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Does it get any better than this, Metsies? 
(emphasis added below, in bold)
Flanked by former Mets greats Gary Carter
and Darryl Strawberry, Matt Hoey shows
the tickets he bought as the first fan in
line. (Bryan Hoch/MLB.com)
'86 Mets at Shea for '05 ticket sale
Strawberry, Carter among former stars on hand
By Bryan Hoch / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- All these years later, Shea Stadium still feels like home for Darryl Strawberry.
The last time Mets fans laid out their best welcome mat for the tall, sweet-swinging outfielder, it was 15 summers ago and the Mets were the toast of the city, ranking as one of baseball's most dominant franchises.
With howling, finger-numbing winds whistling through the ballpark's concrete walls, fans waiting for the first Mets tickets of the 2005 season to go on sale certainly weren't going to mistake this morning for a sunny summer afternoon.
Still, if you closed your eyes, it sounded like 1986 again.
"Dar-ryl! Dar-ryl! Dar-ryl!" the chants went.
Peeking out from underneath a blue knit cap, perhaps the most recognizable player in the club's 43-year history had no words to offer. He only needed to flash that camera-friendly grin, making the shutterbugs clamor like he always did.
Strawberry was back at Shea on Sunday, along with 1986 World Series championship teammates Gary Carter, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Howard Johnson and Tim Teufel, greeting thousands of shivering fans who braved chilly temperatures to stake their claim for what could be the Mets' next great season.
A record total of over 130,000 tickets were sold at Shea Stadium and on the Internet at MLB.com, with more distributed at the Mets' clubhouse shops and Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie. The Mets did not expect to have a final total until Monday, but most marquee games were expected to be sold out by mid-afternoon.
Strawberry, wearing a Mets logo for the first time since leaving the club as a free agent after the 1990 season, compared the energy to the last time he was here.
"It feels so good to be back," Strawberry said. "We accomplished so much here. We established ourselves in the '80s as one of the real dynasties in baseball. I have a lot of good memories here, and [the fan reaction] kind of reminds me what it was like when we took the field. It's unbelievable."
"I think the fans missed him," Darling said. "You can tell by the reactions to him outside. Look at him. He looks like he can still play."
The appearance marks the beginning of Strawberry's reunion with the Mets organization, following stints as an employee of the Yankees and with a Florida-based church group. Next weekend, Strawberry will report to the Mets' Spring Training headquarters in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to help guide New York's outfielders as a guest instructor.
"We were winners," Strawberry said. "They're trying to take that for the younger guys in this generation of winning. Of course, it's not going to be easy, but I think [general manager] Omar Minaya has done a wonderful job putting a team on the field that can compete."
"I think [Strawberry's return] is long overdue," said Johnson, now a hitting coach at Triple-A Norfolk. "These players have a lot to offer the organization, to have people who have experienced the culture of the Mets' good days. People identify the Mets with those players."
Johnson, like most of the '86 players at Shea, still finds it hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since the Mets took a ticker-tape ride down Broadway in front of more than two million fans.
"We're like a big family," Johnson said. "We crack each other up. We went through wars together. I love getting together with them, it's always a good time."
The group reminisced about those glory days once more as they rode out to Shea from a Manhattan hotel. They were stunned to see a line of huddled, energetic fans ringing all the way out beyond center field when they reached the old stomping grounds.
"Look at all these fans camped out in the bitter cold," Carter said. "What a tribute to them. Hopefully, this team will get back to the playoffs and return the favor."
More than one Mets employee remarked that this assemblage of fans was the largest the team has seen in years on the first day of ticket sales at Shea.
The first fan, 29-year-old Matt Hoey of Newburgh, N.Y., secured his place in line at 5 a.m. ET on Thursday and couldn't wait to complete his $400 transaction. With new stars like Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez joining the team, there was no way Huey was going to miss the home opener.
"I had to get here early," Hoey said. "I don't ever want to be shut out of my own stadium. Some years it's cold, some years it's warm. You get used to it."
After scoring his ducats, Hoey was given the opportunity to pose for photos with '86 Mets players, but there was never any question about his priorities. Johnson attempted to greet Hoey just as the ticket windows were opening, forcing Hoey to quickly dart away from HoJo and turn his attention to the ticket agent.
"I got dumped," Johnson laughed.
Back inside Shea, as credit card machines buzzed off the hook, Darling warmed his icy hands over a radiator and marveled at the devotion Mets fans have always shown their team.
"I was out there for a couple of minutes, and I'm freezing," Darling said. "You have to give them unbelievable credit for that. There's a real buzz out there. They're really, really excited for this upcoming season. I'm sure this team will deliver."
Bryan Hoch is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
(emphasis added below, in bold)Flanked by former Mets greats Gary Carter
and Darryl Strawberry, Matt Hoey shows
the tickets he bought as the first fan in
line. (Bryan Hoch/MLB.com)
'86 Mets at Shea for '05 ticket sale
Strawberry, Carter among former stars on hand
By Bryan Hoch / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- All these years later, Shea Stadium still feels like home for Darryl Strawberry.
The last time Mets fans laid out their best welcome mat for the tall, sweet-swinging outfielder, it was 15 summers ago and the Mets were the toast of the city, ranking as one of baseball's most dominant franchises.
With howling, finger-numbing winds whistling through the ballpark's concrete walls, fans waiting for the first Mets tickets of the 2005 season to go on sale certainly weren't going to mistake this morning for a sunny summer afternoon.
Still, if you closed your eyes, it sounded like 1986 again.
"Dar-ryl! Dar-ryl! Dar-ryl!" the chants went.
Peeking out from underneath a blue knit cap, perhaps the most recognizable player in the club's 43-year history had no words to offer. He only needed to flash that camera-friendly grin, making the shutterbugs clamor like he always did.
Strawberry was back at Shea on Sunday, along with 1986 World Series championship teammates Gary Carter, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Howard Johnson and Tim Teufel, greeting thousands of shivering fans who braved chilly temperatures to stake their claim for what could be the Mets' next great season.
A record total of over 130,000 tickets were sold at Shea Stadium and on the Internet at MLB.com, with more distributed at the Mets' clubhouse shops and Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie. The Mets did not expect to have a final total until Monday, but most marquee games were expected to be sold out by mid-afternoon.
Strawberry, wearing a Mets logo for the first time since leaving the club as a free agent after the 1990 season, compared the energy to the last time he was here.
"It feels so good to be back," Strawberry said. "We accomplished so much here. We established ourselves in the '80s as one of the real dynasties in baseball. I have a lot of good memories here, and [the fan reaction] kind of reminds me what it was like when we took the field. It's unbelievable."
"I think the fans missed him," Darling said. "You can tell by the reactions to him outside. Look at him. He looks like he can still play."
The appearance marks the beginning of Strawberry's reunion with the Mets organization, following stints as an employee of the Yankees and with a Florida-based church group. Next weekend, Strawberry will report to the Mets' Spring Training headquarters in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to help guide New York's outfielders as a guest instructor.
"We were winners," Strawberry said. "They're trying to take that for the younger guys in this generation of winning. Of course, it's not going to be easy, but I think [general manager] Omar Minaya has done a wonderful job putting a team on the field that can compete."
"I think [Strawberry's return] is long overdue," said Johnson, now a hitting coach at Triple-A Norfolk. "These players have a lot to offer the organization, to have people who have experienced the culture of the Mets' good days. People identify the Mets with those players."
Johnson, like most of the '86 players at Shea, still finds it hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since the Mets took a ticker-tape ride down Broadway in front of more than two million fans.
"We're like a big family," Johnson said. "We crack each other up. We went through wars together. I love getting together with them, it's always a good time."
The group reminisced about those glory days once more as they rode out to Shea from a Manhattan hotel. They were stunned to see a line of huddled, energetic fans ringing all the way out beyond center field when they reached the old stomping grounds.
"Look at all these fans camped out in the bitter cold," Carter said. "What a tribute to them. Hopefully, this team will get back to the playoffs and return the favor."
More than one Mets employee remarked that this assemblage of fans was the largest the team has seen in years on the first day of ticket sales at Shea.
The first fan, 29-year-old Matt Hoey of Newburgh, N.Y., secured his place in line at 5 a.m. ET on Thursday and couldn't wait to complete his $400 transaction. With new stars like Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez joining the team, there was no way Huey was going to miss the home opener.
"I had to get here early," Hoey said. "I don't ever want to be shut out of my own stadium. Some years it's cold, some years it's warm. You get used to it."
After scoring his ducats, Hoey was given the opportunity to pose for photos with '86 Mets players, but there was never any question about his priorities. Johnson attempted to greet Hoey just as the ticket windows were opening, forcing Hoey to quickly dart away from HoJo and turn his attention to the ticket agent.
"I got dumped," Johnson laughed.
Back inside Shea, as credit card machines buzzed off the hook, Darling warmed his icy hands over a radiator and marveled at the devotion Mets fans have always shown their team.
"I was out there for a couple of minutes, and I'm freezing," Darling said. "You have to give them unbelievable credit for that. There's a real buzz out there. They're really, really excited for this upcoming season. I'm sure this team will deliver."
Bryan Hoch is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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