Author: Matthew S. Ray
An e-mail arrived in my inbox recently,
asking me to visit Mets.com to vote for my top 10 Shea Stadium
memories. Many of the events I voted for came long before my birth (The
Beatles, the ’69 season) or happened when I was a mere toddler being
dropped by my father during the ’86 playoffs (game six and the
clincher).
But I know my Mets history, and have
witnessed my fair share of it. You’ll note there is only one non-Mets
moment on this list: the Beatles first concert. Reason being: it’s one
of the major events in the last 50 years of music history. And because
Shea was built mainly for the Mets, and they’ve inhabited it since its
inception (the only team to do so), I’ve devoted the rest of my space
to them. Without further ado, then, I present to you my top 10 Shea
Stadium moments.
10- Beatles play first Shea Stadium concert, 1965
– You can’t talk about Shea Stadium’s history without talking about the
Beatles first appearance there. The concert was the capper of their
whirlwind visit to New York, their first trip stateside. Hardly anyone
heard the music over the din of the screaming fans, but still, anyone
who was there can say “I was there when history was made.”
9- Mike Piazza homers late to the put the Mets over the Braves in New York’s first sporting event since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001
– Why it never occurred to be I might want to go to this game, I still
don’t know. But who could have scripted a better night for the city of
New York? Incredibly emotional pregame ceremonies led into a brilliant
comeback engineered by perhaps the most prominent sports figure in New
York at the time. Piazza may have never shone brighter as a New York
icon.
8- Mets clinch second World Series title in game 7, 1986
– For most, it was a foregone conclusion after the madness of game 6
that the Mets would win the World Series. But what’s more amazing: that
the Mets have been back only once since then and not won a title, or
that the Red Sox have won two?
7- Mets clinch the NL East, 2006
– The scorecard I kept at this game, along with the ticket stub, hang
in my home today. Why? That year’s team was a team that was destined
for the World Series – and possibly more. When the ball settled in
Cliff Floyd’s glove for the final out, everyone in Metsville was sure
great things were on the way. Of course, the rest is not-so-happy
history, but as a fan, this is one of the most exciting events I’ve
witnessed in person.
6- Miracle Mets win the World Series, 1969
– I could put the Eastern division clincher on the list over winning
the Series, just because it capped an amazing run to the top that no
one expected. Still, I’ll put the championship victory on instead, just
as a way of summing up that entire summer. You can ask your dad about
it.
5- Benny Agbayani wins NLDS game three with walk-off homer, 2000
– For this one, my friend, my dad, and I sat in section 47 of the upper
deck, in the second to last row, in the last three seats of the
stadium. The Mets tied the Giants in the 8th on an Edgardo
Alfonzo double down the line (I can still see it in my mind’s eye
today) and we moved, deadlocked at two runs each, all the way to the 13th
inning. By then, many people – inexplicably – had left, and we moved
down to be “closer” (that’s a relative term) to the action. From my
seats, the ball looked like a speck, but to the Hawaiian Agbayani, it
must have looked like a pineapple because he parked it in the left
field bleachers to win the game and give the Mets a 2-1 edge in the
series. Not bad for my first playoff game. And as my buddy Jon still
says today, it was just gravy to see Barry Bonds standing at the wall
watching the ball go right over his head.
4- Robin Ventura wins NLCS game 5 with ‘Grand Slam Single’, 1999
– A 15-inning thriller that had us all believing Bobby Valentine’s
mantra of “one game at a time”. Down 3-1 in the series, with the bases
loaded and the Mets down 3-2 in the 15th, Ventura, that
General of Grand Slams, unloaded on one and put it over the wall and in
front of the scoreboard. By the time he was approaching second base,
his teammates had mobbed him and he never got around to home. No
problem, though: the tying and go-ahead runs scored and that was all
that mattered. Ventura was credited with a single, the Mets lived to
see a game 6 in Atlanta, and I sleepwalked through school the next day.
(By the way, in 2000, the Mets sent ticket plan holders a Lucite block
depicting frames from the Grand Slam Single, as well as a ticket
encased in the block. Mine still sits in my room, collecting dust and
bringing me back to that unbelievable night whenever I glance at it).
3- Todd Pratt homers to clinch the NLDS, 1999
– Did he or didn’t he? Gold Glove center fielder Steve Finley backed up
to the wall, leapt for the ball, came down in a heap on the warning
track, and…DIDN’T CATCH IT! THE METS WIN! Euphoria ensued at Shea and
the Mets moved on to the NLCS. Later that day, my grandfather, who
lives about 90 minutes from here, called to say, “We heard you
screaming all the way up here.”
2- Mike Piazza caps an incredible 8th inning comeback with a three-run homer, 2000
– With John Rocker’s ignorant comments fresh in the minds of New
Yorkers and police stationed in the upper deck over the visitors’
bullpen, the Mets fell into an 8-run hole against the front-running
Braves. If it wasn’t fireworks night, I might not have stayed. But it
was, and I did. Soon enough, the wheels began to roll for New York –
and began to fall off for Atlanta. When John Rocker came in to pitch, I
spewed venom at him like a man possessed. Only problem was, it was
Terry Mulholland. Anyway, Piazza got to the plate, roped a laser down
the left field line, and capped a phenomenal inning and win with a
three-run homerun. The image of him pumping his fist on his way around
first, with the fans erupting behind him, is one of the great images of
the last 10 years of Mets history. I ran up and down the aisle,
slapping palms with every one of the 10 family members I was with, and
had no voice for the next two days. By a pretty decent margin, it was
the greatest game I ever saw in person.
1- Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner, 1986
– It’s only one of the most indelible ground balls in baseball history
and perhaps the epitome of falling on your face on one of sport’s
greatest stages. The Mets were accepted as done, the champagne was
chilling in the Red Sox clubhouse, and some dufus at Shea even flashed
a congratulatory message to the Sox on the Shea scoreboard. A string of
hits and one E-3 later, the game was over, and baseball history would
never be the same. But hey, as long as you weren’t a Boston fan, you
could deal with it. “There’s a ground ball…it gets by Buckner! And the
Mets win! They win!” What can I write about this game that hasn’t
already been written by people much wiser and more talented than me?
Nothing. For my money, though, as this is perhaps the greatest moment
in Mets history, it stands to reason that it is the number one Shea
Stadium moment of all time.
Honorable Mention
Mike Piazza’s final game as a Met, 2004, and his return to Shea, 2005 –
Happily, I was there for both games. Piazza ended his time with the
Mets graciously, and it brought this sappy blogger to tears. His return
gave me goosebumps. I came home from college just for his final game,
and on my way over the George Washington Bridge on the final Saturday
of his time in a Mets uniform, Piazza homered – and I nearly drove off
the bridge from excitement. He was classy through everything, and may
someday don a Mets cap in Cooperstown.
Billy Joel plays Shea Stadium, 2008 –
My all-time favorite artist rocked the house with two phenomenal, 3
hour, 40 song, multiple guest shows. Of course, I wasn’t there to see
Paul McCartney close Shea (just as he opened it back in ’65), but my
consolation is that when I bought tickets for the first show, I did so
under the pretense that it would be the only one. Bitter much? No, but
a little bit.
Endy Chavez makes the most ridiculous catch I ever saw
– Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. The enigmatic Oliver Perez is dealing, but
something’s gotta give, right? WRONG. Scott Rolen connected on what
seemed to be a sure homerun to left field, only Endy Chavez had other
plans. He raced back, leapt over the AIG sign (shouldn’t that be moved
to Citi Field, just because?) and brought the ball back with a catch
that would make Spiderman blush. I watched this game from my living
room couch, and when the ball was hit, I fell to the floor on my knees,
knowing the Mets season was over. Seconds later, my dad was screaming,
“HE CAUGHT IT! HE CAUGHT IT!” I never experienced such a swing in
emotions from sports in such a short period of time, and probably never
will again. I went from “oh…crap” to “OH, CRAP!” Of course, when Carlos
Beltran struck out looking to end the season less than an hour later, I
went into my room, threw some stuff, and broke the blinds on my window.
And because of that, this catch is not on my top 10. (But my broken
blinds are still on the window. You could say they’re motivation to get
back to the playoffs…Not that I can do anything about it).
So, Shea, there’s only one thing left to say: “Thanks for the Metsmories”..
Author: Clare Lafferty