Shea Goodbye
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:59 am
Hey folks. Havent been around much lately.... soo much craziness in my little life. Mostly good things, some not so, but perhaps one day I can sit down and give you an update (if you really want to hear it).
Today is the final regular season game ever at Shea Stadium. A place I visited umpteen times in my life. I was a bit surprised that when Yankee Stadium had its farewell last Sunday, that fans didnt seem emotional about it. Everytime I see the video "Shea Goodbye" (a doc about the 45 years of the stadium), and now watching a pre-game show with all the old players and such... leaves me with tears in my eyes. Guess its just a symbol of how you hold your childhood memories inside you, and they're there, but secure for the most part. When you tap them to the surface, the innocence and spirit of those times are back.
My favorite memories of the place:
Obviously, the 2 World Series victories. First one as Im running from the 4th grade school bus to catch the last 3 innings in 1969. We got to watch some of the series games in gym class. Second one was the most bizarre finishes of any WS game, Game 6 vs Boston. A very symbolic comeback from the depths of hope, parelleling some personal stuff that was going on at that time in '86.
Banner Day at Shea in 1977. The weekend before, I took a regular bedsheet, some paint, some cotton balls and cardboard, and made a banner that my sister and I proudly paraded around the warning track between games of a doubleheader with the Pirates. We got a shoutout from Ralph Kiner on the air, and the Pirates players in the dugout as we passed by it acknowledged it with nods and smiles. What a thrill. We didnt win the prize for best banner, but the memories still last.
I 'popped the question' during the 7th inning of the pennant-clinching game in 1988. If you saw my WWTBAM show, you know the story. We wanted to go back to the actual seats and take a picture in them, as our kids could now share in the memory. They are now selling actual seats for charity. Still pondering whether the orange plastic will go with the decor in our family room.
Hope there's another game or two to be played at Shea after today!
Today is the final regular season game ever at Shea Stadium. A place I visited umpteen times in my life. I was a bit surprised that when Yankee Stadium had its farewell last Sunday, that fans didnt seem emotional about it. Everytime I see the video "Shea Goodbye" (a doc about the 45 years of the stadium), and now watching a pre-game show with all the old players and such... leaves me with tears in my eyes. Guess its just a symbol of how you hold your childhood memories inside you, and they're there, but secure for the most part. When you tap them to the surface, the innocence and spirit of those times are back.
My favorite memories of the place:
Obviously, the 2 World Series victories. First one as Im running from the 4th grade school bus to catch the last 3 innings in 1969. We got to watch some of the series games in gym class. Second one was the most bizarre finishes of any WS game, Game 6 vs Boston. A very symbolic comeback from the depths of hope, parelleling some personal stuff that was going on at that time in '86.
Banner Day at Shea in 1977. The weekend before, I took a regular bedsheet, some paint, some cotton balls and cardboard, and made a banner that my sister and I proudly paraded around the warning track between games of a doubleheader with the Pirates. We got a shoutout from Ralph Kiner on the air, and the Pirates players in the dugout as we passed by it acknowledged it with nods and smiles. What a thrill. We didnt win the prize for best banner, but the memories still last.
I 'popped the question' during the 7th inning of the pennant-clinching game in 1988. If you saw my WWTBAM show, you know the story. We wanted to go back to the actual seats and take a picture in them, as our kids could now share in the memory. They are now selling actual seats for charity. Still pondering whether the orange plastic will go with the decor in our family room.
Hope there's another game or two to be played at Shea after today!
