The announcement we have been waiting for has arrived: The Mets are giving fans a chance to buy seats from Shea Stadium.
The price: $869 per pair.
My first reaction: that's cheaper than I thought they'd be.
My second reaction: what are the odds my wife is going to let me spend $869 for Shea seats?
My solution: We must never tell her. One day, Mr. Met will just pull up in a truck and drop off these blue seats, which I will place in the backyard. I will tell her it was a gift from the Mets. Yeah, that's it. A gift.
Here is the announcement:
Shea Stadium seat sale begins Monday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. exclusively on Mets.com/Shea
08/05/2008 1:13 PM ET
MLB.com
FLUSHING -- The New York Mets and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today
announced that the sale of Shea Stadium seat pairs will begin Monday,
Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. exclusively online at Mets.com/Shea. Fans and
collectors worldwide will be able to purchase orange, blue, green, and
red seats for $869 per pair. The limited inventory of seats will be
sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Each seat pair will be
authenticated by Major League Baseball's Authentication Program and
affixed with a tamper-proof hologram displaying a unique identification
number.
Mets season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase
their particular seats before the Aug. 25 general public sale. The sale
of other Shea memorabilia on Mets.com/Shea will expand to include seat
backs and 45-inch sections of bench seating from Shea's Left Field
Picnic Area. Details regarding the sale of additional memorabilia will
be announced later this season.
"Citi Field will serve as a fantastic new home for the Mets for
decades to come, but fans will always remember Shea Stadium and its
magical moments - from the Amazins' World Series triumph in 1969 to
Game 6 in '86 to, hopefully, a long, sweet October in 2008," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "The Beatles played the first concert at Shea in 1965 and
what better way to close it out than with Billy Joel and Paul McCartney
on stage together 43 years later? The seat sale and subsequent
memorabilia sale will provide fans a chance to own a part of that Shea
Stadium lore."
Shea Stadium seats are owned by the New York City Department of
Parks and Recreation; other stadium memorabilia is owned by the Mets,
including clubhouse items such as player lockers. Through an agreement
between the City and the team, the City will receive a majority of the
proceeds of the sale of the entire collection of memorabilia. The Mets
will donate their portion of proceeds to the Mets Foundation, which
will distribute the funds to various charities. The City's proceeds
from the sale will be deposited into the City's general fund.
The removal of Shea Stadium seating will take place within
weeks of the Mets' final home game, with the demolition of the stadium
soon to follow. The metal seat frames date back to Shea's opening
season in 1964. The original 55,300 wooden seats and seat backs were
removed prior to the 1980 season, when they were replaced with the
seats in use today.
Indeed... I saw this story on the news last night. Apparently, $869 per pair is derived from 86 and 69.... with 30 percent going to charity.
The biggest issue about getting YOUR seats, is that your neighbor may want theirs, too. And, unfortunately, neighbors share a common pedestal...
I wonder if I can get my four in-a-row...
I wonder what type of foundation I am going to have to build to be able to mount my seats, since they do not bolt from the bottom, but bolt from the back.... (Only Field Level Seats bolt from the floor). I sure don't want to drill them into the side of my house...
-Doug