Sometime during the 1996 season, I stepped foot inside Shea Stadium for the first time. Only four years old, I was mesmerized. I distinctly remember repeatedly tugging on my Dad’s shirt and asking him why the seats were all different colors (my young mind couldn’t process the difference between field level, loge, mezzanine, and the upper deck). From that moment on, my allegiance forever belonged to the New York Mets.
That first game would kick off a streak of attending at least one game every season for 20 consecutive years. Then, in 2017, it ended. Due to circumstances out of my control, I could not make my way to Citi Field last season.