The end of an era for the famous Shea Stadium

Nearly 30 minutes after Ryan Church made the last out that will ever be made at Shea Stadium, dashing the Mets` playoff hopes for 2008, most of the 56,059 fans remained in their seats on Sunday.

Surly and bruised, they booed when players from the Florida Marlins came out to collect dirt from the basepaths. They booed every time the Mets announced anything over the public-address system – “Our Shea goodbye ceremony will begin in five minutes,” was particularly unpopular. And, yes, they even booed Mr. Met.

But still, they would not leave. The Mets had scheduled their farewell to Shea for after the conclusion of the final regular-season game, perhaps not anticipating the possibility that the outcome of that game would be as rotten as it was a year ago. And yet, once the farewell ceremony began, the mood in the stands began to shift, as if the fans were seizing the opportunity to turn their back on two straight years of collapses and, instead, salute Shea`s past.