The New York Mets are members of the East Division in the National League of professional baseball. They were established in 1962, but had began a few years prior in 1959 when a New York attorney, William Shea announced the formation of the third league known as the Continental League. One short year after this announcement came yet another one, stating the Continental League would disband.
The name Mets came from the shortening of the word Metropolitan, used to describe the metropolitan area of New York. There were five guidelines that the club owner Joan Payson used to determine the final name of the baseball team. The Mets were announced on May 8, 1961 after shortening the name of the corporate club (New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.). New York had another baseball team, but they needed a place to play. On October 28, 1961, ground was broken for the new Flushing Meadows Park where the Mets were scheduled to play. The Mets’ first official game took place on April 11, 1962 against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, resulting in an 11-4 loss.
The Mets’ first game at Shea Stadium took place on April 17, 1964. The original name for the stadium was Flushing Meadows Park, but was renamed in honor of the man that brought the National League back to New York. Shea Stadium was the first stadium that could go from baseball field to football field and back again using motor-operated stands on tracks below the ground. The 1960’s held a big win for the New York Mets, given that they won their first ever World Series title in 1969. The beginning of the season looked grim for the Mets, with the Chicago Cubs zeroing in on a National League East Division title. Fortunately, that all changed toward the end of the season when the Mets won 38 of their last 49 games. The Mets then went on to face the Baltimore Orioles with their 109-53 regular season record. The game ended ironically when future Mets manager Davey Johnson was the final out of the series, resulting in a four games to one win for the Mets.
During the 1970’s, the team lost a lot of its fan base after owner Joan Payson died. Her husband, Charles Payson, gave ownership of the team to their daughters, but they did not share the same interest of their mother. The team was then turned over to M. Donald Grant to handle some of the ownership duties. During this time, a lot of the familiar players had been traded to other teams, including star pitcher Tom Seaver after a contract dispute. Seaver, along with Dave Kingman were both traded on the same day known as “The Midnight Massacre” by tabloids. The loss of these popular players impacted attendance, giving the stadium the nickname “Grant’s Tomb.” Another aspect that caused a decline in fans was the New York Yankees resurrection around the same time.
The Payson daughters decided in January of 1980 that they would sell the Mets franchise to Doubleday Publishing for a total of $21.1 million. It was during this time that Nelson Doubleday, Jr. began rebuilding the Mets by hiring Fred Wilpon as club president and Frank Cashen as general manager. Cashen snatched up high school talent Darryl Strawberry for their number one pick in the amateur draft. Strawberry, along with recent acquisition Dwight Gooden, was the driving force for the New York Mets. This brought the Mets a winning record of 90-72 during the 1984 season. Their next World Series title came in 1986, signifying the closest they have gotten since 2000 when they achieved a National League pennant.
The Mets announced on June 12, 2005 that they would be building a new stadium adjacent to Shea Stadium. The naming rights of the new stadium were sold to Citgroup, dubbing the new stadium Citi Field. Groundbreaking took place in 2006 and is scheduled to open in April 2009. The ballpark should hold 45,000 fans and Mets tickets should be a hot item with the new ballpark's creation.
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