My Top 10 Shea Stadium Memories

6 and 6:30. It was an unbelievably devastating end to both the season and my time at Shea, but it will also forever be remembered, even if not for all the right reasons.

4. April 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

 

Opening Days at Shea

 

Starting back in 2000, the decision was made within my household that going to Opening Day was something we wanted to take part in. And since 2000, I’ve been sitting at Shea for both season and season home openers six out of nine times. Opening Day is no more important a game as far as the standings are concerned, but there is the hope a new season brings and the pre-game ceremonies that always bring 55,000 fans to the ball park for the first home game of the year. The Mets have historically played winning baseball on Opening Day, 29-18 during their 47 year history. Up until this past April, I had boasted a perfect 5-0 record, including a win over the Padres in 2000 thanks to an eight^h inning Derek Bell home run. In 2002, the arrival of big names like Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar and Jeremy Burnitz had a frenzied crowd anticipating a big season. We had to settle for a 6-2 win in the opener, but not much success thereafter. Fast forward to 2005, the ‘New Mets’ took the field behind new skipper Willie Randolph. The pre-game intros were highlighted by a resounding standing ovation for new ace Pedro Martinez, who a day earlier had secured the teams first win of the season after starting 0-5. The Mets beat Houston 8-4, as the theme of the day was old faces in familiar places, with Andy Pettitte starting for Houston and John Franco coming in to relieve later in the game against his former team. It was also the first time both David Wright and Jose Reyes took part in Opening Day. 2006 was when Mets fans saw Carlos Delgado, Paul Lo Duca and Billy Wagner for the first time. David Wright homered and another new face, Xavier Nady had four hits in leading the Mets to a victory. The game ended with Carlos Beltran throwing out Washington’s Jose Vidro at second base for the final out of the game earning Wagner his first save as a Met. In 2007, Jimmie Rollins of the Phillies proclaimed his team the one to beat, but couldn’t back up his words during the season opener, going 0-3 and committing a big error which helped spark a seven run eighth inning to give the Mets another opening day victory. And just this past April, coming off their epic collapse, the Mets had the Phillies at Shea again, playing their last ever home opener at their home of 44 years. The Phillies would crash the party, winning 5-2 after the Mets bullpen coughed up a two run lead and the offense was unable to tack on any runs late, trends they seemed to continue throughout the entire 2008 season. Although the Mets lost in their final Shea Stadium opening day, they gave me yet another chance to see them start a season in what has become a tradition I hope to continue over at the new ballpark, starting a string of new memories.

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