I want to compile a list of awesome sports experiences. Let's relive some of our favorite memories, emotions, experiences.
I'll start it off:
Going to old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the winter months for Browns games. I fondly remember walking out to the stands and looking at the field goal posts. Scanning the field as the players were warming up with their long sleeves on. Blowing into their hands because of the cold. I loved the passion of the fans and the noise of the crowd and screaming my lungs out for every play.
I had similar feelings walking into the same stadium on hot summer evenings or afternoons to watch the Tribe and its collection of scrub players that I still adored. I loved begging to God that we get a foul ball hit to us knowing that sitting in the general admission seats near the foul poles was the best place to get them.
Oh there are so many more....I will save them for my follow up comments.
So join in. Give us your moments. They can be live at the game or watching from tv. They can be personal like your high school state championship. Whatever. Just keep it sports related. We can share concert moments or job moments or whatever later.
7 comments:
One of the greatest sports moments of my life was my sophomore year when I ran in the 2x800 relay at the state track meet. We didn't do well, but we ran on the track at Ohio Stadium which was unbelievably overwhleming.
The most memorable moment for me as a fan has to be watching the '03 national championship game in a hotel room in Madison while trying to explain fooball to a hippie.
The best game I ever saw in person had to have been the 1993 OSU-IU game in St. John's. Nationally televised with Dickie V and a Buckeye win over then #1 Indiana was intense, it was everything you want in an NCAA basketball game. Man, I wish Dereck Anderson had stayed.
My first moment in Ohio Stadium wasn't nearly as meaningful. It was just a Block O meeting but I remember the awesome feeling of "this is it!" I used to go in and run the track just for exercise when I lived in the towers.
Was that IU game in the 92-93 season? I remember going to the IU game at St. John Arena in the 93-94 season and it was a big upset. I ran onto the floor after the game just to see I was the only one out there. I high fived Jamie Skelton and ran back off.
Ok Huey John,
I love your description of the Browns game during the dead of cold. I used to see the breath of the players and think how bad ass they were. I remember being at an Indians game at the Municipal, in those same GA seats, and I don't know if we were winning or losing but nothing was exciting and the attendance was announced at 16,450. I remember thinking for a Saturday game, "That's not a lot."
Another is sitting in BW-3 watching the 03' National Championship, thinking from the 4th Q and on that Huey Karma would come into play and we'd lose the game. The last play, I didn't lnow why but I focused on Cie Grant. I think it was because I saw him blitzing. Burned in my memory is him spinning Dorsey like a rag doll. Last one I'll mention is Albert Belle against Lee Smith. All-time saves leader vs. the one guy who everytime he got up to bat, for me, I thought he'd hit it out. I was watching it with my grandpa (Nathan R. Fisher Jr. who absolutely loved the game of baseball) and I think w bases were juiced and it was obviously a save situation with Lee Smith in there. Belle hammered one to dead center, deepest part of the park for a home run! My grandpa was like 80 and didn't move to well by that time but he nearly jumped out of his seat. It was amazing. Thanks for letting me revisit those memories Huey John. Love the blogs.
You are definitely welcome! These memories are great! I too can add the Fiesta Bowl. Remember the flag that Miami fans are still whining about? I still can feel the sheer excitement that raced from my feet to my extended arms once I saw we had new life!!!! Oh man, the minutes that followed were some of the best in my life...in terms of sports of course.
Albert Belle had a way of crushing the ball at the right times. I had that same feeling everytime he came up, especially in 95. I think that was when he went 50 and 50 with 2Bs and HRs.
The story with your grandpa is touching. I think sports can be such a wonderful way to unify families or people like that.
I think my favorite sports memory was one of the World Series games in the mid-70's, when the Reds played Boston, I think - and the game and series were so exciting, and Pete Rose got on base and said to the guy standing there, "No matter who wins, isn't it great just to have been here?" That seems to me like the essence of great professional sports - not the money or glory or even winning, but the exhilaration and honor of having been part of a great contest.
I also love the memory of the fantastic OSU championship game when we were babysitting Ally in a hotel room to keep her away from the "intensity" of Beau's watching the game :), and she fell asleep before its exciting end, but she put her arms up in a touchdown signal when it did. That was the best football game I ever saw, and one of the Cleveland playoff games this year was the best baseball game I ever saw, even better than the perfect game years ago.
I was hoping someone with enough depth would mention Len Barker's Perfect Game! That was a great moment in Cleveland.
Participating in these great games ARE what sports in general are all about. It feels so good just to be there watching, actually getting to playing is even better. One could say being at the game cheering is participating in the event too. I love the comraderie of the fans. I love the high fives with strangers. The comments back and forth and seeing that you aren't the only one noticing what you notice and thinking what you think about the team and players and games. I also love the ebb and flow of emotion. It is so thrilling.
Hence, this post....to get these great memories out and relive them.
Other favorite moments of mine include:
The annual event of the the first two rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Any game when I gather with my friends at a bar or their place.
The Cavs' playoff run last year. Man that was great.
And I really miss meeting Chris and Keith and Norm for Cavs games. Those guys are true blue fans and I loved every second of watching those games with them and traveling on the journey of fanship.
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