I think I posted this once before, but it’s very cool and  a reader named Green Destiny mentioned it in the comments yesterday.  Keep your eyes peeled on 2:55, 3:00 and 3:06 and you’ll see the video screen in action!  (Make it full screen using standard youtube technology).
The 2010 Mets Police Guide to being cheap about parking near Citi Field
I’m cheap. Â I park in Corona. Â It’s not scary and it’s not far.
Park somewhere in the one-teens as close to 34th avenue as you can. Â This shot is from 114th street between 34th and Northern. Â Remember, the far side of Citi Field is 126th, so at the worst you’re walking 12 blocks and it’s more like nine.
At the end of 34th avenue look for this walkway. Â The people on the opposite side are waiting for highway-speed traffic to clear. Â You do have to hustle across an entrance ramp to the Grand Central. Â It’s not that scary.
Now that you’ve dashed across, you will find yourself on this walkway along the Whitestone Expressway. Â It’s loud, but that’s a nice high barrier so you are in no likely danger of being hit by a car.
To your right you can enjoy the beautiful wildflowers of Queens.
Keep walking, keep walking.
Keep walking, keep walking.
You can look down at the Grand Central Parkway.
From here you can follow your eyes.
The walkway ends and you will have to cross across an exit ramp (from the GCP to the Whitestone). Â On the other side is the Citi Field parking lot. Â The NYPD is often stationed at this point and will hold up traffic for you, otherwise you’ll have to play Freeway against highway speed traffic. Â Not so bad.
Now that you’ve made it safely walk down this sidewalk. Â Again, you can see Citi Field so it’s not like you’ll get lost.
Parking has gone up by a dollar since I took this photo, but take a minute to laugh about the people who paid $19 while you got 7 blocks worth of exercise.
This is what their $18 got them in 2009. Â After the game you’ll be over by the highway entrances and they’ll be fighting 20,000 other people to get out of the lot.
And you’ve made it to The Street That I Think Needs A Cool Name.
If you can’t make it from here you need greater help than I can provide.
As always I encourage you to financially support the Mets and their sponsors, so why not take the $19 you have saved and buy a ticket to another game, or buy a blue Mets cap!
If this is your first time visiting Mets Police (thanks to Metsblog’s link!) you may find it easier to get a free daily email, that way you don’t have to remember to come back and visit.
If the incorrect Citi Field fanbrick hasn’t been destroyed…put it in the museum!
There has been a lot of talk about the now-removed incorrect 1986 Game 7 fanbrick and I am hoping that it hasn’t been destroyed.
Part of being a Mets fan is enjoying the history. Â We’re a blue (and orange) collar mentality even if we’ve put on a tie and make the big bucks. Â Not everything breaks our way, but sometimes it does (a little roller up along first).
If the incorrect brick still exists I say KEEP IT.
Let it become a quirky piece of Mets history. Â Here’s what I would do:
Friday July 9th, Atlanta is in town and there are presently no giveaways scheduled.
The pitching coach of the Braves is a fellow named Roger McDowell, the winning pitcher of Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.
Invite Sid Fernandez to the game.
Bring a mule to the game.
Have a fun ceremony before the game. Â Have Howie Rose emcee. Â Talk about Mets history and show some fun clips. Â There’s a way to do it without piling on or being negative. Â Silly stuff happens to all of us. Â You can “make fun of” the grand slam single for example. Â Bring out a new version of Mettle the Mule (is original Mettle still alive?).
Bring the fanbrick out, introduce McDowell and Fernandez, talk about the mistake and let us cheer for Sid and Roger! Â It’s not like we’re going to boo the guy who kept us in the game or the winning pitcher.
Then put the brick in the museum in an “oops” section along with photos of Mettle and the grand slam single and whatever else we all come up with.
As the years go by the incorrect fanbrick will become a curiosity and something to go see, and something to show your kids….and that will start a conversation about the 1986 Mets, team history, who really won the game…and suddenly a mistake (again quickly corrected) becomes COOL.
Another picture of the Shea Stadium scoreboard in 1965
Yesterday in the comments we were discussing the Shea Stadium scoreboard in 1965, and those of us who weren’t around yet are fascinated by the “video screen” that was atop the scoreboard.
Jesse sent this picture over, that’s a band called The Beatles who were quite popular in the 1960s. Â You may have heard of their bass player Paul McCartney, who played a concert at Citi Field in 2009. Â Anyways, check out the scoreboard – the screen is where the Mets logo is.
Have the 1973 Mets lost their prestige in Mets history?
Mike asks:
hey shannon..just a thought. why is there almost never any mention of the great 1973 season the mets had?? heck, they were one game away from beating big bad oakland..this was my era as i grew up in the late ’60s, early ’70s and basically lived at shea during this time. we had some great players on the team and of course the best pitching rotation in baseball. we beat the big red machine who were many times better then us (on paper).
i mean the mets honor nl east championship teams more then they do the 1973 mets. any thoughts from you would be great. thanks for listening.
Two words: wild cards.
I got into this team in the late 1970’s. Â All we had was 1969 and 1973. Â ’73 was almost on par with ’69. Â It was almost as if the Mets won in 1973. Â You often heard the names of Tug McGraw, Willie Mays and Yogi Berra.
Even after 1986 came along, ’73 stuck around. Â As fans we celebrated our three great teams. Â The details of the ’73 World Series loss got fuzzy and the focus became Tug. Â I know I would be hard-pressed to press a quiz on that series.
Time went on. Â 1988 happened – the Mets were surely on their way to another World Series until Mike Scoiscia and the Dodgers ruined that. Â The 1988 Mets have largely been forgotten, and after a half century of baseball they are just another division winner.
Another decade – and some wild cards. Â The ’73 team sort of got folded into the ’69 team. Â If you were going to honor Seaver, Koosman, or Harrelson – why not pick ’69.
If you’re over 45 you have ’69. Â If you are 40ish like me you have ’86 and the youngsters have ’00 to be their ’73 and 2006 as a recent semi-success.
That’s my guess…73 is now a subset of 69, and ’00 has taken it’s place.
In the past this is where I would have gone on and on about the lack of Mets history, but the Mets have made great strides by adding the historical bricks, and opening the Hall of Fame museum (although there is no news on that which makes me wonder if it is ready yet.)
What does everyone else think about Mike’s question?
