February 18th, 2009

The final standing piece of Shea Stadium, an exit ramp construction, was removed this morning at approximately 11:26 a.m.

Paul J. Bereswill of The New York Times captured the collapsing structure with a high-quality slideshow.

Tom Kaminski of CBS 880 took a series of photographs, from the radio station's helicopter, of Shea's last day.

Ted Berg of SNY and Metsblog provided video of the final seconds.

A blogger for Loge 13, using the screen name Kingman, provided a great list of final pictures and uploaded an incredible piece of memorabilia, back in October, from the stadium's opening.

It was never my intention to invite my own opinion into the writings of this blog; however, I believe that the information contained within this post necessarily commands my conveyed thoughts, even if only for my own gratification.

Shea was home to the first baseball game I saw in person, and to date the last game.

It's surreal and disappointing to understand that Shea is, officially, gone. I didn't turn around and take a final glimpse of Shea as I exited that last time. Instead, I took a good look at CitiField.

It's truly a magnificent looking stadium, a construction that the Mets, and every contributor, should be very proud of. I know that I am excited to see the team's new home.

But when I looked at CitiField, it wasn't in adorement or in confusion. It was slightly resenting. Shea Stadium may have been architecturally dull and in desperate need of a modern makeover, but it held memories.

I have a pair of seats from Shea Stadium, graciously purchased for me as a gift, and it hadn't dawned on me until the last couple of days that these plastic and steel contraptions were actually a part of the stadium. They are now the centerpiece in my shrine to Shea. Maybe one day I'll share my memories with my child in those seats.