I've been out most of the week at a conference. But I can't let this occasion pass without saying:
HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY TO MYSELF!
Yes it was three years ago Friday when I posted the Loge13 Manifesto, which inspired countless several of you to become regular readers.
We couldn't stop the destruction of Shea. We couldn't halt Jose Reyes' overactive thyroid. But we'd like to think we helped a bit in the Mets' decision to offer partial season plans at Citi Field. Oh yeah, and we caused the Great Recession. Sorry about that last thing.
Serious thanks to all of you who have tagged along these past three years. I intended to shut this site down when Shea Stadium was no more but your kindness has kept me going. See you at the ballpark in 2010 and you are welcome in Loge 13 (Section 308) anytime.
Sometimes folks ask me about the "Days Without Shea" clock atop Loge13.com.
That was once the "Shea Stadium Doomsday Clock" but after Shea was gone, we needed to do something with that funky bit of technology. After all, DepressedFan had spent alot of time making the darn thing.
So the old clock became the new Days Without Shea clock. However, I didn't set the time piece's start date to September 28, 2008 - when the actual last game at Shea was played. That's because in my twisted noggin, the stadium was still vital after that game. Thousands of fans continued to visit and pay homage to the Mets' longtime home.
And folks were there for Shea Stadium's final moment - February 18, 2009. That's when the final chunk of Shea's mortal coil came crashing down. So we set the "Days Without Shea" clock for 2/18/2009.
Thus we remember Shea Stadium, Loge13, Casey's Pub and everything else that was contained within that concrete monstrosity (Metstrosity, if you will).
PS - I'm posting this a day early as I'll be away from the InterWebs the next several days.
The Mets will now name prominent entrances into the stadium after Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel and Tom Seaver.
And they will name the bridge out in right-center field SHEA BRIDGE.
This is all great news but it is stunning that everyone else but the Mets realized this was a good idea long before Citi Field ever got built. As the saying doesn't go...Those who ignore the past are condemned NOT to repeat it. If the Mets want to be champions, they need to recognize their legacy and celebrate it, not auction it off in pieces.
Here is the full release:
FLUSHING, N.Y. -- The New York Mets today announced plans to expand the
presence of club history at Citi Field next season in a variety of ways
including renaming areas of the ballpark after Casey Stengel, Gil
Hodges, Tom Seaver and William A. Shea.
The Mets also have re-formed the Mets Hall of Fame Committee, and will
increase the number of visuals commemorating great players and moments
both inside and outside the ballpark. The Mets previously announced a
2010 opening of the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum at Citi Field.
RENAMING OF AREAS IN BALLPARK The Mets will rename and visually
theme Citi Field's VIP entrances and outfield bridge after individuals
who made an indelible mark on the club. First Base VIP will be named
after Hodges to honor the manager who led the Mets to their first World
Championship in 1969. Third Base VIP will honor Seaver, the Hall of
Fame pitcher and Mets leader in wins, earned run average and
strikeouts. Left Field VIP will be named after Stengel, the first
manager in Mets history. The outfield bridge will be dedicated as Shea
Bridge, honoring the legacy of the man who was the driving force to
bring National League baseball back to New York after the departure of
the Dodgers and Giants.
METS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM & HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE
The centerpiece for Mets memorabilia will be the Mets Hall of Fame
& Museum, located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and
accessible from both inside and outside the ballpark. A re-formed Mets
Hall of Fame Committee will evaluate potential inductees, and is
comprised of a combination of media members with a long-standing
connection to the club and Mets front office staff.
Media members on the committee are: Marty Noble, the Mets.com
beat writer who is entering his fifth decade covering the team; Gary
Cohen, the New York native and voice of the Mets on SNY who has been a
Mets broadcaster for 21 years; and Howie Rose, a Queens native and
radio voice of the Mets on WFAN who has covered the team for 21 years
on radio and television.
The Mets committee members are: Dave Howard, executive vice president,
business operations who has been with the organization for 18 years;
Jay Horwitz, vice president, media relations who just completed his
30th season with the team; Tina Mannix, senior director, marketing who
has been with the Mets for nine years; and former Mets pitcher Al
Jackson, a pitching consultant who is entering his sixth decade with
the Mets. Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon serves as ex-officio.
"The re-formation of the Mets Hall of Fame Committee is central
to our concerted efforts to better connect our present and future to
our past," said Wilpon. "It reinforces the organization's and our fans'
shared desire to recognize our greatest players. With our 2010 opening
of the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum at Citi Field, now was the time
to bring this group together."
Candidates will be evaluated on their impact on the field while
in a Mets uniform, how they represented and affected the organization
and their place in Mets history.
The Mets Hall of Fame was established in 1981 with an inaugural class
of Joan Payson, the first Mets owner, and Casey Stengel, the first Mets
manager. The Mets Hall of Fame has 21 members including former players,
managers, front-office executives and broadcasters. Tommie Agee was the
last person inducted in 2002.
The following is the list of Hall of Fame members in order of the year they were inducted:
Joan Payson (1981); Casey Stengel (1981); Gil Hodges (1982); George M.
Weiss (1982); William A. Shea (1983); Johnny Murphy (1983); Ralph Kiner
(1984); Bob Murphy (1984); Lindsey Nelson (1984); Bud Harrelson (1986);
Rusty Staub (1986); Tom Seaver (1988); Jerry Koosman (1989); Ed
Kranepool (1990); Cleon Jones (1991); Jerry Grote (1992); Tug McGraw
(1993); Mookie Wilson (1996); Keith Hernandez (1997); Gary Carter
(2001); and Tommie Agee (2002).
The Mets will announce further details about the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum in the coming weeks.
IMAGERY & TEAM COLORS
Next season, fans will be greeted by Mets colors as they approach Citi
Field with full-color banners of Mets players on Mets Plaza in front of
the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Mets logos will be added on entry points
to the parking areas and on the light poles in the parking lots. The
addition of team colors will continue inside the ballpark with
staircases painted with blue and orange and more Mets logos throughout
the ballpark. Flowers in the gardens at Mets Plaza in front of the
Jackie Robinson Rotunda will also be blue and orange.
"These additions amplify our commitment to better recognize our team's
heritage and honor the players and memories our fans cherish," said
Howard. "Ownership is acting upon our fans' desire to see more Mets
around the ballpark. We hear our fans loud and clear and these
additions continue the process that started last season."
I like this, it's a positive move in the right direction. I was especially pleased with the folks selected for the HOF committee. All are have been around through the good and bad years and not Wilpon pawns.
2.ALL WALLS SHOULD BE BLUE AND KEEP ORANGE STRIPE AT TOP.
3.BRIDGE IN CENTER BLUE AND ORANGE.
4.FOUL POLE KEEP ORANGE
5.MAIN GATE OF JACKIE ROBINSON AREA SHOULD STAY IN BACK OF ROTUNDA BUT FRONT AREA HONOR 69 AND 86 METS.
6. HONOR TOM SEAVER EVEN THOUGH YOU TRADED HIM AWAY !
7.GIL AND CASEY HONORED AREAS.
OH LAST OF ALL DON'T HAVE DOMINICAN NIGHT WHEN SAMMY SOSA AND CUBS ARE IN TOWN AGAIN SO HE CAN HIT A HOMER WITH OUR FANS CHEERING HIM. WOULD YOU EVER CATCH CLASSY YANKEES DOING THAT ! THANK YOU
The site was started in October 2008 by a Met fan in Westfield, Indiana named Lee Harmon. As Lee wrote on his site , in honor of the 792 Mets that played at Shea,
"I created a
set of handmade cards featuring each one of these men. My design was
done in such a way as to allow an autograph to be included. I am now in
the process of having each one signed by those players."
So far, Lee has collected 445 autographs, or 56.2 percent of his goal. His latest conquest was just this morning when he posted the signature of Gustavo Molina, a catcher who appeared in two Shea games in 2008.
Loge13 salutes you Lee and you are welcome in our virtual Shea section anytime. Keep us informed of your progress!
Yes. No change for in affordable seating categories. Preliminary findings indicate that the savings will be realized with fewer gold games, and reduced per ticket prices in the lower bowl.
It would also seem as they divided up baseline box seating into the colors of many metals.... Not that I'd ever be able to sit there.
Let's see what they offer in terms of partial plans.... I think I'm gonna cry when I realize they aren't gonna do a think to accommodate average Joe.
Shea Stadium may be gone but Shea memorabilia lives on.
The MeiGray Group just announced some exciting new opportunities...just in time for the holidays, they say.
Like what, you say?
Like this. A 5x7 official dirt plaque. "This handsome 5x7 Cherry Wood Authenticated Dirt Plaque commemorates Shea Stadium's final season. The generous rectangular capsule of Authenticated Dirt was lifted from Shea Stadium's infield following the final game in Shea Stadium's illustrious 44-year history."
There are three other collectible thingies too: two dirt-related and one foul pole related.
is this the dirt that we all booed the Marlins players for collecting after the game? I'm kind of curious why it took over a year after the last game to get these things on the market.
The dirt plaque is a waste of money. A thin piece of dirt is placed on a paper then put in the plastic holder. It is such a rip off. I have the plaque yankee stadium and it has a nice amount of actual dirt that moves in thew plastic holder when you turn the plaque upside down. As a die hard Mets fan I was extremely disappointed and felt robbed.
I guess this is the new stadium equivalent of a do-over.
Tickets are shipping as I type.
Feel free to give me stubs so that I may enter the golden palace that is the Caesar's Club Level. No Caesar Ticket, no admittance.