Shea, Hey! Never Can Say Goodbye

“Shea was modern when it opened. I was in architecture school at the time, and I thought this was a harbinger of the future. For New Yorkers used to ballparks where you couldn’t see the whole field, with their obstructed views, this was a revelation. People marveled at it.”—Architecture critic John Pastier, quoted in Richard Sandomir, “Stadium’s Appeal Lay in Futuristic Functionality,” The New York Times, September 28, 2008

“I had a lot of trouble in Shea at first. I was used to the lower stands in the minor leagues and had trouble seeing the ball here. But Eddie Yost took a fungo bat and hit the ball at me from 150 feet, and I finally figured out some things.” Former Met outfielder (and 1969 World Series hero) Ron Swoboda, quoted in George Vecsey, “Sliding Catch in ’69 Series Left Swoboda’s Mark on Shea,” The New York Times, September 28, 2008

(One of my readers has reminded me of what I’d temporarily forgotten in the crush of events, not to mention posts: my intention to pay tribute not just to Yankee Stadium, but Shea. Longtime readers know of my astonishment at how Yankee Stadium was built, including such golden moments as Babe Ruth’s last appearance at the stadium whose future he so heavily influenced. Yet I have also noted the boosterism that brought National League baseball back to New York after the departures of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants.

To Shea fans sorrowing over the way the team lost its chance at the postseason, take it from a fan who knows: baseball isn’t baseball if it doesn’t break your heart every once in awhile. Your team will be back, I’m sure—even if it’s at Citi Field instead of the stadium you came to love.)