Wow. Just... Wow...

Count me as an elitist. A proud, proud, elitist.

Week 3

tadium or [Shea S]tadium
Originally uploaded by TommyKirchmeier

Well, I guess it is no longer "Shea Stadium". It is now simply "tadium". The "Shea S" have been removed. I expect more changes next week. I know the scoreboard came down last Saturday (missed it by a few hours).

In other news, brooklynmetfan.com has picked up a bunch of my photos and is running them this week. It is exciting to be getting some exposure. It would be great to publish these photos as a documentation of the end of Shea at some point.

Not So Bad

You know, it doesn't really seem that bad. Oil prices have come down, the Euro is trading at $1.30, not $2.00 and I still have food. I understand that real estate and construction are hard hit but it just seems like a market correction, not the end of times. I know that retirement accounts are taking a hit but if we can bail out banks, we will bail out retirees.

Wait until all the boomers leave their homes for nursing homes and cemeteries. That's going to leave a huge glut of housing on the market. You think we have real estate deflation now? I'm going to buy a brownstone and two McMansions in twenty years.

Leonard Cohen Christmas Album

I wish Leonard Cohen had recorded a Christmas album. I understand that there would probably be an inherent conflict of interests considering his last name, but I'm sure it would have been an interesting melancholy take on some holiday classics.

Week 2

IMGP8765BW
Originally uploaded by TommyKirchmeier

Not much changed between week 1 and week 2 at Shea. It does feel more desolate. Perhaps that is because things are disappearing that I am not noticing: Small promenade trees, signposts, etc. I watched some workers unceremoniously remove the sign for Gate E. That was sort of the stand-by place where I would meet people when going to a game. I’m happy to say the light was better this week, so photos are crisper.

I Think the Money Just Got All Used up

I think we just used up all of the money. All of it. It's not coming back. I'm pretty sure I just heard that sucking sound that you get from a straw when you reach the bottom of a drink. Did anyone else notice it?

In the meantime, I'm going to propose to Jess that we eat our cat. That will give us two savings: 1) We won't need to buy cat food anymore 2) We will be full for one more day.

Shea Stadium: 1964 - 2008 - October 4, 2008

Shea Stadium: 1964 - 2008
Originally uploaded by TommyKirchmeier

I’ve decided to do a photo series on the dismantling of Shea Stadium. I plan to go once a week to the place where I spent so many summer days and so many autumn heartbreaks where I will document the razing of the field. I’m sad to see it go. I find some irony in the fact that it is 44 years old, the same age that Ebbets Field was when they tore down that stadium. At the same time, the Citi Field’s (the new Shea) look is based upon the old field from Brooklyn. I guess we can expect to see a new field in 2052 based upon the look of Shea. Hopefully it will be back in Brooklyn.