The long legal saga of the 300-pound Mets fan who fell on a woman and broke her back at Shea stadium in 2007 is still rolling slowly through the courts. You'll recall that Ellen Massey, a lawyer and Mets fan, is suing the Mets, the beer concession, the union that represents the team's security guards, and one Timothy Cassidy, the husky gentleman who fell on her during the season opener. Yesterday Massey won a big huge victory when a judge ruled that the Mets could be held liable for the falling fan. more ›

Amid complaints that Citi Field was overrun with Dodgers memorabilia and didn't contain enough Mets history, the franchise has made a renewed effort to show that Citi Field is the home of the Mets. The biggest change was moving Shea Stadium's "Home Run Apple" from the bullpen plaza to outside the stadium, where it will greet fans as they get off the 7 train. Mets Executive Vice President Dave Howard told NY1, "It will be, we think, a very popular meeting point, photo opportunity point outside the building." more ›

A man hired to prevent looters from ransacking Shea Stadium while it was being demolished has pleaded guilty to looting the ballpark. So long as he pays $842.50 in restitution, Gerald Tacopino, 44, will only be fined $500 for heisting memorabilia from the stadium that he was supposed to protect as a security guard, according to 1010WINS. Investigators recovered Mets security jackets, shirts, and seat bottoms and backs from his Brooklyn apartment. He was also ordered to stay away from the Mets new stadium, Citi Field, for one year. In 2008, two men were arrested when they tried to steal a seat from Shea Stadium on opening day. more ›

ESPN, you really should have known better. Metspolice.com found this photo on ESPN's merch page, using the image of Shea Stadium from beyond the grave as the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide, this year's BCS champions. At least they had the decency to paint a 50 yard line. This isn't the first instance of Mets-related images being messed with on the internet. A while ago there was this instance of Citibank and the Mets being too lazy to even take a photo in Citi Field! We bet this never happens to the Yankees... more ›

Last night may have been the first time since it opened this spring that Citi Field was home to fans cheering loudly for over two consecutive hours. That's because fresh off his return to (the top of) The Ed Sullivan Theater, Paul McCartney once again played on the home field of the Mets where the Beatles had their legendary Shea Stadium shows. And by all accounts, Macca brought it. more ›

The widow of a Brooklyn man who died when he fall off an escalator last year is suing the Mets. 36-year-old Antonio Narainasami plunged 30 feet to his death when an escalator stopped suddenly at the Mets' old home. The lawsuit says that the escalator jerked, sending him over the railing and complains that it was "too steep, poorly maintained and needed higher railings." At the time of the accident last April, there was some speculation as to whether or not Narainasami was trying to slide down the rails when he fell. It was also customary for escalators at Shea to turn off in the seventh inning of games. The lawsuit filed in Queens Supreme Court by Ambeeka Narainasami also names the city and the elevator companies, Brink and Otis, as co-defendants. A lawyer for the city said, "We will review the case thoroughly, especially in a tragic case like this." more ›

With the final bulldozers schlepping off the remains of Shea Stadium, it appears that they've officially paved paradise and put up a parking lot. more ›

The Mets' home opener in their new stadium, Citi Field, is just 21 days away, which is why the staff is working hard to make sure everything is perfect. Uni Watch's Paul Lukas helped out yesterday by being one of 300 volunteers who tested out the ballfield's plumbing by...flushing toilets. Lukas noted that the practice is not unique, as the Yankees tested their plumbing last month, but there is an "ironic resonance" of flushing in Flushing:

The main thing I learned as we waited for the flushing test to commence was that plumbers don’t use the word “toilet”; instead, they say, “bowl” (as in, “I hear they got over 300 bowls in this stadium” or “Holy shit, 20 bowls in one bathroom!”). more ›

Seems like just yesterday that Billy Joel was planning the ultimate farewell to Shea Stadium, and now, less than two months before baseball season starts up again, Shea is gone. Get some Kleenex Mets fans (you should be used to carrying them around) and take one last look at your team's old home as it gets reduced to rubble, like so many Pennant dreams. Time of death (as recorded by the NY Times): Wednesday, February 18th, 11:21 a.m. more ›

After being struck by one car, a man was dragged by a second vehicle through 17 miles of highway from Queens into Brooklyn early this morning. Police have not been able to identify the man who was originally struck by the SUV at 6 a.m. in Corona, not far from Shea Stadium and would not be discovered until the van's driver arrived in Coney Island an hour later. Along the way, the body was dragged from the Grand Central Parkway to the Van Wyck Expressway and then onto the Belt Parkway before other motorists flagged the driver down. more ›

Consider those Wall Street Journal-fueled hopes that CitiField would be something else , as both the Mets and CitiGroup say they are going ahead with their $400 million, 20-year agreement. Mets VP of business affairs David Howard tells Newsday, "The Wall Street Journal got it wrong. Citi contacted us this morning and they reinforced that they will honor the legally binding agreement that they have with us. They have consistently said to us that they will honor the agreement." And Citi released a statement, "Citi signed a legally binding agreement with the New York Mets in 2006. No TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] capital will be used for Citi Field or for marketing purposes." And yesterday, Howard explained to Newsday, "Superficially, I understand [the public's reaction. But the reality is, the TARP recipients were companies the federal government thought were vital to our economy. To continue doing business, they still need to advertise." more ›

Is common sense coming to Queens? Not yet, but at least Citigroup is considering terminating the naming-rights deal it signed with the Mets in 2006. While no official decision has been made, the fact that this is even under consideration represents a dramatic change in thinking. The deal has been under attack for the past few months as Citigroup has been forced to rely on taxpayer money to stay in business. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, two Congressmen called on the bank to end their deal with the Mets saying, "Citigroup is now dependent on the support of the federal government for its survival as an institution. As such, we do not believe Citigroup ought to spend $400 million to name a stadium at the same time that they accept over $350 billion in taxpayer support and guarantees." The Mets are still planning on keeping the deal, "The Mets are fully committed to our contract with Citi." If the deal is terminated, it would be the second big financial blow that the Wilpons, owners of the Mets, have suffered. They also lost millions in the Bernie Madoff scandal. more ›

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The death rattle can still be heard in Queens, but everyone is quick to capitalize on the demise of Shea Stadium. Following the city's lead, NY artist Michael Shea (real name) has created quite a hybrid t-shirt, crossing the Mets logo with the Grateful Dead skull. Why? Because people will pay for it, for at least another few weeks, or until the MLB shuts down sales. more ›

WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski took some aerial photographs of Shea Stadium's dismantling. The stadium, where the last game was held on September 28, is being taken apart--and much of its belongings are for auction. Also, Forgotten NY's Kevin Walsh put together a touching tribute to Shea Stadium with some history and many of his memories: "Possibly, 1973 was my favorite year to be a Mets fan. The Mets had been moribund most of the summer, dropping 13 games under .500 at a couple of occasions. But other clubs failed to take charge and the Mets made a run, winning 24 of their last 33 to edge out the Cardinals on the last day of the season." more ›

Mets fans hoping to scavenge Shea Stadium's dumpsters for memories are fresh out of luck, because the team is selling every nook and cranny of their old house at an online auction. Seriously, everything is for sale. Yankee Stadium has only sold off old seats so far, but plan on seeing more of The House that Ruth Built become a cash cow for the city at the end of October, when the remains are auctioned at MSG. more ›

The Mets' 2008 season may be over, but the law keeping working on cases with rowdy fans: The Daily News reports Brooklyn resident Christian Hansen "admitted to badgering the baseball-headed mascot - while swatting young fans out of his way" - back at a May 31 Mets win over the Dodgers. Hansen also apparently refused to leave Shea, "took a swing at a security guard and spit in his face," earning him a conditional discharge, $500 fine and an indefinite ban from Mets home games. And in spite of the Mets' and Queens DA's "zero tolerance" theft and vandalism policy (PDF) for Shea's last weekend, 17 fans were arrested for trying to steal seats, plaques and banners, a criminal bookend to the start of Shea's last stand. more ›

Perhaps it was fitting that after yesterday's disappointing last game of the season-- where the Mets's playoff chances evaporated-- a bittersweet ceremony was held to say good-bye to Shea Stadium. The fans yelled at the Marlins, who reportedly took their time leaving the field, "Off the field, off the field, off the field." more ›

The Mets could not dig up one more miracle at Shea this afternoon and will not be going to the playoffs after losing to the Marlins 4-2 in what will be the stadium's final game. At one point in the day about halfway through their respective games, both the Mets and the Brewers were both down 1-0 and there had to be Mets fans hoping the team could just find a way to limp into tomorrow's one game playoff with Milwaukee. more ›

Shea Stadium is perhaps most famous as a venue for a memorable Beatles concert and that is a shame. While it certainly doesn’t have the history that Yankee Stadium did and it is an eyesore, Shea has been a witness to plenty of memorable moments. more ›

The Parks Department will be salvaging various parts of Shea Stadium for use in other park facilities--and the Daily News sums it up, "Parts of Shea will keep on Flushing." Toilets, urinals, sinks, lights, doors, soap dispensers and other supplies will be removed and kept on hand for future needs in rec centers, park bathrooms, etc. The Parks Department's Shea director even pointed out that the orange stall dividers "can be painted different colors...From a technical standpoint, a light fixture that's five years old is just as good as a light fixture that's new. These fixtures have a replacement cost of $500, so it's a home run for us." more ›

Citi Field will not be going apple picking in Shea Stadium's outfield this fall. The NY Daily News reports that the fancy new ballpark the Mets are moving into next year will get a brand new apple to rise up after the team's home runs in 2009 and beyond. The Mets had been keeping mum on whether there would be a new apple next year, but a team official spilled the beans during a late night special on Citi Field that aired on SNY. Save the Apple, the blog that garnered almost 9,000 signatures from Mets fans hoping the 28-year-old apple would make its way over to the new park, is naturally mourning the loss, but has now are turning their attention to simply saving the old apple from going anywhere. While rumor has it the team will auction off the current apple for charity, Save the Apple asks the club, "Mets officials...please PLEASE just leave the Apple where it is." more ›

If you watch just one Community Board Meeting video this summer, make it this one. Willets Point property owners who've been passionately protesting Mayor Bloomberg's controversial $3 billion plan to rezone the area (to make way for a hotel, convention center, offices and retail stores) have put together this video showing how the sausage gets made over at Community Board 7. Their gripping featurette focuses in on a contentious committee meeting that yielded a yes vote for the city's proposal, despite serious reservations voiced by board members. more ›

Tickets for the final home games at Yankee Stadium are being resold online for upwards of $10,000. After the Yankees leave town following today's game against the Blue Jays, there's only one homestand remaining inside the House that Ruth Built. For those ten sold out games, bleacher seats alone are running over $100 a ticket. And for the final game on September 21, the cheapest seat in the house sits at $350 right now. Elsewhere in the stadium, online scalpers are charging anywhere from two to ten grand for the historic game. And in what's becoming a recurring footnote to these stadium stories, upcoming tickets for all but the final game at Shea are still available for under $30. Said one fan, "Mets fans are glad Shea's going. They don't need to say goodbye." more ›

While a pair of Shea Stadium's seats are being sold at $869 (Mr. Met was shilling them earlier this week and they have been going fast), it looks like seats from Yankees Stadium will be sold at over twice that. According to the NY Post, the city and Yankees are thinking of selling a pair of seats for $1,923. Apparently the Yankees are looking to sell off much of everything from the stadium, and as the season comes to a close (maybe even sooner than the Yankees want), we can expect more insanity. On opening day at Yankee Stadium, some fans tried to steal the bunting/banner. more ›

Angry opponents to Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to develop 62 acres of poorly-maintained land in Willets Point, Queens disrupted a press conference yesterday held by city officials in Washington Square Park to tout the proposal. Councilman Hiram Monserrate, whose district includes Willets Point, led over two dozen protesters to the press conference, where they drowned out advocates for the plan, chanting “Justice for Willets Point!” According to the Times, the police refused to remove the protesters, telling officials they had a right to be there, even if they were being disruptive. more ›

The 26-year-old man who fell from a Shea Stadium escalator on Saturday night is still listed in critical condition. The Post reports that Justin Larson, a medical school student, is "breathing with the aid of a ventilator" at NY Hospital Queens, with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and bruising on his brain. Mets officials and the NYPD are investigating the fall (after a man's fatal fall from the Shea escalators in April, a U.S. Product Safety Commission investigation was opened), but Larson's friends said he had been "goofing off" by sitting on the handrail of a non-working escalator. His parents are on their way from Missouri now. more ›

Last night, during the Mets-Cardinals game, a Cards fan fell 25 feet from an escalator at Shea Stadium. The Post reports that Justin Larson, 26, is in critical condition at New York Hospital Queens, with "broken ribs, bruising on the brain, and a collapsed lung." more ›

Last night Billy Joel helped bid farewell to Shea Stadium, with the last concert at the field (the first being The Beatles historic show 43 years ago); Joel also performed there on Wednesday night, and the entire experience has been filmed for a future documentary. more ›

Tonight Billy Joel performs at Shea Stadium, as part of his "Last Play at Shea" shows (the other is on Friday). Details recently talked to the Piano Man about the stadium, and he told them: "I think it’s kind of strange that in my lifetime I’ve seen a stadium come and go. I remember when Shea was built—it was state-of-the-art, like a big Roman edifice. Now they’re taking it down because it’s out of date. I find that a little odd." Meanwhile, Variety reports that the singer will film the experience for Last Play at Shea, a documentary surrounding the experience of playing the last shows before the stadium is torn down later this year. It's expected to have a Ken Burns feel, and "track the intersecting paths of a blue-collar Long Island musician and the Queens ballpark that hosted its first concert in 1965." more ›