Shea Stadium--Flushing, New York

Former Home of the New York Mets
Last World Championship - 1986 (4-3 vs. Boston Red Sox)
Last Playoff Appearance - 2006 (NL East Champs - L NLCS)

Opened--1964, Closed--2008

September 11, 2007--Atlanta Braves 13, New York Mets 5

Being a Mets fan, I pretty much grew up in this stadium. From the lean years of the late 70's to the glory years of the mid 80's, back to some lean times in the early 90's to some exciting years in the late 90's.
The stadium itself has also gone through some changes as well. I can still remember the outside of Shea in the 70's with those horrible orange & blue shingles. Now it gets a fresh coat of blue paint every spring. Being I've been to Shea so many times, I thought it would interesting if I viewed it as an outsider. So I got to the game early.
(Parking is now a problem as Citi Field or the "New Shea" as I like to call it
begins to rise up in the centerfield parking lot as you can see)

Once inside the stadium you will find out you can't get to the field level unless you have tickets for it. The entire concourse is gated. They let you watch batting practice but you have to back to your seats when it is over. Next, I went to the Mets Hall of Fame. Yes, they have a hall of fame. It is located behind Gate C on the press level. You would never know it because they make no mention of it. Inside they have the busts of all the people inshrined. They also have both World Series trophies on display. Shea is home to the biggest and in my opinion, the best Scoreboard in the Majors. It gives you full lineups of both teams, and every out-of-town score in the league. In most of the older stadiums (which are now gone) you had to wait for a score to scroll by. On the downside, Shea also has that terrible Top Hat with the Apple that pops up every time a Met homers. Also the colors of the seats aren't very easy on the eyes. I would like to see them all the same color.

Shea is loud (because of the planes), too big, and not pretty to look at, but it's home. The Mets are building a brand new stadium right across from Shea and a lot of the fans can't wait until 2009. Shea opened in 1964, it is now the 2nd oldest stadium in the National League, and it's starting to show its age. For more Photos of Shea click here.
Click here to see
photos of Game 3 of the "Subway" World Series.

Stadium Rating : C+

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