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Shea Stadium
Home of the New York Mets
During the 1950's, the City of New York lost the Giants and the Dodgers which left them with only one remaining baseball team. Rumor says that due, in part, to the fact they desired a new stadium, teams had left the city in search of other opportunities. In 1960, National League owners awarded new baseball franchises to Houston and New York. It is said that one of the requirements of the new franchise was the construction of a new stadium.
On October 28, 1961, construction began on the new facility that would accommodate official Major League Baseball games. Shea Stadium, home to the New York Mets, was originally called Flushing Meadow Park. It was later decided that the stadium be named after William A. Shea, an attorney who was instrumental in the fight to bring National League baseball back home to New York. For the following two years, the New York Mets played at Polo Grounds. Finally, their brand new $25 million stadium officially opened on April 17, 1964 as 48,736 fans watched the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the New York Mets in a 4-3 game. Designed by Praeger-Kavanagh-Waterbury, this new turf was a change from the Mets' former home at Polo Grounds. Since opening day, the stadium has drawn more than 73 million sports fans.
Over the years, few changes have been made to Shea Stadium. New seats were installed to replace aging ones but, otherwise, the stadium remains relatively unchanged since opening day. Of course, advancements in technology would also call for modernized score boards and luxury suites. One of the traditions at Shea Stadium is the Met's Magic Top Hat, located behind center field, which is designed to honor homerun hits by one of the Met players. For each homerun, fans can see a large red apple rise from the hat in celebration. The current capacity at Shea Stadium is just over 55,000 fans.
Many of baseball's greatest moments have occurred over the years, including the first homerun to be hit at Shea Stadium, which was belted by Willie Stargell in 1964. Also in 1964, Jim Bunning pitched the only perfect game to be thrown in Shea Stadium's history. In addition, Dwight Gooden set a Major League rookie record in 1984 with 276 strikeouts. Another memorable moment, in 1996, occurred when Todd Hundley defeated Roy Campanella's 43 year Major League record, which honored the most homeruns by a catcher in a single season.
When we think of Shea Stadium, the majority of us will think of sports. However, Shea Stadium has been host to many other historical events, including appearances by The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Pope John Paul II, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, The Police, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. In addition to baseball, various sports have been played, including soccer, boxing and football.
To this day, talks surface about renovating the 44 year old stadium. It's even been considered to completely redesign and build a new home for the New York Mets, but nothing is certain at this point. Until then, fans will return to enjoy the competition of their favorite pastime and Shea Stadium will welcome them with open arms.
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