Good Old Days at Shea

In a random act of procrastination I came across a few old Mets Weekly videos from back when the Mets called Shea Stadium home. I love Citi Field, I really do, but for a fan like me, pushing 30 now, I wonder if it will ever feel like home the way Shea did.

People say all that's needed to make it feel like home is a great season with some playoff series' thrown in. That's possible. But I wonder if my mind's eye image won't always find it more natural to see those groups of seats in orange, blue, green, and red, or for, ahem, ALL the walls to be blue, or for anything else that made you instantly recognize Shea. 

In the videos I saw David Wright dig into the batter's box with all the familiar trappings around him; even the fish net behind home plate looked familiar. I saw Jose Reyes dive into home then clap his hands jubilantly as he raced toward the old home dugout. It just felt right.


It's nothing against Citi Field; I honestly mean that. As I get older and fewer and fewer friends live and breathe the Mets the way I do (at least in the good years; I concede that down years are less interesting to me than they once were), having a stadium that casual spectators can enjoy is more important to me than ever.

For as much as it felt like home to me, Shea was decidedly uninviting for the casual fan. With it's open promenades and great dining options, Citi Field is a fun place to go and an easy sell when I try to get groups of people out to the ballgame.

Still though, sigh. For all its charms and everything it has going for it, one thing Citi Field will never be is Shea Stadium. There's a lot of good in that, but we lost a lot in that transition, too.

As if you needed to be reminded of that. 

- A.F.O.M.G.