January 12, 2005
Mets using "planning" funds on Shea renovations
Finally, some word on what became of that $5 million-a-year stadium "planning" subsidy that former Rudy Giuliani gave to the New York Mets and Yankees as a going-away present. While the Yankees are presumably readying a really expensive scale model of their dream home, the Mets have gotten permission to use part of their share to fund renovations to Shea Stadium, including new scoreboards and seating.
If that sounds like the team isn't expecting to be getting a new stadium anytime soon, Mets VP Dave Howard isn't going to dissuade you of that notion: "We realize that it will be another five years at least," Howard told Newsday. "We're refining our design and are ready and able to talk. We're hoping Mayor Bloomberg will be able to do that sooner rather than later."
New scoreboards? Bah. The scoreboards at Shea are the best thing about the place, and they're also the best in the majors. I bet they'll be replaced with some Super Mario Bros. monstrosity.
Rest easy: they're just replacing the Diamondvision in left field and adding some color ad boards down the foul lines. I hope this Diamondvision, like the first one, gets inaugurated by zooming in on a little kid in the stands who proceeds to give the camera the finger...
Let's face it, Shea is a dump. It was a dump from the day it was built. But it's a classical dump. The best thing for Flushing Meadows (give or take 10 years) would be a new Shea Stadium (with no stupid roof) and a new MLS stadium where the chop shops currently are across the street from Shea.
And I've never seen such an obsession by cops who patrol the Shea parking lot looking for open alcohol containers. Have they nothing better to do?
And something else that would be cool is if the JFK Airtrain were expanded from Jamaica, to Flushing Meadows Park with a stop for Shea, USTA, and the new MLS stadium, and then onto LaGaurdia Airport.
Also, I'd like a pony.
Just get rid of that stupid pseudo-Italian crap "Lazy Mary" during the 7th-inning stretch -- what a comedown from the "Curly Shuffle" during the '80s -- and everything at Shea will seem nicer. Of course, that would run counter to Wilpon's Brooklyn obsession (and thus marketing to old Italian farts), wouldn't it?
One of the things I like about Shea is that each year they make some minor but significant improvements to the stadium. Upgraded the scoreboards, added pitch speed and strikeout trackers in recent years.
Rather than an MLS stadium where the chop shops are, I'd like the Jets stadium to be there and not the west side of Manhattan.
