Missing Shea Stadium?

The Old Ballpark Turned 60 Yesterday, Do You Miss It?

Shea Stadium, or the memory of it, turned 60 years old yesterday. The Mets played the same Pirates who christened the ballpark on April 17th, 1964. The old ballpark is long gone, torn down over 15 years ago. It now parks various vehicles, although you can see the outline of where the bases were.

Ironically, Talkin’ Mets made their first trip to Citi Field this year on Monday night. Long gone are the days of my youth when I would go to 20+ games a year at Shea. The challenges with the scheduling of life and the cost of such an endeavor make watching Gary, Keith, and Ron a better proposition 99% of the time. Based on the recent attendance figures, many fans feel the same way as I do.

Despite a 5-1 homestand, the news of the Mets being a bit better than the prognosticator’s gloom and doom hasn’t resonated at the ballpark. All three games against the Buccos and five of six on the homestand drew less than 20k. Albeit all the crowds, regardless of size, were positive and energetic, the early season started to resemble what we saw at Shea pre-Mike Piazza in the mid-nineties.

Why are we here? Do the fans miss the old ballpark? Do they not believe in the David Stearns Mets just yet? More likely, have they been priced out for good?

The Culture of the Mets Fan