The Color of the Outfield Walls (split from Rubin Chat)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Today is the first I've heard about blue walls.

I think the black walls look okay, but I wouldn't be opposed to a Shea Stadium blue.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Today is the first I've heard about blue walls. I think the black walls look okay, but I wouldn't be opposed to a Shea Stadium blue.

It's one of those memes that seemingly pops up from time to time. Every once in a while someone mentions colored seats too.

Randy from The Apple suggested they just paint the Shea Bridge blue. I think that makes sense actually.



(he also suggests they add the neon figures to it)

[metirish]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Today is the first I've heard about blue walls. I think the black walls look okay, but I wouldn't be opposed to a Shea Stadium blue.

Me too, I don't recall it ever being mentioned here.


Of course I have stopped following all the baseball people on twitter so maybe that's why I missed it.

[Edgy MD]

If anything, I'd want them changed to green, so the interior fa�ade can be a reflection of Polo Grounds in the same way the exterior fa�ade reflects Ebbets Field.

It would also reference the original Shea walls.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Shea had green walls for ~20 years, and briefly in 1967 had white walls.

I actually don't mind the black walls that much, soitenly not a biggie one way or another.

[Benjamin Grimm]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ...and briefly in 1967 had white walls.

Really? I don't think I've ever heard that before. White walls? I'm curious to know more about this. Did they paint over the white because it caused problems for the hitters?

[HahnSolo]

Christ, could blue walls be a worse look with the rest of the interior of the stadium? People are really worried about this shit?

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ...and briefly in 1967 had white walls. Really? I don't think I've ever heard that before. White walls? I'm curious to know more about this. Did they paint over the white because it caused problems for the hitters?

yeah, me too. I don't remember ever hearing about anything like that. Would've still had to have black dead on right? (or green) the whole backdrop thing right?

[HahnSolo]

I remember seeing some old video (maybe even a Mets Yearbook?) where the walls looked like they were a light shade of green or blue. Didnt think they were white, but maybe that's the quality of the pic/video I was seeing.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They were off-wite, almost a light greenish. The did show in one of those highlight films, also mentioned in a book, I think a SABR journal a few years ago.

I don;t know why they painted the,m in the first place, but yes they changed them shortly after the season began because the hitters didn;t like em.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Two changes were made to the outfield wall in 1967. It originally had been solid all the way around, which made it impossible to see into the bullpens. After fans complained that they couldn't see who was warming up, management responded by changing the fence in front of the bullpens to transparent Plexiglass, providing a clear sightline into the bullpens (this later was changed to half solid, half Plexiglass). � Also in 1967: The wall got a new color scheme. Instead of Shea's familiar dark green with white distance numbers, it was very light green with black numbers (you can just make out the numbers in the background of this shot). But this proved so unpopular that the original colors were restored after only seven home games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/080926

[Frayed Knot]

HahnSolo wrote: Christ, could blue walls be a worse look with the rest of the interior of the stadium? People are really worried about this shit?

Only the people who got all jealous from watching the World Series and seeing the pretty red walls in St Louis.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Check this out:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2237853669261&set=o.104119396287098&type=3&permPage=1

[Ceetar]

http://www.metsblog.com/2009/11/23/opinion-make-the-wall-blue-in-citi-field/

The sentiment has been around a while.

[metirish]

I'd like to see the colors change to Spring Training orange from several years ago.

[Edgy MD]

Check this out: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2237853669261&set=o.104119396287098&type=3&permPage=1

They tore that place down?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

http://s270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/ClassicSheaStadium/?albumview=slideshow

[Farmer Ted]

Flushing Meadow Park.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Tom Seaver's debut: white-green outfield walls in background:

[Edgy MD]

Wow. Seaver seems kinda pissed about it, too. Throwing balls into the box seats like that.

Those warm-up circles (did they have a name?) were in the never-knew-what-we-had-until-it-was-gone catgory.

[Ceetar]

You know, this is probably pathetic of me, but it wasn't until that picture just now that I realized the Picnic area wasn't an 'always' thing at Shea. I hadn't really given it much thought before.

But it obviously was in the way of the rotating field level. The Mets had a picnic when the Jets left.

I guess not obviously. It seems like it would've been, but it wasn't. mets.com says it was added in 1980, 4 years before the Jets left.