The Home Of The MetsUnlike some Mets fans, I appreciate Yankee Stadium and what it represents. I understand that for baseball generally, the imminent demise of Shea Stadium hardly compares to the end of Yankee Stadium.
In recent days, however, a number of commentators remarking on Yankee Stadium have taken pains to claim that even Mets fans hate Shea and can't wait for it to be dismantled.
That's simply not true. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds in 1962 and 1963 while Shea was being constructed, but Shea has been the Mets only home. Every Mets fans has his or her own cherished personal memories of Shea, as well as the memories of the epic Mets wins and losses at Shea.
Shea is not a great baseball stadium. It was a terrible football stadium. And yet nearly 25 years after the last Jets game at Shea, Jets fans also still have many memories of Shea.
Flushing Meadows Park is a nice place. A visit to the U.S. Open usually results in an appreciation of Flushing Meadows. Yet even though Shea too stands within Flushing Meadows, while at Shea, you're more aware of the ugly surrounding area of the Willets Point chop shops.
Nevertheless, for Mets fans, there is actually some comfort in knowing that even though Shea will be gone soon, the Mets won't be moving anywhere. The old rundown home will be knocked down and a fancy new place that we can't really afford will stand in its place right next door. The airplanes, the 7 train, the tiny signs for the Grand Central and the Van Wyck will still be here in 2009. The Mets will still be home.
posted on 7/15/2008
