hole between short and third scoring Franco to win the game and give us fans, including little E.J. his first win in his first Mets game.
We stayed around for a few innings of the second game, but given that EJ was only 4 at the time, we could stay for the whole game. Plus, the Mets lost the second game anyway, so it was all good. In the end, I will never forget that day, either of McGwire’s home runs, Olerud’s grand slam and Piazza’s subsequent back-to-back shot. It was a fun day to be a Mets fan.
18) “Prove It All Night” October 4, 2003 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
The summer of 2003 was a fun one. Okay, maybe not for Mets fans and maybe not even for me since I was in grad school, but it had its moments and was especially fun for fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who toured the country on their “The Rising” tour, including a bevy of sold out shows in the New York Metro area, most of them in Giants Stadium, ultimately closing out the tour in early October in Shea Stadium.
My girlfriend at the time had grown into a Springsteen fan being that I, along with my whole family had been completely enamored with the entire tour. So for the final show, we bought four tickets. It ended up us with Hirxey and my old college roommate Adam on the floor about 20 rows from the stage, a little to the right. We were sitting in right field.
We got there early so that I could spend as much time as I could walking around the field at Shea Stadium soaking it all in. I even went up to the spot about 15-20 feet behind first base and called Mike to tell him that I was standing at the “Buckner Spot.” Hirxey was not pleased as a Red Sox fan. (This was before they broke the curse, obviously).
As the show rolled on, hit after hit played and the place was a mad house. The band was rockin, there was no denying it. They were on their A game. This was the fifth time I had seen them in 4 months, twice at the Meadowlands, once in Fenway, once at Rentschler Field in CT and now at Shea, and this was probably the best one. As the show wound down, I will never forget when they played “Blood Brothers” and the close up shot of saxophonist Clarence Clemmons showed tears streaming down his face. It was such a touching seen to see how much this meant to them as performers.
It was a bittersweet night, as it marked the end of my relationship with my ex-girlfriend. We broke up on a pretty sour note. I can remember getting back to the house after dropping her off following the heated exchange that ended it all and Hirxey lying on the couch giving me the friendly advice and lots of fish in the sea line, and he said, “Don’t let this ruin your memory of this night.” That’s the kind of night it was.
17) A Family Affair: Opening Day April 9, 2001, Mets vs. Braves
For a while in the late ‘90’s and early ‘00’s, it was had become traditional to get tickets to Opening Day at Shea Stadium. You know, before they decided to make it “fair” and hold a lottery and charge a higher price for tickets. Remember those days when the Mets organization actually showed regard for the fans? Remember when they didn’t extort the fans through lotteries and tiered ticket pricing? Remember? I do.
Unfortunately, those days are long gone for Mets fans and now all we have is tickets that are so overpriced, they can’t even sell out Opening Day in a new stadium and I love EVERY SINGLE SECOND of watching the ticket office fall flat on its face. I really need to meet whoever came up with this whole scheme. They need a swift kick in the teeth. And yet, I digress.
Keeping with the tradition, I drove down from Fairfield on a Monday morning to meet the whole family at Shea. When my sister graduated college, my brother Chris had used an American flag in order to signal to everyone where we were sitting. This became a trademark of our family. So my father took one to Shea so that I could find them when I got there. I got stuck in a little bit of traffic coming around on the Northern Boulevard exit. So I called my father to tell them where I was and they said look up at the top of the stadium. Sure enough, there was a little American flag waving back and forth through the little space between the cables in the Upper Deck. They were in the last row. I will never forget that seen of my sister waving the flag.
I got to my seat somewhere around the second inning, just in time to see B.J. Surhoff blast a Kevin Appier delivery out of the yard to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Mets fans were fired up on this day, as it was the start of their NL title defense against the hated Braves. Many critics had said of the 2000 team that the only reason they had made it to the World Series was because they didn’t have to go through the Braves. This was the beginning of their chance to shut those critics up.
The Mets tied the game in the bottom half of the second on an RBI single by Ordoñez, who right now seems to be one of the heroes of this blog, oddly enough. Appier and Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood posted zeros until the bottom of the 5th when the Mets exploded for 5 runs on a Rey-O double, three straight singles from Hamilton, Fonzie and Ventura and a 3-run bomb to right center by Piazza. The mock chop was out in full effect. The Mets would add another run in the bottom of the sixth when Tsuyoshi Shinjo (somehow Tsuyoshi does not trigger spell check in Word) blasted a solo home run to centerfield.
The Braves got two runs back on a former Met Rico Brogna home run scoring Andruw Jones, but Piazza matched that with his second home run of the day in the bottom half scoring Ventura. This home run prompted the birth of my father’s trademarked, “MIKE PIAZZA HIT TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOME RUNS TODAY!!!!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” as well as my screen name on AIM that I used when I wanted to hide from people. Ah, college. Ah, AIM. Remember those days?
Oh yeah, Benitez gave up a solo home run to Javy Lopez in the 9th to close out the scoring giving the Mets a 9-4 victory. This was a fun game. It was great to spend time with my family while I was away at school. We’ve always been a close knit family, but baseball always brought us closer, even the Yankee fans among us. The American flag tactic is still in use. We haven’t had a college graduation since mine, but I still remember walking up the steps to receive my diploma, looking out to the crowd and seeing that flag waving back in forth above the crowd, just like it was that day out the side of the Upper Deck at Shea Stadium.
16) Foul Ball: May 26, 2008 Mets vs. Marlins
I’ve already blogged about this game here:
http://viewfromthegreenseats.metsblog.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/4/3729154.html
But to highlight the main points of the game:
- Mets fans were the most fickle fans in sports in 2008. In the first inning, Reyes was booed for committing an error that led to two runs, then hits a lead off homerun in the bottom half and everyone sings his name. I was annoyed by this.
- It was Memorial Day. I had been on my feet for about 4 hours, standing at attention and marching in 80 degree weather. I was already in a touchy mood.
- I just have to copy and paste the part that made this game so memorable:
- Here comes a story that I will remember for the rest of my life. After J-Nic had picked up his french fries from the Grand Central Grille, I decided I wanted peanuts and a beer from the stand right next to it. This minute or two spent helped change my baseball fan life forever because after purchasing the beer and peanuts, we started walking back and that’s when it happened. I felt a sudden rush come up from the crowd to our left. I heard “HEADS UP!” and saw J-Nic make a move comparable to Spiderman to avoid a flying object bearing down on his head. That flying object was a foul ball off the bat of David Wright. The ball bounced in between us, off the beam to my right, up over my head and hitting the ground to my left. I, in smooth motion, tucked the peanuts under my left arm, holding the beer in my left hand, spun to my left, swung my right arm around and scooped up the bouncing ball as fans are rushing towards that spot. I made a complete about face and began walking away with my freshly hit foul ball in my hand. I’ve accomplished the feat that had eluded me twice as a child. Now, not only had I vindicated myself, but my brother as well for missing a foul ball because he had a helmet cup of ice cream in his hands. (My baseball fan life is ALMOST complete.)
- I kept my eyes forward once I had the ball because I could just sense about 4 little kids running towards me and I knew that if I made eye contact with them, I would have HAD to give them the ball and then NO ONE would have believed that I caught the ball that is now signed by everyone who was there that night and sits on my dresser.
- That moment was such a great moment in my life, that I forgot the Mets lost, I did, however, give a Marlins fan sitting two rows in front of us the business so badly, he couldn’t even root for his team anymore. Don’t come in my stadium if you’re not prepared.
To recap, it wasn’t a good day. Between being up early to stand at attention to listen to the blow-hard Mayor and members of the Council in my town for 4 hours, then watch the Mets get blown out at home, I did not enjoy Memorial Day 2008….but I DID catch a foul ball, which will live on in my memory forever.
15) My First Exposure to the Subway Series: 1998 Mets vs. Yankees
I’ve already written about this game in my Subway Series blog, so let’s take a look back:
In my first ever Subway Series game, Frank and some friends took me to the Sunday night ESPN game. It was the Mets’ first look at Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and their bats showed it. Duque surendered 1 run on 2 hits in 8 innings of dominant pitching. Mets’ starter Masato Yoshii (neither of those words triggering spell check) was equally dominant going 7 innings giving up a run on two hits as well.
The Mets’ first run came in the sixth, when Mike Piazza struck out and should have ended the inning, but the ball got by Jorge Posada and Piazza was safe at first. John Olerud and Carlos Baerga both followed with singles scoring Piazza. Scott Brosius then responded for the Yanks in the top of the seventh with a solo homerun. The teams traded 0’s in the 8th and the Mets came up in the ninth with the score tied at one. Ramiro Mendoza gave up a lead off double to Baerga. After a sac bunt by Butch Huskey and an Intentional walk to Brian McRae, Luis Lopez came up to pinch hit for Rey Ordonez and hit a long fly ball to right deep enough to score Baerga. Paul O’Neill threw wildly back to the infield, then chaos ensued. Chuck Knoblauch cut off the throw and threw to first to double off Brian McCrae who did not tag up. An argument followed, but it was determined that Baerga crossed the plate before the out was recorded at 1st, thus scoring the winning run for the Mets. The player of the game, Baerga went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
My one lasting memory other than the game play was between the 8th and 9th innings, a fight broke out two sections from us at the top of the upper deck. Since it was so far away from the entrance, it took a while for cops and security to get up there. In the meantime, the fight spilled down at least 5 rows with everyone just throwing hands. After about 5 minutes, the dust settled and the next thing I knew, a quarter of the section had been ejected. It was the most amazing and disturbing thing I had every seen at a baseball game. To be up that high and to see people swinging at each other did not leave anyone with a good feeling, but to see that many people ejected was pretty funny.
14) A Night to Remember 1986 Night: August 19, 2006, Mets vs. Rockies
Another one previously blogged:
http://viewfromthegreenseats.metsblog.com/blog/_archives/2006/8/22/2254248.html
The 1986 team is the greatest team to ever wear Mets uniforms. I still refer to the ‘86 highlights video when I need a pick me up. To be there that night with two family members who remember it vividly and were so affected by that series to share their experiences was a great moment for me. Ed and Frank’s stories from their college days during that season and series were absolutely phenomenal. And yes, Ed is Mike 15 years older.
I think this line I wrote to describe my feelings of that series here say it all:Game 6 reminds us all that no matter how bad we're down, no matter how terrible it seems, we are just a little positive thinking and a break or two away from turning it all around. Game 6 came in handy a lot during breakups. This is what the '86 Mets meant to me. There is always hope that things will get better.
My closing line really does sum it up nicely: In the end, it was an amazing night. Four diehards in the Upper Deck celebrating one of the greatest teams in New York sports history, two recalling their experiences as college students, while the other two marvelled in the greatness that was the '86 Mets. Outsiders just don't understand. It really is a shame when your team spoils you so much with all their money, greed and overpaid players, that you can't appreciate the pure history of the sport. This wasn't just any World Champion, this was an icon that brought a whole city together with one common goal, beat Boston. They stole the show more than any other team in the modern era. That's why they had their own night. The uniforms, the music, the players, the magic was back.
If only the ‘06 Mets could have taken some of that magic in their own hands. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. But I can say I saw Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry and the rest of the 1986 New York Mets back on that field one last time.
13) We’re on our Way: 2000 NLCS Game 4 Mets vs. Cardinals
The fall of 2000 is probably one of the memorable times in my life. I was a sophomore in college and had begun to establish friendships that have still lasted to this day. I lived on a floor with 8 guys and 24 girls. Most importantly, the Mets were in the playoffs and reached the NLCS for the second year in a row for the first time in franchise history.
During this playoff run, I went to three games, including Game 4 of the NLCS against the Cardinals. The Mets had entered the playoffs as the Wild Card, but were riding the Mo-mo Train, as Craig Carton, would say all the way through and I was sure to be there for the ride.
Our seats were in the Mezzanine, fair territory down the left field line. The pitching matchup was the late Darryl Kile for the Cardinals against Met fan favorite Bobby Jones. Unlike in Game 4 of the NLDS, which will be covered later, Bobby really didn’t have it on this night as he allowed a leadoff double to former Met Fernando Viña and a 2 run home run to Jim Edmonds in the 1st, but this wouldn’t deter the Mets bats from doing what they do best.
In the bottom half, the Mets accomplished a feat never before seen in history, by starting off the game with 4 consecutive doubles by Timo Perez, Fonzie, Olerud and Piazza. Following a Zeile ground out, Agbayani doubled and the party was on at Shea. I still remember Piazza’s double slamming the wall so hard it looked like it could have went right through. This offensive outburst continued in the second as the Mets tacked on 3 more runs and the rout was on.
Like I said though, Bobby didn’t have it today and before we knew it, the lead was 8-4 and Jones was walking off the mound with no outs and the basesin the 5th, handing it off to Glendon Rusch. To say we were worried was an understatement. When the dust had settled, the Cards had two more on the board and the lead was down to 2 at 8-6. Rusch would settle down from there and throw 3 scoreless frames, all while the Mets were able to tack on 2 more runs playing small ball in the bottom of the sixth. From there, Rusch handed the game over to Franco and Benitez who each threw one inning surrendering 1 hit, 1 walk and recording 1 strikeout a piece.
The Mets had won their third game of the series and closed it out in Game 5. For me, the biggest memories were that ridiculous first inning and the rush of the crowd. Shea was rocking in that first inning. Then when Rusch came in, it was almost silent, the unknown was almost too much to handle. In the end, the Mets had won my first and only NLCS game on their way to the World Series.
12) The Jeff Francoeur Game: April 21, 2007 Mets vs. Braves
For Valentine’s Day in 2007, my girlfriend at the time bought me tickets to Mets-Braves in late April. It was the beginning of a long farewell tour as the skeleton of Citi Field was already in view behind Shea. This was one of those times when as Shea came up around the bend into our view, I got that chilly feeling down my spine. I’m sure gonna miss that feeling. I hope Citi can give me something similar.
Our seats were down the right field line up against the grassy knoll. I was leaning over the railing. The funny part was, Joe and I had sat there about 8 years earlier in pretty much the exact same seats. That day, I got Turk Wendell to sign my hat. No such luck on this day, but I had some other great memories.
We got their early to watch batting practice. We also got to watch the Mets pitchers work out. Some great memories came from that experience. I remember Billy Wagner basically being the leader of the bullpen, as well as Aaron Heilman’s close buddy. At one point, rookie pitcher Joe Smith went over and started talking to one of the Braves. Once Wagner noticed this, he picked up a glove and hurled it in their direction screaming at Smith to get back over with this team. “They’re kickin’ our ass right now! Get your ass over here and warmup!” I knew I liked Wagner for a reason.
I also remember Orlando Hernandez being very playful with the crowd, while Rick Peterson was the law. When he stepped out of that bullpen, suddenly, all the goofing around stopped and it was all business. He walked to each pitcher and chatted with them. He paid very close attention to that day’s starter, Oliver Perez. This was during my pre-hatred for Ollie stage, as while he was stretching, he and I made eye contact. I raised my beer, toasted him and said, “Knock em dead, Ollie!” while he tipped his cap.
He then proceed to turn in a strong performance. The Mets jumped all over the Braves starter Chuck James, and Jeff Francoeur did not have a good day, which I made sure to see to. Give the fact that I sat maybe 20 yards from Jeffey, I heckled him as hard as I could and clearly had gotten into his head. I even offered him a beer at one point. It all finally came to a head when I told him that I would see him the following week in Colorado because I had tickets to that Sunday’s Braves-Rockies game and was sitting in virtually the same seats. That’s when he dropped his shoulders, looked over and Andruw Jones and threw his hands up. I had him.
The Mets went on to smoke the Braves 7-2 as Ramon Castro and Damion Easley each hit homeruns.
To sit that close for any sporting event instantly makes it memorable, but the fact that I was able to get into Francoeur’s head made it even MORE memorable. I really did get in his head too. So much so that when Mike and I went to Colorado the next week and I started heckling him there from the same seats, he looked at me, cringed, looked at Andruw Jones and threw his hands in the air again. We looked over at Jones who was laughing at him. That’s a great job by me, Mikey!!!
11) Welcome Back, Mike Piazza Night: August 8, 2006, Mets vs. Padres
A game that I have previously blogged about:
Walking into Shea on that night, I didn't know what to expect. I knew we would be rooting for our beloved Mets and despite, as they say, all we're rooting for nowadays is laundry, I knew Mike Piazza would be shown the respect and gratitude he deserves. Mike ordered and the Mets fans delivered.
Coincidentally, it just so happened that we entered the stadium through Gate E where two giant pictures of Piazza hanging from the ceiling. From there, we went up to our seats, Upper Box 715A, seats 5-8, possibly the best seats I've had at Shea all year, save for the railing that was situated in my sight line between the mound and home plate, but hey, nobody's perfect.
The buzz began to stir throughout the ballpark as false alarms regarding Mike's appearance on the field were popping up like the gopher in "Caddyshack." Every other minute brought about another "Is that him?" until finally at about 6:45 PM, there was a faint sign of enthusiasm coming from down the left field line. There he was, Mike Piazza, walking down the left field line, catcher's gear on, wearing an unfamiliar blue and tan uniform, ready to warm up in the outfield.
The fans wouldn't let him think for a second that the colors on that uniform made a difference that night. Mike tipped his cap and began his warmup throws as the stadium echoed chants of "Mike Pi-AZZ-ZZA," reminiscent of Eddie Giacomin's return to the garden some 30 years ago.
That's the whole point. New York fans get it. Sure neither Eddie, nor Mike delivered the ultimate prize to their teams, but they gave their fans something to cheer about out of dismal times for their franchises. They gave people a reason to buy Mets and Rangers apparel again. So, when they left or were forced to leave, I should say, the fans appreciated them for bringing life back to their teams.
So when the video tribute to Mike played on Diamond Vision, I watched him. I watched his reaction. His body language told the whole story. It was as if he had a thought of "Did I really do that much for this place?" Yes, Mike, you did.
Humbled by the crowd's response, all he could do was wave and give his own thanks. My father began to choke up as he clapped as hard as anyone could. Chills ran up and down my spine. Most significantly, the upper deck rumbled. In a moment, that I have not felt at Shea since maybe early October of 2000, we felt the upper deck shake beneath our feet. That's when you know it's a big moment.
Then the game began. Funny, I remember thinking that during the season so far we had been getting out of Shea by 9:45, not realizing our buddy Steve Trachsel was on the mound.
However, in un-Steve-o-like fashion, he put down the side 1-2-3 in the first, prompting my father, "Good, I didn't want Mike to be up with anyone on."
Then came Mike's first at bat. Once again, the Mets fans and the Mets organization did what needed to be done. Piazza, so overwhelmed by emotions, twice had to step out of the box before seeing a pitch as the guitar lick he used to walk up to the plate to blared from the loud speakers. Unfortunately for Mike, he struck out swinging, and slowly walked back to the dugout as the fans embraced him again.
And that's how it went for Mike Piazza and the Padres that night, ups and then downs:
1. A two out, two-run homer by Geoff Blum over the outstretched glove of Lastings Milledge gave the Pads a 2-0. (What do you know another two out rally against Steve-o)
2. This followed by the Mets scratching out a run to cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the second. (Never had a doubt in my mind the Mets would come back against Woody Williams)
3. With runners on second and third and two outs, Mike came up to another thunderous ovation from a now nervous crowd and promptly ground out to shortstop. (I can say, I was one of the nervous ones, then I remembered this is late-career Mike, who grounded out to short to end many rallies in the later years.)
4. In the 6th, with Giles on first and one out, Mike stepped to the plate again to the chants of "Mike PI-AZZ-ZZA." Then Giles took off for second, when Paul Lo Duca reminded everyone in the stadium why he is now the Mets catcher, throwing out Giles right in front of Piazza, gaining a raucous applause from the crowd. (Maybe the most awkward moment of the game, followed by a fantastic switching of gears from the fans, now chanting "Paul Lo-DU-CA!")
5. Finally in the 8th, with the Mets up by a run, after Mike Cameron stole second off of Lo Duca with Piazza at the plate, the crowd nervously watched as Mike lofted one to centerfield. Beltran ran back, then settled under it putting the out away as the crowd breathed a sigh of relief before giving Piazza the largest of his ovations for the evening, knowing his night was pretty much done. (This was the worst case scenario. Could you imagine the tying and go-ahead runs being scored by former Mets on a Piazza homerun? Heads would have promptly exploded)
Some other observations from the night:
1. There's nothing like going to a baseball game with your parents. It's just a certain feeling you get, hard to describe. It makes you feel almost like a kid again. (Especially when Dad pays for food and beer.)
2. I have to give my father a lot of credit for not knocking out the drunk, obnoxious Mets fan wearing the Florida Gators football jersey, sitting in the aisle. (Guess he thought the colors matched.) Great job by Shea security on this one. As my father put it, "I thought about it, but then I realized I'd probably end up throwing him over the railing and that wouldn't be good, so I just let it go)
3. Highlight of the night: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 act my father and I put on during the car ride home while listening to John Sterling talk about the Yankees game. (I refuse to say "announce the game" because this guy's not an announcer. He just likes to hear himself talk.) High comedy. It's almost too easy to make fun of him, but you can NEVER have too much of a good thing. As an added bonus, Mariano serves up a game-tying homer just after Sterling declares, "This ballpark is not very big and gives up a lot of home runs." Thanks John. If anything, thank you for the comedy, I needed it during the hour-long traffic jam.
All in all, the night belonged to Mike Piazza and the Mets fans. He will always be remembered for his sweet swing, his quiet charm and his heroics.
10) 1 Last Gasp, John Maine’s 1-Hitter: Mets vs. Marlins 2007
Another game previously blogged:
Heading into the final weekend of the season, things had gone from bad, to worse, to downright ugly. The Mets were actually one game behind the Phillies after holding the lead in the East for what seemed like 2 years. Well, basically, it was about 2 years. I had a couple of rain checked seats from the Giants game last season that still needed to be cashed in. I kept thinking when the Mets were one win away from clinching, that would be the day I would use those tickets.
Unfortunately, that day never game, so there I sat, the last Friday night of the season, watching the Mets dejectedly walk into the clubhouse after squandering away the division lead, and I thought, “I’m not going. I can’t watch anymore. I can’t continue to put myself out there like this.” As I was getting ready for bed, I kept thinking, you know what, what kind of fan am I to walk out on my team? If I don’t go to tomorrow’s game, I’d be the biggest hypocrite for getting on everyone else. I went to bed thinking, well, let’s see how I feel in the morning.
During the night, I must have had a visit from Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel and Kevin Mitchell. (What? Kevin Mitchell’s not dead? Hmm, I dunno who the third guy was then.) Anywhoooo, I woke up the next morning and decided to go.
The ride in was a little nerve wracking, because I didn’t know what to expect when we got there. At this point, my senses were shot and I couldn’t tell if the lack of traffic was good sign or bad. Regardless, we made it to Shea in plenty of time to park in the lot, but being that I was still mad at them, I parked on the grass. I refused to pay anymore money than necessary, I mean, a guy’s gotta take a stand somewhere, right? And if there is one thing that the Mets, the NYPD and the parking authority did do right that year, was allowing free parking under the highway. This made the season that much easier to enjoy.
After a quick swapsky, we got our new tickets, Loge 1, Row J. We were in prime foul ball land, a little set back in the back rows, but they got the job done….
1) I have to say, considering how everything went down in the 5 games leading up to this one, the crowd was into it. There was a buzz. It felt like it was 1999 all over again. (Which made me feel good being that I was at that game, last game of the season in 1999; Melvin Mora scored the game winning run on a wild pitch to send us to the one game playoff, more on that later)
2) Today is Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day. (This seemed appropriate considering how the Mets were playing.)
3) As part of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day, we will be closed captioning every message that comes across the PA system on Diamond Vision. (I always love watching TV in closed captioning for live events to see how bad it screws up. This should be interesting.)
4) The game hasn’t even started yet and the old C.C. is already up to its old tricks. (Did you know the one of the greatest centerfielders of all time was Willie Maize?)
5) During pregame, they played Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” (Nice touch. But can we get through today first?)
6) Unconventionally, 1-2-3 go the Marlins in the first on a ground out, walk, caught stealing and a K. (I cannot emphasize enough how big the caught stealing was for Maine’s confidence.)
7) After weeks of frustration, we finally see solid Mets baseball, Single, Single, Hard Lineout, Single Single. Two runs, all without Jose getting on base.
8) Maine Event looked good in the second with 2 more K’s. (Betterrrrr)
9) 3 more K’s for Maine Event, that’s 5 in a row and he retired 8 of the first 9 and faced the minimum. (Not saying anything, but I will say this, I was not having another drink right now.)
10) This team can do no wrong today, Milledge hits a two run bomb, while I went to get a sausage sandwich. (Meanwhile, I had a nice conversation with a pleasant Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan while on line. Read that last sentence again.)
11) 4 more K’s for the Maine Event in the 4th and 5th. That’s 10, a new career high. (I’m not gonna mention the OTHER important factor.)
12) Double down the line by Reyes. “JOSE!!! JOSEJOSEJOSEEEE!!! JOSE!!! JOS….” WAIT A MINUTE!!! Weren’t these the same fans that were just booing him the past 4 innings? (SHEEP!!! YOU’RE ALL SHEEP!!!)
13) Castillo at the plate…OOOOOHHHH!!!! HE THREW BEHIND HIM!!! HERE THEY COME!!!! (Now in all my years of watching baseball live, I’ve never seen a brawl live. I did once come to a game where Tim Teufel got thrown out after charging at Rob Dibble, but we had already left.)
14) Okay, everyone, nothing else to see here. (DAMN!!! Benches cleared, but that wasn’t a brawl. So close.)
15) During a pitching change after Castillo walked became a moment I will never forget. Umm, why is Olivo sprinting toward thir….OHHHHH!!! FIGHT!!!!!!!!! (YEAHH!!!!)
http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3056903490065134607WTMXnS (At about the 1 minute mark, you can see Ollie being restrained.)
16) Thank you, thank you, God. This is awesome.
17) After some pushing and shoving and Oliver Perez going George Brett, the dust finally settles and we can get back to baseball. (I think)
18) And David Wright singles to drive in Reyes who probably started the fight to begin with. (That’s stickin it to em.)
19) Maine Event walks Uggla for the second time, but gets a strike out and a pop up after a beautiful kick save by Wright right to Reyes for the first out. We go to the 8th (Not thinking about it.)
20) Little did I know, this was the last time I would sing “Lazy Mary” this season. (So sad.)
21) Attendance for the game: 54,675. (I have to say something here. For all the criticism I game my fellow Mets fans that year, they really stuck it to me on this day. We as the fans could have rolled over and died once the Phillies took over the East, but we didn’t. This was a great showing, I mean the crowd was into it, they were loud, they were excited. It was nicely done. These fans never acted like the team was a game behind.)
22) I don’t think I’ve heard Shea Stadium louder in the regular season than when Maine Event struck out Jacobs. (Please God. I’ll trade a Mets playoff berth for this. Well, maybe.)
23) Fly out to left. (PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!)
24) I’ll take No Name Players That Rick Briamonte Will Hate Forever for $300 Alex….Answer…He broke up John Maine’s no-hit bid with a 45 foot roller to David Wright….Who is Paul Hoover? (Paul Hoover. Paul freakin Hoover. The guy who replaced the ejected Miguel Olivo, who would have surely struck out for the 937,189TH time this season, but no, Paul Hoover has to come in and hit a squibber that stays fair and the no-hitter drought continues. So close. What? Oh yeah, Mets are up 12-0.)
25) Nats are up 1-0!!!! (Here we go!!!!!!!!!!)
26) The one positive of Paul Friggin Hoover is that Maine Event got to walk off to a nice and well deserved ovation, handing the ball over to the kids, Willie Collazo and Carlos Muniz. (By the way, Collazo got a pop to center and Muniz recorded a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout and the party was on.)
28) Takin’ care of business.
http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3005467070065134607rwKHgN
I know the Mets eventually ended up losing the next day and not making the playoffs, but for me, I was happy that I had closure. I texted Mike earlier in the game and he said he walked out on them in the 7th the night before, and he had his closure. His clearly was not as sweet as mine. At least I got to walk out of Shea one last time on a high note. The no-hitter would have been nice, but at least we got a solid win and even saw a brawl.
I can’t be sure, but I think subconsciously, I knew this would be the last time I would be inside Shea that year. That’s why after the game, I didn’t want to leave.
9) 2006 Subway Series: Mets vs. Yankees
Another one blessed with already being addressed on the blog:
In the first Subway Series game ever to be written about on View from the Green Seats and probably the second greatest Subway Series game I’ve ever been to, Mets’ Whipping Boy Randy Johnson made his first appearance against the late Geremi Gonzalez. This year, there were 8 of us on the pack at the game. I actually don’t remember much of what happened in the crowd except for Jumpsuit Jim not showing up to the seats in front of us until the 7th inning. I had a lot of beer that night. The game didn’t start off well for double G as he let up 4 runs. The Yankees seemed to do no wrong starting the game off Double, Single, Stolen base, Walk, Single from Johnny Damon, Jeter, Giambi, A-Rod and Posada. Cano and Bernie would hit back to back doubles to cap the 4 run outburst.
The Mets weren’t fazed as Reyes and LoDuca reached on a walk and a single, and Beltran hit one that I don’t think has landed yet off of the Big Unit. The Yankees would push a run across in the 3rd on a lead off walk to A-Rod, a single by Kelly Stinnett (Yes, THAT Kelly Stinnett) and a sac fly by Cano. In the bottom half of the inning, Wright lead off with a single and a long homerun to right center by Xavier Nady tying the game at 5. In the fifth, however, Gonzalez allowed a lead off double to Jeter and was subsequently replaced by Darren Oliver. Oliver hit Giambi with a pitch, struck out A-Rod, but then allowed an RBI single to Stinnett. Back and forth we go. Oliver would get out of the inning after a another single and he, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner would not allow another Yankees baserunner for the rest of the game.
It was now up to the Mets offense. In the fifth, David Wright would hit a one out single and move to second on an Xavier Nady ground out. Then with two outs Kaz Matsui continued his tear against Yankee pitching with a seeing-eye single to left scoring Wright with the tying run. The bullpens would hold steady until the bottom of the 9th when Joe Torre summoned his closer Rivera in a tie game on the road. With one out LoDuca hit a double to left field, but after a Carlos Beltran strike out and an intentional walk to Carlos Delgado, David Wright came to the plate and worked with a two strike count before smacking a fly ball over Damon’s head in center scoring LoDuca with the winning run in a 7-6 thriller. Yet another walkoff win for the Mets against the Yankees.
Jumpsuit Jim eventually did show up in about the seventh inning to our delight, telling us about how he got throw out of the field level, where he snuck into. Thank God, we all thought his parole was up. I believe this was the game where Mike, due to the amount of beverages he had, actually kept calling him Jim, before I had to stop him and say, “Mike, his name’s not really Jim.” Oh, Jumpsuit Jim, how we miss you.
8) My first game after 9/11: September 22, 2001 Mets vs. Braves
Word will never describe the emotions that I felt in the wake of 9/11. My father is a retired fire captain in Jersey City. His tour that day ended about an hour before the first plane hit. His house was right across the river from the towers. He knew some of the brave men who lost their lives. It is what inspired me to become a fireman, seeing that bravery personified.
The country was torn to pieces and inflicted with anger, sadness and fear. There was nothing that could take those images out of our minds and that pain out of our hearts. Everywhere you turned, there was a TV on with the image of one of the towers falling. We needed time to grieve, rebuild and prove to the world that we would not be defeated. We also needed something to distract us from the hurt and thus baseball had returned after a week’s hiatus.
The contribution to the healing process that baseball provided began 10 days after the attack when Mike Piazza blasted a game winning homerun against the hated rival Braves in the 8th inning at Shea that revitalized the city, even if only for a couple of hours. The next day, my college buddies and I trekked down to Shea to show our support.
Earlier in the week, a friend of mine, who was in the police academy at the time, emailed us saying that there was talk of his class being put on the job early to provide extra protections to high target areas such as malls and sporting venues for the next few weeks. All of these areas were put on high alert. It made me want to go to Shea even more. My thought process was screw these terrorist bastards. I will not live my life in fear because of these evil people. Against the advice of a few friends, including my girlfriend at the time, I went anyway. I knew nothing would happen.
The Mets did not disappoint on this night either. Scoring a run in the first inning off Greg Maddux, who left the game after two batters with an injury. I’ll never forget mocking him as he walked off the field. The Braves stormed right back with a run off Steve Trachsel in the 2nd.
The Mets got a run back in the bottom of the third to take the lead back on a Robin Ventura RBI single scoring Matt Lawton. That score would hold until the bottom of the 6th, when Ventura blasted a homerun to left center and the mock chop was back! Timo Perez would tack on another run in the 7th with a solo homerun and Rick White came in to relieve Trachsel to start the 8th.
White would give up two runs, neither of which earned, before Armando Benitez relieved him to strike out the late Ken Caminiti to end the threat. Would you believe it it? Benitez actually DID have one positive moment in my Top 20 Memories of Shea. The Mets would break it open in the bottom of the 8th off of Steve Karsay. Shinjo would double following back to back singles by Piazza and Ventura to start the inning. Four batters later, Benitez was at the plate and grounded out to second, scoring another run. Yes, Mymando recorded an RBI. Is there anything he COULDN’T do? Okay, enough.
Hismando did make it interesting in the 9th, allowing two hits, but slammed the door on a 7-3 Mets win as the city was beginning the healing process thanks to baseball. The Mets went on a mini run that week until Benitez and Franco gave it all away a few days later, but it was fun while it lasted, especially considering that we really needed that distraction, if only for a couple of days.
7) We’re Going to the Playoffs: The last game of 1999, Mets vs. Pirates
As stated previously, the summer of 1999 was really the kickoff to my diehard Mets fandom. It wasn’t until that point that I was able to attend games by myself as I did not have the money, nor the transportation to do so. Everything changed for me that year. Coming into the season, that Mets were on the verge of breaking through to the playoffs and it took all 162 games to ensure that happened.
Heading into the final weekend, things weren’t looking good for the Amazin’s. They had lost 8 of 9 to the Braves and Phillies and only had the Wild Card to hope for. They stood two games back of the Astros and Reds in the Wild Card standings as they headed into their weekend series with the Pirates.
They squeaked out a victory to stay alive as the Reds and Astros both lost, pulling them to within one game. At the time, I still thought nothing of it because one loss pretty much sealed the deal on the season. The next night, the Astros took one step closer with a win over the Dodgers, while the Reds lost again and the Mets pounded the Pirates 7-0. During the 9th inning of that game, I remember speaking to my sister saying that if they win, I’m thinking of going tomorrow. She agreed. Game on.
The next thing I know, we’re sitting in the Upper Deck way out in right field on the last day of the season. To recap, I had been at opening day, closing day and 7 games in between in 1999. I was a true diehard.
The game was a nail biter from the start as Orel Hershiser toed the rubber for the Mets against future Met Kris Benson. In the top of the 1st, the Pirates scratched out a run, when Al Martin led off the game with a walk and came around to score on a two-out RBI single by Kevin Young. Not a good start.
After that, Hershiser settled down, while Benson cruised through the first three innings posting zeros. In the bottom of the 4th, John Olerud reached on an error by Young and scored on a Darryl Hamilton RBI double. The run was unearned against Benson, who would not allow another run in his 7 innings of work.
Hershiser would go 5.1 before handing off to the bullpen, starting with Dennis Cook and Pat Mahomes getting him out of a jam. Turk Wendell would pitch a perfect 7th, and both teams would go down with out scoring more than a run total through the first 8 and a half innings.
In the bottom of the 9th, it came up on the scoreboard that the Reds and Astros had both won, so the Mets needed to win to stay alive and force a one-game playoff with the Reds. Bonilla grounded out, but was followed by back-to-back singles by Melvin “Why did you ever trade me?” Mora and Edgardo Alfonzo. After an intentional walk to Olerud, Pirates pitcher Greg Hansell was replaced by none other than Brad Clonz. I remember as he was running in from the bullpen screaming “BRAD CLONZ?!?!?!?” We knew right then and there with Piazza at the plate against this clown we were winning this game. It turns out, Piazza could have stood in the on deck circle if he wanted. On his first pitch, Clonz bounced one to the backstop and Mora came screaming down the 3rd baseline to score the winning run to send the Mets to the playoffs. Bedlam ensued. The party was on, the Mets were back in the playoffs. As a college kid, there was nothing better than this.
And thus, my diehard Mets fandom was born.
6) Last Play at Shea: July 18, 2008 Billy Joel
In another memory that is not baseball related, growing up as a kid, there were two musicians I listened to, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. As a kid of the ‘90’s neither of these two was the hot musician to listen to. Being that I had 3 siblings before me who grew up when they were mainstream, I followed suit. I didn’t catch too much heat for Bruce, but I was abused for listening to Billy Joel.
For years I fought right back stating how great Billy was and that the kids in my class didn’t know what real music was. Let’s just say I didn’t listen to rap or heavy metal, that didn’t come until late high school. It wasn’t until senior year, actually that I notice feelings towards Billy Joel changing when at the senior prom everyone got up and sang “Piano Man.” Since then, most of my friends have either switched to becoming huge Bruce and Billy fans or I met new friends who already were.
So when Billy announced that he was going to be playing the last two concerts to ever be played at Shea, I clearly was in, so was Mike, so was Joe, and about 10 other friends. We all went online and scored a bunch of tickets. It was a great mix of college and high school buddies as well as family as my cousin Bryan was also in attendance. Clearly Mike’s family was there as well as a few other pack members, leading to a mandatory tailgate at the usual spot.
It was only 101 degrees on the day, but nothing would stop us. Joe and I just put large chunks of ice on our heads. It was nothing that a little beer and Tequila Rose couldn’t heal. Our seats included Joe and Jess, my former girlfriend and Dill and his wife Aimee, in Section 6 of the Mezzanine. We had a perfect view of everything. The one problem was that my printer was not working and I had to go pick up the tickets at Will Call. When Joe and I went over, we were the first on line, and the first to get our tickets.
After taking a walk around before the show started, we headed to our seats. We noticed two things, one the ATM wasn’t working and two, the escalator wasn’t either. Oh Shea. Then the show began.
It turned out that my buddy Griff was sitting the next section over in Section 4. We didn’t find this out until about 10 minutes before the show. This made for an even MORE awesome night. CLEARLY he was wearing a Mattingly t-shirt, being the diehard Yankee fan he is.
Then the show began. After a rousing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” Billy kicked off the show with “Miami: 2017,” a fitting start considering the circumstances. This was followed up by Joe’s theme, “Angry Young Man,” then “My Life” Other great hits early on included “Summer, Highland Falls,” “Zanzibar,” which included video clips from Mets’ past, and one of my personal favorites, “The Ballad of Billy the Kid.”
After that, the guest began to arrive as Tony Bennett came out to belt out a duet version of “New York State of Mind.” There are not many smoother than Tony Bennett, I have to say. He looked and sounded great. This was followed by an unreal and emotional version of “Goodnight Saigon,” which featured members of our armed forces as well as the FDNY and NYPD on stage singing along.
Back to the guest appearances as former Met (yes, he was on the Mets in Spring Training for a couple years) Garth Brooks came out to sing “Shameless” while wearing a Mets jersey. This was when the concert took a turn as out of nowhere, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith came out and sang, “Walk this Way,” and the crowd erupted. Later, Roger Daltry from The Who sang “My Generation.”
Rumors circulated that Elton John and/or Paul McCartney were possibly going to be in attendance, but as the show wound down, it didn’t look like this would be so. And then it happened. First there was a rumble from the field seats, then it started to trickle. Someone was coming out. He had a small lefty guitar. IT’S HIM!!! IT’S PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!!!!! I’ve been to a lot of great moments at Shea, but I never felt anything like when Paul McCartney walked out on stage and said, “We had a great time last time I was here and we’re gonna rock tonight,” then went right into “I Saw Her Standing There.” It was pandemonium at Shea.
Billy finished the night as only he could, with an emotional rendition of “Piano Man” that shook the very foundation of Shea. Throughout the night, it was moments like this that prompted texts from Mike sitting out in left field such as, “Tears” and “Love you.” Mike was out of his mind. We were all out of our minds. We had seen Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Roger Daltry, Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney all on one stage together. There are not many people, save for the other 55,000 that can say that. It was an honor to be there for the last ever concert at Shea Stadium. Thank you Billy for pulling it all off. That is a moment I will NEVER forget.
Coming soon, I will post pictures and videos from some of these memorable moments as well as my top 5 memories. But for now, it's off to Citi Field for Mets-Braves.
