Yeah, I'm a sap.I literally just woke up, and I flipped on SNY. "45 Years of Shea" is on, and I'm already a little emotional.
There is not better way to send out Shea than this day. This day could mean it all for the Mets in 2008, but it will never be forgotten as Shea's possible goodbye.
It's a battle of present versus the past.
Do the Mets celebrate Shea in grand style, or do they focus on the task at hand and beat the Florida Marlins. Oliver Perez goes today, and he could cement his place in Mets history, and probably guarantee a big paycheck next season.
I'll miss Shea, there is no doubt. I first saw my first game against the Florida Marlins (how fitting) and my final game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I have two favorite moments from Shea: One happened last season, and the other was this year.
May 16, 2007, against the Cubs, the Mets were getting rained on, and hard. But the game was not canceled. The Cubs refused to come back to Shea, so they were going to try their hardest to get the game in, no matter what.
The game didn't start until 10 pm, and didn't end until 1 am. I've never been in Shea that long, or that late, so it was truly something amazing. There were only a handful of people left in Shea by the time the game started, so from our seats in the mezz. the players could easily hear us.
My other moment happened this year, on FOX Fan Night. Due to my internship, I was able to work at Shea, setting up for a FOX News Channel event.
I got to Shea at noon for a 7 pm game. I was able to walk around the bleachers and take a long, hard look at the stadium, completely empty. I admit I got teary eyed then as well.
Just looking around at the completely empty, quiet stadium was just overwhelming. Most people only see it packed to the gills with fans, cheering their heads off, with the players on the field. So to see it completely empty, with only a few security guards roaming the field level, was simply unbelievable.
Thanks, Shea. You've been an amazing ballpark.
You've had some great memories inside your walls, and hopefully one more can be etched into Mets history today.