Games you'll remember

by Dog Days on Jul 15, 2005 10:42 AM PDT

During the 7th inning at last night's game, I leaned over to my buddies and said, "I often wonder which games I'll tell my grandkids about, which games will stick out in my mind in the stories I share. My grandpa always tells me about the All-Star game at Fenway Park where he saw Ted Williams hit a home run. It feels like my grandkids could be hearing about tonight some day."

So obviously I jumped the gun, at least a little bit. But it got me thinking. Which games stick out in your mind as the best you've been to? The ones that you'll tell your grandkids about, even if, like me, you aren't even married yet.

Here are a few of mine:

Somewhat unfortunately, the one that I'll probably always remember being at is Game 1 of the 2000 World Series. It's a game that will live in infamy, if only because Mike Piazza's bat broke and the top of it landed in Roger Clemens' hand.
Game 3. Blasted Game 3 in 2001. Derek Freakin' Jeter. Jeremy Freakin' Giambi.
Game 1 of the Angels-Giants Series in Anaheim, and only because Barry Bonds somehow turned a baseball into a golf ball with one swing of the bat.
Random summer night game at the Coliseum in 1989 or so, only because I made my uncle, brother, and grandpa stay until the end and Carney (my favorite player of all time) won it with a single to right center in the bottom of the 11th.
Last game of the 2000 season. Huddy versus the Rangers. My friend and I were putting up K's in right field, and Huddy was dealing a lot of them. Velarde's HR, followed by Olmedo Saenz's HR. That was the best feeling I ever had at a baseball game. Unreal. A spiritual experience.

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The one that stands out above all others for me...

...is Game 5 of the ALDS in 2002 against the Twins. It was my birthday, and the A's lost. :-(

Chicks dig Moneyball.

by Kelly on Jul 15, 2005 11:04 AM PDT reply actions

Some great games

I had to be there, right? Well, then these, starting with the best:

Along with you, the final game of 2000. Yes, spiritual.
The first playoff game of the 03 Red Sox series. Durazo singles with two outs in the ninth to tie it after a long battle with Embree; Harden hits the backstop with a 120 mph pitch; Chavez makes a game-saving play in extras and dives to the bag for a force; and, of course, a bases loaded bunt by Ramon that joyously surprised us all.
The brilliant Mike Norris going 14 innings to get the win over the Orioles in 1980. Billy Martin's first year and my favorite year ever as a fan--I was 20.
Huddy's shutout of the Red Sox two years ago.
When Harden defeated the Yankees last year. The A's were in the midst of a losing streak, my 13 year old daughter insisted we go, and listening en route the A's quickly fell behind 4-0. I asked her if she wanted to turn back. She said no way. And the A's came back brilliantly behind two Kotsay two-run singles and Harden's unhittable stuff. I remember him just embarrassing Sheff and A-Rod in back to back at bats.

by RLangford on Jul 15, 2005 11:31 AM PDT reply actions

You were there?!?!

I watched the game of "The Bunt" in three places:

SFO, the PDX (airport in Portland), and my hotel in Portland. Let's just say my girlfriend was not impressed with the obsession over a baseball game on the first day of our first road trip together.

That's awesome that you were there. I'm jealous.

by Dog Days on Jul 15, 2005 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions

# 5

I remember that game. Harden just settled down and just was filthy.

My indelible memory of baseball is probably win #20 of the streak. It was so fun watching the Hatteberg walk-off.

"so what was it? the pork chop or the booty???" -rly723

by secret ASian man on Jul 15, 2005 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Were I there...

I imagine that the 20th game in the streak would be high on the list. And for those who were there, Game 18 of the streak when Miggy hit the walkoff shot, was one of the greatest ever. Ken Korach's call was one for the ages. I'd love to hear that again.

by RLangford on Jul 15, 2005 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Great call

I used to have a wave file of Korach's call on my old computer. It still gives me chills, I can hear him screaming "it's gone" like it just happened.

This is why I love baseball. It's an ongoing story that follows us through life. So awesome.

by Dog Days on Jul 15, 2005 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes

I was at Game 20, maybe I should have included it. How could I forget?

I was pissed off when they gave up the lead, and my internal pessimistic fan voice creeped in. This is an actual quote from me, spoken to my friend Robbie:

"This sucks. They're going to blow it. They lost it to the freaking Royals. Dye can't hit, Scott Hatteberg is on deck, and he hasn't hit a home run since May. They're going to blow it."

Gotta love my optimism.

by Dog Days on Jul 15, 2005 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions

I was at 18, 19, and 20 of the streak

Those are all high on my list.

Game 4 of the 1990 playoffs when the A's swept the Red Sox after Roger Clemens was thrown out of the game.

Ramon's bunt.

Harden's gem last night.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jul 15, 2005 1:15 PM PDT reply actions

Not sure the date

but Miggy's last year here. He hit a walk off against the yankees in extras. My friend was bitching the whole time that it was cold. He wanted to leave and wah wah wah. I was getting annoyed and finally told him, if they do not score this inning fine,( just wanted him to shut up, was not going to leave). Well Miggy walks up and blasts a home run to win it. My friend was like, that shut me up, I am never going to leave early. There was also that damn Jeter play. The most impressive part of that game was the 1 hit complete game that Zito pitched and lost. I also remember Chavvy swinging out of his ass to try to win it. When I saw that I knew it was done.

A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz. --Humphrey Bogart

by West Bay A s Fan on Jul 15, 2005 1:43 PM PDT reply actions

Sept 29, 1983

I was 13 and in the stands the night rookie Mike Warren pitched his (one and only) no hitter against the White Sox.
I got a feeling 3/4 of the AN have never heard of Mike Warren... and for good reason, he only pitched 9 more games for the A's after that night.

Why does everybody stand up and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" when they're already there? ~Larry Anderson

by lansfords1 on Jul 15, 2005 2:11 PM PDT reply actions

Hmmmm...games I've seen in person.

The infamous "Jeter flip".

The Jermaine Dye broken leg. That was on my birthday and it was terrible.

The walk-off bunt - HAPPY MEMORY!!!! What a moment. I had no voice for 3 days.

Zito's ESPN Sunday night baseball game last year where he was unreal.

The 16-0 massacre of the Giants.

...you wonder when it's time to start thinking about saving a season that seemed lost.

by baseballgirl on Jul 15, 2005 2:23 PM PDT reply actions

some of mine (that I've been at)

game four in 1990. I was eleven, and I've rarely felt worse about a game.

Two random games in the mid-nineties: One, against the Orioles, where the A's were losing 8-0 late and came back to win.

Another, against the Mariners, when Rickey Henderson hit a three run homer off Ron Villone in the bottom of the ninth to win it.

Not an A's game, but I saw McGwire hit three home runs in a game in St. Louis in 1998. That was a magical summer to live there.

Miggy's walk-off double off Rivera a couple years ago was special, too

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -- Gil Meche

by Alien @ Athletics Nation on Jul 15, 2005 2:25 PM PDT reply actions

Miggy's walkoff double off of Rivera...

came two days after his walkoff homer against Osuna in the game refered to above. What I remember about that first game was that Mussina was dominating us and Soriano booted an incredibly easy ball to allow us to tie. What I remember about the double game was that Mulder had gone the distance and got justly rewarded in the bottom of the 9th.

Good times.

by RLangford on Jul 15, 2005 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Lily's performance in the playoffs at Boston 2003

I was never that impressed with Ted, but I was impressed with his focus and outstanding performance in that game, despite the thousands of people chanting "Lil-ly."

It was another game the A's should have won behind strong pitching, but they didn't. That in itself is unremarkable, but I have to give Lily his props.

Ron Washington: Thinking outside of the three-sided box since 1977

by tankerraid on Jul 15, 2005 2:37 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks for sharing, folks

It's been fun reading this stuff. I just know that one day I'll leave my grandson's Little League game and tell him the story of the time I saw Rich Harden dominate a lineup that featured Texeira and Soriano, among others, at the Coliseum (the ballpark the A's used to play in when I was growing up).

Just call me Big Fish.

by Dog Days on Jul 15, 2005 3:18 PM PDT reply actions

I've never been to many spectacular games

Odds are, I'll be telling my kids about the games I saw on TV rather than those in person -- the bunt, Ramon's 3-run homer after Mulder went down in '03, this almost-perfect, just about any time Huddy went onto the mound... I've seen a lot of A's victories, but rarely any of the spectacular moments.

However, I did get to see Harden's first appearance at the Oakland Coliseum in '03 again the Indians. Seven innings of shutout ball, eight or nine strikeouts, he looked amazing. That's always one I'll look back on fondly. The third baseman for Cleveland also misjudged the foul territory and let a catchable ball drop -- I was in 124 and we just loudly ripped on the guy for the rest of the game.

Other memorable game, the 14-inning Bush v. Harden game last year. Just a great afternoon of pitching.

Normally when I go to games, the team just wins in a thorough and undramatic fashion.

"While I was there, it didn't always seem perfect, but when I look back on it I just might think it was perfect." --Eric Byrnes

by Kyli on Jul 15, 2005 3:56 PM PDT reply actions

I was at both those games too

and the same is true for me about the A's almost always winning but hardly ever dramatically. Then again the last game I went to was game 161 last year. I do remember one dramatic moment that I've been at though. Last year I was with a friend and he wanted to leave with two outs in the ninth A's down by two to miss the "crowds". Chavvy had hit a double and Ruby came up so I put on my rally cap. The next pitch Ruby hit it out to send it to extras and keep us in the ballpark. The A's won in extras.

"The difference between Jose Canseco and Kobe Bryant is that Kobe doesn't believe in giving his teammates any shots." -Jay Leno

by vignette17 on Jul 15, 2005 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions