Giving Pedro a pitching lesson when the Red Sox came to town in 2003.

....Ramon Hernandez laying down the best bunt I’ve ever seen.

....Eric Chavez robbing Manny Ramirez in the same game.

....The first game I went to, being in RF watching Tony Armas and his cannon.

.....Flipping on the TV every time they cut into programming when Rickey got on base nearing the single-season record.

.....Being in France, opening a paper and seeing some rookie named McGwire had hit 5 homers in a weekend in Detroit.

...Craig Paquette for some reason.

....The utter heartbreak of 1988 and realizing just how much I cared.

...The Bleachers the way they used to be before Mount Davis appeared.

I will always remember the Oakland Coliseum coming into view on BART, and my brother John whispering into my ear, “There it is. The House of Thrills.”

Getting Reggie’s autograph on my 7th birthday.

Air-bashing with my brother Abel at the ‘89 Series (I was in Sec 127, he was in 227).

Yelling “Stewwwwwwwwww” until I couldn’t anymore.

Watching the upstart A’s clinch on the last day of the 2000 season.

The hurt of first-round playoff losses.

Marco!

So many more, man.

Game 4 of the ALCS, Dave Stewart pitching for the sweep against Roger Clemens. A beautiful Wednesday, my dad and I sitting together in the bleachers. In the second inning, he asked me to go get him a soda (I was 13 years old and ecstatic to be at a playoff game, heck yeah I’ll go get you whatever you want!). I was standing in line, watching the screen above the counter, when Clemens was ejected. This was back when they showed replays on those screens, so I got a good lesson in lip-reading that day.

watching Travis hit a ninth-inning game-tier of Papelsmear

Zito’s day-game playoff gem against the Sox

Some random game against the Indians in, geez, must have been ‘00 or ‘01; with Lofton at the plate, Chavez was playing about 50 feet up the line from home and creeping in on his toes-Lofton fakes bunt, then slashes at the fastball, ripping a hot liner destined for the LF corner-AND CHAVVY LEAPS CAT-LIKE AND SNARES IT! Impossible fielding play.

Some random game from around the same time period, can’t recall the circumstances, but I remember Chavvy’s swing as clear as day: it was a carbon copy of Barry Bonds’ HR swing, pulling the hands in, swiveling the torso on a dime, absolutely crushing the ball to deep, deep RF.

Sitting at the Giants’ park for the Bay Bridge Series in ‘03, and watching this big young SS walk around the field, and thinking, “Wow, that kid just looks like he’s gonna be a great ballplayer.”

Jumping up and down on my couch after watching T-Long go over the Sox bullpen wall to bring back a walk off homer and preserve the win. And then Jermaine Dye about killing him by jumping on top of him.

The players coming back out onto the field to watch the end of the Mariners/Angels game on the Jumbotron to see if we clinched the division in (2003?—that part I can’t remember!)

Swish handing out his gear to the kids on the last day of last season.

The “20” sign being unfurled.

Milton’s walk off on AN day.

that totally awesome DLD that salb made.

Also each of my kids’ first ballgames-daughter at 7 months, son at 3 months-up in the third deck where Mom felt reasonably safe from foul balls.

But this is exaclty how my book got started some five years ago.

An e-mail to my family asking them to share their favorite memories, and…wow!

Bravo!

I’ll always remember sitting in Section 128 when I was about 9 years old and waving to Ricky as he took the field in the first inning of an evening game. He waved back and that was it for me. I’ve bled green & gold ever since. Funny how that’s all it takes to create a fan.

watch Rickey tie the stolen base record – once again, with my dear pop.

It’s funny, he’s more of a basketball/football guy, and only got interested in baseball because I wanted to play in little league. But so many of my baseball memories are tied to my dad. I hope my son feels the same way one day.

(game recap with video)

This is completely off-subject, but does anyone know where I could get the CMYK for the A’s colors?

T. Long’s catch over the short wall in Fenway for the win.

Rickey waving to us from left at the old Commiskey.

Sitting ten feet from Eck warming up.

And many more…more later—gotta go give my kitchen table away…

link

Kendall’s faceplant in Texas, or Izzy’s hook in game 162 in 2000.

Walking up the ramp and seeing the field for the first time.

Sitting in the stands when Ramon dropped his bunt.

Figuring even the gods had it in for the A’s when Dave Stewart had to share the spotlight with Fernando Venezuela.

Lance Blankenship.

Carney Lansford’s batting stance.

Tejada’s 1st big league home run vs. the Dodgers. Yelling at Piazza when a foul tip got past him and hit the screen in front of me. Sitting ground level a smidge to the right of Home at Chavez Ravine. Almost walking into Eric Ludwick as he got on the elevator.

Hugging GNGG.

‘88 series, being in the third deck out in right field on the night McGwire hit the walk-off for the only A’s win. The tension had been building all game as the A’s seemed to threaten every inning but couldn’t score, and when he finally came through it was just an explosion in the stands. Too bad it didn’t carry over.

And Rickey just totally taking over the ALCS against the Blue Jays – a man amongst boys.

I was at work cheering with my co-workers as we were completely confused as to what had just happened.