Topic: Mets' frst playoff tickets EVER

It was 1969, September to be exact, and my assignment was to be on line at Shea for the first sale of Mets playoff tickets. It was 7 years after the start of the Mets and no one figured there would be a World Series in the Mets' near future.

The old Long Island Press sent me to the ballpark to do a story on the fans on line. The next day's headline for the story was "Shambles at Shea."

Fans broke through centerfield fence at 1 in the morning and 600 of them got onto the field without security. Some one put on the lights and I couldn't believe it. Games of frisbee went on in the outfield, fans sat in the stands and on the outfield wall and 12 guys drove the Mets bullpen cart across the field. Other fans went to the dugouts and looked for bats and balls. To top it all off, a pretzel vender drove his truck through the centerfield entrance and sold pretzels in the first base coach's box.

It was UNREAL