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ABOUT US
Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.
Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here.
Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here.
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Because the Pretzel Costumes Weren't Ready
by Greg Prince on 31 October 2008 11:28 am For Halloween this year, I'm dressing up as a Yankee Stadium sentimentalist.
Eeeeeek!!!
Relax. It's just a mask.
Many thanks to Alex Belth of Bronx Banter (newly moved to the SNY family of blogs and richly deserving of whatever additional attention results) for the invitation to take part in the seriously wonderful series of Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories and recall a trip or two to the other local venue that will be haunting the gruesome graveyard of ballparks soon enough.
More ghoulishness here.
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I'll say this for Alex, the man knows quality when he reads it. Nice job, Greg.
Always nice to see the Yankees lose at Yankee Stadium. On the trips I've made in my lifetime, they were 0-2 before I saw the Mets destroy Clemens in 99, and again in 2000 (more specific, the first Clemens game at Yankee Stadium in 2000). My Yankee-fan mother was so convinced I was Yankee cancer that when she scored tickets to the 2000 World Series, she told me simply, “I can't bring you.” Had I gone, maybe Benitez nails it down. Maybe Abbott connects and the game is tied. I don't know. All I know is that when I was there in 99 and 2000, the only thing keeping me happy was the scoreboard.
I hated that place and the drunk fans who ridiculed me for having a different opinion on beaseball teams. No matter how many times I asked them to simply please just tilt your head a little and crane your neck towards the scoreboard to see what it says, they wouldn't comply. Instead, if they even listened to me, they would tell me how many flags were above the scoreboard. Ugh…
So I stayed away for a while. Then 2005 came along and the Mets were on the verge of sweeping at Yankee Stadium for the first time. My friend had a spare ticket. I had a curse on the Yankees. I was going back to the Bronx.
Unfortunately, Braden Looper would be there too.
A blip on the radar is all it was, as I am happy to report being in attendance this past May when Johan shut down the Yanks to start off the modified-sweep. The Yanks all-time record when I was in attendance: 1-5. Not too shabby.
On a side note, has anyone seen the 20+ minute virtual tour of the new Yankee Stadium? It's hard to watch for sure, but two things stick out as overly nauseating: a simulation of the new scoreboard features a Yankee no-hitter over Boston, and a cheap-shot-highlight of the Yankees winning their last World Series. SO unnecessary.
And these fans wonder why we hate their team…
5-1…good work. Johan, too.
Thanks Charlie. Once again, I think I've confirmed who my demographic is.
I always felt my first trip to Yankee Stadium sealed the deal for me as a Mets fan.
1991, against the Rangers. I'm in the Tier Reserved with my Dad (an ardent Yankees fan) and sitting on the aisle. Roberto Kelly hits a foul ball into the upper deck, and I line it up to land approximately next to me in the aisle. Of course, there's no one in Yankee Stadium in 1991 – so I'm pretty sure I'll get my first foul ball. That kind of impression (and the team that leaves it) lasts.
Instead, some jerk four rows in front of me stands up and catches the ball barehanded. It was a nice catch and all, but A) he didn't have to turn and wave the ball at me, and B) he just kept a foul ball from a kid (I was 10).
That started my grudge against the Yankees in earnest.
In all fairness, if I caught a ball barehanded in the Upper Deck, I wouldn't give it away either. But there's no way I'd wave it in front of a kid's face. That's a Yankee fan for ya. The one time I did get a ball was in BP, and it came off the bat of some no-name Athletic. I had no problem handing it to the 10-year-old next to me–BUT–I was terribly annoyed at the Met fans surrounding me when it happened. About a dozen grown men, all wearing baseball gloves, saying “GIVE IT TO THE KID! C'MON, GIVE IT TO THE KID!!!” Yeah, if you guys are so concerned, one of you can lend the kid your glove. Jerks.
I do have a quasi-sob story though. One time around 2003 I sat in a dead Upper Deck at Shea. I was probably in Section 13 and the seats beside me were empty–all the way to Section 47. One of the guys working the t-shirt launch thought it would be cute to fire one up in Section 39. My eyes lit up. I looked 2 rows down, and there was a fat guy looking at me. We both took off simultaneously. Because he was in front, he took up the whole walkway on our sprint over, and I couldn't get around him. I considered cutting into the concession area and then back out into the stands to get around him, but I had my eyes locked onto the shirt's location. If I ducked out to the concession area, I might lose that. I just stayed 2 steps behind the guy, hoping he would stop in the wrong section. He didn't. He got the shirt, and I did the long walk back hanging my head in shame.
Ten years old is a little late to start the grudge in earnest, but it sounds like you made up ground fast. Not that I wouldn't want you to have gotten that ball, but perhaps that was the required wakeup call to tell you it was time to start realizing this was how the world worked in certain Stadiums.
Bonus points for going against wayward parents.
Forget about the Yankees..How about that Jimmy Rollins talking trash at the Phillie parade…He mentioned Johan Santana and how one player does not a team make..That prick had to mention the Mets I guess. He really rubbed it in good..
Rich
Sad little city that is.
In phoul, pheitd, phuming, phoggy, philthyyyyyyyyyyyy….
“How about that Jimmy Rollins talking trash at the Phillie parade”
Yeah….fuck him. Maybe he has a real love for the Mets. On the day the city of Philadelphia celebrates a World Series win, why would that little prick even think about them? Here's hoping that on Johan's first start against them in 09, he sets him right on his ass!