Shea Stadium Demolition

[ChineseDemocracy]

Shea Stadium was beautiful.

Maybe Citi should try different colored seating sections. It would help make up for the somewhat drab and cookie-cutter HOK interior.

[LINYUSA]

Originally Posted by Paul W

when shea was built the area behind the plate was left open (pix a,b,c) presumably to allow large vehicles in although the centerfield gate served that purpose most of the time.

for the '69 post-season what looks like temporary flooring and folding chairs were added (pix d).

for a few years after that area was left open again (pix e.1971) and added again for the '73 series and remained in place (pix f.) until the "x" seats were redone. this section was used for many years for non-revenue people - scouts, club personnel, special guests etc. who used folding chairs on the metal flooring.

a good look at the clubhouse runway area behind the plate as well as the new alley to the field, take a look at this utube video from 1:12 - 1:35 the right side blue wall is the original. from 5:30 - 5:43 back inside, the grounds-crew utility room is on the right. from 6:17 - 6:22 view is looking towards field, the black door and open area on left were the width of the old passageway to the field. the grounds-crew utility room is to the right of the security guy, pete flynn's office was behind the black door and another room added for small meetings, sunday chapel etc. between this spot and mets clubhouse underneath the field seats (pix g).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj4T27uhDHE

Paul - Outstanding post and pictures - thank you for your contribution.

During the Mets' lean years, my high school friends and I actually sat in the "temporary" section behind Home Plate where the padded, folding chairs were. It was only for a few innings in a blowout game while the usher "looked the other way". I am sure we greased his palm with a $5 Bill, which was the then-going, minimum "bribe" to get the ushers to relocate you.

What a great perspective that was at Shea!

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by mets16

Not to mention that the Sports museum of America is a huge waste of money.

The museum may be closed, but the space as such still exists (that is, it's still the Sports Museum of America even though it's vacant).


(Photo taken September 30, 2009. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)


(Photo taken September 30, 2009. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)

[Paul W]

Originally Posted by ChineseDemocracy

Shea Stadium was beautiful.

well, i wouldn't describe the place as...beautiful

one drawback to the "x" seats was the backstop screen. it had a low profile (because of loge/press level sight lines) that partially obstructed the field view
and had a little of a claustrophobic feel. when microphones and cameras were added, it was worse.
when the "x"'s were redone, new netting was used reducing the visual obstruction.

[Paul W]

for many years the vertical part of the screen was metal wire and sharply hit foul balls would get wedged in between the wire strands. some adventurous fans would climb up the wire and pull the ball thru the wire.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by Paul W

one drawback to the "x" seats was the backstop screen. it had a low profile (because of loge/press level sight lines) that partially obstructed the field view and had a little of a claustrophobic feel.

I can attest to that. Many, many years ago - before I started taking pictures of any kind, even with film - I somehow was able to get a ticket to an "X" box seat for a game. Not only did it feel claustrophobic, but for some reason I felt out of place sitting there. (I think I was in the area where the visiting players' family tickets were.) At some point I decided to just watch the rest of the game from the upper deck.

[schnu]

Originally Posted by JohnCropp

Everyone of us has dreamed about walking through the Shea tunnel, onto the field, and throwing out the first pitch. To my knowledge, not one of us got to do it.

And that guy did???

As cool as it was to see the behind the scenes stuff, having to listen to that clown whine for five minutes while standing in our heaven was almost unbearable! He's opened a sports museum and is guessing that throwing off the mound would be different than from in front of it???

Painful!

Back in the mid-90s the Mets had a "Nickelodeon at Shea" mini amusement park that included a tour of the stadium during the summer. I was working on something at Shea at the time and tagged along on the tour which included both the Met and Jet locker rooms, press box, & the field. We came through the Home Plate tunnel & saw the grounds crew equip just as described.

The next year during the strike I was out there again and took a LOOONG stroll around the entire warning track (Pete Flynn admonished me not to walk on the grass).

The last time I was in the service areas under Shea was the weekend after 9/11 - I volunteered at Shea. I showed up Sat at 5am and 2 hrs later I was supervising people, helping firemen to the cots/showers in the Jet locker room, etc. I even spent a few minutes talking to Dave Howard (who remembered me from the early 90s above) right at the mouth of the tunnel.

[Paul W]

don't know if i'd shlep upstairs instead of sitting in the x's...
sat there many times with player/league comps and ushers down the foul lines would let you move out there if it wasn't crowded...

hey schnu, i was at shea helping with ground zero supplies on sat. 9/15 noon-2am and had access to dugouts/clubhouse runways etc..
after the team practice was over many players - mcewing and benitez in particular, all the coaches and bobby v. came out and helped for hours (in their uni's).
the coaches stayed till about midnight and valentine kept going till almost 2am.
did not know that jets room was open, i was down in the mets dugout after dark and came across some photographic equipment and walked it up to the club offices.

[JohnCropp]

Originally Posted by schnu

Back in the mid-90s the Mets had a "Nickelodeon at Shea" mini amusement park that included a tour of the stadium during the summer. I was working on something at Shea at the time and tagged along on the tour which included both the Met and Jet locker rooms, press box, & the field. We came through the Home Plate tunnel & saw the grounds crew equip just as described.

The next year during the strike I was out there again and took a LOOONG stroll around the entire warning track (Pete Flynn admonished me not to walk on the grass).

The last time I was in the service areas under Shea was the weekend after 9/11 - I volunteered at Shea. I showed up Sat at 5am and 2 hrs later I was supervising people, helping firemen to the cots/showers in the Jet locker room, etc. I even spent a few minutes talking to Dave Howard (who remembered me from the early 90s above) right at the mouth of the tunnel.

Lucky!

As far as I know, those Nickelodeon tours were the only public tours of Shea and it kills me that I didn't find out about them until a year or so ago. Leading up to the end of last year, I suggested, requested, and begged the Mets to offer tours so that the fans could see those places before it was too late but they always replied with a "we are not offering tours at this time."

[RichieA13]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

I can attest to that. Many, many years ago - before I started taking pictures of any kind, even with film - I somehow was able to get a ticket to an "X" box seat for a game. Not only did it feel claustrophobic, but for some reason I felt out of place sitting there. (I think I was in the area where the visiting players' family tickets were.) At some point I decided to just watch the rest of the game from the upper deck.

That's why you're a man of the people, Gary!

[Paul W]

Originally Posted by Paul W

for many years the vertical part of the screen was metal wire and sharply hit foul balls would get wedged in between the wire strands. some adventurous fans would climb up the wire and pull the ball thru the wire.

here it is...

[Len]

Last Winter, after the terrible disappointment of the 2008 (as well as 2007) season, I was able to keep my interest in the Mets alive with this thread, as I watched Shea come down and Citi Field completed.

I don't have that this year. Its going to be a long, long winter. And its going to take more than a shiny new stadium to keep my interests alive this time.

[Mary Ellen]

Paul I love that picture!!

Len you are soooo right.

[orioles667083]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

The museum may be closed, but the space as such still exists (that is, it's still the Sports Museum of America even though it's vacant).


(Photo taken September 30, 2009. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)


(Photo taken September 30, 2009. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)

Man, looks like the Titanic lasted longer then that museum. Gone already?

[nymdan]

Originally Posted by orioles667083

Man, looks like the Titanic lasted longer then that museum. Gone already?

With good reason. It was terrible. Don't even get me started on that place... what a waste of time and money...

[Swoboda4]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

You're probably thinking about the "X" boxes - X1 and X2, which were the Field Box sections behind the plate and beneath the screen.

Hey, I'm back.

Nope, not X1 and X2. I know the ones you mean down on the Field level. I meant the Loge, and it was a low numbered section between 1-10, I think it was just a bit on the first base side of home plate. Definitely players/staff family seats, because I got them from clubhouse staff. We also got the ones on the field level, occasionally, but those were more for the "star" players.

And Richie13, I have been in that tunnel, but never threw from the mound. Have pics and everything! Sat at Davey's desk in 1986, but have not yet scanned those photos. I know, I know. I'll get to it!

[RichieA13]

(Courtesy of TV Squad.com)


GRANDERSON HAS STADIUM SECRETS TO SHARE
Posted Nov 20th 2009 1:04PM
by Allison Waldman

Lately, Detroit Tiger all-star outfielder Curtis Granderson has been in the news because he might be joining the New York Yankees. However, if Major League Baseball free agency doesn't make him a household name, television might. Granderson has an idea for a reality series that's being shopped around now and it's not like anything else other athletes have pitched.

Granderson's series is called Stadium Secrets and it will be like History Channel's Cities of the Underworld. In fact, it might be suited to the History Channel. Granderson would host the show and lead viewers into the inner recesses and hidden passages of famous stadia around the world -- although it'll probably start with American locations.

Think about going into the back doors at Wrigley Field or under the stands at Fenway Park. Even a tour of the newer places like the Dallas Cowboy monolith or the new Yankee Stadium would be fascinating. I like this idea. It's not Terrell Owens' ridiculous VH1 series, The T.O. Show, nor is it the bizarre Keyshawn Johnson decorating show on A&E, Tackling Design.

Granderson has legit producers working with him, the same company that does Ace of Cakes and Flipping Out, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this on the air in 2010.

[peterrod16]

1982 Opening day at shea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLekUOdarU
three things notice the driver paying a dollar for the toll.
Second the small size of the ticket booth
Lastly fans sneaking in to shea stadium.
the quality is ok.
Enjoy