Memories, history fill Shea

His fellow ushers know him as D.P. Since 1969, D.P. has been working at Shea Stadium - his first two years as a food vendor and the last 37 as an usher.
He’s been to almost every Opening Day at Shea since it opened in 1964, but the one on Tuesday, April 8, definitely had a different feel to it.
“When I leave here today, I’ll be pretty emotional,” D.P. said from his post at Section 29 of the Mezzanine Level during the sixth inning of the final Opening Day at Shea Stadium.
Next year, the New York Mets will move into their new state-of-the-art stadium, Citi Field, which is going up quickly over the Shea’s center field wall.
D.P. has seen a lot of history during his 39 years at Shea. He started as a food vendor while his dad was an usher at the stadium. The Mets were his dad’s second team as he used to work as an usher at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, but they were D.P.’s first.
He remembers his first year working at Shea during the Miracle Mets World Series Championship year in 1969.
He remembers getting the game ball after the final out during the last Mayor’s Trophy game played at Shea in 1983, a memento he still has in his house.
He remembers Darryl Strawberry, his favorite player, hitting home runs during the second World Series victory in 1986.
However, not all of the fans at the ballpark had witnessed as much baseball history as D.P.
Brothers Ari and Elan Cooperman were lucky enough to score a ticket to Opening Day this year and were excited to meet Eddie Boison - better known to Mets fans as “Cowbell Man.” Boison has been roaming around Shea for the past 13 years ringing his cowbell in order get the fans excited for the game.
“I’m going to miss Shea a lot, but I’m looking forward to Citi Field too,” Boison said.
Nelson Hernandez brought one of the youngest Mets fans - his six-month-old niece Bailey Hernandez - to the last Shea opener, and decked her out in a pink Mets outfit.
Why was it so important for Bailey to make this Opening Day?
“Her middle name is Shea,” said Hernandez, a lifelong Mets fan who made the trip down to Queens from upstate so little Bailey could witness history.
It was not a “happy recap,” for Mets fans leaving the ballpark on Tuesday, as the Philadelphia Phillies came from behind to defeat the hometown team 5-2 and drop the Mets record to 2-4 on the young season.
Mets fans have 80 more opportunities to see their team play at home this year, but there will never be another Opening Day at Shea.