I am not a big Mets fan, my grandfather and father made me a solid Yankees fan. My dad even took me and my sister to the World Series in 1977 and 1978. She was at the Reggie 3 Home Run game but they just heard it in the parking lot in a rush to get home before the traffic on a school night. Several of my friends from medical school are fanatic Mets fans though and since one took Alex and me to a game a few years ago I have started to watch more of their games as I do get the SNY Channel on cable as well as the YES network. Last year I tried to arrange a game for some of us to attend but we couldn’t find a good date. This spring before the season started I had the core 3 fans pick out a date they could all make and then got 15 tickets and sent out a notice to my Albany Medical College Class of 1990 Alumni group.
We chose to get cheap $40 seats in the upper deck but with great views of the infield and Baseball’s largest Jumbotron (Thanks to Steve Cohen, a Great Neck kid like me). It was a 4pm game; there was a risk of it being moved to 7pm if chosen as the game of the week by ESPN but by July 1st the Mets were way out of contention (despite a good start to their season and the largest payroll in MLB at $340M).
It was a beautiful summer morning on Long Island when I woke after a very sound sleep in Scrat’s top bunk.
I went for a long slow run. I plotted a route past a town park and to Adelphi University in hopes of finding water fountains as it was already warm and humid. Luckily the immediate area was below 100 on the air quality index which I use as my cutoff for outdoor exercise on Wildfire days.
There were a lot of gorgeous homes in the neighborhoods near Adelphi.
The town park did have a water fountain (Adelphi did not) so on way back I circled the park to get an extra drink stop. The park was next to a huge old Catholic school and had obviously been the sports fields before the school closed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Turney_Stewart?wprov=sfti1
Wow! 3rd richest American at his death, had never heard of him. Of Solid Irish stock!
There is a mother and 2 (now almost full sized) young red tail hawks living in the trees behind their backyard. The mom brought back a tasty pigeon for breakfast and the feathers drifted down on us!
Rather than parking at Shea (oops, “Citi” field) Alex, James and I drove to our friend Chris’ house in Douglaston as he lives very near the LIRR line to the stadium. Another classmate (also named Chris) and his girlfriend drove down from Albany and met us in Douglaston also.
We got to meet Chris’ daughter (who passed on the game) and their kitten and Guinea pig.
early to meet the new rescue dog joining the menagerie.
The Mets had lost 3 games in a row but early back to back homers gave them a lead they held onto as they had great pitching also!
We had lots of space as the rows behind us were empty and I tried to spend some quality time with everyone.
With the new rules changes in MLB the game went almost too fast.
With it being not much past 6pm when game ended someone suggested we walk to an international food festival (with live music) in Flushing Meadows Park.
Until I finished first grade (and moved to Lake Success/Great Neck) my family lived on 199th street in Queens and spent many, many days at Flushing Meadows Park. Whenever we drove past it with Alex on way from JFK to Manhattan, I would always point out the buildings that they had seen in “Men In Black”.
And I would always tell Alex how we used to roller blade in the dry fountain at base of the Unisphere globe. Our 4 wheeled metal clip on skates 🙂
If u click on the Times Photo it should take you to the article ….
Here are a bunch of my Dad’s slide photos from 1964. I couldn’t find the one of me in a stroller in the fall there but I remember it well (not).
So next year will be the 60th anniversary so I guess I’ll be 60 also… (and also Tim Hortons!).
And a long goodbye as we later split off to Subways, LIRR, cars …. Next year I will organize a Yankees outing!
Joe had some room in his Tesla so a few of us found it alone in the empty lot (2 hours after game ended) but also found the markers of the bases in Shea Stadium!!
A very perfect day in every way. Weather, Mets, friends, food and drinks. It was nice for Alex to meet some of my oldest friends they had not met before (James they have know since a baby).