Official Shea Stadium Countdown Tracker Thread

[G-Fafif]

4/27: Our 70 was removed by the dynamic duo of Fred & Nelson, for helping revive National League baseball with their purchase of the Mets in 1980.

Edited April 27, 2008 by Guest

[Guest AG/DC]

That would be something.

A final chance for an onfield moment fo glory for Doubleday --- and a symbolic reconciliation of the two --- would be an impressive consummation.

[stevejrogers]

Game Called. This particular one is rescheduled for August 11th, who knows about the Jets and tomorrow.

Edited April 28, 2008 by Guest

[G-Fafif]

="SteveJRogers"]Weather Permitting, and this game faces an anoying thing about doing this in the pre-game rather than waiting until AFTER the game becomes official Date 4/28 Opponent Pirates Number Removed 70 Remover Emerson Boozer, Randy Beverly and John Schmitt of the Super Bowl Champion 1969 Jets and Ed Kranepool of the World Champion 1969 Mets FaithAndFearInFlushing.com's Countdown Like It Ought To Be's Remover With Xavier Nady's return to Flushing, Greg and Jason honored Mets who JUST missed out on being on postseason rides: 2006's Nady, 1969's Kevin Collins, 1986's Ed Lynch, and 1999's Brian McRae

Thanks for making us part of your tracking, Steve. I should point out, in the spirit of keeping numbers straight, our method is removing a number in the middle of the fifth (more or less an official game; plus it will delay the opposing pitcher). so tonight, had it been played, we would have removed 69 and revealed 68, or how many games remained beyond this one. What the Mets do is unveil the number before the game, so they would be showing 69.

It's all more hypothetical than usual given the rain. Fortunately, in the Countdown Like It Oughta Be, like in Southern California, it never rains.

[Guest AG/DC]

I like posting the FaFiF announcement in the fifth, for what it's worth.

[G-Fafif]

[stevejrogers]

So much for the return of the 1969 Jets
Date 4/29
Opponent Pirates
Number Removed 70
Remover Representatives of Lincoln Mercury
FaithAndFearInFlushing.com's Countdown Like It Ought To Be's Remover With Xavier Nady's return to Flushing, Greg and Jason honored Mets who JUST missed out on being on postseason rides: 2006's Nady, 1969's Kevin Collins, 1986's Ed Lynch, and 1999's Brian McRae

[G-Fafif]

The excitement surrounding the appearance of yet another Lincoln-Mercury representative is palpable.

Palpable is a synonym for bogus, right?

It rained last night but the Countdown Like It Oughta Be knows only clear skies (and perhaps a few puffy cumulus clouds). We continue to be keyed to the date and the opponent, otherwise our hypotheticals go off the rails, so if you are setting your watches, we are removing number 68 tonight. The honors go to notable participants in the Mets-Pirates Fog Game of May 25, 1979:

Buc starter Jim Rooker
Pinch-hitter and Met thorn Mike Easler
Pitcher of non-record Skip Lockwood

and he whose triple fell through the pea soup, resulting in one of the gloomiest nights in the history of Shea Stadium coming to a premature end (ruled a 3-3 tie)...

Joel Youngblood.

Those who were to pull down 69 will return on August 11 for the makeup game (and pull down 23A, I guess).

[Guest AG/DC]

What a game.

[HahnSolo]

="SteveJRogers"] Remover Representatives of Lincoln Mercury

Lame, Mets, lame. Let's pick up the pace here.

[metirish]

="HahnSolo"] ="SteveJRogers"] Remover Representatives of Lincoln Mercury Lame, Mets, lame. Let's pick up the pace here.

Would have been cool if Freddie were alive to do the honours.

[G-Fafif]

Today was some horrible mascot from some children's educational thing to which there was some tie-in. I booed heartily and then a water main broke.

In the Countdown Like It Oughta Be, we paid homage to the movie and television versions of The Odd Couple, with Bill Mazeroski (who hit into the triple play that Oscar, covering the Met-Buc game at Shea, missed in the film because Felix was calling him to ask when he'd be coming home for dinner; Maz was also in on some other noteworthy NY baseball history) and Jack Klugman (TV's Oscar Madison, who probably wore a Mets cap more than any character in the history of the medium) doing the honors by removing 67.

Numbers 72-67 in detail here[/url:2c6s44s5].

[stevejrogers]

Bump for the start of the homestand tomorrow

Date 4/30
Opponent Pirates
Number Removed 60
Remover Mr. Met and Cyber Chasers (some kid's cartoon whatever)
FaithAndFearInFlushing.com's Countdown Like It Ought To Be's Remover In honor of the Fog Game May 25th 1979 (a 3-3 tie against the Pirates), Jim Rooker, Mike Easler, Skip Lockwood, Joel Youngblood

[Guest AG/DC]

I'd still rather this happened when it actually happens.

[stevejrogers]

You want me to post from Shea tomorrow night Edgy?

[HahnSolo]

Not to kill the suspense, but I heard Craig Carton of WFAN's Boomer and Carton morning show say that he and Boomer would be taking off the number sometime "on the next homestand."

Sadly, it's hardly a surprise that this countdown is as weak as it has been.

Edited May 9, 2008 by Guest

[Guest AG/DC]

[HahnSolo]

I didn't know the Yankees were doing something similar. Here is what I found on another board:

this is what i have witnessed, or found online.


81-80 - George Steinbrenner (Blue Jays, 4/1/08)
80-79 - Steve Smith, Ahmad Bradshaw and Aaron Ross � NYG � (Blue Jays, 4/2/08)
79-78 - Paul O�Neill (Blue Jays, 4/3/08)
78-77 - John Flaherty (Rays, 4/4/08)
77-76 - Joe Peptinone (Rays, 4/5/08)
76-75 - Yogi Berra (Rays, 4/6/08)
75-74 - Zach Parise of New Jersey Devils (Rays, 4/7/08)
74-73 - Bucky Dent (Red Sox, 4/16/08)
73-72 - Tino Martinez (Red Sox, 4/17/08)
72-71 - _____________(Tigers, 4/29/08)
71-70 - Billy Crystal (Tigers, 4/30/08)
70-69 - _____________(Tigers, 5/1/08)
69-68 - Bobby Murcer (Mariners, 5/2/08)
68-67 - _____________(Mariners, 5/3/08)
67-66 - Michael Kay (Mariners, 5/4/08)
66-65 - _____________(Indians, 5/6/08)
65-64 - Buck Showalter (Indians, 5/7/08)
64-63 - _____________(Indians, 5/8/08)

If accurate, and I can't say that it is, especially since I believe at least one of those games was rained out, one of the local teams seems to be "getting it" and the other is not.

[Guest AG/DC]

What, no Michael Ravisi of Gateway Mitsubishi?

[stevejrogers]

Today its is apparently some suit from Primeo Italian Sausage. They are the sponsor of tonight's soda cup night.

Stuff like this makes me want to discontinue this thread!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Hey! I'm having some of their sausage with my dinner tonight.

Their spinach and garlic chicken sausages are pretty tasty.

[Willets Point]

="SteveJRogers"]Stuff like this makes me want to discontinue this thread!

ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease...

[stevejrogers]

Marty Noble, like Greg and Jace, GETS IT![/url:2vtlzxk8]

[G-Fafif]

Since Premio makes Shea's signature Italian sausages, I'll allow it (even if it's because they're sponsoring a giveaway cup).

Tonight's Countdown Like It Oughta Be (peeling 66 in our rain-free universe), last series against the Reds, brings out all-time Shea opponent/villain Pete Rose, though before you choke on the choice, understand that his number is sponsored by the good folks at the Glass Distillery Packaging Association, every fan coming through the turnstiles receives a commemorative Pete Rose bottle of whiskey and every fan is encouraged to drink it and, you know, get rid of the bottle in a meaningful way.

[G-Fafif]

65, in our world, goes down today/tonight, and the honors are left to Eddie Boison (Cow-Bell Man) and Richard Ehrhardt and Bonnie Troester, the son and daughter of Karl Ehrhardt, the Sign Man.

[stevejrogers]

Okay who were the two suits that did it for today's double dip?

Was snacking in the Diamond Club during the pre game of game 2

[G-Fafif]

Snacking is not an excuse.

64 Countdown Like It Oughta Be: Salute to Shea's predecessor, the first home of the Mets, the Polo Grounds. We bring back three PG Mets who had their days at Shea as well

� Frank Thomas (opening day LF 1964)
� Roger Craig (came back as a visitor from '64 on)
� Choo Choo Coleman (snuck back in as a Met in '66, bub)
and leading the pack for the peel...
� Ted Schreiber, the last batter ever at a Major League Baseball game in Manhattan (GIDP). Schreiber's only year in the Majors was 1963, so it is with special pride we finally bring him to Shea.

Ted's presence also reminds us that no matter where we are at a given moment, whether it's this year or next, there is usually something that came before that deserves to be remembered.

[stevejrogers]

It's official, I give up. If the Mets are not going to bother updating this silly thing (which is how they seem to be treating it the whole time, even the MFY who don't bother putting it in their official game notes are treating it like it's something that deserves SOME thought to be put into it) in their game notes, or even uploading their Saturday game notes onto the pressbox.mlb.com's website (which is astounding considering that credentialed members of the press use that portal) then I'm not bothering to update this fun little thread.

[DocTee]

Steve announces his resignation with a 90 word sentence containing three parenthethical phrases. Sweet.

I do hope G-FAFIF keeps contributing, though.

[stevejrogers]

Just check the archives in one of the best blogs on the internet for The Countdown Like It Ought To Be.[/url:1k7lchjz] Run by guys who understand that a good segment of the fan base care deeply about nostalgia, and aren't the johnny come latelys that the Mets PR staff treats the fanbase as!