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According to a team press release, the Mets will announce on Thursday the name of the mystery artist who is scheduled to perform a concert titled ‘The Last Play at Shea,’ i.e., the 
final concert at Shea Stadium in its final year before the Mets move into Citi Field.
Last September in Newsday Glenn Gamboa reported that Billy Joel will be the final performer at Shea Stadium, “Doing a string of concerts there before its planned demolition after the 2008 Mets season.”
…my friend continues to lament that joel sings with a british accent, despite being from new york, which i never understood…i can’t tell if he’s serious, or just joking around…
…frankly, i’d prefer the last performance at shea to be when Taking Care of Business blares from its speaker following a World Series celebration…but, maybe that’s just me…
Just make sure Billy gets a ride to Shea. Don’t want him driving in from Long Island.
It’s going to be Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zybysko one last time, this time in a Hell in a Cell match.
The Beatles?!? Oh wait…
Well, there are still two left…
Shelly Palmer!
maybe we can campaign to get him to do “sweet caroline”–not too many high notes in that one.
I know this is WAY off topic, but there is no other thread today that really relates to what I have to say. I’m a NJ guy and I go to law school in PA. Yesterday in class, I said to my friend sitting to my right, “I told you the Mets were going to get the best pitcher in baseball.” Right after I said that, the guy sitting to my friend’s right, who happens to be a BIG Nationals fan, said “yeah, and you got the best catcher too.” I laughed, because I thought he was joking. After a few seconds, I realized he was being serious. Like most Mets fans, I was not happy about the Milledge trade, but the things being said by this Nats fan about Schneider really made me think twice. Of course, he admitted that Schneider can’t hit, but he said that his defense and game-calling can’t be matched by any other catcher in the league. Now I’m not saying that I have changed my mind based on this one Nats fan’s opinion, but it’s something to think about, and perhaps it puts a touch of positivity on the trade that most of us didn’t (and still don’t) like.
I don’t want to sound dismissive, but I think we all know how good Schneider is defensively and from a game-calling perspective. It’s just we were so hyped up about Milledge, that it just hurt to see him go for a non-hitting catcher and a utility/starter-on-a-bad-team right fielder.
But, I will say this: having been able to trade for Santana without Milledge (who we all thought was our best, closest to the majors outfield prospect), I’m okay with welcoming in the two from the Nats and giving them the benefit of the doubt.
I agree with you on all points….Just posted this little anecdote for all the perpetually-negative-about-everything people on here. A little bit of positive thinking can’t hurt!
After the Santana trade went through I re-analyzed the Milledge trade, and ya know what. I like it now. Ill be the first to admit that I HATED it when it went down, but just think. With Lo Duca, Glavine, and Milledge gone the only headcase/lazy player left on the team is Delgado. Hearing this ‘it’ll come back to us’ talk makes me think Omar made that trade feeling very confident Johan would land in his lap. If thats the case you make all the moves you need to make to win THIS YEAR. Then I can totally understand why you trade the young cocky RF for a stable, calming influence behind the plate, and a solid fielding, decent hitting RF. Maybe we didnt/arent giving Omar enough credit here….I guess well see how it all plays out….
I think we could have won with Milledge in right and Estrada/Castro behind the dish. Don’t you?
Not if you’re Omar and youre thinking “Can I rely on Estrada’s defense day in day out.” I like Castro, but not in a platoon situation. In any event I just think having one stable catcher is always preferable to a poo poo platter. Especially knowing its a vet that has a great reputation of dealing with pitchers and solid day in day out defense. As far as Milledge is concerned I really think Omar knows something here. Its addition by subtraction. There was obviously something flawed in that clubhouse last year. im willing to admit that Milledge was more a part of the problem than the solution….
Milledge isn’t a big loss. And I doubt he’s going to be as “special” as many of the posters here predict. At best, he’ll be another Jacque Jones. Please can the Gary Sheffield comparisons until he learns how to hit a breaking ball.
I think Estrada is a capable catcher, I really do. I’m not crying over this deal, but I do think that we’d have been fine (and cheaper) with Milledge and Estrada and in a few years we could (could) have had something special in Milledge. If not, oh well. Like I said, I’m not crying over this, and I don’t think it’s a huge huge problem, but I’d say they are more likely to regret this move than the Nationals are. I think it’s fine for this year, but we may regret it to a degree in 2-3 years. I guess my point is , why do it? But it’s water under the bridge.
Keep in mind as well that Omar (I’m assuming) knew he’d only have to trade one of the OF prospects. If(again assuming) Milledge was/is the headcase I think he is then A. You want him as far away from the team as possible. Again, addition by subtraction. B. You will have a replacement ready to go in the 2-3 years you bring up(Gomez or Martinez), and C. Theres always Free Agency….
but i just might be a lunatic your lookin for
Billy Joel…. I thought he was a Yankees fan.
good point.
hey hey…. “leave a tender moment alone!”
I’ll leave that tender moment right where it belongs: Yankee Stadium.
Are you sure your friend isn’t talking about Billy Joe (of Green Day)? He sounds British when he sings.
If the Concerts are afther the season, that would be in late october of early november, thats gonna be a damn cold concert
Being a Mets fan can give you a heart attack-ack-ack-ack…
it should definitely be Yo La Tengo
http://www.yolatengo.com/kaplanskorner.html
Go Yo La Tengo
Other than an impossible reunion by The Beatles due to the history, yes Yo La Tengo would DEFINATELY be the correct choice. Not only huge Met fans but they took their name for on of the best anecdotes in Met history…oh and the band rocks as well! Of course, about only 2000 would even care….sigh
No, I agree — they would be perfect. They’ve covered “Meet the Mets”, refer to Butch Huskey in their lyrics, and . . . well, BUTCH. HUSKEY. That settles it in my book. If they (sadly and undeservedly) don’t have the mass appeal of, say, a Billy Joel, they can at least play a Cyclones’ game, you’d think.
Off Topic : Any one know the status of Luis Castillo. I know his knee was messed up at the end of the season. Is he back to 100%?
He had the knee cleaned out shortly after the season…He will be ready to go by Spring Training, if not now.
cool, thanks for the info
I heard 73.4%, but i don’t know if i trust my source.
You can trust Beltran. He’s very good with percentages : )
Please do not spoil the last nights at Shea by having this waste of life and fine booze Billy Joel ruin all my great Shea memories by performing his “classical” crap music for a bunch of yuppies willing to shell out 250+ per seat. I’d rather have no show at all really. or better yet get the 86 mets back together for one final performance of “GET METSMERIZED”
Please no Billy Joel. Please. Please.
Get Paul McCartney and Ringo. Put Clapton in for George Harrison. Get Tom Petty in for John.
There’s been a lot of great music at Shea (Who, Clash; etc.). But there’s one band that defines music at Shea.
And that’s the Beatles.
whoa, well if they could pull that off, it would be memorable. we just need to make sure our final show has class and outdoes yankee stadium. you know they are gunna put on a show that just toots their own horn. lets do something that appeals to mets fans and others as well. let the yanks embarass themselves.
I’m hoping maybe they can demolish the stadium WHILE Billy Joel’s performing!
how about game 4 of the WS (since the NL will probably lose the all star game again) with jose reyes performing every single top step dance from throughout the year as the mets celebrate a championship.
Now THAT’S a show!!!!!
The choice is obvious. Slayer.
…with Piazza playing a mean air-guitar.
Billy has had so many “last concert tours”….it’d be appropriate he does the last Shea concert (by the way, shea is a horrid venue for concerts).
I wonder how long it will take to demolish and clear out the ruins of Shea and have the parking lot replacing it in place? Explosives can’t be used inside NYC for demolition….so it will be a wrecking ball operation.
If any of you have seen the latest galleries of Citifield with Shea in the background on mets.com (the aerials in the sceond gallery in particular)…that is huge structure that has to be demolished. I’d hate to see bad parking issues and rubble in background when they open Citi Field.
These type of tours are useful. Often billy will do more that one.
Dude, do you really have nothing better to do than try to pose as me?
I’ve been a huge fan Billy Joel, but is a Yankee fan, and outside of Long Island there’s no connection. I would rather see Paul McCartney either solo or with Ringo. That’s a true send off.
On the topic of music…….the Mets have to lose the “Sweet Caroline” sing along in the seventh. That belongs to the Red Sox and Fenway. The Mets need to do their own thing……that the 1st step in defining your own identity.
this is such an overblown topic…
The “song” does not belong to the Red Sox….people with short memories only believe this as truth
It’s been played at many sporting venues over the years….in fact, the NY Rangers played for a while BEFORE the Sox….
And Neil’s from Brooklyn – he’s local.
If the Detroit Red Wings played “Born to Run” every game, does that mean the NJ Devils couldn’t play it???
Paul, Ringo, Clapton and Dylan!!! That would be the way to go!
i heard that clutch was gonna play the last show…
Yeah. It’s gonna be Clutch, Mastodon, and The Sword.
METS-todon! It’s too perfect not to work . . . except for the whole lack of family appeal thing.
Not a Billy Joel fan, but Joel did have Gary Carter and some other ‘86 Met — I forget who — on stage at MSG before the ‘86 series. Carter put it in his book about ‘86, “A Dream Season.” That’s something.
Billy Joel is so corny and lame. I would be truly embarrassed if it is Billy Joel.
I hear it is going to be Britney Spears in a straight jacket
Why does this have the scarey ring of the ‘86 mets and the whole “Metmderized” nonsense where the players prooved they can’t sing. We can only hope this is not the case. …of course if they win the world series like the ‘86 mets they can band together and sing we are the world for all i care…
I agree that the last performance that should be played at shea is Taking care of Business after we win the world series
HOW BOUT FIFTY CENTTTTTTT HIS LYRICS REACH ME IN MY SOUL! YEA YEAH! NI99A!
I understand that Billy Joel is something of a New York icon, but for me he hasn’t been relevant or appealing since about 1983, and I am not aware of any specific connection between him and the Mets or Shea Stadium.
As others have suggested above, artists who have actually performed there or who have some connection to the organization would be more appropriate. As someone lucky enough to have seen the David Johansen/The Clash/The Who triple bill there, Billy Joel just doesn’t do it for me. I still haven’t fully recovered my hearing from when “the jet fighter’s wailed” in Rock The Casbah.
I believe that the last “thing” at Shea should be one of those outdoor NHL games. I’ll leave it to others more enamored of hockey to determine what teams would be appropriate.
no hocky but a football game there would be cool since the jets played thur
call me crazy, but I think the appropriate last “thing” at Shea should be a baseball game! The Jets haven’t played there since 1983, and there hasn’t been a concert since 2003. Oh well…hopefully they’ll still do a nice send-off to the stadium at the last home game of the regular season, regardless if the Mets make the playoffs or not.
Not crazy at all in my opinion. My post above was written in the context that there was definitely going to be some “thing” other than a baseball game to close down the place, but given my druthers I agree with you. The last thing should be a baseball game.
#1 I like the Beatle reunion..
#2 How about Springsteen
#3 The 1969 Mets repeat their Ed Sullivan performance of “You Gotta Have Heart”
I’ve always associated Billy Joel with the Yankees, probably because he mentions them in Miami 2017. And he played at Skankee Stadium in 1990.
This sounds like more bad judgment from the Mets brass.
Since Omar is on a roll right now maybe he can bring John and George back for a full-fledged Beatles reunion. Not much can top what he just did to get Santana here but that would do it!
Billy Joel can open the farewell shows for Ringo.
Let McCartney do the first set of concerts to break-in CitiField.