Customer Reviews

Shea Stadium 2010 Calendar (Calendars of America: Historic Images) (Historic Images (Arcadia Publishing))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With all that has been written on the "House that Ruth Built" historian Jason Antos offers a timely chronicle on the rise of New York's "other", more humble, ballpark Shea Stadium. A resident from Whitestone, Antos combines love of local history and passion for Mets baseball to offer a nostalgic account of Flushing's cherished sporting venue. He segues into the evolution of the franchise itself, a team once seen as "lovable losers" (a term he coined) to undisputed World Champions. What's in store here is a treat for both history buffs and baseball fans of all stripes.

Queens is still a place where the concept of local pride matters a great deal to its inhabitants. Despite that Shea was built more with suburbanites and their automobiles in mind, local residents still embrace it as their very own. Like New York's other great stadiums, Shea's special brand of baseball magic goes a long way to rally its home borough. This is one of the impressions you are left with after reading Antos' fine book; I for one finished it longing to be part of the Mets community.

The author ties in the mission of the 1964 World's Fair with the expectations placed on the fledgling ball club. Having opened its gates for the first time the same year as the world's fair, Shea's period architecture, however questionable it is in retrospect, served nicely then as a metaphor. Shea's completion meant closure for fans mourning over the departure of their beloved Dodgers and Giants. But the unobstructed view of the ballfield that Shea afforded, the only positive that can be said about its otherwise questionable design--couldn't help but kindle thoughts of renewed baseball glory. All fans had to do was believe, which they did, and by 1969 were amply rewarded.

Filled with eye-catching photographs, Antos' work is an informative and delightful piece of Queens history. All the more compelling since Shea's corporate-sponsored successor, Citi Field (modelled after Ebbets Field, ironically enough) is poised to take its place as the Mets' new home. And Shea, and all that it represented, will be but a memory.

Now that Shea is in the process of being demolished, this book serves as a living homage to what will soon just be a memory. And the photos are wonderful, chronicling the entire history of Shea, from the groundbreaking in the early 60s right up to the present. It's not about the Mets per se--there's very little about the players and teams' history--it's a love letter to the ballpark. My only reservation is that all the photos are b/w; I would have appreciated some color photos mixed in so we can get a complete feel for the blue and orange tiles, and the neon sculptures that decorated Shea in its later years. But aside from that, this really is a must-have for anyone who has fond memories of "The Big Shea." It is indeed a "Happy Recap."

I thumbed through this book in a bookstore, riveted by the pictures. As a long-time Met fan, I have nearly every yearbook and many other books about the Mets. Yet, I saw many pictures of Shea I had never seen before, from its construction and earlier. I decided to buy the book, as it would become a great resource years from now when Shea is gone. By page 20 out of 126 though, I realized how poorly written and edited it is. An early picture of Gil Hodges calls him "Miracle Worker" but fails to directly credit him with managing the Mets to an improbable 1969 Series win...it oddly calls Ebbets Field "the most fabled ballpark in history"...its description of William Shea's effort to bring an NL team back to NYC is disjointed and hard to follow...and it sloppily refers to Marv Throneberry as "Thorneberry" four times. It also fails to mention that on its opening day in 1964, workers were still painting and many people left the game with paint on their clothes. Later on, it erroneously credits Tom Seaver with the 1967 Cy Young Award, mistakenly puts Dave Kingman on the 1973 Mets and says Davey Johnson became manager in 1985 (really 1984). It states that Doc Gooden was traded to the Mets in 1984 (he actually came through the Mets farm system) and Mike Piazza was traded from LA (actually Florida). It calls Mike's unforgettable 9/21/01 HR off the Braves a walk-off, when in fact it was in the eighth inning. If you can live with tons of embarrassing mistakes, omissions and questionable statements, the pictures alone still make the book worth considering.

Makes you relive your past. How many things you live to see and relive through the pages. This book will always remember Shea Stadium way past its demolishion.

This is a wonderful reference and remembrance for those of us who have grown up with the magic of Shea Stadium in Queens. For those of you who did not, this tome will serve as an introduction and full course of study on the history of the Stadium, its colorful intricacies, the incredible richness of its surroundings and the memorable characters who pre-dated it and those who were its contemporaries.
After having spoken to its author Mr. Jason Antos at one of his book signings, I realized why this anthem to Shea is as enlightening and readable as it is!! Simply put, Jason, armed with a life-long fascination with his Queens borough embarked on a quest to create the first (which it is!) all-encompassing tale of the Stadium which has many of its own tales to reveal to the curious.
Enriched with hundreds of photographs, many from the author's private collection, and his personal reflections and recollections, this book serves as a fitting and comprehensive memorial to a Stadium which shall cease to exist in a very short time. Mr Antos, I salute you for this masterful oeuvre and invite you to begin work on some volumes dedicated to my home borough of the Bronx!!

I enjoyed thumbing through this book and following the history of an area I grew up around. As with other reviewers I was fascinated with this unique progression of pictures showing the history of Flushing Meadows and Shea Stadium. And like another reviewer I had to deduct a couple of stars because of the painful number of obvious errors even the casual Mets fan could pick up. Let me add a couple of corrections: On p86: Not only did Nolan Ryan appear in make more than one post season appearance in 1969, he would make post season appearances in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1986; On page 82: "The Franchise" Tom Seaver won 25 games in 1969, not 35.

We love this calendar!!!

The pictures of Shea Stadium are terrific! We love the book "Shea Stadium" by Mr. Antos too!!!