Baseball is in the air

[cobrakai111]

A thread like this was floating around the lounge but figured it would work nicely here. Anyone out there have any good baseball stories/experiences to kill time until spring training and the season starts? I personally am up to over 20 major league ball parks and several other minor league / spring training parks.

Some highlights for me:
- Sitting on top of the green monster for batting practice and nearly breaking my hand trying to catch a Sheffield liner
- Watching the sun set over the Rockies at Coors Field
- Eating garlic fries at Pac Bell (name at the time) and being the only person giving Jason Schmidt a standing ovation after K'ing 8 guys in a row despite not being a Giants fan.
- Paying $2 to see a Marlins game then being 1 of about 1200 people left in an entire football stadium after a 3 hour rain delay
- Meeting Johnny Pesky at spring training.

Next on list for me, seeing a ballgame in Israel when there professional baseball league starts this year.

[Slow Play Ray]

I have 2 claims to fame, but only one of them is a good memory.

I was at Fenway for Derek Lowe's no-hitter. There is no way I could have ever guessed I was going to see a no-hitter that day. Awesome experience.

I was also at Yankee stadium for the "how-can-he-not-take-Pedro-out" game 7. I'll never forget watching from right field as the bullpen door openened, wondering who was going to emerge, then the ensuing confusion when the door closed without anyone coming out, and the panic set in. The strangest thing about it was the unbelievably kind Yankee fans in the stadium consoling us when the game was over. But the reality of enemy territory set in as we trekked the long route back to the car with our heads down. A teenage fan walked past us and tentatively asked "yeah, Yankees?" and we shook our heads - "well get the hell out of Brooklyn then!" And then the longest 3 hour drive of my life, the silence only broken ocassionally with "I can't believe that just happened." When the same opportunity arose during the next year's playoffs, my roommates threatened to move all my furniture onto the lawn if I went again.

[cobrakai111]

I missed that D-Lowe game to go white water rafting [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[BretWeir]

I was at Yankee stadium for the "Jeter leaps into the stands headfirst" game. Pretty dramatic watching him disappear, wondering whether he was unconscious, dead, made the catch, then watching him emerge ball-in-glove.

I was also at the Yankees-Sox 2004 game right after Pedro made the "the Yankees are my daddy" remark. 55,000 people chanting "Who's your daddy?" in unison was pretty fun.

Best baseball memory was probably spring training at Cleveland's stadium in Winter Haven a couple of years ago, sitting at a picnic table before the game with a cold beer, chatting with Bob Feller about his experiences in WW2.

[hanster]

My best baseball memory is when my uncle was coaching the Chinese Taipei national team in the 92 Olympics in Barcelona. We followed the whole thing on tv despite the time difference (I was 7 at the time and I begged my mom to let me watch it). Even though he ended up losing to Cuba in the final he came home a national hero.

[fmxda]

I was at the Yankees' game where, with the Yankees down by 3 runs, Jason Giambi won it with a grand slam with the 14th against the Twins in a late night rainy game. Probably the best baseball game I've ever seen.

Another great moment was at Yankee Stadium when before a game Derek Jeter came out to stretch and play catch with a trainer. I had seats in the mezzanine on the first base side, and this teenager kept on trying to get Derek's attention. He was yelling stuff like "Hey Jeter! Derek! Give me a wave, man." This whole time Jeter is just warming up, throwing the ball back and forth, and totally ignoring this dude. Meanwhile somewhere farther I see Bernie Williams tipping his cap to some fans and them going wild.

Anyway this kid is yelling and trying to get Derek to acknowledge him in some way for a good 5 minutes. Some other people around him are laughing at the kid for getting so ignored. Anyway, Jeter finally wraps up his warmup session and turns back towards the dugout.

Without even looking, he just casually tosses his baseball RIGHT at the kid, who's leaning over the railing of the mezzanine, a good 50 feet high and a 100 feet away from the field. It was one of those backhanded underhand flips a shortstop might do when starting a double play. It was so amazingly cool and damn slick. The kid went crazy wild.

[IggyWH]

It's kind of hard to have great memories when you're a Pirates fan, although I do remember being at Game 3 of the '92 NLCS. Those were good times, and quite possibly times I'll never get to relive.

[firstyearclay]

I have been to alot of MLB baseball stadiums.

Some top games I have attended: (not in any order)

1. Clemens threw the bat at Piazza 2000 World Series. (Game 2 I think?)
2. The 16th inning "Grand Slam Double" by Robin Ventura. Mets Playoff game.
3. Tom Seaver's retirement game. I was a kid, 1k years ago.
4. My memory might be vague, but Roger Clemens struck out 16 in his debut as a Blue Jay in Fenway Park. Completely dominant.


fyc

[cobrakai111]

I'll throw one more of mine out there. Seeing Pedro pitch a 1 hitter in Yankee Stadium while K'ing 18. The crowd was so amazing they were cheering for Pedro in the 9th. (details might be slightly off but I think I'm close)

[fmxda]

[ QUOTE ]
I have been to alot of MLB baseball stadiums.

Some top games I have attended: (not in any order)

1. Clemens threw the bat at Piazza 2000 World Series. (Game 2 I think?)
2. The 16th inning "Grand Slam Double" by Robin Ventura. Mets Playoff game.
3. Tom Seaver's retirement game. I was a kid, 1k years ago.
4. My memory might be vague, but Roger Clemens struck out 16 in his debut as a Blue Jay in Fenway Park. Completely dominant.


fyc

[/ QUOTE ]
Re #1,

Haha, I was at the game where Shawn Estes threw a pitch behind Clemens.