Home, Home Again
by John Sickels on Oct 5, 2009 12:05 PM EDT
4 comments
Well I'm back home now and moving forward to operational status again.
The trip to Minnesota was a blast. I got to see the Saturday game against the Royals, and I got to hang out with my friend Brent from childhood. It was great to reconnect.....with Brent, and with being a Twins fan again.
For the first time in a long time, I actually found myself enjoying a baseball game on an emotional level. Baseball has been a part-time job since 1993 and a full-time job since 1998 for me, and a lot of the emotional magic had fallen away in the daily grind of player analysis and writing. But I got some of that back this weekend.
The first game I saw in the Metrodome was sometime in 1983. I remember it was against the Red Sox, and I remember that Frank Viola got his clocked cleaned. Randy Bush hit a home run late in the game, but that the Twins lost something like 7-3 if I remember right.
Frank Viola threw out the first pitch before the game Saturday, which I found to be a nice synchronistic bookend for my adventures to the Metrodome. I have to admit, for all of its deficiencies as a baseball venue, I always kind of liked the place. Living in Iowa as a kid, going to see a Twins game was always a production involving a 5 hour drive and a hotel stay, and it was nice knowing that if my dad bought tickets that the game WOULD be played, with no worry about rainouts. That will be lost with the new field, whatever it's advantages. The Dome is also tied into childhood and early adult memories....Hrbek, Viola, Blyleven, Gaetti, Brunansky, Puckett, Reardon, Tapani, Erickson, Aguilera...even Allan Anderson, Les Straker and Fred Toliver. I still have my 1987 World Series keyring. The 1991 series occurred right when Jeri and I got engaged.
I've been rather blase about the Twins in the playoffs the last few times, but this year I'm emotionally invested again. I'll be rooting hard Tuesday against the Tigers. Wouldn't another World Series be a great way to say goodbye to the Dome?
0 recs |
4 comments
Email
Print
Comments
Just to get Ozzie's blood pressure up.
The Metrodome will still be there for a while. I think they ought to schedule a series against the White Sox there next season.
by timprov on Oct 5, 2009 12:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Retrosheet
Looked it up on retrosheet. I think the game you went to was, I think, June 4, 1983:
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1983/B06040MIN1983.htm
Your memory is good. Viola gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings, Bush hit a sol shot. Sox won 8-6. Later than year, thought, Viola threw a complete game and beat the Sox 5-2.
by mhsiegel14 on Oct 6, 2009 12:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
yeah
Yeah, that’s the game. I was wrong about the score, but I remember Viola vs. Eckersley and I remember the Bush home run. I also remember Len Whitehouse coming out of the bullpen.
by John Sickels on Oct 7, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blase
Why is that? I’m the same way. Been kind of bored with them the last couple times but I am really fired up for this. I think it’s because they hit a hot streak after they were written off. They have decent pitching, but we have bats again. Reminds me a bit of the 87 team.
http://milbprospects.blogspot.com/
by garrioch13 on Oct 6, 2009 1:29 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
