Lil Bit Special Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spshea015865310oct01,0,6513397.story To those Mets fans frustrated enough to want Shea Stadium blown up to rid the franchise of the stench of another September collapse, you're going to be disappointed. The stadium will be torn down slowly and meticulously, without the help of any dynamite. "It will be dismantled," said Dave Howard, executive vice president of business operations. "There won't be an implosion and there won't be any wrecking balls. It will sort of be strategic cutting and dismantling section by section." That process is going to begin in less than two weeks, Howard said, and it's something the Mets have been quickly preparing for. For starters, yesterday was the first day not a single Mets employee reported to work at Shea Stadium. Everyone with the Mets, from the general manager to the switchboard operator, has now officially been moved to Citi Field. The transition actually began two weeks ago, Howard said. By the time the Mets' final homestand at Shea began, most employees already were working out of their offices inside Citi Field. The only workers who remained at Shea during the final regular-season games, he said, were those who worked in the ticket office and stadium operations. That's only because their jobs required them to be there. Now that the Mets are out of Shea, Howard said they have 15 days from the final game to clear the stadium of everything they want to save ... or else. "It's being prepped for demolition," Howard said. "We're pulling out all salvageable stuff and memorabilia items. It's a very active site, with regards to both the Mets and the Parks Department." That means everything that is for sale or has been bought, from the seats to the dugouts to the foul poles, are currently being removed. In a matter of days, the stadium will be barren. Then comes the demolition and pretty soon after that, you will start to notice a difference as you drive by on the Grand Central Parkway. "It will be gradual," Howard said. "The goal is to have it down by Opening Day next year for Citi Field, which is April 13. That will be a challenge, and it will be dependent on a lot of things, including what the weather is like this winter. But that's the goal." As Howard spoke, he said he was looking out his office window onto the crews of workers on the new playing field. The irrigation system is being installed and the sod is expected to be down by the end of October, just in time to set in before the winter frost hits. He thinks more than 90 percent of the seats are now in place. For Mets fans already looking ahead to next year, the vision of an almost-finished Citi Field will likely bring warm feelings of a new beginning. "It was very interesting to move over here while the season was still going on at Shea because we would go back over for games during the final homestand, and you definitely see Shea Stadium in different eyes," Howard said. "Even for just a couple of days. The quantitative difference is exponential." SHEA STADIUM DEMOLITION CHECKLIST STEP 1: Move all employees, offices and files to Citi Field. That happened in four waves, beginning two weeks ago. Only a handful of employees still worked out of Shea Stadium during the Mets' final homestand. Monday night, the final group of employees moved. STEP 2: Prepare Shea Stadium for demolition. The team and the NYC Parks Department has two weeks to remove everything from Shea. For the Mets, that means all the memorabilia items they have sold, including the seats, signs, banners. For the Parks Department, that means all the sinks and toilets, which will be dispersed among New York City parks. STEP 3: Demolition begins. The Mets and the NYC Parks Department is scheduled to hand over the stadium to the demolition contractor Oct. 13, at which point the "gradual" process of taking down Shea will begin. The goal is to have the stadium gone by next year's Opening Day, though the winter weather will be a factor. STEP 4: Turn Shea Stadium into a parking lot. Again, the optimistic goal is Opening Day. "I think more likely it will be down, but maybe not completely off the site," Dave Howard said. "There might be debris and things of that nature. " But he insisted that at some point during the season, it will become a parking lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uart Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 They should nuke that eyesore instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 When was this written 1987? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dierking Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh, I guess it is a good thing the Mets did notmake the playoffs. The schedule is so tight, October baseball would have only tightened this timeline. Priorities, priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 4 months to take it down little by little-they can not just blow it up so close to the other stadium Citi Field I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh, I guess it is a good thing the Mets did notmake the playoffs. The schedule is so tight, October baseball would have only tightened this timeline. Priorities, priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 4 months to take it down little by little-they can not just blow it up so close to the other stadium Citi Field I guess. Its against NYC regulations. You cant implode or explode a building Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dierking Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Its against NYC regulations. You cant implode or explode a building That and they are selling every cob web available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Its against NYC regulations. You cant implode or explode a building Interesting. Must be the same for Skankee House too then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 That and they are selling every cob web available. I just want the copper piping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 That and they are selling every cob web available. Money is ALWAYS part of the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dierking Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 One good that has to come out of this end of teh season calamity is that the team HAS TO, HAS TO create another off season splash to make them relavent. They can't sit on haunches this off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anskyruben Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Dont worry. I'm sure the free agent market will be loaded with merengue dancers. I'm sure Omar has calls into them already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Dont worry. I'm sure the free agent market will be loaded with merengue dancers. I'm sure Omar has calls into them already. He's in PR as we speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 One good that has to come out of this end of teh season calamity is that the team HAS TO, HAS TO create another off season splash to make them relavent. They can't sit on haunches this off season. I thought we did that last year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dierking Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Dont worry. I'm sure the free agent market will be loaded with merengue dancers. I'm sure Omar has calls into them already. And hope for the Yankees is that some big name Japanese pitcher can be shaken loose. Their track record is near perfect with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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