NEW YORK | NY Mets: CITIFIELD - Page 7

ThisSideofSteinway · #**121** Posted **Oct 18, 2008, 10:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orion1

I am not a Mets fan by any stretch of the imagination, please don't go there with me, but I have been wondering why is it that when baseball wanted to return a national league franchise to the NY area, why was Queens chosen over Brooklyn? Seems with it's history, Brooklyn would have been an obvious choice. I've felt that the powers that be wanted all teams to be called "The New York....something." "Brooklyn" sounds too independent.
Just a thought.

Robert Moses.

He really wanted to build a stadium for anybody at the north end of Flushing Meadows (what he hoped to be his magnum opus) and the opportunity to get the Mets just happened to come along, thanks to Bill Shea (hence the name). And of course, at that point Moses always got what he wanted... unless he was going up against Jane Jacobs.

Fusey · #**122** Posted **Oct 18, 2008, 4:05 PM**

The Mets were my grandpa's team, and I followed them for years (I became more of a Padres fan after living in SD in 2003). I have a ton of great memories of Shea; my first MLB game was watching the Mets in the summer of 1986. But like hymalaia said, it's time to move on. Personally, I can't wait to catch a game at Citi Field this summer.

John F · #**123** Posted **Oct 24, 2008, 2:38 PM**

Video of the Shea Stadium scoreboard (once the largest in MLB) coming down:

• Video Link

NYC4Life · #**124** Posted **Nov 27, 2008, 7:56 PM**

Citi criticized for $400 million stadium sponsorship

Nick Cargo and David Edwards
Published: Tuesday November 25, 2008

As worldwide banking conglomerate Citigroup accepts a $306 billion government aid package and prepares to lay off 52,000 workers, it won't be trimming back a $400 million stadium deal. Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) appeared on CNN Tuesday morning to declare that industry executives need to realize their place as they show up in Washington to beg for taxpayer money.

"Citi remains committed to its relationship with the New York Mets," the conglomerate's Vice President of Public Affairs, Luis Rosero, said in a Monday statement. "The sponsorship of Citi Field is an important marketing priority for the company."

"We've got Citigroup coming to the Congress, cashmere hat in hand, begging for money to stay afloat. They got $25 billion a few months ago, [they're] now getting another $20 billion and all kinds of other sweeteners," said Cummings, senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Tuesday. "They come to us saying, 'Look, Congress. We're on a respirator. We're about to die,' but...they're adamant about holding on to a deal whereby they can plaster their name on the front of a stadium in New York...I have a problem with that, and my constituents do too."

Citigroup, Rep. Cummings said, did "very well" for many years without help from stadium naming rights. "Suddenly now they need it? Come on, give me a break.

"And I think the American people are saying 'give me a break.' There's another piece of this that I'm very concerned about, and that is that the...companies lining up, wanting to get government money, while my constituents are losing their jobs, losing their homes, going through difficult times not knowing how they're going to make it, but...still, they see their tax dollars being used for things like this."

Citigroup, Cummings added, is hesitating to follow through on earlier promises to help prevent customers' foreclosures as part of the deal. "They need to understand that this is a new day," he said. "They've got a new owner: the United States government and the citizens of this country."

Video of the interview, broadcast on CNN's American Morning on November 25, 2008, is available to view here.

antinimby · #**125** Posted **Dec 6, 2008, 11:49 AM**

NY Times

NYguy · #**126** Posted **Feb 1, 2009, 2:10 PM**

Although I didn't really like Shea, there's something oddly horrible, yet fascinating about these photos, lol...

From kickmatic23

WOW. I guess when you're done, you're done. Especially in New York.
Of course, Yankee Stadium will be taken down much more gracefully...

Dac150 · #**127** Posted **Feb 3, 2009, 12:54 AM**

Aren't only the upper decks of Yankee Stadium being torn down. As for Shea, wow. They really didn't wait did they...

NYguy · #**128** Posted **Feb 3, 2009, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dac150

Aren't only the upper decks of Yankee Stadium being torn down. As for Shea, wow. They really didn't wait did they...

All of Yankee Stadium will be taken down. Trees will mark the footprint, ringing 3 new fields.

NYC2ATX · #**129** Posted **Feb 6, 2009, 9:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy

THAT is incredible. It really is a new era. Can't wait to see similar pics of the new Yankee Stadium!

Orion1 · #**130** Posted **Feb 8, 2009, 8:49 AM**

Nothing in the budget for a weedwacker?

John F · #**131** Posted **Feb 9, 2009, 5:59 PM**

The Shea stadium demo pics (I've been followign that on Stadiumpage.com) are painful to look at for me. Yeah, Shea wasn't anything special with regards to design (it was part of the disgusting cookie cutter er(ror)a of MLB but still... It had a ton of memories for me and history.

That being said, The more I see CitiField, the more impressed I am with it. My biggest question is, will the enclosed design of the stadium increase airplane noise (due to acoustics)?

skyscraper · #**132** Posted **Feb 9, 2009, 9:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy

Although I didn't really like Shea, there's something oddly horrible, yet fascinating about these photos, lol...

From kickmatic23

best shea has ever looked.

UrbanSoldier · #**133** Posted **Feb 9, 2009, 11:18 PM**

LOL!

Locofresh55 · #**134** Posted **Feb 10, 2009, 12:32 AM**

I'm glad Shea is gone.....I mean you really need to yodel when you reach the upper deck b/c that shyt was just too dang steep. Yankee stadium wasn't much better. CitiField is nice and New yankee stadium is going to be phenomenal. Let's face it people.....stadiums built in the 60's, 70's and even early 80s need to go. It's not all about the cookie cutter domes/stadiums anymore....good riddance.

John F · #**135** Posted **Feb 14, 2009, 8:36 PM**

They've erected a giant Pepsi Cola sign beyond right field. And I saw a photo on stadiumpage.com that will make Met fans either grin or grimace: The giant top hat and apple that popped up after a Home Run at Shea?
I think it's going in dead center :p

NYguy · #**136** Posted **Feb 16, 2009, 3:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

They've erected a giant Pepsi Cola sign beyond right field. And I saw a photo on stadiumpage.com that will make Met fans either grin or grimace: The giant top hat and apple that popped up after a Home Run at Shea?
I think it's going in dead center :p

Yeah, I saw that on the news. The new apple will be about twice the size of that one.

John F · #**137** Posted **Feb 16, 2009, 4:50 PM**

Shea should be gone by the time full roster reports to St. Lucie. At least that's what I take form the current Demo photos on Stadiumpage

NYguy · #**138** Posted **Feb 18, 2009, 1:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Shea should be gone by the time full roster reports to St. Lucie. At least that's what I take form the current Demo photos on Stadiumpage

From what I saw on tv, I don't think there's anything left.

Nei!l · #**139** Posted **Feb 18, 2009, 3:56 AM**

Two days ago there was only a small segment of wall which has probably been torn down by now.

NYguy · #**140** Posted **Feb 19, 2009, 5:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nei!l

Two days ago there was only a small segment of wall which has probably been torn down by now.

That final, small segment came down today. Shea is officially no more. And may it rest in peace. It was an important link in the city's baseball history, bringing National League baseball back into the city after it had been abandoned by the Dodgers and the Giants (may they rot in hell). The Mets played a year or two at the PoloGrounds, but it was only when Shea opened that it became official.