August 7, 2008 (New York)

Taking the day off work, I took a trip to New York to see Shea Stadium, also in its final season.

Shea Stadium was the place where I would watch my first baseball game on TV in 1989, and being from a NL city, I often associated New York with the Mets more than the Yankees, until interleague play came around.

I arrive at Shea Stadium, deciding to ride LIRR instead of the 7 train, hoping to get enough time to tour around the stadium before game time. It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, as there just doesn't seem to be much around the place.

This place is pretty colorful, for a cookie-cutter stadium, one of the last in the majors. The Mets new home, Citi Field, can be seen. The Home Run Apple pops up whenever the Mets hit a home run, and I would see it happen 1 time. There are banners of great Mets players throughout the concourse, but this place reminded me very much of Veterans Stadium.

It was Sesame Street Day at Shea Stadium, and a lot of kids were at the game. I sat the upper deck among them, and at times, they would obstruct my view, as it's obivous they were not interested in the game. There was Ernie, but no Bert, waving to the kids, as he came out of the Mets dugout.

In the middle of the game, I would move to the mezzanine section, to meet up with a travel buddy, Jeremy, who was also on a baseball quest to see all 30. Unfortunately, he sat in a horrible section, where the overhang would obstruct our view of the field. It would be hard for us to see where the ball was hit, and any to the left field would be impossible to see. It was actually better in the upper deck. But it was great to meet with another person, who also has the same goal, so not a total loss.

The New York Mets played the San Diego Padres, and Johan Santana was the Mets starter. He pitched a great game, getting 7 strikeouts before running into trouble in the 8th inning. The Mets were leading 3-1 at the time. Santana was taken out, and the bullpen could not hold the lead, as the Padres came back to tie the game in the 9th inning.

I never sat through an extra inning game, and it wasn't about to start on this day, as David Wright hit a walkoff 2-run homer, and the Mets win the game, 5-3. The Phillies played also played a day game against the Marlins, and the Phils lost. Not a good day for this Phillies fan.

After the game, I took the 7 train back to Penn Station, then returned to Philly.