Clinching Games and You
 

arlington Stadium. October 15, 2011. Section 237, Row 10, Seat 10.

Mount Rushmore of $200 purchases- don't know about the other three, but last night's ticket will be on there forever, seeing as how it was my first clinching game in person (and I'm even older than Bucc :eek: ).

If you've been to a game like that, you understand how it is exponentially cooler in person than on TV. Obviously the drama was over relatively quickly, but it's just plain sweet how the fans become best buds, high fiving and hugging with every hit, every out that brings your team closer to the goal that many never reach. Awesome^10!!


So, any other FOFCers and clincher stories?

No Clinchers, but


At first I doubted, but after reconsidering your name, I guess God could be older than Bucc.

:D

SI

Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS Phillies @ Rockies. It was cool, specifically because I went to a Rockies game during the regular season -- first time I'd set in a luxury box -- when it was the last time they'd lost before they went on that torrid winning streak. We went back a few weeks later when the win streak was going on and got to see Greg Maddux on the hill which was a treat when he was a Padre and then I managed to get playoff tickets extremely easily because since it was the first time the Rockies had made the postseason; baseball fans locally didn't really do the normal mad rush to get tickets.

If I'd wanted to, would've gotten NLCS tickets too...but I didn't end up doing that and by the time my friends decided they wanted to go too, folks had figured out the process a bit better. Still, that game was especially fun. Coors Field was packed, face value club seats were quite nice and worth it if you don't want to get up and miss any of the action and it worked out that the people around me were actual baseball fans which doesn't always happen at Coors; so we could have actual baseball chat. For a while, I felt like I was at Fenway except for the cramped seats. It was that good.

2003 Game 5 NLDS, Chicago beat Atlanta in Atlanta (the series before Chicago/Florida and the Bartman game). I went to all three of those games in Atlanta. The stadium was full of Cubs fans, stories were everywhere from guys who flew down or drove down from Chicago b/c they couldn't get tickets to the games at Wrigley. The Cubs won the game rather easily. More than anything I'll never forget waving my Cubs hat in the air and singing take me out to the ball game during the 7th inning stretch and shouting "Root root root for the CUBBIES" at the top of my lungs and realizing that everyone else in the stadium was singing it that way too.

I've told the story before, but ... I was there The Night Sid Slid, sending the Braves to the WS.

The most memorable parts of that moment to me are feeling the vibration of the stadium under my feet (I wasn't completely sure the upper deck wasn't going to come down) and realizing that it was the first time I ever said "motherfucker" in front of a parent (as in "slide, motherfucker, slide !")

I've been to two, I drove down from Oregon to Oakland for Red Sox/A's ALDS game 5 in 2003...That was an eventful game, Johnny Damon got taken off on a stretcher after an outfield collision and Derek Lowe came out of the bullpen to save the game, striking out Terrence Long with the bases loaded and a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th.

Then I was at game 3 and the clinching game 4 of the 2007 Sox/Rockies World Series in Denver.

I got tickets for both through the regular online sale, and a lot of other Red Sox fans did also - in both games the stands were filled with New England transplants, so that part was fun too - going to a rooftop bar in Denver before the game and running into dozens of people who grew up near where I did, sometimes finding people with friends in common, etc.

I was also on hand the night the Atlanta Knights won the Turner Cup, still no more enjoyable sports moment in person for me than that one. The single most memorable moment didn't happen on the ice, or at least,it wasn't supposed to involve the ice. Here's a blogger's description of the event, which is better than what I could have managed anyway.

2003 ALCS, Yanks Sox Game 7, Aaron Boone. Absolutely incredible.

Not quite a clincher, but Game 1 of the World Series last year was easily the best sporting moment of my life.

For minor leagues, I was at the NBADL championship game a couple of years ago when I was at training in Boise. It was game 3 of the best of 3 and Boise won it, so it was pretty fun. We were still able to find really good seats for $10 the day of, so I don't think it was as big an event as they were hoping.

SI

Closest I've been was Game 162 of the 1999 regular season for the Mets, but that only forced a play-in game with the Reds.

I think that was the game Joe Borowski struck out the side in the 9th and looked as unhittable as any reliever I'd ever seen. Chipper and Andruw - arguably in their primes - had no idea what was coming and struck out with ease.

Not really a clincher, or baseball related, but for me:

June 19, 2006 - being in the RBC Centerin Raleigh for the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals and watching my Hurricanes take the Cup - don't think I'll ever have another sports experience that comes close to that.

Technically a clincher, but without a doubt the most amazing crowd experience I ever had was when Missouri beat Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium to win their first Big 12 North title.

The circumstances of the game being for the No. 1 ranking, our first No. 1 ranking in nearly 50 years, the Border War rivalry game and the first time at Arrowhead with a sold out crowd made it amazing. Strangers hugging strangers, dogs and cats living together ... mass hysteria.

I've been on the wrong side of a clincher. I was at game 6 of the SCF, Pittsburgh-Detroit 2008. So I saw the Wings clinch. Wasn't so great ;)

I've been at other clinching games, in earlier series/years.

The three games that stand out most are:

Game 6 SCF 2009, same as above, different outcome this time, Pens win game 2-1, go on to win game 7.

Game 6 ECQF 1999, Penguins-Devils. Devils lead series 3-2, and this was the beginning of the bankruptcy stuff for the Pens. Devils led 1-0 and 2-1.
Jagr scored with about 2 minutes left to tie 2-2, then he scored in OT. Pens went on to win series.

2008 World Series - Game 5; both parts. My wife got me a Sunday season ticket package for Christmas, which gave us the right to purchase playoff tickets. When I got game 5 for the World Series, I knew there was a chance it might be a clincher. Leaving from the first part of the game after Hamels gave up the lead was depressing, compounded by being completely soaked and cold. Plus, my wife went to try to buy a sweatshirt 20 minutes before they called the game and didn't make it back, so we were trying to call each other among a mass of people.

Then, we made it back for the rest of the game, and it was the greatest moment of my life watching sports. We stayed until the kicked us out and then joined the party outside.

I saw the Wings win the Stanley Cup in D.C. in 1998.

That was pretty awesome.

I remember we hung around, dancing in the streets, after the game. I got my Wings jersey signed by Don Cherry and Ron MaClean of Hockey Night In Canada fame. I then I saw the Wings in their bus and ran along side cheering and waving.

Good times!

I was also at that game - easily the best sporting event of my life.

I've been to NFL championship games in San Francisco, but oddly they don't stand out as much as even baseball series that I've watched on TV. I guess that is an inherent difference between the two sports.

Some of my fondest sports memories were of the NCAA baseball regionals that Fresno State used to host. At those events I saw Mark Mcgwire, Rodney Peete, John Olerud, not to mention all of Fresno's own future major leaguers do spectacular things on the baseball field. OK Peete's actions weren't spectacular, but he was famous at the time.

In what turned out to be essentially a three game series ending the 88 regional where Fresno State beat USC two out of three games to make it to the CWS. One of those went seventeen innings, one of those games was won by the score of 18 to 17.

Some great memories there. My favorite is a Fresno State runner trying to score the winning run against Notre Dame. He was on second base and the batter drove a line drive into the left field corner. The ball caromed cleanly to the left fielder who drilled a throw to the shortstop, who in turn relayed a frozen rope to the plate. The result is a new unit of measure known only to my close friends and I. Base runners can be thrown out by a "Vondran", which is about 25 feet. I swear he must have been dragging an anchor.

Not so much a playoff game, but I was at game 163 of the Tigers/Twins in 2009 which was also sweet as it was the last official regular season game in Metrodome history.

I've never been in such an atmosphere as crazy as that was. I can honestly say that was the only time I've ever just instinctually high-fived random strangers.

2000, Game 5 of the Subway Series. Sitting in history class, teacher tells me I have a phone call and head down to the main office. Pick up the phone and my mom says, "Get your bag, I won tickets on the radio and you and your brother are heading to Shea for Game 5." I'm a diehard Mets fan so it was bittersweet, but it was a competitive game and the overall atmosphere was something I'll never forget.

I was on the wrong side of the clincher last night.... Cardinals beating the Brewers. I stayed around for the last pitch but got out of there fairly quickly after that.

I was at Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals in Dallas and saw the Devils get to skate with the Cup. It was an interesting thing to experience, but wasn't all that joyful...