The last time his beloved Mets broke the seal on a brand-new ballpark, Kal Liepper was there to breathe in that new-stadium smell.
And while other fans say the wrecking ball can’t come fast enough, Liepper says he’s sad to see Shea Stadium go.
“It’s going to be tough for people like me to be uprooted and start all over again,” said Liepper, a season-ticket holder since the stadium opened for business in 1964.
Liepper, 86, plans to be in Flushing today for Shea’s last season opener, where team officials will honor the man for whom the stadium is named.
It was attorney William Shea who was most instrumental in bringing a National League team back to New York after the Dodgers and the Giants fled to California in 1957.
Thirty members of the Shea family, spanning three generations, will unveil a new Shea logo that will be displayed with the retired numbers at the new Citi Field, which is to open next year right next to Shea.
Bill Shea Jr. will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the 1 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Some fans taking the No. 7 to Flushing will ride on a “nostalgia train,” a mix of vintage subway cars featuring an original “Bluebird” that ran on the line 44 years ago.
While some fans will say goodbye to the ballpark, others will say good riddance.
“To be quite honest, the new stadium will be a lot nicer,” said Moumin Ghanem, 25, a Manhattan bartender who visited the stadium box office to buy tickets to Thursday’s game.
About 90 percent of Citi Field’s structural steel frame is complete, including a rotunda named after Jackie Robinson.
Liepper imagines he’ll eventually embrace the new stadium.
“I just come to the ballpark to watch the game and enjoy the game,” said Liepper, who has seats right above the third-base dugout. “I wouldn’t sell my experience for anything.”