The man responsible for the Mets & Shea Stadium
When you think of the Mets and their early history, Casey Stengel, the Polo Grounds, Gil Hodges even Mr. Met, often come to mind before the man that Shea Stadium is named for. His name was William Shea, and without him, there would be no NY Mets. Hey Islanders fans, did you know that the NHL asked for Shea’s help in getting the NHL to Nassau County? Probably not.
Shea was a lifelong New Yorker, and following graduation from Harvard Law School became one of the city’s prominent attorneys. After the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants abandoned the city in 1957, Mayor Robert Wagner appointed Shea to head a committee to bring National League baseball back to New York. If you know your NYC history, this fact is almost laughable. Wagner was too politically impotent to broker the dispute between urban planning guru Robert Moses and Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. Moses wanted the Dodgers to relocate to Flushing Meadows, while O’Malley wanted a new stadium near the Long Island Rail Road station at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn. Click here to read more about the Dodgers’ departure for the West Coast.
READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP...
Yet, Wagner tells Shea to go get a ball club for the city. Fortunately, Shea took his work more seriously than the bozos in Washington currently investigating steroids. Shea tried unsuccessfully to lure the Reds, Phillies and Pirates to the Big Apple. But then-like Edison and the light bulb-came an idea.
Shea convinced Jack Kent Cooke, Bob Howsam (soon to be owners of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and then AFL Denver Broncos) and other high rollers to start a new baseball league. The founding of The Continental League was announced in 1959. Shea’s great stroke of genius was bringing in former Dodger President/GM Branch Rickey to be the new league’s president. Rickey was the man most instrumental in signing Jackie Robinson and breaking baseball’s color barrier. This gave Shea and the Continental League instant credibility.
Not surprisingly, MLB owners stood up and took notice, quickly considering expansion. Shea and Wagner pushed for a team in New York, and they got it. The Continental League -without having ever played a game- disbanded in 1960 once a Big Apple franchise was granted to the National League.
Bill Shea’s influence extended beyond New York. Los Angeles (the Angels), Houston (Colt 45’s/Astros), and Washington (the 2nd version of the Senators) joined the bigs. Other proposed Continental League cities-Denver, Minneapolis and Toronto, have a big league team today.
Shea Stadium was supposed to open in 1963, but budget overrides delayed the completion for a year, and the Amazin’s spent their first two seasons at the Giants’ old home, the Polo Grounds. On April 16, 1964, Shea christened the new stadium bearing his name with water from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and the Harlem River near the site of the Polo Grounds. Read more.
The next day, the Mets lost to the Pirates in the first game at ‘William A. Shea Municipal Stadium.’
I must say here that I do wish there was some reference to the Giants, New York’s ‘other’ National League baseball team-(the Mets have an orange NY on their caps and trim on the uniforms because of them) at the new Citi Field, where the Mets will play nest year. The Amazin’s did after all, replace two teams. But this is owner Fred Wilpon’s dream-to have a ballpark that wakes the ghosts of Ebbets Field. The ‘Boys Of Summer’-Robinson, Hodges, Reese, Snider, and Campanella-are weaved into the fabric of long time baseball fans. In 1957, the Giants, even with a young Willie Mays, were clearly the third team in New York behind the Dodgers and Yankees. So it’s understandable why there’s no HBO special on the history of the Giants.
It would be nice if the Mets could honor Mays, the greatest player in the history of New York National League baseball, at Citi Field. I’m sure Bill Shea would agree. Mays’ number 24 has never been officially retired. Only Kelvin Torve (by mistake in 1990) and Rickey Henderson (a diva as a Mets player and coach who wasn’t worthy of the number in either capacity) have worn it since Mays retired.
Shea passed away in 1991, but members of his family will be on hand for the pregame ceremonies Tuesday before the Mets play the Phillies. Met fans, as you get ready for the final season at Shea Stadium, remember Bill Shea, the man most responsible for the passion you exude for the Orange and Blue. Wherever you are watching the game, stand and cheer loudly. Read more on the life of Bill Shea here.
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Comments: 7
ahh shea stadium...somebody give that thing a flush already and send it to the sewer where it belongs. the only thing that stinks worse than shea is the ball team that plays there. maybe the new stadium won't be some crud hole with planes flying over head every 3 seconds, and i'm sure i'll be able to get a subway sandwich since willie randolph obviously loves fresh toasted...which basically describes his crud-tacular ball club. santana ain't gonna help and pedro already blew up!
i'm real excited to head out there with my bright red hat and watch all the canolli-eatin', not-so-amazins take a beating by the reigning NL East champs! oh don't worry about me getting lost, i'll just follow the choking sounds when i get to queens.
Wow this phillies fan must be very bitter... I think the phillies fans should worry about themselves and last year's quick exit out of the first round.. yes you won the division or some would say the mets lost the division either way you look at it the phillies never did anything with it..maybe they could talk a little more if they werent embarressed against the rockies.The phillie fans dont have much to brag about.. the mets won in 86 and made an appearance in 2000, the phillies havent made it since 80 and then were smoked by the jays. Until they do something meaningful in the post season the lips should be zipped and just play ball and let the best team win.
a few fact checks for you crb: first of all, at least we made the stinkin playoffs. and i never worry about the mets,,,we own you guys and beat you like ike beat tina. even adam eaton can beat you..that just shows we're in your heads like the braves used to be.
7 game lead with 17 to play and the mets blow it. after 2006 and being embarassed by the cards i'm wondering when you clowns get rid of minaya. if you're not bitter there's something wrong with you..seriously you have the 3rd or 4th highest payroll (like 130million), a mediocre rotation beyond santana, a bullpen that totally sucks and an outfield that's a total joke. how much you paying for beltran to hit .280? the only guy on your team that isn't a lazy under performer is david wright, and he's not even that good.
oh and newsflash genius we won it all in 1980 beating the royals in 6 games. we also lost to the orioles in '83. we got beaten by the jays in '93. we've lost more than 10K games and we have no trouble beating the mets...what's that say about you queens, losers?
First of all, I'm not a mets fan. I dont like them, never have and never will.. i wrote in the other post in a Giants fan.. I enjoy seeing the mets lose... Now, yes you won it in 80. im well aware of that.. that was 38 years ago.. where have you been since??? the mets won it in 86 that was 32 years ago.. so they won it sooner... so you lost in 83 and 93. the mets lost in 2000. What is your point? You havent won anything since 80. Matter of fact you lost more than you won... look at the phillies record.. you have no pitching, very good hitting, you cant win anything with your pitching staff.. cole hamels is all you have... jamie moyer is a corpse, kendrick pitches like rick vaughn from major league, brett myers, like who cares, brad lidge, why do you think houston got rid of him... What do the phillies offer besides a small ballpark where the ball flies out which makes your hitters better as per average.. but most of all, those philly fanatics are not only searching for a pennant but for JOHN KRUKS LEFT NUT.
So I write about Bill Shea and you guys DO THIS? I guess it shows somebody's reading. BUT CRB-I must say one thing. Kruk is EXTREMELY proud of his recovery from cancer. Unlike many with cancer (including the late, great Sean Kimerling), Krukie is thankfully still here. I'm sure the big first baseman would laugh hearty and poke fun at himself. But love or HATE the Phils, Kruk's recovery is worth a tip of the cap
So I write about Bill Shea and you guys DO THIS? I guess it shows somebody's reading. BUT CRB-I must say one thing. Kruk is EXTREMELY proud of his recovery from cancer. Unlike many with cancer (including the late, great Sean Kimerling), Krukie is thankfully still here. I'm sure the big first baseman would laugh hearty and poke fun at himself. But love or HATE the Phils, Kruk's recovery is worth a tip of the cap
I've always been a big kruk fan... john was fun to watch and I do admit on my part that i was ignorant in not knowing that he had testicular cancer.. I thought it was just from an accident on the baseball field.. that is definitely on my part. I enjoyed watching him play during his career and im glad he has a position as an announcer at ESPN.. I do agree any recovery from a certain disease deserves utmost praise...
My intentions were to rebutt the last post of the phurious philly and i do so in an accidental poor taste with my closing statement... John kruk will always be a player who i enjoyed watching.
The other statements I stand by when it comes to a philly fan berading a mets fan..