The One Pronged Shea Stadium Survey for a Snowy Day

[G-Fafif]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Would you believe I've only been to 3 Met games in NY in my life? Two at Shea, and one at Citi with Sheila. Mets lost 2 of those 3 (maybe all 3??) but all of those times were great. Back to your regular scheduled misery.

Even the miserable memories make me miss Shea on this cold, snow-packed day.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

G-Fafif wrote: Coldest Shea day for me was Game Four, 2000 NLDS, in the back row of Mezzanine in left field, fair territory, wind whipping off Flushing Bay directly onto my back despite multiple layers to shield me from the elements. Bobby Jones pitched a one-hitter, so I survived quite nicely.

Yes, that was a cold one. We were in the "neck row" of the Upper Deck (2nd from top iirc), just to the 3rd base side of the plate. Absolutely bonechilling but I seem to recall smartly having dressed for the worst.

Also, I can't believe they didn't score like 6 runs in that one inning.

[Guest themetfairy]

When I grew up my family had Jets season tickets. Shea in December was bone-chillingly cold.

[Ceetar]

Citi is a little more enclosed, but hell if it isn't just as cold and windy on some of those bitter April nights.

[Ceetar]

Citi is a little more enclosed, but hell if it isn't just as cold and windy on some of those bitter April nights.

..I'll get back to you about bitterly cold October nights.

[Gwreck]

Two oddball memories:

1. The douchebag that showed up three songs into the show and then spilled his entire beer on me at the second of the three Springsteen shows in 2003.

2. August 31, 1992 was a twi-night doubleheader against the Braves. Back in the days when the Braves were still likeable and this was a nice late summer night for a game. Braves had a big lead before the Mets would tie up the game in the bottom of the 8th. I remember leaving in the 12th inning...of GAME 1. Under protest, but I wasn't driving and public transit wasn't an option at the time. The fact that the Mets would lose game 1 in the 14th, and then also lose game 2 is beside the point. You don't leave extra-inning games early. Has always bothered me.

[dgwphotography]

Gwreck wrote: You don't leave extra-inning games early. Has always bothered me.

Opening Day, 1985. Why? I took pity on my then-girlfriend, soon-to-be-fiance, now-wife... We were driving over the Whitestone when Carter's homer landed in the bullpen. She now expects to go the distance

[Lefty Specialist]

dgwphotography wrote: Gwreck wrote: You don't leave extra-inning games early. Has always bothered me. Opening Day, 1985. Why? I took pity on my then-girlfriend, soon-to-be-fiance, now-wife... We were driving over the Whitestone when Carter's homer landed in the bullpen. She now expects to go the distance

I had front-row seats (a friend's dad's company tix) right at the edge of the foul screen for that one. Awesomeness.

[seawolf17]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: [crossout]The John Thomson/Mark Little doubleheader vs. Arizona, 2002.[/crossout] Nothing like witnessing the beginnings of a long stretch of irrelevancy. What I meant to say was the 2008 game against the Cubs that we had to win but couldn't despite the leadoff triple in the 9th inning. The whole aura around the Mets just then was poisonous: CitiField was nearing completion behind us (we were seated in the Picnic Area), the Wilpons were scheming with that creepy memorabilia dealer to hack Shea into little peices which they'd sell back to you; Omar was about to make a bunch of idiotic trades and signings; the economy (and Madoff) were on the brink of collapse harboring a new era of budget constraints and subpar product; nobody had the foresight to reconsider the Jerry Manuel appointment even though it happened in midseason duress; Oliver Perez put us in a hole; Marlon Anderson was our best pinch-hitter. I mean, things were screwed then and you could just tell. I could anyway.

This for me too. My last game at Shea. So desperately wanted a win, but it just wasn't meant to be. Awful, awful game.

[ashie62]

Leaving the Agbayani walkoff game early.. I was freezing..and he hit it right when we got on the 7...poop...

[HahnSolo]

I was unlucky enough to be gifted field level seats for the final Friday night regular season games at Shea in 2007 and 2008. Needing wins, Ollie and Pelf came up small. It was just awful staring up at the out of town scoreboard, seeing the Phillies ahead, and knowing full well that there was no way the Mets were coming back either night.

In the "could have been bad, but really wasn't" department was a game from May 2006. My then 6year old daughter was starting to get into the Mets, and loved Reyes, so I got her tickets through the fan club for kids. The seats weren't terrible, upper deck infield and the section was sparsely filled. The crowd around us was quiet for the most part, but the Mets were playing the Pirates, and Jeromy Burnitz was in the outfield for the Buccos. Every time he got to bat, one fan had it in for him, screaming at the top of his lungs. The clever fellow termed Jeromy "Bum-nitz" and yelled at him throughout his ABs. "Bumnitz you stink...you're terrible Bumnitz..." you get the idea. But then when the AB ended, you never heard from the guy again, until his next AB. My daughter kind of looked at him and looked at me and during his thrid at bat as the guy just kept losing it, she says to me, "boy, he really doesn't like that guy Bum-nitz."

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Opening Day, 1989 was on my birthday, and it was one of those miserable, cold and wet days. I had a seat in the left field upper deck -- and I say "a" seat since I went alone that day -- and got there as the gates opened. I remember a police officer at the top of the escalator who said "It's a bad day for baseball" as I got off. "It's always a good day for baseball" I said, because I was excited just to be there!

Mets won, 8-4, beating the Cardinals. Doc got the win, Staw and HoJo had big days. Jefferies was at second with two hits in what was supposed to be his takeoff season.

I was never there for one of the epic losses, so a cold, rainy but ultimately successful Opening Day will have to suffice.