Mike V’s Countdown to Mets Opening Day – 2007 Flashback

Eight Weeks Until Opening Day!

This week’s flashback: Opening Day 2007

(Home Opener) Game 7 of Regular Season

Monday, April 9th vs. Phillies

Opening Day starter: John Maine

Win, 11-5  NY Times Game Recap

Ah, has there been a happier opening day in recent memory than 2007?  The Mets were raising their 2006  National League Division Series Championship banner, and with the belief that greater things were due to come. The new ballpark was being built beyond the outfield wall, with promises of improved sightlines.

My friends and I happily committed $25.00 for our Upper Deck Opening Day tickets, as part of our 7 Pack commitment, even though I was still living in North Carolina at the time. The slogan said it all: “Your Season Has Come”. Keith Hernandez threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Yes, Pedro Martinez was on the disabled list, and we had lost out in the bidding for free agent pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and  Barry Zito in the offseason, and had said goodbye to 2006 Mets Chad Bradford, Roberto Hernández, Darren Oliver and Heath Bell.  But we came into the game in first place, with a 4-2 record, and left the park with an 11-5 win over Jimmy Rollins and “the team to beat” Phillies thanks to three hits from Carlos Delgado and a seven-run eight inning. We even got to taunt Jimmy Rollins into bobbling a ball at shortstop during a big play.  A good time was had by all 56,277 in attendance*

I won’t go into what happened the last two months of the 2007 season, I will just leave this post with this image of the orange magnetic schedule we got on the way in.  Not much in the way of the design: rectangle, orange, Delta logo.

Photos of Shea Stadium in her Opening Day glory are after the jump.

Boy, rather astonishing that the Mets had the gall to charge $25 for Opening Day tickets after winning the NL East?

*official attendance – I didn’t take a poll to confirm the good time.