May 22, 1990: Reds vs. Cubs
T1: Sabo F8, Hatcher HBP, O'Neill F7, Davis K
B1: Walton 1B, Sandberg FC, Grace 1B(7-5), Dawson IBB, McClendon F8
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
The Reds are off to a hot start ... 26-9 coming into this game. This great record is apparently in spite of manager Lou Pinella's propensity for intentionally walking guys in the first inning. Guess Lou is expecting a low-scoring game here.
T2: Morris K, Quinones BB, Oliver K, Oester 3U
B2: Salazar P6, Dunston 2B, Wrona K, Bielecki K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
How about that? Mike Bielecki started two of the best 10 games I ever saw (see #8). Ironically, one was for the Cubs and one was against. I was more excited to see the Reds starter, Tom Browning who was always one of my favorites. He had broken in with the Reds in 1985, finishing 2nd in the Rookie of the Year race and helped turn around the Reds from doormats to contenders.
T3: Browning K, Sabo BB(CS), Hatcher F8
B3: Walton 5-3, Sandberg F9, Grace F8
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
It was a tumultuous time following the Reds back then. The year before, the whole Pete Rose debacle blew up. He was banned from baseball in August 1989. Far worse than that, Marge Schott was "running" the team which of course consisted of: firing all scouts ("Because all they do is sit around all day and watch baseball.") and pinching pennies whereever possible, such as not paying the $200 a game to run the out of town scoreboard ("Why would anyone care about some other game when they're watching this one?")
T4: O'Neill 1B, Davis BB, Morris 4-6-3, Quinones P6
B4: Dawson 6-3, McClendon F7, Salazar F9
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
But 1990 was sort of a sweet spot in between the Rose years and the Schott-induced Geländemarsch to pitifulness ... where they have resided pretty much for the last decade. The 26-9 start had been led by great pitching. Browning and Jose Rijo were the expected studs of the staff, but this was the year of Jack Armstrong. Armstrong had the half-season of his life at the beginning of 1990, being named to start the All-Star game after a 9-3 start. He only won three games after the break, but his first half played a large role in getting the Reds into the playoffs for the first time since 1979.
T5: Oliver 4-3, Oester F7, Browning 1B, Sabo 5-3
B5: Dunston F8, Wrona 6-3, Bielecki 1-3
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Browning had retired 11 straight at this point. He is, of course, most famous for the time he retired 27 straight as part of the only perfect game thrown by a Reds pitcher. There have only been 17 perfect games in MLB history. Browning got the only one against a team that went on to win the World Series w/ a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers on 9/16/88.
T6: Hatcher 2B, O'Neill 4-3, Davis 5-3, Morris 5-3
B6: Walton 1B, Sandberg FC, Grace F7, Dawson F7
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
tbKMD had joined Dolberry for this game. She won our traditional attendance guess ... only missing the announced crowd of 29,860 by 129 people. We were both grad students at the time, though heading in opposite directions. tbKMD was excelling in the Pharmacology program at prestigious Northwestern University ... Dolberry was flailing though Geophysical Science at U. of Wewillcallyoueverymonthuntilyoudieorgiveusmoney.
T7: Quinones 4-3, Oliver 2B, Oester 3U, Browning K
B7: McClendon P6, Salazar 5-3, Dunston 2B, Wrona IBB, Bielecki K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Baseball strategy has changed a lot in the last 18 years. Nowadays, I would think many managers would have pulled Browning for a pinch hitter w/ the go-ahead run in scoring position in the 7th. Thankfully, Sweet Lou let Browning bat. Unfortunately, the gratuitous intentional walk has remained a staple of the game. Pinella bypassed the catcher who hit .172 on the season, and would be sent down to the minors for the rest of the year only one week later, to get to the pitcher who hit .163 on the season. Why Lou? Why?
T8: Sabo 6-3, Hatcher 5-3, O'Neill K
B8: Walton P6, Sandberg 2B, Grace 3-1, Dawson IBB, McClendon 5-3
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Even though the score was 0-0, the whole park had to sense that the Reds had the Cubs right where they wanted them. 1990 was the year of the Nasty Boys. The triumverate of Randy Myers, Rob Dibble, and Norm Charlton gave the Reds one of the most potent bullpens of all-time. Between the three of them they pitched 339 innings that year, gave up only 261 hits and struck out 351.
T9: Davis K, Morris 4-3, Quinones F7
B9: Salazar F8, Dunston P3, Wrona K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Browning came out of the game after 9 innings. (Bielecki stayed in and finished the 10th.) In doing the research for this article, I found out Tom Browning had written a book entitled: Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout. It was selling for 7 cents (!) on Amazon so I bought it. (Shipping was $3.99 but still ...). Look for a book review on the DCV some time in the future. Hooray!
T10: J. Reed 1B, Oester Sac, Larkin K, Sabo 4-3.
B10: Dascenzo K, Walton F9, Sandberg F9
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Am guessing that Larkin didn't start this game because the next day was an off day and Barry had played every game so far in 1990. This year and 1999 were the only two years of his career that were injury-free for the Reds great hometown hero. If I had to make a list of my all time favorite Reds it would look like this: 5 - Eric Davis, 4- Ken Griffey Jr., 3 - Johnny Bench, 2 - Barry Larkin, 1 - Joe Morgan.
T11: Hatcher F7, O'Neill K, Davis 1B, Benzinger P4
B11: Grace E5, Dawson 1B, McClendon K, Salazar IBB, Dunston K, D. Smith K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Dibble bailed out Charlton w/ the two K's there in the 11th. Sweet Lou put a little extra pressure on him w/ his fourth order of a free pass (to Luis Salazar?!?!?). I listen to Dibble on my XM satellite radio sometimes on the bus ride home. For a guy who broke into the league like a wild stallion ... one time hitting a woman in the upper deck w/ a ball thrown in anger ... he's fairly reasonable to listen to on the radio. Guess he's going to be the color commentator for the Nationals this year ... which is sure to be an exercise in patience.
T12: Quinones 1B, Reed Sac, Oester L5, Roomes K
B12: Wynne K, Walton BB, Sandberg K, Grace BB, Dawson IBB, McClendon 4-6.
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)
Intentional walk #5. Third of the day to Dawson who will tie Roger Maris' mark for most IBB's in a game if he gets another one. Lloyd McClendon had a rough day ... 0 for 6 and he left nine runners stranded. This earned him a frowny face from tbKMD in the scorebook, but it presumably prepared him a bit for the frustration he would face in later life managing the Pirates for five years.
T13: Sabo HR, Hatcher 4-3, O'Neill 1B(8-6), Davis 6-3
B13: Salazar HR, Dunston F8, Girardi K, Wilkerson K
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)
You have got to be kidding me! Randy Myers gives up a HR to Luis Salazar? (Lou, you should have walked him!) DCV Teaser: There's another game coming up in the countdown where Myers gave up a HR at Wrigley and something interesting happens. Stay tuned.
T14: Benzinger F7, Quinones 1B(SB), Reed 4-3, Oester IBB, Griffey Sr. 4-3
B14: Walton 6-3, Sandberg BB(PB), Grace F8, Dawson IBB, D. Clark K
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)
1990 was the year the Reds swept the vaunted Oakland A's in the World Series. Jose Rijo pitched like a madman (15 IP, 1 ER, 2 wins) and Billy Hatcher got 9 hits in 12 at bats; but for me the hero of that series will always be Eric Davis who hit a 2-run HR in Game 1 that propelled the sweep. In Game 4 of that series he lacerated his kidney trying to make a diving catch. While the rest of the Reds were celebrating their title, Davis was in an Oakland hospital. The story goes that the Reds made him pay for his trip home from the hospital, since the season was over.
T15: Sabo 1-3, Hatcher F9, O'Neill 4-3
B15: Salazar BB(SB), Dunston P2, Girardi K, Ramos F8
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)
The game ended up being the third longest game of the entire 1990 season. One of oldest baseball bromides is that "if you go to a game you are sure to see something that you've never seen before". In this game we saw something that had never HAPPENED before and has never happened since ... a player be intentionally walked 5 times in a game. After leaving 20 men on base over 15 innings, the Cubs finally capitalized in the 16th.
T16: Davis F9, Benzinger K, Quinones 1B, Reed 4-6
B16: Walton K, Sandberg 1B, Grace E6, Dawson IBB, Clark 1B
Final: Cubs 2, Reds 1
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Top 10 Baseball games I ever attended: #8
August 30, 1996: Braves vs. Cubs
T1: A. Jones 1-3, Mordecai 2B, Chipper 3-1, McGriff K
B1: McRae 1B, Bullett 1B, Grace 4-3, L. Gonzalez P4, Magadan 4-3
(Cubs 1, Braves 0)
If Dolberry was going to draw up his perfect day, there's a good chance it would involve sitting in the warm August Wrigley shade beside the beautiful KMD taking in a doubleheader of baseball.
T2: Klesko 3B, Dye 4-3, J. Lopez 2B, Lemke 4-3, Bielecki K
B2: Houston 6-3, Hernandez 1-3, Haney F7
(Braves 1, Cubs 1)
The Cubs had beaten Tom Glavine 3-2 on a game-winning single by Ryne Sandberg in the first game of the now-rare baseball BOGO. The first game took only 2:13. Dolberry has a lousy memory, but I can distinctly remember holding hands w/ tbKMD while sitting down the 1st base line on this late-summer Friday afternoon.
T3: A. Jones P4, Mordecai 6-3, Chipper K
B3: Bullinger K, McRae HR, Bullett K, Grace 1B, Gonzalez F7
(Cubs 2, Braves 1)
Talking about leadoff guys in yesterday's game, can anyone believe Andruw Jones used to be a leadoff man? In August 1996, he was a slender 19 year old and in his first month in the big leagues and was maybe the biggest prospect of all time. In January 2008, the Dodgers signed him to a two-year, 36 million deal and he responded by hitting .158 in over 200 ABs. In January 2009, the Dodgers released him (gently, presumably, given the tectonic situation in SoCal). One scout said of him, "He looked like he was at a church picnic and could not care less about what was going on." Too much success at the cake wheel it appears.
T4: McGriff E6, Klesko F9, Dye K, Lopez 1B, Lemke E6, Bielecki 1B, A. Jones 4-3
B4: Magadan F9, Houston 1B, Hernandez K, Haney 6-3
(Cubs 2, Braves 2)
The nice thing about old scorecards is all the little notations in the book, some about the game, some not. In this one, tbKMD wrote "tbKMD [heart] Dolberry". (She didn't really use our blog code names, but it was still sweet.)
T5: Mordecai 1B, Chipper 1B, McGriff 4-3, Klesko 6-3, Dye K
B5: Hubbard K, McRae F8, Bullett 1-3
(Braves 3, Cubs 2)
It's worth noting that APD was at this game as well, though his seats were the ultimate "obstructed view". At that time of his life, we called him "Lil' Chipper" after Chipper Jones who was one of my favorite players at the time. (I still like ol' Larry Wayne Jones ... he's a great player.) He was one of my favorites at the time because he was one of my first Rotisserie baseball "finds". A "find" is a guy you identify when he's young and you lock him in at a cheap price before the whole world knows about him. My new "find" for those who care is Pablo Sandoval of the Giants. Let's be thankful we're past childbearing years ... Lil' Pablo doesn't sound quite the same.
T6: Lopez 1B, Lemke 6-3, Bielecki K, A. Jones K
B6: Grace 4-3, Gonzalez 1B, Magadan 1B, Servais F9, Hernandez K
(Braves 3, Cubs 2)
Even if you don't like baseball ... (Be gone heathen!) one can still enjoy the food you can get at the ballpark. I usually keep it simple. In Wrigley, Dolberry usually got a brat (or two) and a soda. On a warm day, that'd usually be followed by ice cream in one of those collectible helmets. Mmmmmmmm .... ice cream helmets .
T7: Mordecai HR, Chipper 5-3, McGriff 1B, Klesko 6-4-3
B7: Haney BB, Kieschnieck 1B, McRae BB, Bullett K, Grace K, Gonzalez 3B, Magadan K.
(Cubs 5, Braves 4)
One of the best traditions about Wrigley Field was Harry Carey singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. Whenever the Cubs were behind he'd close the song w/ a lusty entreaty ... "Let's Get Some Runs!!!". Luis Gonzalez obliged him here w/ the go-ahead, bases-juiced triple.
T8: Dye F9, Lopez K, Lemke 6-3
B8: Servais 1B, Hernandez Sac, Haney 6-3, Gomez 4-3
(Cubs 5, Braves 4)
In Dolberry's opinion (hey it's my blog), there may not be a more overrated position in all of sports than that of the closer in baseball. The Reds are paying Francisco Cordero 48 million just because he's pitched in the 9th inning of games before. Jared Burton would perform just as well for 1/10th the money. That said, the closers decided this game. Check out Bob Patterson (Cubs) vs. Mark Wohlers (Braves) in his prime.
T9: Pendleton 1B, A. Jones E6, Mordecai P2, Chipper 1B, McGriff BB, Grissom SF9, Dye K
B9: McRae K, Bullett K, Grace K!
Final: Braves 6, Cubs 5
T1: A. Jones 1-3, Mordecai 2B, Chipper 3-1, McGriff K
B1: McRae 1B, Bullett 1B, Grace 4-3, L. Gonzalez P4, Magadan 4-3
(Cubs 1, Braves 0)
If Dolberry was going to draw up his perfect day, there's a good chance it would involve sitting in the warm August Wrigley shade beside the beautiful KMD taking in a doubleheader of baseball.
T2: Klesko 3B, Dye 4-3, J. Lopez 2B, Lemke 4-3, Bielecki K
B2: Houston 6-3, Hernandez 1-3, Haney F7
(Braves 1, Cubs 1)
The Cubs had beaten Tom Glavine 3-2 on a game-winning single by Ryne Sandberg in the first game of the now-rare baseball BOGO. The first game took only 2:13. Dolberry has a lousy memory, but I can distinctly remember holding hands w/ tbKMD while sitting down the 1st base line on this late-summer Friday afternoon.
T3: A. Jones P4, Mordecai 6-3, Chipper K
B3: Bullinger K, McRae HR, Bullett K, Grace 1B, Gonzalez F7
(Cubs 2, Braves 1)
Talking about leadoff guys in yesterday's game, can anyone believe Andruw Jones used to be a leadoff man? In August 1996, he was a slender 19 year old and in his first month in the big leagues and was maybe the biggest prospect of all time. In January 2008, the Dodgers signed him to a two-year, 36 million deal and he responded by hitting .158 in over 200 ABs. In January 2009, the Dodgers released him (gently, presumably, given the tectonic situation in SoCal). One scout said of him, "He looked like he was at a church picnic and could not care less about what was going on." Too much success at the cake wheel it appears.
T4: McGriff E6, Klesko F9, Dye K, Lopez 1B, Lemke E6, Bielecki 1B, A. Jones 4-3
B4: Magadan F9, Houston 1B, Hernandez K, Haney 6-3
(Cubs 2, Braves 2)
The nice thing about old scorecards is all the little notations in the book, some about the game, some not. In this one, tbKMD wrote "tbKMD [heart] Dolberry". (She didn't really use our blog code names, but it was still sweet.)
T5: Mordecai 1B, Chipper 1B, McGriff 4-3, Klesko 6-3, Dye K
B5: Hubbard K, McRae F8, Bullett 1-3
(Braves 3, Cubs 2)
It's worth noting that APD was at this game as well, though his seats were the ultimate "obstructed view". At that time of his life, we called him "Lil' Chipper" after Chipper Jones who was one of my favorite players at the time. (I still like ol' Larry Wayne Jones ... he's a great player.) He was one of my favorites at the time because he was one of my first Rotisserie baseball "finds". A "find" is a guy you identify when he's young and you lock him in at a cheap price before the whole world knows about him. My new "find" for those who care is Pablo Sandoval of the Giants. Let's be thankful we're past childbearing years ... Lil' Pablo doesn't sound quite the same.
T6: Lopez 1B, Lemke 6-3, Bielecki K, A. Jones K
B6: Grace 4-3, Gonzalez 1B, Magadan 1B, Servais F9, Hernandez K
(Braves 3, Cubs 2)
Even if you don't like baseball ... (Be gone heathen!) one can still enjoy the food you can get at the ballpark. I usually keep it simple. In Wrigley, Dolberry usually got a brat (or two) and a soda. On a warm day, that'd usually be followed by ice cream in one of those collectible helmets.
T7: Mordecai HR, Chipper 5-3, McGriff 1B, Klesko 6-4-3
B7: Haney BB, Kieschnieck 1B, McRae BB, Bullett K, Grace K, Gonzalez 3B, Magadan K.
(Cubs 5, Braves 4)
One of the best traditions about Wrigley Field was Harry Carey singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. Whenever the Cubs were behind he'd close the song w/ a lusty entreaty ... "Let's Get Some Runs!!!". Luis Gonzalez obliged him here w/ the go-ahead, bases-juiced triple.
T8: Dye F9, Lopez K, Lemke 6-3
B8: Servais 1B, Hernandez Sac, Haney 6-3, Gomez 4-3
(Cubs 5, Braves 4)
In Dolberry's opinion (hey it's my blog), there may not be a more overrated position in all of sports than that of the closer in baseball. The Reds are paying Francisco Cordero 48 million just because he's pitched in the 9th inning of games before. Jared Burton would perform just as well for 1/10th the money. That said, the closers decided this game. Check out Bob Patterson (Cubs) vs. Mark Wohlers (Braves) in his prime.
T9: Pendleton 1B, A. Jones E6, Mordecai P2, Chipper 1B, McGriff BB, Grissom SF9, Dye K
B9: McRae K, Bullett K, Grace K!
Final: Braves 6, Cubs 5
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Top 10 Baseball games I ever attended: #9
October 12th, 1993: Blue Jays vs. White Sox
T1: Henderson K, D. White 1B, Alomar FC, Carter F9
B1: Raines F7, Cora K, Thomas F8
(Blue Jays 0, White Sox 0)
This game is Game 6 of the ALCS. I remember spending the better part of one Saturday morning calling and calling Ticketmaster trying to get Sox playoff tickets ... in the pre-Internet days ... getting nothing but a busy signal for over an hour before finally getting through. We paid $40 each for two upper box tickets at new Comiskey. I believe this is still the most Dolberry has ever paid for a ticket to any sort of sporting event, though pretty soon Spring Training games will cost that much.
T2: Olerud BB, Molitor HBP, T. Fernandez 1-3, Sprague BB, Borders 1B, Henderson FC, White 4-3.
B2: Ventura BB, Burks P4, Newson 4-3, L Johnson 3U.
(Jays 2, Sox 0)
The starting pitchers for this matchup were superb. Toronto sent Dave Stewart to the hill while Chicago countered with Alex Fernandez. Stewart was a few years removed from his dominating stint w/ the A's in the late 80's, but he had bested Fernandez just 6 days earlier in Game 2 of this ALCS. Alex Fernandez had an awesome 1993, 18-9 w/ a 3.13 ERA, but it was overshadowed somewhat by "Blackjack" McDowell's 22 win Cy Young performance. At the time, as a Sox fan, I remember thinking Fernandez had a really bright career ahead of him. As it turned out, his best season was 1993 as a 24-year old.
T3: Alomar 4-3, Carter P3, Olerud P2
B3: Lavailliere P5, Guillen 2B, Raines 1B, Cora HBP, Thomas BB, Ventura FC, Burks 5-3
(Jays 2, Sox 2)
1993 was probably the year tbKMD and I watched the most baseball games. We lived right downtown in these apartments (where GMa Karen once had popcorn AFTER eating 4 desserts) and it was really simple to get to either Comiskey or Wrigley. tbKMD was just a few months from getting her PhD and Dolberry was working out at LADCO. Those were carefree days ... very few responsibilities ... no kid, no mortgage, didn't even own a car. We got pretty emotionally invested in the Sox that year.
T4: Molitor E5, Fernandez F8, Sprague 1B, Borders FC/E4, Henderson 3-1
B4: Newson 4-3, Johnson L3, Lavalliere 5-3
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
This was the Sox first playoff appearance since 1983 and only their second since 1959, so there were a lot of rabid Sox fans that year. It was a full house despite temperatures in the mid-40s. The Jays had won the first two games of the series in Chicago, but then the "good guys" bounced back to take the next two to even the series. The Jays had beaten McDowell in Game 5, so this was an elimination game for the Sox.
T5: White 1B, Alomar 1B, Carter K, Olerud P5, Molitor BB, Fernandez P4
B5: Guillen P5, Raines BB, Cora F9, Thomas K
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
The top 3 vote getters in the 1993 AL MVP batted that past inning. #3 Olerud, #2 Molitor, #1 The Big Hurt. Frank Thomas was an awesome player in the mid 1990's. In 1994, he had a Barry Bonds like season w/o the bloated perjuring head (.492 on base % and 38 HRs in a park that favored pitchers). The Big Hurt is still trying to catch on w/ someone for 2009 ... he may be forced to retire ... sentimental ol' Dolberry would like to see him get another year.
T6: Sprague K, Borders 2B, Henderson F7, White K
B6: Ventura F9, Burks 1B, Newson K, Johnson 4-3
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
This game featured two of the best leadoff hitters of all time: Rickey Henderson and Tim "Rock" Raines. Both were on the Hall of Fame ballot this year and Henderson got in w/ 95% of the vote, but surprisingly Raines only got 22% support (you need 75% to get in). He'll get in eventually as new guard voters (who appreciate what a lifetime .385 on base percentage means to an offense) replace the ones who only care about HRs.
T7: Alomar F9, Carter F8, Olerud 1B, Molitor K
B7: Lavailliere BB, Guillen Sac, Raines L4 (DP)
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
The Southside fans were getting restless by this point. tbKMD was surprised by the fact that the White Sox supporters were booing their boys after a 94 win season appeared to be coming to end. I guess when you haven't won a single playoff series since 1917, patience & goodwill aren't your strong suits. This was the last year before the current wild-card playoff format came into effect. Unlike interleague play, I correctly tagged that as a bad idea when it happened. Does anybody really get fired up for a divisional series playoff game?
T8: Fernandez F8, Sprague P4, Borders 1-3
B8: Cora F7, Thomas 1B, Ventura K, Burks K
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
By the time the 9th inning ended, tbKMD & Dolberry were one of the few fans left in the stadium. As you will see it didn't end well. The Blue Jays went on to win the World Series over the Phillies on a walkoff Joe Carter HR. The White Sox would get their World Series in 2005 when their 1993 SS (Ozzie Guillen) was their manager. Dolberry and tbKMD went on to live happily ever after, although we haven't been to a playoff game since.
T9: Henderson 1-3, White HR, Alomar F8, Carter 1B, Olerud E4, Molitor 3B, Fernandez F8
B9: Newson HR, Johnson BB, Karkovice K, Guillen F9, Raines F9.
Final: Jays 6, Sox 3
T1: Henderson K, D. White 1B, Alomar FC, Carter F9
B1: Raines F7, Cora K, Thomas F8
(Blue Jays 0, White Sox 0)
This game is Game 6 of the ALCS. I remember spending the better part of one Saturday morning calling and calling Ticketmaster trying to get Sox playoff tickets ... in the pre-Internet days ... getting nothing but a busy signal for over an hour before finally getting through. We paid $40 each for two upper box tickets at new Comiskey. I believe this is still the most Dolberry has ever paid for a ticket to any sort of sporting event, though pretty soon Spring Training games will cost that much.
T2: Olerud BB, Molitor HBP, T. Fernandez 1-3, Sprague BB, Borders 1B, Henderson FC, White 4-3.
B2: Ventura BB, Burks P4, Newson 4-3, L Johnson 3U.
(Jays 2, Sox 0)
The starting pitchers for this matchup were superb. Toronto sent Dave Stewart to the hill while Chicago countered with Alex Fernandez. Stewart was a few years removed from his dominating stint w/ the A's in the late 80's, but he had bested Fernandez just 6 days earlier in Game 2 of this ALCS. Alex Fernandez had an awesome 1993, 18-9 w/ a 3.13 ERA, but it was overshadowed somewhat by "Blackjack" McDowell's 22 win Cy Young performance. At the time, as a Sox fan, I remember thinking Fernandez had a really bright career ahead of him. As it turned out, his best season was 1993 as a 24-year old.
T3: Alomar 4-3, Carter P3, Olerud P2
B3: Lavailliere P5, Guillen 2B, Raines 1B, Cora HBP, Thomas BB, Ventura FC, Burks 5-3
(Jays 2, Sox 2)
1993 was probably the year tbKMD and I watched the most baseball games. We lived right downtown in these apartments (where GMa Karen once had popcorn AFTER eating 4 desserts) and it was really simple to get to either Comiskey or Wrigley. tbKMD was just a few months from getting her PhD and Dolberry was working out at LADCO. Those were carefree days ... very few responsibilities ... no kid, no mortgage, didn't even own a car. We got pretty emotionally invested in the Sox that year.
T4: Molitor E5, Fernandez F8, Sprague 1B, Borders FC/E4, Henderson 3-1
B4: Newson 4-3, Johnson L3, Lavalliere 5-3
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
This was the Sox first playoff appearance since 1983 and only their second since 1959, so there were a lot of rabid Sox fans that year. It was a full house despite temperatures in the mid-40s. The Jays had won the first two games of the series in Chicago, but then the "good guys" bounced back to take the next two to even the series. The Jays had beaten McDowell in Game 5, so this was an elimination game for the Sox.
T5: White 1B, Alomar 1B, Carter K, Olerud P5, Molitor BB, Fernandez P4
B5: Guillen P5, Raines BB, Cora F9, Thomas K
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
The top 3 vote getters in the 1993 AL MVP batted that past inning. #3 Olerud, #2 Molitor, #1 The Big Hurt. Frank Thomas was an awesome player in the mid 1990's. In 1994, he had a Barry Bonds like season w/o the bloated perjuring head (.492 on base % and 38 HRs in a park that favored pitchers). The Big Hurt is still trying to catch on w/ someone for 2009 ... he may be forced to retire ... sentimental ol' Dolberry would like to see him get another year.
T6: Sprague K, Borders 2B, Henderson F7, White K
B6: Ventura F9, Burks 1B, Newson K, Johnson 4-3
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
This game featured two of the best leadoff hitters of all time: Rickey Henderson and Tim "Rock" Raines. Both were on the Hall of Fame ballot this year and Henderson got in w/ 95% of the vote, but surprisingly Raines only got 22% support (you need 75% to get in). He'll get in eventually as new guard voters (who appreciate what a lifetime .385 on base percentage means to an offense) replace the ones who only care about HRs.
T7: Alomar F9, Carter F8, Olerud 1B, Molitor K
B7: Lavailliere BB, Guillen Sac, Raines L4 (DP)
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
The Southside fans were getting restless by this point. tbKMD was surprised by the fact that the White Sox supporters were booing their boys after a 94 win season appeared to be coming to end. I guess when you haven't won a single playoff series since 1917, patience & goodwill aren't your strong suits. This was the last year before the current wild-card playoff format came into effect. Unlike interleague play, I correctly tagged that as a bad idea when it happened. Does anybody really get fired up for a divisional series playoff game?
T8: Fernandez F8, Sprague P4, Borders 1-3
B8: Cora F7, Thomas 1B, Ventura K, Burks K
(Jays 3, Sox 2)
By the time the 9th inning ended, tbKMD & Dolberry were one of the few fans left in the stadium. As you will see it didn't end well. The Blue Jays went on to win the World Series over the Phillies on a walkoff Joe Carter HR. The White Sox would get their World Series in 2005 when their 1993 SS (Ozzie Guillen) was their manager. Dolberry and tbKMD went on to live happily ever after, although we haven't been to a playoff game since.
T9: Henderson 1-3, White HR, Alomar F8, Carter 1B, Olerud E4, Molitor 3B, Fernandez F8
B9: Newson HR, Johnson BB, Karkovice K, Guillen F9, Raines F9.
Final: Jays 6, Sox 3
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Top 10 Baseball games I ever attended: #10
July 1st, 1997: Royals vs. Cubs
T1: Goodwin 4-3, J. Bell F9, J. Damon K
B1: Glanville 1B, McRae 2B, Grace 1B, Sosa 2B, Dunston 1B, Sandberg SF-7, Hernandez 6-4-3.
(Cubs 4, Royals 0)
In Dolberry's opinion the three best things about Chicago are how pretty Lake Michigan looks on a crisp summer day, Giordano's pizza, and Wrigley Field. So, in our last month in Chicagoland it was time to drag APD out to the Friendly Confines.
T2: J King 6-3, J. Dye 4-3, C. Paquette K
B2: Hubbard F9, F. Castillo 3-1, Glanville PO-2
(Cubs 4, Royals 0)
Remember thinking at the time that it was weird that APD's first game would be an interleague matchup. It seems like there's been interleague play for forever, but 1997 was the first year for it. I remember thinking it was a bad idea at the time, but in retrospect I have to grudgingly admit error on that one. I kind of enjoy interleague games now. From a fantasy baseball perspective, it's nice to have 15 games to track instead of 8.
T3: Fasano K, Howard 1B, Rusch E5, Goodwin 2B, Bell BB, Damon P6, King P5.
B3: McRae F8, Grace 1B, Sosa K, Dunston 1B, Sandberg 2B, Hernandez 6-3
(Cubs 5, Royals 1)
We were excited that Glendon Rusch was pitching for the Royals, because we had "seen" him pitch a no-hitter a few seasons earlier at a Single A game against the Kane County Cougars. It still is the only no-hitter I've ever "seen". Seen is in quotation marks because we were in the standing room section of a huge Sunday crowd for that little ballpark and I actually couldn't see Rusch from where we were, but it was cool to be there. Glendon did not fare as well in this one, lasting only 6 innings.
T4: Dye L5, Paquette 5-3, Fasano 5-3
B4: Hubbard F7, Castillo F9, Glanville HR, McRae F8
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
Doug Glanville had to be one of the smartest players in MLB. He's one of only 5 Penn graduates to play in the bigs. Seemed like a nice guy.
T5: Howard 1B, Rusch K, Goodwin F9, Bell 6-3
B5: Grace F8, Sosa 6-3, Dunston 1B, Sandberg F8
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
I remember it being a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. Our scorecard says 80 degrees yet there were only 18,745 in attendance. Nowadays, that's a sure sellout for the Cubs. Attendance in 1997 was 2.1 million. The next year was the steroid-fueled run on Maris' record and no year since 1997 has drawn less than 2.6 mil at Wrigley. The last 5 seasons have all been over 3 million.
T6: Damon 1B, King F9, Dye 3U (DP)
B6: Hernandez BB, Hubbard 4-6-3, Castillo 4-3
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
You may or may not know this but President Obama is a big White Sox fan. I think this can only help the SouthSiders, although I'm not sure how. Maybe there's money for another starter in the stimulus package.
T7: Paquette 5-3, Fasano K, Howard 2B, S. Cooper P5
B7: Glanville BB, McRae P3, Grace 3-6-1
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
While this was APD's first baseball game, it was not his first sporting event. He had watched Marquette win the Conference USA basketball tournament that March in St. Louis. As parents of a newborn, I remember we were scared that the loud noise of the bands might hurt his little eardrums.
T8: Goodwin K, Bell K, Damon P6
B8: Sosa 1B, Dunston F9, Sandberg P6, Hernandez 6-3
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
I can't really remember if APD enjoyed the game or not. As far as games go, there'll be others to come in the countdown that were more interesting from a baseball perspective. Both of these teams went on to lose 94 games this year. But this one will always be special as the first one as the Dolberry family. I'm sure the drive back home to Naperville was traffic-crazy, but it was worth it.
T9: King BB, Dye K, Paquette F8, Nunnally BB, Howard 4-3
Final: Cubs 6, Royals 1
T1: Goodwin 4-3, J. Bell F9, J. Damon K
B1: Glanville 1B, McRae 2B, Grace 1B, Sosa 2B, Dunston 1B, Sandberg SF-7, Hernandez 6-4-3.
(Cubs 4, Royals 0)
In Dolberry's opinion the three best things about Chicago are how pretty Lake Michigan looks on a crisp summer day, Giordano's pizza, and Wrigley Field. So, in our last month in Chicagoland it was time to drag APD out to the Friendly Confines.
T2: J King 6-3, J. Dye 4-3, C. Paquette K
B2: Hubbard F9, F. Castillo 3-1, Glanville PO-2
(Cubs 4, Royals 0)
Remember thinking at the time that it was weird that APD's first game would be an interleague matchup. It seems like there's been interleague play for forever, but 1997 was the first year for it. I remember thinking it was a bad idea at the time, but in retrospect I have to grudgingly admit error on that one. I kind of enjoy interleague games now. From a fantasy baseball perspective, it's nice to have 15 games to track instead of 8.
T3: Fasano K, Howard 1B, Rusch E5, Goodwin 2B, Bell BB, Damon P6, King P5.
B3: McRae F8, Grace 1B, Sosa K, Dunston 1B, Sandberg 2B, Hernandez 6-3
(Cubs 5, Royals 1)
We were excited that Glendon Rusch was pitching for the Royals, because we had "seen" him pitch a no-hitter a few seasons earlier at a Single A game against the Kane County Cougars. It still is the only no-hitter I've ever "seen". Seen is in quotation marks because we were in the standing room section of a huge Sunday crowd for that little ballpark and I actually couldn't see Rusch from where we were, but it was cool to be there. Glendon did not fare as well in this one, lasting only 6 innings.
T4: Dye L5, Paquette 5-3, Fasano 5-3
B4: Hubbard F7, Castillo F9, Glanville HR, McRae F8
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
Doug Glanville had to be one of the smartest players in MLB. He's one of only 5 Penn graduates to play in the bigs. Seemed like a nice guy.
T5: Howard 1B, Rusch K, Goodwin F9, Bell 6-3
B5: Grace F8, Sosa 6-3, Dunston 1B, Sandberg F8
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
I remember it being a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. Our scorecard says 80 degrees yet there were only 18,745 in attendance. Nowadays, that's a sure sellout for the Cubs. Attendance in 1997 was 2.1 million. The next year was the steroid-fueled run on Maris' record and no year since 1997 has drawn less than 2.6 mil at Wrigley. The last 5 seasons have all been over 3 million.
T6: Damon 1B, King F9, Dye 3U (DP)
B6: Hernandez BB, Hubbard 4-6-3, Castillo 4-3
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
You may or may not know this but President Obama is a big White Sox fan. I think this can only help the SouthSiders, although I'm not sure how. Maybe there's money for another starter in the stimulus package.
T7: Paquette 5-3, Fasano K, Howard 2B, S. Cooper P5
B7: Glanville BB, McRae P3, Grace 3-6-1
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
While this was APD's first baseball game, it was not his first sporting event. He had watched Marquette win the Conference USA basketball tournament that March in St. Louis. As parents of a newborn, I remember we were scared that the loud noise of the bands might hurt his little eardrums.
T8: Goodwin K, Bell K, Damon P6
B8: Sosa 1B, Dunston F9, Sandberg P6, Hernandez 6-3
(Cubs 6, Royals 1)
I can't really remember if APD enjoyed the game or not. As far as games go, there'll be others to come in the countdown that were more interesting from a baseball perspective. Both of these teams went on to lose 94 games this year. But this one will always be special as the first one as the Dolberry family. I'm sure the drive back home to Naperville was traffic-crazy, but it was worth it.
T9: King BB, Dye K, Paquette F8, Nunnally BB, Howard 4-3
Final: Cubs 6, Royals 1
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
DCV Top Bands of the 80's: #8
#8 The Police:
My favorite memory of the Police was when the Dolberries all loaded into the Volare sometime during the summer of 1983 to drop Dolberry! off at the Naval Academy for some summer program while the rest of the family vacationed at Ocean City. I do not remember why I went along w/ this idea. Anyway, I had a decent enough time in Annapolis. I got some good brooding in while listening to U2's amazing War album on my walkman while running around the Naval Academy's track from which you could see Chesapeake Bay. I also had some fun learning about coastal engineering w/ sand dunes and stuff in the USNA wave tank. Very cool. Anyway, I probably would have gone to the Naval Academy but for three reasons: 1) the call of the Billiken, 2) I was pretty sure that I'd never get the hang of that strange thing the cadets have to do w/ their shoes whenever they turn a corner, and 3) I think you needed a Congressional letter of recommendation & we were Larouchies at the time. Anyway, from what I've gathered over the years, the rest of the family had a miserable time at the beach w/o me, and vowed never to be away from me ever again. This summer were all going to the beach as a family and so far no one has signed me up for Camp Lejeune, though I'm going to grip the door handles tighter this time as we pass. As they say ... fool me once ...
What does this have to do w/ The Police? I'm getting to it.
If you've been a reader of the DCV since day one, you'll know I was once upon a time a great countdown buff. Now, I hardly ever count stuff down (at least not quickly). 1983 was the golden era of countdowns & somehow I was able to talk Mom & Pop into constantly scanning the radio to see which song would be played the most during our car ride. Looking back, I can't imagine how annoying this must have been ... to listen to 5-10 seconds of every song before searching for another one. It certainly appears to indicate some guilt on the part of the parental units in dropping their only son off at military school while they went to the beach. The most-played-song contest came down to two songs: the horrific Sergio Mendes ballad "Never Going to Let You Go" and (here comes your payoff) The Police's "Every Breath You Take". As we entered into Kentucky heading west/home on I-64, EBYT was trailing by two plays, but aided by better knowledge of which stations were likely to play the Police and staying away from Mendes-favoring stations, Dolberry was able to engineer a victory for Sting, Stuart, & Andy.
The Police had a lot of great songs. "Roxanne" is pretty good, but if you've never had the pleasure of listening to it w/ accompanying falsetto from Dolberry, you haven't experienced it in full. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" was always a Trinity cross-country favorite which was sung when someone would try to run too close to you in practice. I love the fact that the Police were able to work this guy into a song so seamlessly. "Synchronicity II" was a pretty amazing song as well ... as the lyrics to that one pretty much summed up how I felt every day fighting the traffic home in Chicago.
Another working day has ended
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race.
Sting's solo career was sort of a disappointment for those of us who enjoy rocking out on occasion. Guess he was doing was he wanted to be doing though, so bully to him. Hope their reunion tour goes well this summer. They're playing at Churchill Downs at some point. I guess Louisville has Giacomo to thank for that.
Best Songs: Every Breath, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II, Roxanne
Worst Song: After a while I got tired of "King of Pain", but it was ok.
My favorite memory of the Police was when the Dolberries all loaded into the Volare sometime during the summer of 1983 to drop Dolberry! off at the Naval Academy for some summer program while the rest of the family vacationed at Ocean City. I do not remember why I went along w/ this idea. Anyway, I had a decent enough time in Annapolis. I got some good brooding in while listening to U2's amazing War album on my walkman while running around the Naval Academy's track from which you could see Chesapeake Bay. I also had some fun learning about coastal engineering w/ sand dunes and stuff in the USNA wave tank. Very cool. Anyway, I probably would have gone to the Naval Academy but for three reasons: 1) the call of the Billiken, 2) I was pretty sure that I'd never get the hang of that strange thing the cadets have to do w/ their shoes whenever they turn a corner, and 3) I think you needed a Congressional letter of recommendation & we were Larouchies at the time. Anyway, from what I've gathered over the years, the rest of the family had a miserable time at the beach w/o me, and vowed never to be away from me ever again. This summer were all going to the beach as a family and so far no one has signed me up for Camp Lejeune, though I'm going to grip the door handles tighter this time as we pass. As they say ... fool me once ...
What does this have to do w/ The Police? I'm getting to it.
If you've been a reader of the DCV since day one, you'll know I was once upon a time a great countdown buff. Now, I hardly ever count stuff down (at least not quickly). 1983 was the golden era of countdowns & somehow I was able to talk Mom & Pop into constantly scanning the radio to see which song would be played the most during our car ride. Looking back, I can't imagine how annoying this must have been ... to listen to 5-10 seconds of every song before searching for another one. It certainly appears to indicate some guilt on the part of the parental units in dropping their only son off at military school while they went to the beach. The most-played-song contest came down to two songs: the horrific Sergio Mendes ballad "Never Going to Let You Go" and (here comes your payoff) The Police's "Every Breath You Take". As we entered into Kentucky heading west/home on I-64, EBYT was trailing by two plays, but aided by better knowledge of which stations were likely to play the Police and staying away from Mendes-favoring stations, Dolberry was able to engineer a victory for Sting, Stuart, & Andy.
The Police had a lot of great songs. "Roxanne" is pretty good, but if you've never had the pleasure of listening to it w/ accompanying falsetto from Dolberry, you haven't experienced it in full. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" was always a Trinity cross-country favorite which was sung when someone would try to run too close to you in practice. I love the fact that the Police were able to work this guy into a song so seamlessly. "Synchronicity II" was a pretty amazing song as well ... as the lyrics to that one pretty much summed up how I felt every day fighting the traffic home in Chicago.
Another working day has ended
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race.
Sting's solo career was sort of a disappointment for those of us who enjoy rocking out on occasion. Guess he was doing was he wanted to be doing though, so bully to him. Hope their reunion tour goes well this summer. They're playing at Churchill Downs at some point. I guess Louisville has Giacomo to thank for that.
Best Songs: Every Breath, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II, Roxanne
Worst Song: After a while I got tired of "King of Pain", but it was ok.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Hey. Welcome.
Of all the teachers I had in nearly 20 years of school, the one that I remember the best was (maybe not surprisingly) one of the last ... Tetsuya Theodore Fujita. Dr. Fujita had a fascinating and exceptionally productive life. His skillful reconstruction of severe weather events (tornadoes, microbursts, hurricanes) through aerial photography greatly increased the understanding of these phenomena. By the time I made it to the University of Chicago, Dr. Fujita was winding down. He had quit taking on doctoral students and IMO was being edged further to the fringes of a faculty that was shifting, or had shifted from, away from the observationally-based research (e.g., Horace Byers, Roscoe Braham) that had built the department's reputation. He still had his lab and he still had a small staff and I never detected even a trace of bitterness re: his status as he entered into his last decade of life in 1988.
He was, by far, the most human of all the U of C faculty, at least from the perspective of this lowly grad student.
He tended to speak in proverbs; and the ones he enjoyed the most popped up frequently in his classes on satellite meteorology. My two favories were:
He was, by far, the most human of all the U of C faculty, at least from the perspective of this lowly grad student.
He tended to speak in proverbs; and the ones he enjoyed the most popped up frequently in his classes on satellite meteorology. My two favories were:
- "My way's better. What you think?" - The brilliance of this was he truly believed his way was better, but he was just insecure enough to want some nobody grad student to acknowledge it.
- "Monkey write Shakespeare. You no write Shakespeare." - The theory here was the long-standing concept that 1,000 monkeys sitting at 1,000 computer terminals, over 1,000 centuries ... would eventually randomly write something brilliant. Dr. Fujita didn't think my odds were as good as the monkeys (follow link for my all-time favorite commercial - the "pointer" one).
So, as I start this blog, I do not set out to beat the monkeys. There probably won't be anything that approachs the brilliance of Shakespeare, let alone the brilliance of that monkey commercial. It will likely be a rather vanilla recounting of events/issues/things that I find interesting. Per the name, I intend for it to be cheery as well. There's enough depressing stuff on the internet. If nothing else, it'll be good mental exercise to write.
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