| Flushing, NY - Shea Stadium (Page 2) |
| Copyright 2002 Chris Trapani All photographs and text on this website and webpage are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the holder of the copyrights, Chris Trapani. Direct all e-mail inquiries to [email protected]. |
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| The Park Not long after I was born, Shea Stadium became the newest park in the majors. Now, with the explosion of new ball fields that opened in the last decade, only Fenway Park (1912), Wrigley Field (1914), Yankee Stadium (1923) and Dodger Stadium (1962) are older. Five major league cities have had two ballparks open since Shea opened in 1964. The Mets are my team, but sadly, Shea Stadium is my least favorite MLB park out of the half dozen I�ve visited. First, the field and outfield views don�t offer much to look at, although the huge scoreboard, the largest in the majors, is impressive. Second, you need to pay close attention to where your seat is located when purchasing your ticket. Some seats in the back rows of the second and third levels offer very limited views of fly balls. Down the lines or too far up in the fourth, or upper level, and you feel like you�re in another borough. Then, there�s the limited parking and seemingly unlimited traffic, although these are issues at other MLB parks too. No wonder fans have been flocking to neighboring Brooklyn to see the Mets� minor league team, the Cyclones. |
| The Games One day, I may go back and post summaries from games prior to 2001. For now, here are the two games I attended in 2002. Opening Day. April 1, 2002. Mets vs. Pirates. My older daughter, son, his friend and I saw Al Leiter and company beat the Bucs, 6-1. The Mets scored 3 in the 2nd, on a bases loaded walk to Jay Payton, a sacrifice fly by Rey Ordonez, and a double by Roger Cedeno. Payton hit a solo homer in the 4th, and Roberto Alomar added two more runs with a single in the 8th. Art Garfunkel sang God Bless America in the 7th inning. It was the largest opening day crowd in Shea Stadium�s history. June 23, 2002. Mets vs. Kansas City Royals. The first series ever between these two teams. My older daughter, son and I and 7 more relatives and friends. With two out and the Mets up 1-0 in the 6th, 7 Royals reached base and 4 runs scored. The Mets came back in the 7th, with a two-run homer by John Valentin. In the 8th, Roger Cedeno hit a two-run single to give the Mets a 5-4 lead. Armando Benitez pitched the 9th to close out the win. |