Sep 26, 2008 12:12 pm US/Eastern
Shea Stadium: A Mets Fan Gets A Goodbye Tour
Tara Lipinsky, WCBSTV.com
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Pedro Martinez did his part against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 25. The Mets rallied for a 7-6 win.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Shea Stadium: September 17, 1986. It was the moment I had waited most of my life for. Sitting in box seats on the third baseline at Shea as the New York Mets clinched the National League East at home, with a 4-2 win over the Cubs, after losing a few on the road.
And we were off, the fans I mean, storming the field! At the time it was a tradition. That night we were a little too zealous. People stole bases (literally) and ripped up sod. Looking back, I think fans were just desperate to hang onto something tangible, to keep the dream alive, afraid they would never witness the success again.
My days at Shea started in the mid-'70s when, without mincing words, they stunk! My grandfather worked for the Whitney family who owned the team at the time, and tickets were on the house. Lee Mazzilli was on the team back then, and he wore number 16, not Dwight Gooden. Oh, and sometimes a pitcher actually stayed on the mound for all nine innings.
Baseball still seemed pure back then. It wasn't about box seats, huge superstar salaries and who's who getting TV time behind home plate. We were ignorant to a steroid scandal. The biggest controversy was chewing tobacco. Back then, baseball was still just a great way to spend a day with your family. Plus, the players were accessible; you could come early, or hang around late and either way, they signed balls, patted your head and made you drool until you could get back to the park again.
I'm feeling nostalgic for those moments as we say goodbye to Shea Stadium. OK, so it's no secret the facility itself is not state-of-the-art, but it's still home to moments in many of our lives that we will tell our grandchildren about in years to come. My mother saw the Beatles in concert there, my Uncle Pope John Paul II. The Jets broke my dad's heart there for years. I had my first stadium hot dog sitting in those orange seats.
I believed, and I've got my story to pass on in 1986. I'll tell my kids I was there when the Mets trounced Mike Scott and the Astros; how I was in the stands during game six when the ball went through Bill Buckner's legs, and what it felt like to see the Amazins' win the World Series.
"Let's Go Mets! Let's Go Mets! Let's Go Mets!"
Will I get used to hearing that chill-inspiring chant in CitiField? Absolutely. And probably sooner than imaginable. After all, the scenery and the chilly April and October air will be the same. But no matter how many times the Mets clinch there, the fans will never be allowed to storm that field. So, for right now, I feel like wallowing a bit, as I sit in the stands at Shea one last time, praying for a pennant.
I want to thank the New York Mets organization and Jerry and Natalie Manuel for helping me have fun, and live a childhood dream.
Final Series at Shea: Mets-Marlins Game 1 Preview
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