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March 27, 2013March 27, 2013

Mike V’s Countdown To Mets Opening Day – Video of 2008 Opening Day

Five Days Until Opening Day!

For today’s flashback, I have something a little different. I already wrote a flashback post of memories of 2008 – the last Opening Day at Shea Stadium – but today I’ve uploaded a video from that date.

I took the 7 train to the game, and so you’ll see Shea Stadium show up between the treetops. Getting off the old platform, we get a look at the under-construction Citi Field and a sense of the atmosphere around Shea. We take a look inside the dark corridors of Shea (no Shake Shake there), and then a vision any of us can recall: emerging from the dark corridors to see the bright green landscaped grass of Shea Stadium. I recorded the Opening Introductions (including a loud ovation for new Met Johan Santana), and finally a little bit of some game action. Remember what “Lets Go Mets” sounded like at Shea?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2EWkUSQCh0?list=UUOQuTSZOL07O9JSLo2IrucQ&w=560&h=315]

I have a friend with whom I’d been going to Mets Opening Day for I don’t even know how many years. This year he called it quits on the streak. I didn’t really try to twist his arm – I hoped he would go, but he just said he doesn’t feel connected to this Mets team, he doesn’t like ownership, and he still misses Shea. Watching this video does make me nostalgic, but really it makes me nostalgic for my younger days. By the time 2008 rolled around, Shea Stadium was past its days. There really is no denying it; I just wish the architects of Citi Field had remembered they were building a baseball stadium, and not a food court with a ballfield attached.

March 26, 2013March 25, 2013

Mike V’s Countdown to Mets Opening Day – 2009 Flashback

Six Days Until Opening Day!

Today’s Flashback – 2009 (First Opening Day at Citi Field)

Monday, April 13, 2009 vs San Diego Padres (Game 7 of regular season)

Loss, by score of 6-5, to go 3-4 on the season

41,007 fans were on hand to see the Mets open up their brand new ballpark on Opening Night. Tom Seaver threw out the first pitch to Mike Piazza, the most enormous American flag I’ve ever seen was displayed in the outfield grass, and Padres outfielder Jody Gerut led off the game with a homerun off Mike Pelfrey, becoming the first player to lead off a game with a homer in the first game at a new stadium. David Wright did hit a 3-run bomb to centerfield, but Ryan Church misplayed a flyball and Jose Reyes goofed on the basepaths on the way to a sloppy 6-5 loss.

At transplantedmetsfan.com, I wrote that being at CitiField for the first time “was really cool, yet very very surreal,” although Aramark managed to make me mental with their ineptitude on Opening Night. I had a paper printout instead of an actual ticket stub to prove I was there, but apropos the Mets gave out commemorative ticket stubs to fans who were there.

Six years later CitiField does feel like home, and (along with time) I believe R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana deserve most of the credit for that. R.A. and Johan gave Mets fans indelible memories to associate with Citi Field, so even though David Wright is the captain, and these two pitchers won’t be with the team to start the 2013 campaign, in my opinion CitiField is the house that they built.

photos after the jump

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March 25, 2013March 24, 2013

Mike V’s Countdown to Mets Opening Day – 2003 Flashback

One Week Until Opening Day!

Today’s flashback… Monday, March 31st, 3003 vs. Chicago Cubs

Loss, by score of 15-2, to go 0-1 on the season.

2003 was supposed to be a new beginning for the Mets. New ace pitcher Tom Glavine had been lured away from the Braves; new manager Art Howe lit up the room in his interview with the Wilpons; Cliff Floyd had been signed; David Cone was back; Tsuyoshi Shinjo was here with all his flair, and 53,586 showed up at Shea to turn the page on 2002.

The Kahn’s Magnetic schedule given out on Opening Day featured the very generic slogan, “Experience it!,” and told us about the promotions planned for the year. On Saturday June 7th the Mets would hand out Russian Tea Dolls presented by Toyota, and on Sunday September 21st they’d give us an Etch-A-Sketch, courtesy of Tropicana. On Saturday July 12th they would hand out Wiffle balls and bats to the kids, courtesy of Fox Sports Net, while their counterpart MSG would sponsor Mets cap day on April 26th. Those paying attention will also notice the calendar dates featuring home games had different colors for the first time. While in 2002, all the home games were orange, as an example, in 2003 they were orange, yellow (sorry, ‘gold’), silver or bronze. That’s because in 2002 the Mets decided that not all games were created equal and they should change higher amounts for more attractive dates. On Opening Day, a “gold” date, it cost $16 to sit in the Mezzanine, Section 3 (right behind home plate).

Tom Glavine was on the hill on an absolutely freezing March afternoon to make his Mets debut and came up flat. Glavine walked Mark Grudzielanek to leadoff the game and promptly gave up four runs in the first inning. He would give up five runs in total, lasting just 3 2/3 innings before handing it off to the bullpen. Mike Bacsik imploded, giving up 9 earned runs in two innings of work. The 15 runs scored would be the most runs scored against them during an Opening Day, and the Mets managed just two runs in the 15-2 loss.

The 2003 Mets would finish in last place, losing 95 games, and Tom Glavine pitched to a record of 9-14.