Wow! The Mets and Yankees played a double-header yesterday only this wasn’t your ordinary DH; one game was played at Yankee Stadium and the nightcap at Shea.
What a delight for New York baseball fans.
I was watching Sportscenter this morning and they showed both clubs getting on the team bus outside the stadium after the conclusion of the first game. It would’ve been cool if all the players and coaches grabbed their bats, helmets and gloves, swiped a metro card and rode the train! Imagine sitting next to Carlos Delgado on your way home from work? ‘Yo Carlos, 9 ribbies huh’?
Delgado drove in 9 runs in the first game.
If they did take the trains to the game, both teams would resemble the ‘Baseball Fury’ from the motion picture, ‘The Warriors’.
I miss the days of catching the train and heading to both stadiums; one located in Queens, the other in the Bronx.
Hop on the ‘F’ at 15th street - PPW, take it to Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights station to transfer for the ‘7′ upstairs and then take it six stops to Willets Point. (Remember how far the walk was going from the F to the 7?) And just asking, why was the F station downstairs a different name than the 7 train station upstairs?
Or if you were headed to the Boogie Down to catch the Yankees, you’d hop on the ‘F’, take it to West 4th for the D and then roll into 161st and River avenue for the House that Ruth built. (Not once did I ever get a seat at West 4th) I used to love how the D went express from 59th street Columbus Circle to 125th.
They resume the series today and then finish up tomorrow. Did I mention they split yesterday?
Plus I’m sorry, I like the old name of the showdown better, ‘The Mayor’s Tropy Game’, I guess you can’t call it that because back in the day they only played once a year, now with inter-league play, they battle numerous times in a season.
Baseball fans living in New York are special - they take their hardball serious. You can be anywhere in the world and see a New York Yankees baseball cap.
Also, how about given the opportunity to root for the Yankees or Mets as a kid?
Two great organizations.
Two clubs to be very proud of.
I remember as kids Mr. McGrath and some of the other adults in HN Parish took us kids on the train to Shea Stadium to actually watch the Yankeees play for during the 1974 and 1975 seasons the Yankees had to use Shea Stadium for Yankee Stadium was being renovated. We all met up in the HN Girls Schoolyard. We took the F Train to Smith and 9th Street before switching for the crosstown G train ( remember when it was the GG Train?). We took the G train to Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights and then got the 7 Train to Willets Point. While on the 7 Train I remember looking over and seeing a Chinese man reading a Chinese newspaper. I remember John Maloney asking the man if the Mets won The man smiled and we all laughed! We went to the game. The Yankees played The Indains. The Indians’ best player was an up and coming player named George Hendrick. Hendrick later went on to become a star with the Cardinals. The Yankees won that game and if I am not mistaken I think Bobby Bonds homered for the Yankees and Elliot Maddox came up with a big hit. Its amzing how we remember this stuff for as kids we were impressionable at those ages.
We had those Con Edison seats that up in the nose bleed section but it didn’t matter for as far as I was concerned they were Spike Lee section seats. I appreciated the kind service and gestures of the parents like the late Mr. McGrath who gave up a lot of their time to do nice things for us kids!
I recall Mr. Fasano taking myself and his son David to a Yankees game at Shea while the new one was being done.
Jimmy Cullen’s aunt use to get tickets right behind the dugout.
All those occasions with everyone from the area were priceless.
GT, how about David Cone ’stiffing’ us - by not leaving you tickets?
Bat day at Yankee stadium, Eddie Cush getting clanged!
Opening day at Yankee stadium sitting in the bleachers.
Always going to Manny’s afterwards…
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Timmy Kemp’s mom giving Chris Robinson and I tickets to a Yankees game on 4th of July and watching Dave Righetti toss a no-no.
And of course, 1976, Chris Chambliss blasting the game winner against Mark Littell to beat the Royals in Game 5 of the ALCS.
Boy I can go on and on…
As a Met fan , I went to a couple of games at the stadium, I saw a game where Swoboda playing right, fell into the stands after making a great catch. I did not know t ceer or boo..The fence was only 296 feet and about four feet high. Center was about 483 and left was 406.. The old parks were built according to what was around them
I remember the last game at the old stadium in 1973. I went with my dad and at the end of the game, i ran and tried to grab first base, we were told that was for Mrs. LOu Gehrig .. home plate was for Mrs. Babe Ruth. I remember running out to center and thinking of Mantle and DiMaggio and right of Ruth standing in the same place. I remember looking around the stadium and being overwhelmed at the size.. I remember saying a prayer at the monuments… I guess I thought Gehrig and Ruth were buried there!!
I have been to 2 Yankee old timers games and saw Mercer get a big standing ovation last year after being ill for cancer.. Even thy of though I am a Met fan, I always had Yanks my uncle always said as a baseball fan you gotta appreciate the history of the game and the Yankees are a big part of it.. It’s going to be a sad day when there is no baseball anymore there….
Hi coach, re your question about the different names of the
subway station. I don’t know why it is done, but that is not the only case, the station on the R line is called 9th St, while upstairs on the F it is 4th Ave. Not too confusing if you are from the neighborhood, but most people are not. The stop on the R is called Pacific St, but on the 4, 5 etc, it is Atlantic Avenue. Perhaps the powers that be at the MTA think since they are both oceans, people should figure it out! My particular favorite is back in the late 90’s they “overhauled” the system, giving us the Q diamond and the Q circle, did they run out of letters? But the absolute best was when they reopened the lines, the B train now ran where the D used to, and, yes, you guessed it, the D is
now running where the B used to. When you get to Brooklyn in the summer, try to check out a Cyclones game, and see Coney Island one more time before it changes.
Mo,
Thanks for that, good stuff - I like the 4th ave/9th street example. I would love to get out to CI and check out a game.
The stadium in SI is very nice, was able to visit while I was in NY back in 2005.
The MTA needs to get with it…
The Staten Island stadium is great.. and the water view just adds to it..a perfect location.. In the summers, for 15 bucks, ya get a ticket, two dogs, a soda and a pretzel..
Vack,
I hear ya on the economical side. The minor league stadium out here is the best! Everything is inexpensive. Plus, every seat in the joint is a good one.
One year Greg Nettles threw away an easy ground ball that let the Mets win because he didn’t want the game to go into extra innings.
Kenny,
Come on, really? I find that hard to believe that a guy like Nettles, who was such a great fielder and competitor would do that?
Don’t let Patty Byrnes hear you say that about Nettles.
He thought since the game really didn’t mean anything in the standings, etc., why would they want to play extra innings? I have to agree with him.
Kenny,
Well we have to agree to disagree.
As an athlete, when you step on the court, field, etc. you should play to win, regardless! As a coach, I am always trying to get my players to ’simulate’ game situations when we drill. We teach them to play hard and do all you can within the rules to win.
But Kenny, I guess with Nettles making a lot of money, things change.
Cal Ripken, Michael Jordan and Walter Payton all gave everything they had in their respective sport’s.
I think the Nettles game was a spring training game not the Mayors Trophy game… The early 70s, the Mets and the yanks were kind of similar.. we’d argue Agee versus Mercer, Jones versus White, Boswell versus Clark, Milner versus Bllomberg. and so on.. after that, it was one team up and one team doen,, usually my Mets down !
I still remember in ‘75 spring training, Kong Kingman hit a shot off of Catfish that should have had a
stewardess in it!!!!!!!!!
i am with you.. you owe it to the game to play it right no matter what the score and whether it’s exhibition, regular season, or playoffs..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK - I not totally crazy. This is from the NY times in 1997. Something was up!!!
By MURRAY CHASS
Published: June 16, 1997
Joe Torre does not expect to roll a ball to Bobby Valentine — or have Valentine roll one to him — that says, ”Who’s going to squeeze, you or me?” Not this week, not during any of the three games the Yankees will play against the Mets at Yankee Stadium.
It was in the late innings in a Mayor’s Trophy game between the Yankees and the Mets in the late 1970’s that Billy Martin, the Yankees’ manager, rolled the ball to Torre, then the Mets’ manager. The game was tied, and Martin had no interest in letting it go into extra innings.
Which shows Maritn’s lack of character… the fans deserve the players best efforts. he had to have been the most overrated manager.. he was great for one year but then he would have his favorites and the guys that he buried like Reggie, Elliot MADDOX, and Ken Hotzman who was a good pitcher.. The guy knew the game but his ego was too much..
HEY Cuz!
Screw the Staten Island Yankees for its all about those CYCLONES! You need to get out of the ´burbs in Staten Island and check out Coney Island for its up and coming LOL!
You know the real league where the pitchers hit! LOL
Just kidding!