In 1980 the Mets were sold to Nelson Doubleday. Fred Wilpon was also part of the ownership group but owned a minority of shares. The new ownership group recognized that the team needed to be completely renovated and so did the stadium they played in. By 1980, the ballpark in
In the 80’s Shea would undergo major renovations. Nothing as dramatic as what the city did with Yankee Stadium 10 years earlier but enough to bring Shea up to date. One of the first things to change was the seats themselves. The wooden yellow, beige, blue, and green seats were replaced by shiny plastic orange, blue, green, and red seats from the field level to the upper deck. Blue paint was splattered everywhere. The natural cement look on the exterior was converted to royal blue giving Shea a whole new look. Also each level’s concourses were painted to match the seat colors. There was no way of confusing what level you needed to get to since the concourse signs, girders, and walls matched the seat colors. All of the girders were sanded and painted throughout the park as well. These renovations were applied to Shea in stages and were managed by HOK, the
In 1982, a new Diamond Vision scoreboard was added to left field. The new board was a vast improvement over the aging right field scoreboard which had not worked well in years. In fact, most of the original board was covered with a huge Budweiser sign. Only the line score and team lineups were displayed. All other communication with the fans was displayed on the new board in left field. The large rear projection video screen on the old scoreboard was removed and replaced with a digital clock. That contraption hadn’t been used in years and even by 1980s standard, it was a dated technology.
A picnic area was added to left field making its debut in 1985. Cary Carter was the first to christen the picnic tent with a walk off homerun on opening day ’85 off of former Met Neil Allen. Also around the same time, the now famous (or infamous) Homerun Apple made its first appearance. Beyond the left center field wall, an upside down top hat was installed with a large red apple that pops up every time a Mets player hits a home run. Of course the Apple is adorned with the Mets logo. Another change involved the outfield fence. Since the beginning, the fence was green. It was changed to royal blue and for a time, the pennants of the other National League clubs were displayed. During September of 1986, the words “A September to Remember” were added to the right field and left field wall. It was a rather boastful phrase mirroring the cockiness of that world championship team.
From 1985 through 1987, 50 luxury suites were added to the press level. The orange and blue corrugated metal panels that adorned the outside of the ballpark were finally removed. They were originally installed to commemorate the1964-65 Worlds Fair when Shea opened. It was high time they were taken down. The field itself had been replaced with updated drainage. For a long time, Shea’s outfield, after rainstorms, was a treacherous place for roaming outfielders who often ran through big puddles to get to balls. Also the original lighting system was replaced with a new halogen system.
1987 saw the conclusion of the major renovations. More blue paint was used throughout the park. Perhaps the most visible change to the park was on the exterior were huge metal panels (painted blue of course) covered much of the open areas including the ends of the grandstands. These panels were installed to help eliminate some of the wind problems the stadium commonly dealt with and to give the fans some protection while visiting the concession stands on the concourses. On the panels themselves, large silhouettes in neon lights were installed portraying players in various baseball motions. The six players on the stadium façade represent 6 of the most famous Mets whose identities have been kept a secret.
When all was said and done, the ballpark was certainly freshened up. It looked clean and certainly colorful. But more than the stadium itself, it was the Mets teams of the 80s that gave the old girl life. During the 1980’s it wasn’t just Shea Stadium that got a face lift, the team did too. By 1984 it was clear the new ownership group had indeed rebuilt the franchise. Smart trades, decent drafting, and key free agent signings turned the Mets back into a contender. Rookie sensation Dwight Gooden lit up
The Mets acquired Gary Carter and Howard Johnson for the 1985 season and came close to winning the division but lost out to
The Mets of the 1980s only reached the playoffs one more time in 1988. It was a disappointing ending as the Mets lost to the Dodgers in the NLCS in 7 games. For the talent the Mets during that era, they should have appeared in the post season more than twice. By the end of the decade, most of their stars from 86 were gone. Even under new ownership, the Mets ability to sustain success was fleeting. By 1991, the Mets returned to the lower end of the division again and would not contend for 6 seasons. Shea, even with new paint, was to suffer another period of poor play while the Yankees were building a dynasty in the
Perhaps the worst season in modern Mets history occurred in 1993 when the Mets won just 59 games. To make it worse was a cast of characters no one could stand. Vince Coleman and his fire crackers, Brett Saberhagen and his bleach, and Bobby Bonilla and his surly attitude could not get kick out of Shea fast enough.
In 1997, two things happened. Bobby Valentine, hired as manager during the previous season, guided the Mets to their first winning record since 1990. The other involved a story in the New York Post after the season claiming the Mets were seriously looking to replace aging Shea Stadium. The front page headline read Ebbets Field of Dreams with a picture of Ebbets Field and a sub title indicating the Mets intent to build a new stadium. The story claimed the Mets would recreate the famed Brooklyn ballpark next door to Shea and hopefully by the year 2000. On the inside of the paper was a crude graphic of Ebbets Field with a retractable roof and a diagram of how the new park would be situated next to Shea. The Mets brass, at the time, made no comment. Next time will take a look at the early stages of putting a new park together and the final changes made to Shea Stadium.
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