After the story appeared in the October 1997 issue of the New York Post regarding a new stadium for the Mets, a lot of questions were asked. Who would pay for the new edifice was the most popular question? There were officials in New York government who suggested there was nothing wrong with Shea Stadium and professed to know nothing of a new park. Meanwhile behind the scenes, the Wilpon family worked diligently on a design that would bring the Mets a state of the art facility to replace aging Shea Stadium.

By this time in the late 1990s, Fred Wilpon became an equal partner with Nelson Doubleday. Unlike the aloof book publishing giant, Wilpon was willing to make frequent public appearances, specifically with Mike and the Mad Dog. While Wilpon was hinting at work regarding a new ballpark, Doubleday suggested renovating Shea. To the casual observer, it wasn’t hard to realize both owners were not on the same page. Clueless was how one source described Doubleday when suggesting a renovation of Shea was a viable option.

As the Mets improved on the field, the time was right for the Mets to introduce the idea of a new stadium publicly. Up to this point, the only comments in regards to a new facility came from the other side of town. It’s seemed as if weekly, George Steinbrenner ranted about moving his historic franchise to the New Jersey Meadowlands or Yonkers if the city didn’t build him a new stadium. Quietly however, the Mets brass worked on a deal with the city, one in which never came with threats of abandoning Queens. In fact, the Mets always intended on building in the Shea parking lot.

On April 24, 1998, The New York Post’s front page headline read “Mets to Steinbrenner: Top This”. On the cover, a picture showed Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, and NL President Len Coleman behind a model of a retractable roof stadium for the Mets with an outside façade reminiscent of Ebbets Field. The article stated that the ballpark would cost upwards of 500 million dollars and be ready for the 2002 season. The story went on to boast a retractable roof and a retractable field that could be rolled out to the parking lot. The seating capacity would be 45,000 for baseball and 60,000 when the field is moved outside of the stadium. Events such as the NCAA final four, conventions, and even ice hockey could be held at the new stadium. The financing of the stadium was unclear. Mayor Guilliani had a couple of ideas on how the city would pay not just for the Mets new park but a new park for the Yankees too. As you can imagine there were many public leaders who were not thrilled about the idea. Although the Mets had quietly worked behind the scenes for years to get a new stadium, the Yankee centric Guilliani wanted to parley the deal into two new ballparks. The Mets insisted their deal had nothing to do with the Yankees.

The Mets on the field were doing much better once Dallas Green was let go and Bobby Valentine was hired. In 1997, the Mets won 88 games, the most since 1990 when they had won 91 under Bud Harrelson. In 1998 the Mets had a chance to win the wild card but failed to do so when they were swept by, whom else, the Atlanta Braves in the season’s final series. In 1999 and 2000 the Mets made it to the post season for consecutive seasons. The first and only time that has ever happened in Mets history. The Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves in 6 games of the 1999 NLCS. But the playoffs were not without their Shea Stadium moments. The Mets ended the ’99 regular season needing a win to insure at least a tie for the wild card. The Mets swept the Pirates in the final series. In the season finale the Mets won when a wild pitch plated the winning run to end the season. Mike Piazza was at the plate and never had to swing the bat as the Mets win guaranteed at least a tie for the wild card. After Cincinnati’s win in Milwaukee, the Mets headed to Cincinnati for a playoff game with the Reds. The Mets won on a complete game shutout by Al Leiter that sent the Mets to Arizona for the NLDS. In game three at Shea Stadium with the Mets already up by two games, backup catcher Todd Pratt hit a walk off home run sending the Mets to the next round of playoffs. Against the Braves in the NLCS, the Mets created one of the great moments in Shea history when they defeated the Braves in game 5 in the rain on Robin Ventura’s grand slam single in the 15th inning. The Mets went no further as they lost game 6 in Atlanta when Kenny Rogers walked in the winning run.  

In 2000, the Mets won the wild card again, this time with room to spare. Again the division went to the Atlanta Braves who the Mets ironically defeated to clinch the wild card. In game 4 of the NLDS, Bobby Jones pitched the game of his career. Jones pitched a complete game shutout at Shea Stadium allowing only one Giants hit. For the second straight year the Mets were headed to the NLCS. This time things went better than the previous year. First, the anticipated rematch with Atlanta never occurred. St. Louis defeated the Braves in their NLDS in a 3 game sweep. The Mets then went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games. Like the previous series, it would be a complete game shutout that clinched the series and the fourth National League Pennant for the Mets. This time it was Mike Hampton who tossed a three hitter to propel the Mets into the first subway World Series in 46 years.

For a 5 game series, it was much closer than the stats indicated. True the Mets only won a single game but the other games were all close. Had Armando Benitez saved game one, perhaps it would have been a whole lot different. For the Mets the highlight had to be winning game 3 and breaking the Yankees 14 World Series game winning streak with a 4-2 victory at Shea Stadium. The next night, in my opinion, holds the darkest memory in Shea history. On October 26, 2000, the Yankees clinched their third consecutive World Series (26th overall) and then celebrated on the Shea Stadium turf. It was a surreal scene to be sure.

News regarding a new Mets stadium became obscure. Occasionally, a report here and there would mention something but no concrete information came forward. Getting the city of New York to pay for perhaps two new ballparks would be a monumental task especially considering a deteriorating infrastructure and money needed for schools. Most New Yorkers were not keen on helping out millionaire owners build new palaces for them to make even more money.

In 2001, the Mets struggled for most of the season. In the last couple of months of that year they began to wake up and make their move at the wild card. But then one of the most extraordinary events in modern history occurred shocking the world. Two jetliners, piloted by terrorists, crashed into and destroyed New York’s World Trade Center. It was the worst terrorist attack in history. In the aftermath, Shea Stadium played an historic part as a staging area for the relief effort at Ground Zero. Bobby Valentine and the rest of the Mets worked at Shea helping pack trucks with goods that were needed at the site.

New York and the world mourned. Shea played another vital role almost two weeks later hosting the first baseball game back in New York. The Braves were in town but the pennant race took a backseat to the healing process. In an emotional reaction, after the National Anthem, teary eyed Braves and Mets shook hands and hugged. That was the game when Mike Piazza hit a dramatic two run home run in the 8th inning with the Mets trailing by one. The Shea faithful erupted. It was the release New York needed. The Mets won the game 3-2 and for a brief moment, everyone forgot their sadness.

The Mets did not make the post season. The Braves ultimately ended that dream. Talk of new ballparks for either team was shelved. The Mets brass themselves admitted it was not the time to consider a new ballpark. They understood that after the healing, the cost of rebuilding the WTC site would be astronomical and little if any money would be available for baseball stadiums.

Bobby Valentine was eventually let go as the Mets continued to stumble in the early 2000s. Art Howe was hired as manager and Tom Glavine was signed as a free agent. But nothing changed. The Mets continued to dwell at the bottom of the division. Howe was fired then the Mets hired Omar Minaya as the new GM who then hired Willie Randolph as the new Mets manager. Willie became the first black manager in New York, hard to believe after all these years.

In his first year as GM, Omar Minaya brought in free agents Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Baseball fans took notice of the Mets again. In 2005, the Mets recorded their first winning record in 5 years. The most memorable moment that season may have been in game 162 when Mike Piazza played in his final game. Mike received a standing ovation every time his head came out of the dugout. It was a special moment in Shea history even though the Mets lost the game.

In the final installment at our look at Shea Stadium, we will see how it came to be that a new ballpark is now 80 percent complete next door in the parking lot.