Shea Stadium Remembered

Few remember that Shea Stadium—and indeed the Mets baseball club itself—arose out of a dispute between two oversized egos: New York City official Robert Moses and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. While O’Malley wanted complete control over a new stadium and all of its concessions in Brooklyn, Moses insisted that the stadium be built by the city in Queens and leased to the Dodgers. The impasse led to the Dodgers following the Giants out to the West Coast, where The City of Los Angeles granted O’Malley all of the concessions he had sought in New York. With now no National League team in the New York area, the National League office awarded a new franchise to the city in 1960 on conditional that it fund and build a new stadium, which the Mets (and later the AFL Jets) would lease. The stadium was named in honor of William Shea, the person most responsible for returning National League baseball to New York. Over its forty-four year existence Shea Stadium witnessed a colorful cavalcade of sporting and entertainment events, all detailed in this lively, skimable tribute to a memorable New York landmark. It’s all here: the memorable games; the unforgettable characters such as Tom Seaver, Joe “Willie” Namath, and Seinfeld buddy Keith Hernandez; and even the solemn moments such as when Shea was used as a staging area for first responders after 9/11. By the time of its demolition in 2008, the Mets had played more games at Shea than the Dodgers had ever played at Ebbets Field, and the stadium had hosted seven National League Championship Series, four World Series, three Jets playoff games, and the American Football League Championship game in 1968.

Throughout the 2008 season, each game played at the world’s most beloved stadium brought “The House That Ruth Built” closer to shutting its gates forever. Players envisioned running off the field one last time. Vendors anticipated selling their last bags of peanuts. Fans readied themselves to raise their voices in one final cheer. In Remembering Yankee Stadium, Harvey Frommer—one of the country’s leading baseball authorities—takes us on a journey through the stadium’s storied 85-year old history, from 1927’s unstoppable Murderers’ Row, to Joe DiMaggio’s unfathomable hitting streak, to Maris and Mantle’s thrilling race for the home-run record, to the hirings—and the firings—of Billy Martin, to Derek Jeter’s rise to greatness. The moments and the magic that filled this great stadium are brought alive again through dozens of interviews, a gripping narrative, and a priceless collection of photographs and memorabilia. As the new stadium steps into the forefront, the old ballpark across the street recedes into memory, taking with it the glory and grandeur, the history and heroics, the magic and the mystique of its nearly nine decade-long life. This book captures that time and is at once an album, a keepsake, and a record of its fabulous run.

Rising among the factories and body shops off Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, Shea Stadium has been the setting for many of the game's greatest moments. From its opening in 1964 for the World's Fair to the unforgettable Beatles' concert to the 1969 Miracle Mets, this book covers the history of Shea Stadium through its inception and up to the creation of the new modern-day Citi Field, which the Mets will call home in 2009.

The old Yankee Stadium had so much energy it was sad to see it torn down but keeping up tradition was very important. The ghosts are the main part of that tradition and it was necessary to see them get across the street. In this book you will read how they found their way and made their presence felt in their new home. The new stadium became enchanted during its very first season and tradition stayed strong with the franchise.

Let’s say you’re the manager of one of the most beloved franchises in Major League Baseball, with every past and current player available on your bench. Game time is approaching and the ump needs your line-up card. Who’s your starting pitcher? Fireballer Dwight Gooden, lights-out Tom Seaver, or run-stingy Jacob de Grom? Is Gary Carter behind the plate or Mike Piazza? Who’ll bat clean-up? Combining statistical analysis, common sense, and a host of intangibles, Brian Wright constructs an all-time All-Star Mets line-up for the ages. Agree with his choices or not, you’ll learn all there is to know about the men who played for and managed New York’s Amazin’ Mets.

The perfect beer-table book for fans of the Great American Pastime—regardless of team affiliation! Beginning with Comiskey Park in 1990, author Ken Finnigan used to take road trips to many ancient remaining ballparks with his oldest brother. The idea was to see them just before they got knocked down, instead of imagining what they were like after demolition. They went on journeys to quite a few other old baseball stadiums in the early 1990s and even investigated some of the former sites where ballparks were decommissioned years before. Most of the sites he saw in the early 1990s are no longer standing. Remembering Torn-Down Ballparks, Over a Cold Beer, through vintage full-color art featured on beer coasters, reveals what it may have been like to see the stadiums that are no longer around. From the journal-styled observations of each ballpark, to the artwork from the coasters and the artifacts depicted, Finnigan offers baseball enthusiasts a sense of having a piece from each ballpark.

Chronicles the history of baseball in New York from World War II to the present, examining how the sport helped carry Americans through times of turmoil and social decay.

The San Diego Padres became a National League expansion team in 1969. Through 37 seasons of play, the Padres have never won a World Series, never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter, and never had a player hit for the cycle. They have, however, made it to the World Series twice, had three different pitchers win the Cy Young Award, and had a player tie Honus Wagner for most National League batting titles (eight). They almost lost the franchise to Washington, D.C., had an owner take the public address microphone on opening day to blast his own players, and created national headlines when a nationally-known comedienne performed her version of the national anthem before a game.Longtime Padres announcer Bob Chandler knows the details behind all of these stories and shares his memories with San Diego baseball historian Bill Swank in an easy-to-read recap of the team's colorful past. They also look at many other stories: sick and severely dehydrated on the trainer's table, Ken Caminiti had an IV removed from his arm, ate a Snickers bar, then hit two home runs against the New York Mets in Mexico; the comic relief provided by the San Diego Chicken during the Padres lean years; and how popular Padre Tim Flannery became the mascot - a cross between a dinosaur and an anteater.Chandler and Swank utilize their numerous contacts to bring fans many inside stories and humorous anecdotes dating back to the team's actual birth on May 27, 1968. Eight-time batting champion Tony Gwynn and Cy Young Award-winner Randy Jones are among the former players providing insight and inside stories. Chandler's longtime broadcast partner Jerry Coleman, elected to the broadcasters' wing of the baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, has written the foreword. A colorful collection of owners, managers, coaches, and players over the years lends themselves to many interesting tales from the dugout, which all adds up to an informative, insider's look at the behind-the-scenes events that have shaped the history of the San Diego Padres.