Shea Stadium

William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium, is an American baseball stadium in Flushing, New York.(note) It is the longtime home of the New York Mets Major League Baseball club, and one of the oldest ballparks in the National League. The stadium is slated to be replaced by Citi Field, which is currently under construction, in 2009.

History and design

The New York Mets' inaugural season was played in the Polo Grounds, with original plans calling for them to move to a new stadium in 1963; however construction was delayed, and they played at the Polo Grounds a second season.

It was originally to be called "Flushing Meadows Stadium" – similar to the name of the public park south of Shea – but a movement was launched to name it in honor of William A. Shea, the man who brought National League baseball back to New York. (Earlier, New York City official Robert Moses tried to interest Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley in this site as the location for a new Dodger stadium, but O'Malley refused, claiming that if the Dodgers played anywhere but Brooklyn, they would cease to be the Brooklyn Dodgers.) After 29 months and $28.5 million, Shea Stadium opened on April 17, 1964.

Shea is a circular stadium, with the grandstand forming a perfect circle around the field and ending a short distance beyond the foul lines. The remainder of the perimeter is mostly empty space beyond the outfield fences. This space is occupied by the bullpens, scoreboards, and a section of bleachers beyond the left field fence. Shea can be converted into a football stadium using two motor-operated stands that move on underground tracks. This has not been done since the New York Jets football team moved to Giants Stadium in 1984. After the Jets left, Shea Stadium's exterior was painted blue, and neon signs of baseball player silhouettes were added.

The original plan called for the stadium to be expanded by extending the grandstand and then building a dome over the stadium. This idea was dropped after studies concluded that the stadium's structure would be unable to support the weight of the dome. The stadium would seat around 90,000 if it were completely enclosed.

The stadium is one of the loudest in the Major Leagues, thanks to the airliners that fly overhead on approach to and departure from nearby LaGuardia Airport.

Home of the New York Mets

Shea has been the home of the Mets since its opening in 1964 and hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game that same year. The New York Yankees played their home games in Shea Stadium during the 1974 and 1975 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being renovated. The Yankees also played one "home" game at Shea in 1998 after a beam collapsed at Yankee Stadium, destroying several rows of seats. Former Mets star Darryl Strawberry, then playing for the Yankees, hit a home run during the game.

Shea Stadium hosted postseason baseball games in 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000 and 2006; it hosted World Series games in 1969, 1973, 1986, and 2000. Lenny Dykstra, Todd Pratt, and Benny Agbayani have all had post-season, game-winning home runs at Shea.

For over 40 years, the Mets' theme song, "Meet the Mets", has been played at Shea before every home game.

As of June 10, 2005, the Mets have played more games at Shea Stadium than the Brooklyn Dodgers did at the legendary Ebbets Field.

National League Division Series at Shea Stadium

Three National League Division Series have been played at Shea Stadium.

* 1999 against the Arizona Diamondbacks+
* 2000 against the San Francisco Giants+
* 2006 against the Los Angeles Dodgers+

+The Mets have never lost a Division Series game at Shea Stadium.

National League Championship Series at Shea Stadium

Seven National League Championship Series have been played at Shea Stadium.

* 1969 against the Atlanta Braves
* 1973 against the Cincinnati Reds
* 1986 against the Houston Astros
* 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1999 against the Atlanta Braves
* 2000 against the Saint Louis Cardinals
* 2006 against the Saint Louis Cardinals

World Series at Shea Stadium

Four World Series have been played in Shea Stadium.

* 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles
* 1973 World Series against the Oakland Athletics
* 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Sox
* 2000 World Series against the New York Yankees

Non-baseball events

Football

The NFL's New York Jets played at Shea for twenty seasons, from 1964 to 1983. The stadium hosted three Jets playoff games: the American Football League Championship in 1968 (beat the Oakland Raiders, 27-23), an AFL Divisional Playoff in 1969 (lost 13-6 to the Kansas City Chiefs) and the 1981 AFC Wild Card Playoff game (lost 31-27 to the Buffalo Bills).

It was at Shea Stadium in 1973 that O.J. Simpson became the first running back to gain 2,000 yards in a single season (and, to date, the only player to do it in 14 games or less).

The NFL's New York Giants played their 1975 season at Shea while Giants Stadium was being built. The Giants were 5-9 that year. Their coach was Bill Arnsparger and their quarterback was Craig Morton.

The football field at Shea extended from around home plate all the way to the outfield. Bleachers filled left and right fields.

Soccer

The first soccer game held at Shea Stadium occurred during tournament play from the International Soccer League in 1965. New York United of the American Soccer League called Shea home in 1980. Recently , the Colombia national football team played a number of exhibition games at Shea.

In 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the Argentina national football team and the Peru national football team would play in New York City’s first (and subsequently last) “Fiesta Cup” soccer game to be held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. The Latin media in NYC asked the mayor why the game would not be held at Shea, since the majority of the fans attending the game would be coming form the neighborhoods of Astoria, Elmhurst, Corona, and Jackson Heights, all of which are served by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's #7 (Interborough Rapid Transit Company) line. The mayor replied that a scheduling conflict with both the Mets and Yankees existed, thus Giants Stadium was the only feasible option.

There have been recent talks about building a Soccer-specific stadium for an expansion Major League Soccer team next to Shea in Willets Point. Although neighboring Flushing Meadows Park is one of the biggest soccer hotbeds in the country, no concrete plans are currently in place.

Wrestling

Shea Stadium has also held several legendary professional wrestling events from the Worldwide Wrestling Federation. The first show took place on September 30, 1972, when Bruno Sammartino battled WWWF Champion Pedro Morales to a curfew draw. Sammartino would again headline a Shea Stadium show against Stan Hansen following an incident where Hansen broke Sammartino's neck. (the injury was legitimate, however the injury came off of a botched bodyslam and not Hansen's feared Lariat clothesline. The latter was the excuse given to put the lariat over as a dangerous finishing move)

The second Shea Stadium show saw Sammartino achieve a measure of revenge when he beat Hansen via countout on June 25, 1976 in front of a crowd of 42,000. The Shea Stadium crowd also treated to a match aired live from Japan featuring boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Japanese wrestling star Antonio Inoki. The match would later be considered by some as the first Mixed Martial Arts match to make it the mainstream and gain the sport much attention. The final Shea Stadium show took place on August 9, 1980, again headlined by Sammartino, as this time he wrestled former protege Larry Zbyszko in a steel cage at the "Showdown at Shea," drawing 40,671 fans. Sammartino won the contest, and the card featured an undercard match-up of two men who would later draw over 78,000 (announced as over 93,000) fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan for WrestleMania III, as Hulk Hogan beat (the previously undefeated) Andre the Giant.

Other events

One of the most significant concerts in music history occurred at Shea Stadium on Sunday, August 15, 1965, when The Beatles opened their 1965 North American tour at Shea Stadium to a record audience of 56,000. It was the first concert to be held at a major outdoor stadium and set records for attendance and revenue generation, demonstrating that outdoor concerts on a large scale could be successful and profitable. The stadium has hosted numerous concerts since. The most recent was a three-night engagement by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in early October 2003. Other acts that have headlined at Shea are the Police, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Grand Funk Railroad, The Who, and the Rolling Stones.

During his tour of America in October 1979, Pope John Paul II was also among those hosted by Shea Stadium, celebrating Mass at the stadium.

The Lawnmower Of Doom: On December 9, 1979 as part of the halftime show of the Jets-Patriots game, a model airplane group put on a remote control airplane display. The grand finale was a red 40-pound lawnmower that’s blade was used as a propeller and flew in the air. The lawnmower plane malfunctioned and plunged into the stands hitting John Bowen, from Nashua New Hampshire. He died six days later. On November 17, 1981 a $10 million damage suit was filed by the man’s father in the Federal District Court in Brooklyn. Named as defendants in the negligence suit were the New York Jets Football Club, the Radio Control Association of Greater New York, and the man who designed, built and furnished the model airplane.

Distinguishing characteristics

Because of the large plot of land it is situated on, Shea did not have to conform to the surrounding streets like its brother across town, Yankee Stadium, and has a very geometric shape. Unlike most stadiums, which keep the color of the building material, Shea is blue and white, two of the Mets' team colors. Square sections which hold the ramps from level to level pop out of the stadium's perimeter. Between some of these bays, huge neon lights form the figures of baseball players. In 2003, large murals celebrating the Mets' two world championships were put up, covering the two ends of the grandstand. They were removed after the 2006 season.

The apple, representing the City of New York, emerges from the Mets Magic Top Hat, a giant upside-down black top hat, and flashes whenever a Mets player hits a home run. Located beyond the center field wall, just to the right of the 410 foot mark, the hat features the words home run in big letters. Prior to 1984, the hat featured the words "Mets Magic" in honor of the slogan used in 1980 declaring that "The Magic Is Back."

The scoreboard is topped by the New York Skyline, a prominent part of the team logo. Since the September 11th Terrorist Attacks, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center have been kept unlit, a red, white, and blue ribbon placed over them.

Location and access

Located adjacent to the neighborhood of Corona in the New York City Borough of Queens, Shea Stadium is given a Flushing mailing address with a Corona ZIP Code.

Shea Stadium can be reached via mass transit systems such as the New York City Subway using the 7 train, at the Willets Point-Shea Stadium station and the Long Island Rail Road at the Shea Stadium station, in addition to several highways including the Grand Central Parkway, the Long Island Expressway, and Northern Boulevard.

It is adjacent to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the annual US Open grand-slam tennis tournament is held.

Shea Stadium Online