I’m always amazed when people write about their childhood memories at Shea because of the details remembered.  While most of my memories are just a blur of good times at a baseball game, others can remember what they wore, specific dates, pitching match ups and probably the starting lineup.  I have one very specific memory of being at (or near) Shea.  It was July 11, 1986.  (I know this because I looked it up!) My uncle took my sister and I to the game.  El Sid was pitching and the Mets were destroying the Braves when we left the stadium.  I know this because I looked at the box score and when we went to games with my uncle we left after the 7th inning stretch to beat the traffic getting out of the parking lot.  I was never happy about this but at 11 years old I wasn’t one to protest.  While walking toward my uncle’s car in the parking lot where CitiField now stands we heard a huge roar from the stadium. 

Omigod...what am I missing??? 

I expect to see these signs posted around Shea next week.  Not because I’m being pessimistic and think that we’re headed for a downward spiral.  I simply don’t doubt that every game won or lost will be chock full of moments of despair. 

Since my last post I have been very busy. Instead of giving you a full recap of everything (which you don’t want to read) I’ll just list some events and highlights from the past few days.

Sunday-

• Lost in Queens.  (Living nearly all of my 33 years in Queens you’d think that this would stop happening.)
• NY Aquarium with some old and new friends.  (By new friends I don’t mean the fish. I’m not your crazy H.S. art teacher!)
• Got yelled at by a “puppet master” for taking his photo and not leaving a tip. 
• Got a t-shirt and a voucher instead of a jersey at Keyspan Park.
• Said hello to Angel Pagan before realizing it was Angel.  He said hi back.
• mmmm...knish.
• Shouted “Angel you rock!” from the bleachers.  There’s no way he didn’t hear me.
• Watched Laura (a Yankee fan) give in and do the Angel(s) in the Outfield wave.
• Got a beautiful sunburn which is now a beautiful farmers tan.
• Cyclones Win!
• Traffic.  Traffic.  Traffic.

I can’t believe I had to wait until Sunday to see another win. Oh, I mean… I totally CAN believe it.  Writing about my fabulous Friday afternoon after a miserable loss just seemed wrong.  If they didn’t win yesterday this post may have never happened.  I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, yet. 

I arrived at work on Friday morning wanting to tell everyone that I was going to the game that afternoon.  Yet, at the same time I was still a little worried I may not even get into the stadium after purchasing tickets on ebay.  Really what is preventing anyone from selling the same e-ticket over and over?  Eventually I couldn’t hold it in.  Possibly the best part of the day were the Yankee fans groveling. It was sad really.  haha

Noon came and my day in the office was over.  I changed my clothes, fixed my pig tails, grabbed my cohort and we were off to the Bronx for my final game at Yankee Stadium (and only my third).  We arrived about 1:30ish and found our seats, no thanks to an usher mind you.  I only saw one usher the whole day.  I usually avoid ushers at Shea but in an unfamiliar stadium it would have been helpful. Then we went off for food and returned to our someone else’s seats but not before being harassed by the concession stand guy for being a Mets fan. It was all in good fun though.  Upon our return we ended up one section closer to home plate in seats that belonged to a large group of the FDNY.  This worked out great.  A good half of them didn’t show up until the fourth inning which is why we never realized we were in the wrong section.  Until then we had so much space around us which was nice on a day where the air felt suffocating.  Thanks to being in the middle of a bunch drunken firemen most of the taunts we all in good fun amongst friends.

There was a group of Yankee fans in a section behind us who decided it would be a good idea to boo every Mets fan who walked by for the first few innings. Mostly the reaction of Mets fans was to raise their hands and give them their biggest smile. In fact I didn’t notice on Mets fan talk back to them. My favorite moment during all of this happened when a fellow Mets fan walked by holding two pretzels. He was booed.  He raised his pretzels and a Yanks fan shouted “Go Eat A Pretzel!!” That was a gem if I ever heard one.  All this nonsense stopped when the Mets took the lead in the fifth inning and never gave it back.

Despite all the changes that have happened in Metsland, some things never change.  I’m still buying tickets.  I just purchased tickets to Stitch n’ Pitch.

I went to this last year and it was a horrible and fabulous experience all in one.  That morning NYC had torrential downpours that took out much of the Subway system.  By midafternoon the skies were clear and subways were back in action (or so I heard).  I planned to meet my friend Adelle at Gate D at 6pm.  Apparently the news reports that I heard claiming the subways were back to normal was incorrect.  Adelle didn’t get there until 8pm.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to be standing outside of Shea and hearing all sorts of commotion going on inside?  Thankfully I had my mom calling me whenever something was happening.

We finally got to our seats.  I didn’t really know what to expect.  What I saw were three sections in the upper deck filled with people doing their needle crafts.  (I was not one of them.  I had a ballgame to watch.) All wearing their craft on their heads, around their neck and in one case from head to toe!  Normally I would think that this was awesome but instead I was just thinking these people could all be certifiably insane. It was about 200° outside that day.  The humidity was unbearable. Not exactly the time you want to be putting on a knit hat and scarf. 

You know what would have been an even better way to go about firing Willie?  Honoring him at Shea Stadium with “Willie Randolph Day” after a multi-game winning streak.  His wife and kids can throw out the ceremonial first pitch.  They can play a video homage to him with a video starting with his greatest moments with the Mets and ending with his worst.  This, of course, would be followed with Omar making a statement to the bloated number of fans announced at the game that Willie is no longer the manager of the New York Mets.  Then suddenly the dart board with Willie’s face on it that was given out to the first 25,000 fans makes so much more sense.

Seriously, could they have gone about this any worse?? 

Just when I give in to the suckage of this team and decide to just enjoy baseball good or bad I get my very first rain out.  So what are you supposed to do during this time?  I thought I would walk around and take some photos of Shea but taking a bunch of photos with people just standing around doesn’t really capture the feel I was hoping for.  Instead I just became one of those people standing around. 

I have to say - rain delays - boring.  Really they can’t even put some music on for us???  Let us watch whatever SNY is airing.  Even Beer Money would have been better than just nothing.

Then it happened… activity in the Rangers dugout. Rangers on the field in the pouring rain.  What the heck is going on???  Rangers running out onto the tarp.  Were they inspired by Wagner and Schoenwies and are helping out the grounds crew?  No.  It’s Slip n’ Slide time!!!  They were having to much fun.  I loved it.  Then it appeared that security was about to ruin their fun.  I though they were about to give in until they all just gave it one last run and sliiiiiiide.  (I would have loved to have seen the yellow rain coats go out and run after them.) No sign of any Mets players though.  Heaven forbid they have ANY fun out on the field.  I know.  I know… too risky. We don’t need anyone else on the DL.

[More photos]

I’ll be headed to the game tonight. As you can see I’ll be there in style with my orange and blue fingers and toes.  I may even decide to break out the kids clubhouse pom-pom I got at the “Mets at the Movies” last year.  That’s still to be determined though.

So, why am I so excited when this team has been doing little more than inventing new ways to stink it up (last night excluded)?  Well, it’s been almost a month since I’ve been to a game.  That is way too long.  Win or lose I’m going to go out there and enjoy being at Shea.  I’m going to take it all in and enjoy it because I’ll only have a hand full of these days left.  I may even take my mom’s lead and pay more attention to everything going on around me than watching the game.  Normally this drives me absolutely insane but that was before the massive amounts of suckage emanating from the Mets clubhouse. 

Unrelated side note: I totally loved Beltran’s deke last night, pretending to lose the ball in the lights in hopes to tempt the pitcher off of first base and double him up.  It didn’t work but it was a nice try.  That’s what I like to see.