My Best Games: #10 to #6

If I had to venture a guess of how many professional baseball games I've seen in my life, it would be well over 100. If I want to count the ones I saw in my four years with the Flyers, I may be pushing 250.

It goes without saying that I can't remember all of them. A vast majority are basically identical to one another. Nothing interesting or rare happens on the field.  In a given season, anything I remember from these games blends together, and I can't keep track of which game is which.

A few games from each season are much more entertaining, and are pretty easy to remember. I usually think about them in the winter when I'm missing baseball. However, when the next season starts, these games are pushed out of my memory as different ones take their place.

Then there's a special category of games that I will never forget as long as I live. The ones where years later, I still look up the box scores and search for pictures. The ones I'll tell my kids about. The games I can't believe I saw with my own eyes.

This entry is the start to my list of the most memorable games of my life. I'll continue the list in the next entry, before revealing #1 in an entry of it's own.

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#10- September 30, 2006: Thank God It's Over (Box score)

As I've mentioned, 2006 was the worst Cubs season I had ever seen up to that point in my life. In fact, it was the worst season in team history up until the 2012 season ended.

Their final record in 2006 was 66-96. Late in September, I begged my dad to take me to one final game. At the age of 14, I wasn't concerned about the quality of play at all. I loved Wrigley Field, the Cubs, and everything about going to a game. I wanted to be there as much as possible.

I distinctly remember the price we paid for the tickets; $24.99 on eBay. We had to pick them up at a small StubHub sotre near Clark and Grace before the 3:05 start against the Rockies. We couldn't find anywhere to leave the car, so Dad just dropped me off so I could quickly run in and grab them.

When I told them my name, they wanted to see a photo ID.  It took me a split second to remember that I had just started high school, and my brand new Conant ID was inside the wallet I got as a graduation gift that I happened to bring with me. The person said that would work, and I felt very mature walking out of there with the tickets.

The game started pretty much how every game had that season. By the 3rd inning, the Rockies already touched up a couple Cubs pitchers for 8 runs. The team pretty much sucked, but it didn't bother me at all.

The Cubs got one each in the 4th and 6th, and then four in the 7th before giving up another run to Colorado. For a little while, it looked like the momentum was slowing down and it would be too little, too late for the Cubs.

But wouldn't you know it, they got two in the 8th and one more in the 9th to tie it up at 9 and send it to extras. At the time, this was the most amazing comeback I had ever witnessed. Even with 90 plus losses on the books, I was still cheering as loudly as I could.

Skip ahead a little, and it's almost 8 PM. We were about to start the 13th inning. This was getting to be a little too much baseball, even for me.

As we were leaving early (if you still want to call the 13th inning early), we walked on the concourse over to the left field corner. The 1995 Silver Ford Taurus was parked over in the season ticket lot on Irving Park. Before exiting, I peeked down the walkway that led to the Bleachers, and saw it was unguarded. We kept walking in that direction, and we made it to the stairs that led up to the seats without being stopped. I was out in the Bleachers for the first time in my life!

At this time, I already knew about the restriction they put on grandstand ticket holders. When I walked up the stairs and saw the field, I tried to take it all in. I knew about the history of the outfield seats, but never thought I would be out there anytime in the near future.

We only watched for a few pitches, but that was enough time to see Matt Murton right below us in the left field corner as he chased down a line drive double. After that hit, we finally left, with the game still in progress.

Eventually, it ended with the Rockies getting two runs in the top of the 14th and taking an 11-9 victory. The game lasted a lengthy 4 hours and 53 minutes.

The things I'll remember the most are the nice fall weather, the tying run in the 9th, and my first view from the Bleachers.

#9- May 27, 2003: I Lied (Box score)

This one is on the list for two reasons. First, these were the best seats (in terms of distance from the field) that I have ever sat in at Wrigley.

The Saturday before, my Grandpa surprised me with four tickets for my family and I. Recall that the year prior was my first game ever, so this would only be my second visit to Wrigley. They were in the fourth row, just behind the Pirates bullpen.

I searched my basement for 45 minutes JUST for these pictures, so you better appreciate them!

(Sorry about the quality. I was using a camera that I got for sending in $5 with 10 Cap'n Crunch box tops.)

We dropped the name of Grandpa's friend who gave him the tickets, and got a prime parking spot behind Bernie's Tavern at the corner of Clark and Waveland.

The second reason this game is important has to do with the name I gave this game. It's something I haven't mentioned for years, but since I'm talking about this game, I need to fess up.

 I caught a ball.

I swear it didn't mean anything. It was just one time, and nothing came of it. My current ball snagging was not  influenced by this game whatsoever.

So really, my first ball in 2011 wasn't my FIRST ball, but rather the second of my life. (I still count it as number one, though.)

For the first few innings of the game, I held my glove up to the guy who warmed up the Pittsburgh outfielders. Sure enough, on my second or third try, he tossed one up!

Notice the 'PRACTICE' stamp below the logo. Balls like these still exist, but I have yet to
catch another one since this day.

Not too long after I got mine, a Cub (maybe Moises Alou, his name sticks out when I think of this story) sent a foul grounder into the Pirates pen. One of the guys picked it up and took a look at it. He then turned around and pointed.....RIGHT to my sister Eileen. He personally picked her to be the recipient of this game used ball! She was very shy at first, being only 7 years old. My mom went down to the front and helped her accept the ball from the reliever.

Sweet scuff, and the only game used ball in my possession. 

Towards the end of the game, Eileen and I went back down to the pen and asked Mike Williams for his autograph, since he was my favorite reliever at the time. I have no idea what made me like him so much, but that was the case.

What I'll remember: Trying to get good pictures with the terrible camera, Hee-Seop Choi's 8th inning home run, and a vague memory of catching my ball.

#8- September 19th, 2007: I'm Famous! (Box score)

This afternoon, at about 3 PM, Dad called me. He was trying to be a smart ass.

"Hmmm, I got invited to this place. Something about flying...in a box...that's in the sky? A box in the sky...Do you know what that means?..."

No need to rub it in. I was obviously very jealous. He was going with a salesman he's dealt with before from work.

He called back at 3:30 and was very blunt. "You're coming with."

Alright then.

Apparently, there were extra tickets, and the salesman refused to let them go to waste. He told Dad to bring anyone he could think of, even me!

The playoff race against the Brewers, of all teams in the NL Central, was coming down to the wire. This was a pretty big game for the Cubs if they wanted to keep the division lead.

Traffic was extremely bad. We pulled into the neighborhood at 6:30 and looked for our usual free parking next to the Burger King off of Clark. Nothing.

We frantically drove around looking for any place to leave the car. Some guy had a spot in his alley for $25. We tried to bring it down to $20, but the guy refused to budge. After driving down the block, Dad realized $5 wasn't that  big of a deal. We went around the block and approached the guy again, but he got someone else already. In less than a minute, he filled it. Crap.

I had a sad feeling when we were at the stoplight at Clark and Addison. We could hear Wayne Mesmer singing the anthem and the cheers for when the Cubs took the field. We would miss first pitch for sure, something that had never, ever happened to us.

Dad ended up shelling out $45 for a lot on Clark less than a block away from the front entrance. Total ripoff. But hey, the sky box was free. I still thought we came out on top.

The game was a thriller, the Cubs held on for the 3-2 win, and I ended up on TV. (I also wrote an entry about it, right here).

I still watch the recorded game on our DVR when I'm bored, so my moment in the spotlight is something that replays in my head a lot. Also, Ken Griffey Jr. tore his leg muscles to shreds yet again, and had to be carried off the field late in the game. I figured it would be the last game of his career, so I made sure to take note of it.

#7- September 9, 2002: Where It All Began (Boxscore)

My very first game. Read all about it here.

#6- October 5, 2007: Do or Die (Box score)

Dad and I were fortunate enough to snag some SRO tickets for the Cubs first home playoff game since 2003. While sitting in the dreaded Virtual Waiting Room, we determined this would be the most important game I had ever seen in person.

Since I watched Chasing October the night before, I found the perfect spot to stand. It now possesses two bitter memories (which will both be addressed in this BaseBlog series), but it's still without a doubt my first choice if I ever have to stand at Wrigley again. The best part is the bar you can lean on!

It was odd and exciting to see only four games on the scoreboard. That, along with the overall atmosphere and huge crowd, made it a pretty surreal experience for a first timer to a big game.

Coming in, the Cubs were down 2-0 in the series. There wasn't much hope, and I was certain that we wouldn't be able to turn it around. The D'Backs kicked our ass in Phoenix, and we didn't have any sort of positive momentum whatsoever.

Eluding to the title, the Cubs died. Rather quickly. The score was 5-1, but it didn't feel that close at all. I'll always remember seeing the first pitch of the game get cranked over the left field wall by Chris Young. Thanks a lot, Rich Hill.

I took a video of the D'Backs celebrating their series victory, just because I felt obligated to document the entire experience.

The most vivid memories I have are of people leaving after the game. There was a lot of anger, hostility, and yelling inside the park and out on the streets. I wouldn't mind if I suddenly forgot everything that happened after the pregame introductions.

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Part two, games #5 through #2 will be up soon!