IGT 04/08 OPENING DAY AT SHEA TODAY! HOORAY!

[Benjamin Grimm]

According to SportsNight on SNY, today is the "22ND AND FINAL HOME OPENER."

[metsmarathon]

22nd?

am i correct in assuming that does not count when the actual season opener was held at home?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think their number is just plain wrong.

If they were only counting games where the season itself opened at Shea, then today's wouldn't count.

[Guest Triple Dee]

I'm psyched!

BG, sounds like everybody is going to the game, apart from you and me.

[metsmarathon]

i take it that home opener and season opener are two seeparate concepts. today being the home opener, and that in 21 other prior seasons, the mets started the season on the road, resulting in a subsequent 'home opener' held at shea.

[metsmarathon]

i wont be there either...

[Benjamin Grimm]

Triple Dee wrote: I'm psyched! BG, sounds like everybody is going to the game, apart from you and me.

I can't even watch it on TV. Part of the unholy deal I had to make to get Extra Innings was that I can't watch Phillies games on their local cable station. (Comcast and DirecTV don't talk to each other.)

Oh well. I attended every home opener from 1978 through 1992. I look at myself as a retired Opening Day veteran.

This one would have been nice to have been to, though.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Little chilly out there today. Not to suggest I'm lucky to be in a cubicle or anything.

[Benjamin Grimm]

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/images/newsletter/y2008/img_ecard_opener_530x343.gif

[metirish]

Take the #7 train, it might be fun.

] 'Wright' boards train to last Shea opener By Bill Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer Tuesday, April 8th 2008, 4:00 AM If you spot Mets star David Wright on the No. 7 train Tuesday, don't mistake his waxy look for Opening Day jitters at Shea. To celebrate the last opening at the 44-year-old Queens ballpark, a wax figure of the Amazin's third baseman will ride the train from the 42nd St. station to the game. The life-size replica will leave Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Times Square for the first time since being unveiled last year to commemorate Shea's final season. Weather watchers are forecasting balmy temperatures for today's 1:10 p.m. first pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. It won't be hot enough to cause Wright a meltdown, said meteorologist Mike Silva of the National Weather Service. He said morning clouds will give way to sunshine with temperatures in the mid-50s. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is rolling out its "nostalgia train" to ferry the waxy Wright and other dignitaries, including Mr. Met. The train will feature an original "Bluebird" car, the type that ran on the 7 line when Shea opened in 1964. Mets officials are to board the train with the Wright statue at 11:30 a.m. and help the MTA pitch its "Take the Train to the Game" initiative at a noon press conference at the Willets Point/Shea Stadium stop.

[Guest sharpie]

I'm not there.

[Guest Triple Dee]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I can't even watch it on TV. Part of the unholy deal I had to make to get Extra Innings was that I can't watch Phillies games on their local cable station. (Comcast and DirecTV don't talk to each other.)

Maybe you can get around that by subscribing to MLB.TV instead (ie watching through the internet). Then only Phillies games in Philly will be subject to blackout. (I'm assuming you live around the Philly area).

Benjamin Grimm wrote: This one would have been nice to have been to, though.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

[Guest Mr. Zero]

For the life of me I can't imagine what kind of P.R. meeting would produce the idea: "Let's have a wax figure of David Wright ride the 7 train to Shea".

Then again, probably the same type of brainstorming that generated: "Lets have an apple pop out of a top hat whenever a Met hits a home run".


The local watering hole for opening ceremoinies and a couple innings I hope.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Rollins
Victorino
Utley
Howard
Burrell
Werth
Feliz
Ruiz
Moyer

Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Beltran
Delgado
Pagan
Church
Schneider
Perez

[metirish]

Mr. Zero wrote: For the life of me I can't imagine what kind of P.R. meeting would produce the idea: "Let's have a wax figure of David Wright ride the 7 train to Shea". Then again, probably the same type of brainstorming that generated: "Lets have an apple pop out of a top hat whenever a Met hits a home run". The local watering hole for opening ceremoinies and a couple innings I hope.

Probably the same brainstorming session that " pick the eighth inning song" came from.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I hope the tradition of the Shea family presenting an Opening Day horseshoe of flowers to the Mets manager continues into Citi Field.

Is Ralph Kiner there today? He ought to be.

[Benjamin Grimm]

They're introducing the Phillies' clubhouse staff?

Isn't that a bit much?

[Benjamin Grimm]

And the Mets fans are booing the video coordinator and the team travel director.

Booo! Equipment manager Dan O'Roarke! BOOO!

[metirish]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: They're introducing the Phillies' clubhouse staff? Isn't that a bit much?

I saw that in one the the games I saw last week, the masseuse was introduced , actually it was the yankees guy.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was hoping for pinstripes and blue caps today, but instead it's solid whites and the blue and black caps.

[Guest AG/DC]

A guy masseuse? How does that work?

[metirish]

AG/DC wrote: A guy masseuse? How does that work?

It's the yankees and if you saw him you would know how it works.

[Guest AG/DC]

What the...? I've been blacked out? Hey, MLB, MLBite me.

Note:

If you are traveling and are accessing the Internet connection through your company's VPN connection, you might be getting a blackout message because your company's host IP Address is within the restricted range for the game that you are trying to access. In this case you can simply log off your company's VPN connection and access the Internet through a local connection.

I what?

Edited April 8, 2008 by Guest

[metirish]

What's going on there now, are they introducing the Mets, who's doing it, Howie? , is Ralph there?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Howie's on the field introducing the players.

Right now they're about to unveil the SHEA logo to the left of Casey's 37.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And the blackout kicks in just as the National Anthem gets started.

The international recording artist got to the "dawn's early light" part and the screen went black. "This program is not available in your area. (727)"

[Benjamin Grimm]

I have the radio on now.

Shane Victorino gets a bloop single, Utley gets nicked by a pitch.

One our, Ryan Howard batting with two runners on.

Could be trouble...

[Benjamin Grimm]

Howard pops it up.

Now Burrell, with two out

He's never done anything to hurt the Mets, has he?

[Benjamin Grimm]

And Burrell is called out on strikes!

HE STRUCK HIM OUT!

I can picture Ollie jumping over the foul line...

[Zvon]

Mets are 7-0 vs the Phils in home openers.

Man, Perez made Burrell look like a fool that at-bat.
He looks at a curve for strike 3.

Niiiice.