The Quadrangle

Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Sports

Goodbye Shea. Goodbye N.L. East. Goodbye N.L. Wild Card. Goodbye playoffs. Goodbye redemption. This was supposed to be a synopsis about the last weekend at Shea; however it became an obituary.

I was going to talk about the atmosphere of Shea in its final moments, but following their Sunday loss I do not have the ability to that. The Mets killed Shea Stadium Sunday, and with it my story.

Following Sunday's game were the closing ceremonies but no one could possibly enjoy them. Although the Yankees knew the playoffs were out of reach, properly and with great sensation, they won their final game prior to saying goodbye to their stadium. Conversely, the New York Metropolitans ruined it for those fans that came out to enjoy the final days of Shea.

Shea will not be remembered for its 44 year history and its many remarkable moments, it will be remembered for its final two years and the despicable way the Mets sent the romantic field to rest.

The big red apple in center field rose just once on Sunday, and Shea's final weekend had only one real game that captured the feeling that Shea Stadium was known for. On Saturday, Johan Santana, the $23 million 2008 New York Met, showed Mets fans true emotion and grit that encapsulated the Stadium and made it a place to fall in love with.

Shea Stadium must be judged like a book. Although time has taken its toll on the 44 year old stadium, those loyal know and love Shea not for its beauty and amenities, but for the way in which emotions and energy were always shared throughout, and how its past resonated to any one who visited.

Shea, like the Mets are always held to a standard and compared to the other team in town. Shea did not have the history that Yankee Stadium had, and therefore could not have the same send-off that the Yankees gave to their Stadium; a stadium 40 years Shea's elder.

However, Shea deserves a proper goodbye for the memories which will live-on through those who have been there and felt its vigor. Yes, two World Series were won there. Yes, The Beatles, The Clash, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and others performed there, and became famous by selling-out Shea Stadium. Yes a Pope visited. Yes, it was the home of the NY Jets, and briefly the NY Yankees. But, for those loyal fans who have ridden the rollercoaster of the New York Mets, Shea will always hold a certain sentiment of highs and lows. The cheering and the crying, the clapping and the booing, the celebrations and the heartbreaks.

Shea, the home of the Mets, is bleeding with broken hearts. The Mets have yet again collapsed. Shea will be torn apart, just as the faithful fans hearts have been.

Hope is gone and the New York Mets are evidence that no amount of optimism and fan support can help a team without a heart of its own. I fell in love with Shea Stadium and have been loyal to it for 20 years, but now it is closing, and I am happy to see it go.

The Florida Marlins have now ended the Mets playoff hopes two years in a row on the 162nd game of the season. I am glad to see Shea taken down. The final two seasons at Shea are too painful to ever relive and both the 2007 and 2008 Mets teams killed Shea stadium and its goodbye.

Shea had always been reliable and faithful to the Mets, but on the last day, the day to say goodbye to Shea, the Mets pulled Shea's heart out. To truly leave the past in the past lets bury the last two years along with the Shea Stadium.

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