The last opening day at Shea!
Game 1: Oliver Perez vs Jamie Moyer - 1:10 SNY HD, Tuesday
Game 2: Mike Pelfrey vs Kyle Kendrick - 7:10 ESPN2, Wednesday
Game 3: John Maine vs Adam Eaton - 7:10 SNY HD, Thursday
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2/3 is a MUST!!
Good Luck Charms!
The other photo was a bit much and not within our bounds.
Mets ready to open Shea one last time
04/07/2008 10:00 AM ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Had Ryan Church worked for IBM when it was IBM, he might have reveled in the "white is right" dress code of Big Blue. The stark crispness of white shirts has appeal to some of us. In this scenario, though, it isn't the whiteness so much as it is what it represents. Home, specifically Shea Stadium. And Church, one of the new Mets, can't wait to embrace it.
Given the 44-years-plus of city grime that has accumulated on the home of the Mets, equating Shea with white seems a tad bizarre. Come 12:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, though, the Mets will be there in their dress whites or home whites, queued on -- what else? -- white lines, participating in something that will happen again, the home opener at Shea Stadium.
This is one last one. Phillies at Mets, Game 6 on the Mets' 2008 schedule, the 3,497th Mets game to be played at Shea, the 22nd with the designation home opener, as opposed to Opening Day.
"It's going to be fun to be in the home whites, not the road grays, for the first time," Church said. "When I was traded here [to the Mets], I thought about it, what it would be like to be on the biggest stage and be on the home team. I expect it to be something I'll remember.
"I looked up to the Mets and I respect them. That's not a company line. It's a privilege. And I'll be wearing Mets white."
Not all those new to the Mets this year are so excited. Johan Santana barely seems moved by the prospect, even though he is likely to be the headliner when the '08 Mets are introduced. Nothing Santana did Sunday, despite the Mets losing his second start, should affect how he is received. It will be the city's first opportunity to embrace the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
"I have to experience it. I'll let you know what it's like," Santana said on Friday.
David Wright already knows, and if the reception for Santana isn't the loudest and most sustained, it will be superseded by the one afforded Wright and no other.
"I love to play at Shea, no matter what game it is," Wright said. "I have lots of personal lists -- big games, big memories, playoff experiences. And opening games too."
On the other side, there is Scott Schoeneweis, not likely to be so well received. And with Guillermo Mota gone, he may be the next-in-line home team villain. He wasn't being completely facetious on Sunday when he said: "I'm scared to death of it because I always get booed. Can't I just wear my hoodie out there?"
Joe Smith recalled his experiences from last year, his rookie year. "It was cool. I couldn't wait to see what it was like, 50,000 people," he said. "But you don't know how they're going to react. I mean, last year, I figured no one knew anything about me. We were out there wondering if they'd react to Aaron [Heilman] because of, you know, what happened [in 2006 playoffs]."
Heilman surrendered the home run by Yadier Molina that decided Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. He wasn't booed last year, though. "No one really has borne the brunt of that," Heilman said.
"It should be like a celebration," Wright said. "I hope that's what it is. It may not be the first game, but it's still early, it's still the beginning of the season."
