Shea Stadium: The Forgotten Home of the Other New York Team

On Sunday night, Yankee Stadium got it's well-deserved send off. The ceremony was accompanied by a full day of coverage on ESPN, a parade of all-time Yankee greats, a win by the beloved Andy Pettitte, and a speech by Derek Jeter that will be shown for years to come.

The most storied franchise in sports provided their Bronx home with countless memories that are unrivaled by any other venue. Any fan of sports, not just the Yankees, should have lost a few tears when The House That Ruth Built shut its doors for the final time.

However, just 10 miles away, another stadium will soon close after 44 years. Shea Stadium, home to the New York Mets since 1964, will see its last regular season game played next Sunday.

Although it is still not known whether or not additional games will be played in the postseason, Shea Stadium still deserves to be noticed. Much like Crash Davis at the end of Bull Durham, Shea will fade into nothingness, becoming only a distant memory and an answer to a few trivia questions.

The structure isn't noteworthy—a perfect circle with none of the nooks and crannies that make each of the ballparks around the league unique. Even the events do not compare to the historic venues of its age.

The most famous baseball moment that took place at Shea is without question an error. It didn't see many stars or championships or even too many playoff series. But for many fans in the New York area, the stadium was a home.

The little things are what made Shea Stadium unique.

It has been a place where backups like Todd Pratt and Endy Chavez made their places in playoff history. It has been a place where curses have been renewed, from Bill Buckner's historic mishap or a black cat running onto the field in a game against the Cubs.

A place that presented baseball's first mascot—a giant baseball with arms and legs named Mr. Met. A place that raises a dented, old apple out of a hat every time a Mets player hits a home run. I guarantee there is not a fan at the game that doesn't smile every time they see that apple.

I have seen over 100 games in this ballpark. Perhaps few will care when the last person turns off the lights and 55,000 seats are turned into a parking lot, but I will always remember watching Rey Ordonez covering the entire infield, Bobby Valentine's ridiculous antics, and "Cow-Bell Man" walking 10 miles through the stands each game leading fans in "Let's Go Mets" chants.

For all of the loyal fans that have watched the Mets through good times and bad, here's to the greatest home you could have asked for.