For Long Islanders faithful to the belief that baseball is still our national pastime, there are a number of worthy venues from which one might easily perpetuate said fanaticism. Over a Bambino Burger, perhaps, at Fellingham’s in Southampton, where the walls are adorned with all manner of Yankee memorabilia, and where they even had a 100th birthday party for Babe Ruth not so long ago. (Whitey Ford “The Chairman of the Board” himself showed up to pay his respects!) Or maybe it’s hanging out at Citibank Park in Central Islip before a Ducks game, chatting up the Co-Owner and Senior VP of Baseball Operations there, none other than Derrel McKinley “Bud” Harrelson, former shortstop for those Miracle Mets of 1969. (Who while a coach for the ‘86 Mets, earned the distinction of actually being on the field for both—i.e. “all”—of the Mets’ championships.)
But as the late Marvin Gaye tried to tell us once, “ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.” And for millions of Met and Yankee fans, there can only be one true shrine for all things New York baseball (well, okay—two shrines). Shea Stadium in Flushing and that cathedral of cathedrals in the Bronx, the venerable Yankee Stadium, both of which are in the midst of being replaced by new stadiums set to open just in time for Opening Day 2009.
Yankee Stadium gets one last hurrah when the 2008 All-Star Game comes to town July 15th, but after that, unless post-season hopes start blooming in the late-summer twilight, this season will likely take on the qualities of a much-protracted farewell tour for both arenas.
“It’s very emotional. It’s early, so it feels like we have a lot of time left there,” Yanks’ catcher Jorge Posada told us at a recent charity event to benefit his Jorge Posada Foundation. “I’m sure around September it will start to sink in.”
Posada, of course, is an integral part of the Yankees’ most recent winning ways, the championship teams of 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000—a core group that includes Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and of course, Derek Jeter. But for fans of both ballclubs, the feelings of nostalgia summoned up these days appear to have more to do with their teams’ mediocre performances this season and the fact that greater glories seem increasingly relegated to the past.
“Sentimental?” asks Met fan Mike Gannon at the Landmark Diner in Manhasset. “A little bit, yes and no… Mostly because of the ‘86 Mets. That was definitely a pretty great time.”
Nearby, Sam Shohen echoes Gannon’s sentiments. “I was there when the ball went through Buckner’s legs. I remember how exciting it was. People were so happy that the stadium really shook. I was up in the upper deck, I was afraid it was going to collapse!”
At Croxley Ales in Franklin Square, Yankee fan Henry McCabe—proudly wearing Posada’s No. 20 jersey—buoyantly describes his Yankee fandom as something passed down to him by his dad. “I’ve been a fan since the early 90s when they were bad… and then they had that run in the late 90s. My dad was a Yankee fan, I learned everything from him. Mantle, that was his main man… Maris… he liked DiMaggio. But it’ll be nice to go see them in the new digs.”
As far as Shea is concerned, perhaps no one better represents the full chronology of the Flushing experience than Nassau County resident Ed Kranepool, christened “The Original Met” mostly because he was the only member of the ‘62 ballclub’s inaugural season to experience their first World Championship in 1969. At a recent memorabilia show not too far from Shea, Kranepool reminisced about the stadium he called home for 16 years (after a two-year stint at the Polo Grounds, of course). “I was there when they were putting the shovels in the ground… and I saw the ballpark being erected just like you can see the new stadium being built. I’m going to miss Shea Stadium, my whole career was there.”
It’s not a widely-held sentiment, even for the most die-hard of Met fans. While Yankee Stadium has long been hailed as one of baseball’s cathedrals, its counterpart in Flushing has always seemed to lag far behind in the public’s esteem. “I definitely think the Mets deserve a new home,” says McCabe’s Met fan compadre Artie Gran at Croxley Ales. “The stadium is nothing all that special. It doesn’t have the nostalgia that some of the other stadiums have.”
“But at least you’ll still have the planes flying overhead,” McCabe chimes in.
In Manhasset, Gannon agrees, “I was never really fond of the stadium.” It’s probably why Met fans are a little less reluctant to embrace the future as heartily as Yankee fans might be.
And yet, progress always has its price.
Because when a cup of coffee at the Landmark Diner can cost $1.90 and Full Serve Super-Unleaded at the CITGO next door is selling for $4.69 a gallon, it’s understandable how such matters can be of considerable concern. “I think with the better stadium, the average guy’s going to have a great deal of difficulty going,” cautions Shohen. “How much it’s going to cost, plus it’s a smaller stadium.”
“That’s one bad thing,” concedes Yankee fan McCabe. “I guess the prices are doubling. It’ll be tougher to go to the games.”
Better days behind us at this point? Or yet to come, perhaps? It’s a tricky thing to gauge.
No matter what, there always seems to be one sure-fire remedy for all that ails us baseball-wise. And that, plain and simple, is winning.
“I’m feeling optimistic about the Yankees,” says McCabe matter of factly.
True to form, Shohen seems a lot more circumspect about his Mets: “I’m feeling very unsure—no one can really explain what’s happening to them. I’m… cautiously optimistic.”
As Kranepool puts it, regarding the Met faithful, “They enjoy the game, they’re very knowledgeable—but they want to see a winning product. They want performance on the field.”
“I hope we can make the playoffs one last time,” says Posada, hoping to get in the final word.