Mets vs Cubs - Opening Day 1980 - Shea Stadium

Here are home movies from Opening Day 1980 - Mets vs Cubs. It was a start of a new era at Shea, with Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon taking over from the DeRoulet family. You'll see manager Joe Torre accept the good luck wreath from Bill Shea. Starting pitchers are Rick Reuschel vs Craig Swan. Great catch by Joel Youngblood later in the game. Best of all - notice the pay attendance towards the end! Enjoy!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Mets
• Shea
• Stadium
• Opening
• Day
• 1980
• Cubs

[gregnugget]

Opening Day was not as big a spectacle as it is now, although I'd admit this was a pretty puny turnout. 

[giles422]

this is great, and strangely moving.

[cdrake411]

Parking was $1.25, now it's $19!

[mattgary1]

by the way thanks for posting this - tremendous!. this is the first year i started going to games and following the team closely - i have super 8 vid from Camera Day on the field. hope to post someday.

[mattgary1]

does anyone remember Willie Mays playing in Old Timers game in 1980 and making a amazing catch in left field and promptly exiting after the catch via the left field bullpen right after? it happened.

[hamburg1306]

only 12,000 fans! Wow, even though the Mets were terrible I can't recall such a small opening day crowd. They had a long way to go! BTW the 1980 Mets only hit 61 home runs as a team, tying Roger Maris!

[groverland1]

Excellent! As a kids I lived for those teams---best memories--Dwight Bernard, Kevin Kobel, Doug Flynn!

[nygnyg1]

craig swan pitching

[kbinco]

Yeah, mid 70's to 1983 were not good years fro the Mets. I remember when box seats were $4.50. What are they now, $50??

[idiotic76]

I also seem to recall that Jorgensen hit a home run in this game.

[idiotic76]

During the telecast of that opening game of 1980 game of 1980, Ralph Kiner observed, while the camera was on Cubs pitcher Rick Reuschel, "A lot of people say that Rick Reuschel is fat." Then there was a pause of a few seconds. Kiner continued. "That's probably because he IS." He said this very soberly, without laughing, but my friend Greg and I were cracking up. It was hilarious.

[idiotic76]

I remember that game as if it were yesterday. You mentioned Joel Youngblood making a great catch, Greg. I don't know what catch you're referring to, but I remember CLEARLY that Mike Jorgensen, in his first game with the Mets since he left before the '72 season in the Rusty Staub trade, made a leaping catch at the fence, stealing a home run from one of the Cubs. You can see it in this movie, in fact.