When Was Your First Game?
January 14, 2008 by Geoff Young
Filed under Odds and Ends
On Friday, I asked, “How long have you been a baseball fan?” Even got a snazzy little poll going. The response has been excellent (for which I give a hearty thanks!), and I’ve learned a few things from it:
- As of this writing, 56% of y’all have been fans for a quarter century or more. You’re old, like me.
- A full 92% have been fans for 11 years or more. (I probably should have broken down the groups a little better; maybe we’ll run another poll someday after folks have had a chance to forget about this one.)
- I invited people to share stories of their first game at a big-league ballpark, and got some cool stuff coming back my way.
Because stories are what keep me hooked on baseball, I’d like to follow up on that last point. When was your first big-league game? Is there anything in particular you remember about it (either something that happened on the field, or maybe just the experience)? Can you find the box score at Baseball-Reference?
If you’ve already shared in the previous thread, thank you. If not, go nuts. I’m guessing that among us, we’ve seen some good stuff at our first game…
I’d love to know what my first game was, but truth be told, I was attending games in my mom’s womb before I was born. I was born in September of 1984, just as the Padres were capping off their incredible year. My dad even left my mom and I sick at home so that he could go to the World Series games in ‘84.
My mom and I don’t begrudge him though, as we got our revenge in ‘98 and attended Game 3 of the Fall Classic.
Although I know I was going to games before then, my first true memories of the Murph were the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game in ‘94. I took a great picture of McGwire absolutely murdering a ball, and the ball is about an inch-long streak on the print.
I’m also not sure how old I was, but I have an autographed picture of Terry Kennedy holding me (all decked out in Padres baby gear) when I probably less than 12 months old.
I fear for any children I have, as they are going to be so ridiculously enculterated in the Padres that it will probably have deleterious effects on their social development (especially when living in Dodger territory – ugh).
My first game was at Yankee Stadium in the late ’70s (’77 or ‘78). I have no idea what happened, because I didn’t even know what baseball was up until that point.
But I do know that was the moment that Graig Nettles became my favorite player. I liked how he spelled his first name (hey — seemed like a good reason to like someone). My first cat was named after him.
Great topic! I’m about 98% sure this was my first game:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS198307090.shtml
Memories: sitting by the Pesky Pole when Dwight Evans came hustling over to make a play and Wade Boggs doing a shoulder role/dive trying to beat out a grounder to first. Before the game Sweet Dreams Are Made of This by Eurythmics was playing on a loudspeaker outside the stadium, it was a big hit that summer. I stopped at Burger King in Nashua, NH on the way home and felt very mature when the girl behind the counter referred to me as “that guy” instead of “that kid”.
Amazingly, my next game wasn’t until a Dodgers game in 1998. My first Padre game was Kevin Brown’s first game back as a Dodger. He got a warm welcome from the Friar Faithful
The first games I remember seeing on tv were Hank Aaron’s 715 and the Big Red Machine World Series games.
All that I can remember is that it was Padres vs Phillies at the Murph. It was camera day and I got a pic of Rollie Fingers.
Oh, and Pete Rose was playing Firstbase. We went because my grandmother was in town and she LOVED Pete Rose.
Good stuff, guys. Nick, that’s funny about not knowing what baseball was. I remember asking my dad what quarter it was at one point during the first game I attended.
Ah, Anthony, you got started a couple years before me. I came in just at the very end of the Big Red Machine. I definitely remember “Sweet Dreams.” Yeah, that was a big one in ‘83. Right there with Def Leppard’s “Photograph” and the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” Those songs were everywhere back then.
RD: I’ve got it narrowed down to 11 dates. Any of these look familiar?
GY – It was one of those two games in July of 79, because by 1980 we were living in Washington after my Dad got out of the Navy. And it was a summer day…
Eureka! Here it is. Sunday afternoon game. You got to see Mike Schmidt hit a home run.
Man, I am such a dork.
That’s awesome man, yeah I was fairly young at that point. Though I do remember how cool it was to go down on the field to take pictures. I think I got one of Winfield now that I think about it.