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With both the Mets and Yankees moving to new stadiums next season, it's a time to reminisce on the good times. I was never a huge fan of either team -- for reasons I don't fully understand myself, I'm a Florida Marlins fan -- but I've had my share of fun experiences in each. They usually had nothing to do with the games themselves, but more about the people and the times.
I'll always remember being chased by four security guards at Yankees Stadium back in summer camp. My friend Jeremy and I didn't care about a meaningless game against the Texas Rangers, so we found other ways to entertain ourselves. One of us (probably me) thought it would be a good idea to fill cardboard food trays with ketchup and mustard and then toss them at unsuspecting people by the concession stands. After about a half hour of unspeakable fun, we saw several cops rushing toward us. Jeremy and I ran down the stairs and somehow dodged them, but had no idea where to find the rest of our group. I don't know how we made it back on our bus, covered in red and yellow food stains, but we never told a single person about what really happened. The whole thing makes me laugh to this day for some reason.
I also recounted an emotional moment at Shea Stadium on Deadspin, where I comment under the pseudonym of Candace Parker Secret Lover:
This One Was For All Of Them. I'm not a good enough writer to describe how Mike Piazza's go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning on September 21, 2001 lifted an entire city. I remember standing up and cheering with my friends, at a time when none of us could imagine ever smiling again. I was a freshman at NYU, and just 10 days prior, the tragic events of 9/11 brought about unspeakable pain and suffering. To many, going to a game during a time of mourning was appalling and heartless, but we needed baseball to remind us that we could get past the tragedy and move forward. After Armando Benitez (who else?) gave up a run in the top of the eighth, putting the Braves ahead 2-1, Shea was eerily quiet and dejected. The good vibes from the touching pre-game tribute were all but gone; I don't think we had the heart to go home with another loss. And that's when it happened. Edgardo Alfonzo reached on a walk and set the stage for Piazza to rescue the Mets, and in many ways, us all from being down. I'm not ashamed to admit that it was the only time I ever cried during a sporting event. We left the stadium in a state that was somewhere between hysteria and disbelief. Whatever that feeling was, I'll never forget it.
Categories: Back in the Day, Published!
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