Ready, aim … no, no wait

Shea Stadium on June 10, 1975 — moments before the 21-gun salute

The New York Yankees – in their second and final season as tenants at Shea Stadium while their ballpark in the Bronx is being renovated – sponsor Army Day 51 years ago tonight but not without a glitch.

OK, more than a glitch.

Frankly, the Yankees wreck parts of their temporary home as their ceremonial 21-gun salute and canon shots — with blanks, of course — by a detachment from Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton are performed too close to the outfield fence. ‍

Way too close.

The result: Even with firing blanks from the canons, portions of the fence are destroyed, while other parts of the fence are set ablaze.

The inadvertent mayhem takes place in front of a Tuesday night crowd of 31,809 at Shea, a crowd that eventually – after watching repairs to the fence – sees the Yankees beat the California Angels and future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan 6-4.

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