Shea Stadium was magical

One of baseball’s most unique stadiums has been gone for nearly ten years, and it still hurts to think about.

The massive blue semicircular structure located in the heart of Queens looked like no other ballpark at the time. It had a straightforward, magical look that screamed, “america’s pastime.”

Look at the blue and orange neon signs on each of its panels, forming portraits of pitchers, catchers, and hitters. No other stadium has ever had something like this, and it used these images to display its purpose — Mets baseball.

If that wasn’t obvious enough, the entire exterior was a bright royal blue. The majority of ballparks in the MLB are either a neutral color, or made of stone or brick. This was a happy look, a look that welcomed newcomers and die-hard fans with open arms.

Yes, Shea Stadium was aging both structurally and physically, but it had charm. The exposed slanted ramps that led fans up to their sectioned seats, the long, narrow tunnels that exposed the massive field, and the brightly colored and narrow seats all had something that a lot of stadiums lack — personality.

Shea also had something that is now considered a rarity — symmetrical walls. From corner to corner, the walls were entirely mirrored, which gave the park a cleaner, simpler look. The last remaining symmetrical field in baseball is Dodger Stadium, and I can’t really see a valid reason why most ballparks aren’t like this.

During a Subway Series or playoff game, when the entire stadium was packed, it would literally shake when the crowd cheered. The whole place felt electric, even when planes loudly flew in the sky above from the nearby LaGuardia airport.

No matter how big a ballpark may be, it will never feel bigger than Shea. Every single time I walked through the dark tunnels to get to my seats, I would get chills when emerging with the field in full view. With nearly 60,000 seats arranged in a semicircle, it felt like a serious, glorious arena. I’ve never had the same, or a similar feeling when entering any other ballpark. Shea just felt different.

I loved Shea. That doesn’t mean I don’t love Citi Field. It’s beautiful, easy to navigate, and is still packed full of Mets culture. With that being said, it will never match the “classic Mets baseball” feeling that Shea did.