Fondest baseball memory

SunCoastSooner · Post by **SunCoastSooner** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:48 pm

I happened to be going through my downstairs hallway closet looking for something for my wife this morning when I ran across a couple of books of baseball, basketball, and football cards. I got lost and started looking through one in particular. A little dark red three ring binder with some un heard of company on the logo.

In the back I found something I had forgotten I even had, the entire set of the 1992 Oklahoma City 89er's AAA baseball team with each player's autograph on it.

In the summer of 1992 my parents had been divorced, for the second time, for just over a year. My mother had moved us from our home into an apartment complex on the northside that she could barely afford. Every afternoon after practice I would meet up with all the other local kids at the basketball court and shoot some pick up games. Me and one other kid were always out later than the others usually shutting down the court late at night while our mother's were still at work and all the other kids eating dinner with their families. Two men started watching us play from their balcony on occasion drinking a beer or two. One night while just me and the other kid were the last left on the court and the gentlemen came down to talk to us. Asked us why we wer always out so late and BSed with us shooting some hoops. We told him about our situation (something I hope my kids know better than to do to a stranger :? ) and he asked us where we lived.

The next Saturday the gentleman came over and asked if he could take to a baseball game if I was interested. I ofcourse jumped at the oppertunity. It turns out that the man was Bobby Brower, former Texas Ranger RF and was with the 89er's after having knee surgery.

He began taking me and my friend to practices and games. Back then the 89er's played in the old delapidated All Sports Stadium at the fair grounds in OKC. We fielded balls at practice, even played some catch with a couple of minor league pitcher while I stood behind the plate. That is what made me turn my little ass into being a catcher when I got older. We joked with them after the games and did our damndest to eat every last thing on the massive buffet that they had after each game.

I stood in awe when he first introduced me to Steve Balboni. The first words out my moth were "You know George Brett don't you?". Stupid question I know looking back on it but I didn't know any better and Brett was always my hero. All I knew is that he was on the Royals '85 team so that made him a hero in my book as well. Atleast once a week, usually more, Bob would order pizza in for us to eat with him or drive us up to the Sonic to pig out. Money was never an issue to him and our concept of it all was still not on par with an adults but looking back on it he dropped a dime on us that summer. That summer was probably the greatest of my life. The entire 89er's baseball team helped both me and my friend with the largest transition of our lives.

The 89er's made it to the Title series that year (don't remember if it was the INternational League of the Pacific league at that time OKC played in)with a 74-70 regular season record. The first three games of the series against Buffalo we trounced them OKC. When I got home from playing in the neihborhood that day My mom informed me that I had better pack fast if I was going to be ready for Bobby to take us to Buffalo that evenning. The look on my face had to be one filled with total jubulation as me and my firnd had both been salty the entire day that OKC was going to take the series whilein Buffalo and we knew it after we had swept the first three in OKC. Two nights later we watched from behind the visitors dugout, in a chilly somewhat windy Buffalo, the Oklahoma City 89er's sweep The Buffalo (Bulls? I think it was) for the series.

Over the years I lost touch with Mr. Brower but I have always been thankful for what he and his team mates did for me and my friend during the most diffacult times in our lives to that point.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:46 pm

doing shots and partying with pete incavilia(??)

ok, he's a nobody, but the dude was a classic, he fit that phillies team like a glove.

he was one hell of a college baseball player at OSU!

Bizzarofelice · Post by **Bizzarofelice** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 11:05 pm

Just an hour ago I went to a nursery on Manchester near 270. Sitting outside in a black leather jacket and a kid repeating "hey Dad, look at this" is Craig Paquette.

I hated Craig Paquette.
I loved seeing him sitting outside a nursery while his wife was inside.
I loved seeing him as a civilian as other players are in spring training.

Watching Craig Paquette deal with everyday life while his boys are playing ball... that's my fondest memory.

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 7:38 am

I've got a few but these are a few of my faves.

1) Circa 89-90' Not opening day but a few days later at the Murph. I was with a group of drunken fools for a Dodger - Padre game. Everytime Strawberry came up we got the whole right field first base stands going with the "D A R R Y L" chant, dude struck out, grounded out, struck out. On his fourth at bat we were on our feet and at the top of our lungs, "D A R R Y L". After a first pitch called strike he stepped out of the box, and flipped the bird in our general direction. He then proceeded to K swinging. Ninth inning came around and he was up again and we were ready, "D A R R Y L". Dude hit a laser shot that would have come down in Lakeside if it wasn't for the permanent wall in right field to stop it. Between his hit with the bat and how that ball hit the wall it was probably flat as pancake. I have never seen anyone take a longer stroll around the bases than that day. We could not do anything but give him a cheer, he got 'bode on us, and he was looking up at us as he came down the third base line and aknowledeged our grudgeing appreciation. It was the most impressive homerun I have ever seen that never got more than 15' off the ground, and definately the quickest to get out. By the time we turned our heads to follow the trajectory it had already bounced back into the middle of right field.

2) A few years earlier, with some of the same drunken fools. NY Mets game. We were going hard with a, "Hit 'em in the Head" chant. By about the 5th inning, the home pitcher, Eddie Lee Whitson, stepped off the mound and glared toward our direction. I guess he didn't appreciate us wanting him to hit the visiting batters in the head.

3) In between the previous stories, me and my brother at another Mets_Padres game. We bought our typical $5 grandstand seats and worked our way down to a real vantage point for the game. Lenny Dykstra got on with a cheesy single then proceeded to steal second base, at which point my brother stood, and at the top of his lungs let out a, "DYKSTRA YOU SUCK". With no hesitation, this older gal directly in front of us stood up, turned around, and yelled, "THAT IS MY SON". Turns out we weaseled our way down to the seats for the visiting players wifes and such, and the older women in front of us really was Lenny's mom, along with his brother and his brother's fiance. It turned out that she was really cool about it and that she heard it all before and she was just waiting for the opportunity to get directly in somebodies face about it. We wound up having a good time bantering with them.

Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:50 am

Hitting 2 HR's in the conference championship my senior year in HS.

RSoxFan · Post by **RSoxFan** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:55 pm

The Red Sox winning the World Series.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 5:32 am

I was too young to experience the 1984 Championship team so I can't call that a fond memory. I'm hoping to see atleast one more title from the Tigers before I'm gone.

I can remember going to a Tigers game at the old park with my family and we were running late. We were about a block from the park and heard this huge roar...we sat down and later found out we missed a Cecil Fielder home run. They were playing the A's that day and McGwire also went yard before we got into the park.

Unwar late arriving crowds :x

Funkywhiteboy · Post by **Funkywhiteboy** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:45 am

Went with my dad to see the last game of the '82 season, Orioles vs. Brewers.
Being at an epoch game was a fond memory, if the result wasn't. :?

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:54 am

2 memories at the Big A:

1)Don Sutton winning his 300th game, had the program from that game but lost it over the years.

2)The infamous nail file incident with Joe Niekro. When the umps came out to the mound, Joe tries to toss the nail file away while the crew chief isn't looking (Tschida if I remember correctly) I could even see it from the upper deck. The place went nuts when we saw it and loved it when he was tossed.

Mustang · Post by **Mustang** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 4:44 pm

Kind of obscure but back in '84, Rangers down 2-0 to Boston and mediocre catcher Geno Petralli cranks a 2-run homer in the 8th to tie it. An up and coming, potential superstar, Ruben Sierra, comes up in the 9th and hammers a solo shot to win it. I know, doesn't sound like much but it was the first time I'd ever seen the Rangers win a game in person and was a sign of things to come for Sierra....well, at least for a while. Possibly the biggest waste of talent ever.

SunCoastSooner · Post by **SunCoastSooner** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:09 pm

Since it is a an MLB forum; a close runner up for me was seeing Nolan Ryan break the K record against the Roayls. The inning after he broke it George Brett went yard off him on a ball that I didn't think was ever going to land. Don't remember the year as I was still pretty young but what a milestone in baseball history to present for. My father had flown into OKC from Little Rock (if memory serves me correctly) to take me down to the series.

orcinus · Post by **orcinus** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:24 pm

I don't know about fondest; however, the one memory that sticks out in my mind is May 1, 1991.

Athletes thank God all the time for their accomplishments, but on that day, He smiled on the game itself.

When Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock's record and, essentially, made an ass of himself with his "today I'm the greatest of all time" quip, I was ready to kick in my television and piss on my Henderson cards; however, one of the best players ever to wear a uniform took matters into his own hands later that day and saved the day with a no-no.

God bless Nolan Ryan for delivering a perfect end to that day.

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:39 pm

Here is good non-heckling one.

Last game I went to in 1988. Padres-Dodgers, Orel Hershiser was on the mound going after Don Drysdale consecutive scoreless innings streak. It was his last start of the season and he needed 9 innings. Dude goes out and pitches 9 innings of shut out ball to tie the record. I don't remember who the Padres ran out, eithers Eric Show or Ed Whitson, but he also pitched 9 innings of shutout ball. Lasorda runs Orel out for the 10th inning and he breaks the record. As much as I hate the Dodgers I love good pitching and I have to say seeing Orel break the record and having to go 10 innings to do so in his final start of the season was pretty cool. The Padres went on to win on what I believe was a Terry Kennedy homerun inn the 15th or 16th inning.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:01 am

Mace wrote:I've got several "favorite memories" but I'll list just a few of them.....

First major league game: Went to the old stadium in KC in the late 50's to see an A's-Yankees game and saw Mantle, Berra, Ford, Stengel, and the rest of the Yankee dynasty.

First game at Wrigley Field: Double header against the Giants in the mid-60's and got to see Ernie, Santo, Williams, Jenkins, and the rest of my Cub heroes in addition to Mays, McCovey, Marichal, and a couple of the Alou brothers. In other words, I got to see a boat load of Hall of Famers in one day.

Memory #3: I went to a late season AAA game of the Iowa Oaks in the early 70's, weather was dismal, very small crowd, and they had Satchel Paige dressed in a tux walking around Sec Taylor Stadium shaking hands and talking with the few fans in attendance. I had abandoned my bleacher seat early in the game and headed to the empty seats behind the backstop and, at some point during the game, Satchel walked up to me, shook my hand, and then sat down and talked to me for a half inning. We talked baseball, and then more baseball, and it was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable baseball moments in my life.

Mace

He probably wanted to chew you out about a bad call you made on him back in the day. ;)

d-townmike · Post by **d-townmike** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:26 pm

my biggest baseball memory would have to be when Ozzie Smith hit a game winning home run in 1985 to send the Cardinals to the World Series. Right after that same home run, I vividly remember Jack Buck saying "GO CRAZY FOLKS, GO CRAZY!"

That decade was filled with tons of memories of the Cardinals, but that's the most memorable that actually I do remember. Hell, I was 4 when they won the series in '82 so I don't remember that one, otherwise I'm sure that would have topped the aforementioned memory.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:10 pm

Sitting through the 26 inning marathon between the Astros and Mets in the Dome.

JCT · Post by **JCT** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:21 pm

Goose Gossage hitting Ron Cey in the head.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:01 pm

Roger Clemens hitting Mike Piazza in the head.

sin,
jtindall