My buddy Brent sent me this today and I thought it was worth sharing:
Today is the 20th Anniversary of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series where Kirk Gibson stumbled into a backdoor slider from Dennis Eckersley and began the slowest home run trot ever.
I'm passing along this information because:
A. I'm old, and I wanted each of you to feel old, too.
B. I remember exactly where I was when the homer was hit
(In my parents basement. My yelling woke them up, since it was after midnight).
I had nothing invested in either team, yet I was watching every pitch.
After the Cubs debacle this year, it's nice to be reminded why I fell in love with the game in the first place.
That homer is probably one of the first clear memories I have of the World Series. Damn thing gives my goosebumps EVERY time they show it. I think that may be the greatest baseball highlight of my lifetime. I challenge my 3 readers to think of a better one.
Go Baseball.
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I think for me it is the 1998 season all together. I was 12 at the time and had never witnessed the Cubs being "good". It was a treat for me, I'd run home every day after school to catch the end of a day game and see if Sammy had hit another one. My parents even let me skip school in the fall to watch the Cubs, because if I recall correctly, one of the playoff games was an afternoon game.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't even just the Cubs that summer for me. I remember watching Cardinal games whenever they were on to see if Roid-Monkey McGwire would blast one too. I will never forget the day when he broke the HR record. I know exactly where I was sitting and remeber exactly how I felt (besides felling sad for his lower back when he lifted his little chunk of a son).
This same summer was the first time I ever got to watch the Cubs in person. The Twins and Cubs played at the Metrodome and my whole family traveled from ND to watch the Cubs take 2 of 3. Sammy hit his 20-something homerun that series and my Dad caught a Mickey Morandini foul ball which, sadly, I still have. I'm surprised I haven't tried to sell on ebay for a piece of gum and half a shoelace...o well, when he gets inducted into the HOF it will be worth more right?
I know this is on a more personal note, not for baseball fans in general, but that whole summer I lived for baseball, and I basically have ever since.
Not to sound so cliche, but the Gibson homer was one of my first memories of baseball. I was 8 years old and can just remember watching that game, with little interest, until I saw the way my dad and 2 brothers reacted when Gibson sent that ball into the RF seats. It made me an instant fan for life...and like you, that one highlight makes me appreciate how great this game is, and how it keeps me coming back hoping for another miracle.
ReplyDeleteWow, get me a tissue...that sounded kinda 'putt from the rough'-ish
Frequent reader, 2nd time poster. 6'1, 220 *ding*
Two things.
ReplyDelete1) Drew, you were TWELVE in 1998? Thanks for making me feel like the oldest person ever.
2) Jarid. Quality Dan Patrick reference.