There are many impartial observers who consider Shea Stadium to be the worst park in the major leagues, but for a lot of New Yorkers, there is something endearing about the dumpiness of the place. It may feel like a municipal recreation center, but there is openness—not only to the structure of the place, but to the atmosphere too—that you won’t find at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It is loose. From the Olay “Jose, Jose, Jose” chants for Jose Reyes, to the organist playing the opening riff from the Violent Femmes classic, “Blister in the Sun,” to the post-“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” segue right into “Tarantella,” Shea offers a completely different, but equally genuine, slice of New York. I was in Queens last night with my brother, my pal Alan, and Jay Jaffe, for Game Two of Mike Piazza’s homecoming. Head on over to Baseball Prospectus (reg. req) where I’ve got a piece on what went down.