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Post by bomberhojoe on Mar 2, 2024 16:59:22 GMT -5
Strange story. My mother would not allow me to watch baseball. That was “stupid”. So instead we watched such cultural fare as professional wrestling, Larry Ferrari, who was a local organ player from the Philadelphia area, the intellectually driven soap operas, etc.. At about five years of age I discovered the baseball cards on the back of cereal boxes. Probably because of the need for me to develop coordination, mom encouraged me to cut them out. I liked the Yankee insignia immediately. I had heard of a guy named Mickey Mantle that was supposed to be the best player, and that the Yankees won something called World Series every year. We lived very remote from any other children at that time. Once we moved into a town when I was 9.5 years old and everybody was an Orioles fan around me I decided to be an Oriole hater. Still am. I mean… Brooks Robinson… who could really hate him? It wasn’t HIS fault he was a Yankee, right? … So that’s the short version. I won’t go long but a big piece of the long story is that my dad loved baseball and would play after work instead of coming straight home. They were divorced when I was a fetus. Anything my dad did, my mother hated. I paid a price for that. Late start in baseball. Other boys played it at recess, but I was clueless and would just kind of go outside and watch other kids doing stuff I hadn’t been exposed to. Soccer, baseball, basketball. When we moved into that town one of the neighbor kids wanted me to have a catch. “Uh, not today”. A couple days later I finally told him I had no idea how. I was relieved when he said “Don’t worry about that kid, we’ll teach you” hooked on baseball by age eleven I caught up in ability and quickly bypassed most of the other kids. It even delayed my interest in girls, which of course changed when they started to fully develop. But even then… I needed help figuring out what to with them… 🤓 Drove my ass crazy… Very interesting. For some reason, I have a soft spot for the Orioles...don't exactly know why. In fact, I'll pull for them if the Yanks aren't in it, and I really like today's team. Maybe it was the unique Black & Orange color, possibly reinforced by the play of Mark Belanger, a SS I admired, as I played that position from my 2nd year in Little League on. I love Camden Yards, a ballpark I've been to many times, surpassed only by YS1 & Coors Field. And I love the area around the ballpark and the Inner Harbor area. Always a good time when we've visited. Funny you mention having a soft spot for the Orioles. I can't stand the Ped Sox, don't like the Ray's or the Jay's (with the exception of their bench coach), but don't have strong feelings against the Os.
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Post by azbob643 on Mar 2, 2024 17:16:05 GMT -5
Very interesting. For some reason, I have a soft spot for the Orioles...don't exactly know why. In fact, I'll pull for them if the Yanks aren't in it, and I really like today's team. Maybe it was the unique Black & Orange color, possibly reinforced by the play of Mark Belanger, a SS I admired, as I played that position from my 2nd year in Little League on. I love Camden Yards, a ballpark I've been to many times, surpassed only by YS1 & Coors Field. And I love the area around the ballpark and the Inner Harbor area. Always a good time when we've visited. Funny you mention having a soft spot for the Orioles. I can't stand the Ped Sox, don't like the Ray's or the Jay's (with the exception of their bench coach), but don't have strong feelings against the Os. I know it sounds sacreligious for some, but I don't really have an intense dislike for the Red Sox. The only team I've ever had very strong negative feelings toward was the Dodgers, starting with the 4 game WS sweep of the Yanks in the '63 WS. That was reinforced when I lived in SoCal during the Yanks dry spell of late 60's thru early 70's while the Dodgers were at least competitive. The '77 WS was almost orgasmic for me. But today I have a tough time drumming up any real dislike for them.
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 2, 2024 21:10:23 GMT -5
Very interesting. For some reason, I have a soft spot for the Orioles...don't exactly know why. In fact, I'll pull for them if the Yanks aren't in it, and I really like today's team. Maybe it was the unique Black & Orange color, possibly reinforced by the play of Mark Belanger, a SS I admired, as I played that position from my 2nd year in Little League on. I love Camden Yards, a ballpark I've been to many times, surpassed only by YS1 & Coors Field. And I love the area around the ballpark and the Inner Harbor area. Always a good time when we've visited. Funny you mention having a soft spot for the Orioles. I can't stand the Ped Sox, don't like the Ray's or the Jay's (with the exception of their bench coach), but don't have strong feelings against the Os. Since as a kid we went to so many games at wonderful old Memorial Stadium (only 90 minutes away) I kind of liked the Orioles back in the 50s and into the 60s with the Kiddie Corps and Brooks and Boog. But when they got really good later in the 60s and were thrashing the Yankees I started hating them. But then when they became bad again I felt sorry for them and actually I was happy to see them rebound into contenders, although they may be getting just a little too good. I also like the uniforms and the colors. I never have any sentimental feelings for the other divisional teams, especially Boston and Toronto. I concur on Camden Yards, a must-visit park which has maintained it's great ambience. Even though it was the first of the retro parks, it still may be the best. I agree YS1 is the best ever. Nothing like it in my experience. Majestic, historic, unique. I do love Wrigley and though it pains me to say it Fenway is pretty great. I do like Coors too, and also Dodger Stadium, a very nice place to watch a game (and the fights in the stands.) Among other demolished parks I got to, Forbes Field and Tiger Stadium might have been my favorites.
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 2, 2024 21:18:48 GMT -5
Funny you mention having a soft spot for the Orioles. I can't stand the Ped Sox, don't like the Ray's or the Jay's (with the exception of their bench coach), but don't have strong feelings against the Os. I know it sounds sacreligious for some, but I don't really have an intense dislike for the Red Sox. The only team I've ever had very strong negative feelings toward was the Dodgers, starting with the 4 game WS sweep of the Yanks in the '63 WS. That was reinforced when I lived in SoCal during the Yanks dry spell of late 60's thru early 70's while the Dodgers were at least competitive. The '77 WS was almost orgasmic for me. But today I have a tough time drumming up any real dislike for them. I never hated the Red Sox until we actually moved to Boston in 2004 and I had to endure their insufferably poor sportsmanship and almost sadistic hatred of the Yankees. I rooted for them in the Series in 67, 75 and 86. We were living in Manhattan in 2003 and when Boone hit that home run off of Wakefield, as happy as I was, I remember pausing for a few seconds and thinking jeez, this is almost unfair. I certainly recovered from that bit of character weakness after being exposed to their fans in their native habitat. I also started hating the Dodgers in 63, and for the same reason as you. In fact I hated Koufax (as I had previously hated Burdette and Mazeroski and later Gibson) for the misery he inflicted on the Yanks. Eventually, like most fans, I came to admire him greatly and he has been nothing other than a class act as far as I can tell. But I won't have any problem rooting against the Dodgers this year with that inflated payroll that I wish the Yankees had. I do like their uniforms and respect their great history.
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Post by inger on Mar 2, 2024 22:58:27 GMT -5
I have to see the old time Orioles fondly now. The only way I usually got to see the Yankees was by watching them play the Orioles on WBAL-13 Baltimore, and by default I knew more about the Orioles than the Yankees for many years… I still want them to lose, and prefer the Red Sox to have a good team so we can enjoy that rivalry to the maximum…
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Post by azbob643 on Mar 2, 2024 23:19:28 GMT -5
I concur on Camden Yards, a must-visit park which has maintained it's great ambience. Even though it was the first of the retro parks, it still may be the best. I do love Wrigley and though it pains me to say it Fenway is pretty great. I do like Coors too, and also Dodger Stadium, a very nice place to watch a game (and the fights in the stands.) The plans that were eventually used to build Camden Yards were originally offered to and rejected by the White Sox to replace Comiskey. What is now known as “Guaranteed Rate Field” was, unfortunately, built instead. Interesting trivia…Coors Field is now the 3rd oldest NL ballpark, after Wrigley Field & Dodger Stadium. I mentioned the fights in the stands at Dodger Stadium in the YES forum, which contradicts the image many have of “laid back” Dodger fans. Even the “fans” who attend Dodger spring training games here at Camelback Ranch Stadium can get nasty & confrontational, and it’s not at all unusual for fights to break out in the stands at Petco when the Dodgers visit.
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Post by inger on Mar 3, 2024 0:37:06 GMT -5
FORGOTTEN SLUGGER LARRY PARRISH (Admit it, you haven’t thought about him in ages)
LARRY PARRISH
His career total of 256 HR is pretty impressive but if he could have stayed on the field more he might have had 100+ more. He only played in more than 129 games in 7 of his 15 seasons.
If there was a trivia question “who is the last player to have an extra base hit in 4 consecutive innings, Larry would be the answer! Parrish did his damage in Atlanta on 30-Jul-1978 when hit a double in the 2nd inning & HR in the 3rd off ATL’s Tommy Boggs. He then hit HRs in each of innings 4 & 5 off reliever Craig Skok <there’s a name for ya’>.
An even better day at the plate: On 29-May-1977 in St. Louis, Parrish went 5-for-5 with 3 HR, 5 R & 5 RBI.
In the 4th inning on the 4th of July, 1984, Parrish whiffed, as 2,999 had done before him, on a knuckleball thrown by Yankees starting P Phil Niekro. The pitch that had eluded Parrish also eluded C Butch Wynegar & Parrish made it to 1st. Parrish advanced to 3rd, but was stranded when teammate Donnie Scott became Niekro’s 3,001st K...
Ah, memories are made of this…
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 3, 2024 5:26:25 GMT -5
I have to see the old time Orioles fondly now. The only way I usually got to see the Yankees was by watching them play the Orioles on WBAL-13 Baltimore, and by default I knew more about the Orioles than the Yankees for many years… I still want them to lose, and prefer the Red Sox to have a good team so we can enjoy that rivalry to the maximum… Yeah, I had the same thing with the Phillies. Almost every kid where I grew up rooted for them -- pretty natural of course, most people root for the local team -- so it made me root against them. Usually they weren't good enough back then to take too seriously, and by the time I moved away I developed some nostalgia for them so that within the context of the National League I mildly pull for them. I can remember the Orioles on both Channel 2 and Channel 13, but the years are kind of vague. We could also get WPIX in New York so I could see the Yankees, but the reception was better for the Baltimore stations. For those of us who remember when you actually needed an antenna to pull in TV stations.
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 3, 2024 5:44:10 GMT -5
I concur on Camden Yards, a must-visit park which has maintained it's great ambience. Even though it was the first of the retro parks, it still may be the best. I do love Wrigley and though it pains me to say it Fenway is pretty great. I do like Coors too, and also Dodger Stadium, a very nice place to watch a game (and the fights in the stands.) The plans that were eventually used to build Camden Yards were originally offered to and rejected by the White Sox to replace Comiskey. What is now known as “Guaranteed Rate Field” was, unfortunately, built instead. Interesting trivia…Coors Field is now the 3rd oldest NL ballpark, after Wrigley Field & Dodger Stadium. I mentioned the fights in the stands at Dodger Stadium in the YES forum, which contradicts the image many have of “laid back” Dodger fans. Even the “fans” who attend Dodger spring training games here at Camelback Ranch Stadium can get nasty & confrontational, and it’s not at all unusual for fights to break out in the stands at Petco when the Dodgers visit. I'm glad someone else has witnessed this. I saw way more actual fisticuffs in Los Angeles than I ever did in New York or Philly. One cliché about Dodger fans that I did find to be true was arrive in the fourth inning and leave in the seventh. Slight exaggeration maybe but it wasn't uncommon. You could win a few bets on Coors being the third-oldest stadium in the NL. Good one. Sadly Wrigley and Fenway are the only stadiums that were built before my memory. I suppose a few of us on here can make that claim. I like that museum on stadiums across from Coors. Did you know that Yankee Stadium was the first baseball venue to be called a stadium when it was completed in 1923? Before that it was either park or field or grounds. Hah, the White Sox. They always seem to make the wrong choice. And I should have listed PNC in Pittsburgh among the best to watch a game as well. Just a great setting. I'm sure if I'd been to the Giants place that would be on the list too. Candlestick on the other hand was closer to the bottom.
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Post by azbob643 on Mar 3, 2024 9:49:48 GMT -5
The plans that were eventually used to build Camden Yards were originally offered to and rejected by the White Sox to replace Comiskey. What is now known as “Guaranteed Rate Field” was, unfortunately, built instead. Interesting trivia…Coors Field is now the 3rd oldest NL ballpark, after Wrigley Field & Dodger Stadium. I mentioned the fights in the stands at Dodger Stadium in the YES forum, which contradicts the image many have of “laid back” Dodger fans. Even the “fans” who attend Dodger spring training games here at Camelback Ranch Stadium can get nasty & confrontational, and it’s not at all unusual for fights to break out in the stands at Petco when the Dodgers visit. I'm glad someone else has witnessed this. I saw way more actual fisticuffs in Los Angeles than I ever did in New York or Philly. One cliché about Dodger fans that I did find to be true was arrive in the fourth inning and leave in the seventh. Slight exaggeration maybe but it wasn't uncommon. You could win a few bets on Coors being the third-oldest stadium in the NL. Good one. Sadly Wrigley and Fenway are the only stadiums that were built before my memory. I suppose a few of us on here can make that claim. I like that museum on stadiums across from Coors. Did you know that Yankee Stadium was the first baseball venue to be called a stadium when it was completed in 1923? Before that it was either park or field or grounds. Hah, the White Sox. They always seem to make the wrong choice. And I should have listed PNC in Pittsburgh among the best to watch a game as well. Just a great setting. I'm sure if I'd been to the Giants place that would be on the list too. Candlestick on the other hand was closer to the bottom. Most are aware of the Giants fan who was almost beaten to death at Dodger Stadium. I don’t know if fights in the stands have become more commonplace or just more widely publicized because of cell phone videos & the internet. There’s a well-known video of a Rockies fan being KO’d by a Padres fan at Coors Field. Pretty vicious…I won’t post it, but anyone can google it. Arriving late and leaving early is absolutely true of many Dodger fans…not so much for the fans in the (relatively) cheap seats. Although I’ll admit it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Dodger Stadium…one of my most memorable was the ’74 WS when the A’s beat the Dodgers. When I lived in SoCal Anaheim Stadium was my go-to ballpark, for obvious reasons. I still usually go out there to catch a few games when the Yanks are in town, which this year will be in late May after a series vs Padres at Petco. We always make a visit to at least one, usually two ballparks during our summer road trips when the Yanks are visiting. It’ll be relatively easy this year since the Yanks come here in early April, then San Diego/Anaheim in May. PNC (Pittsburgh) has been on our list for quite some time…had it & Progressive (Cleveland) scheduled, and tix bought in ’22 but had to cancel. Not sure when we’ll get back to that part of the country. As for the use of the word “stadium”…I prefer “ballpark”. Stadium sounds more like a football venue to me.
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Post by chiyankee on Mar 3, 2024 10:14:13 GMT -5
I concur on Camden Yards, a must-visit park which has maintained it's great ambience. Even though it was the first of the retro parks, it still may be the best. I do love Wrigley and though it pains me to say it Fenway is pretty great. I do like Coors too, and also Dodger Stadium, a very nice place to watch a game (and the fights in the stands.) The plans that were eventually used to build Camden Yards were originally offered to and rejected by the White Sox to replace Comiskey. What is now known as “Guaranteed Rate Field” was, unfortunately, built instead. Interesting trivia…Coors Field is now the 3rd oldest NL ballpark, after Wrigley Field & Dodger Stadium. I mentioned the fights in the stands at Dodger Stadium in the YES forum, which contradicts the image many have of “laid back” Dodger fans. Even the “fans” who attend Dodger spring training games here at Camelback Ranch Stadium can get nasty & confrontational, and it’s not at all unusual for fights to break out in the stands at Petco when the Dodgers visit. It's unbelievable that the White Sox could have had a Camden Yards-like ball park on the Southside of Chicago. Instead they built a ballpark so bad that it had to be renovated to what is today, which is a bigger improvement over what it used to be but isn't Camden Yards. Now, their greedy owner wants a new stadium in a different area and of course wants the city to pay for a bulk of it. Screw that, I hope the city says no.
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Post by azbob643 on Mar 3, 2024 10:27:21 GMT -5
I never hated the Red Sox until we actually moved to Boston in 2004 and I had to endure their insufferably poor sportsmanship and almost sadistic hatred of the Yankees. I rooted for them in the Series in 67, 75 and 86. We were living in Manhattan in 2003 and when Boone hit that home run off of Wakefield, as happy as I was, I remember pausing for a few seconds and thinking jeez, this is almost unfair. I certainly recovered from that bit of character weakness after being exposed to their fans in their native habitat. You’re absolutely right re the “insufferably poor sportsmanship and almost sadistic hatred of the Yankees” by many Red Sox fans. When we lived in The Adirondacks (BTW there are many Red Sox fans north of Albany) my wife would get cut off, tailgated and flipped off during her drives on the Mass Tpke to her company’s home office in Boston. Evidently, they took offense to the personalized Yankee plates on our car. Re the ’86 WS…a close friend of mine is an avid Red Sox fan. Together we watched Game 6 of that series at a popular Denver sports bar named…Fenway Park…complete with a giant Green Monster mural, etc. I’ve never experienced such an instantaneous, incredible change in mood than the bottom of the 10th in that game. Absolute chaotic joy in anticipation of, finally, a World Series championship to stunned, deafening silence in a matter of seconds.
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Post by azbob643 on Mar 3, 2024 10:31:01 GMT -5
The plans that were eventually used to build Camden Yards were originally offered to and rejected by the White Sox to replace Comiskey. What is now known as “Guaranteed Rate Field” was, unfortunately, built instead. Interesting trivia…Coors Field is now the 3rd oldest NL ballpark, after Wrigley Field & Dodger Stadium. I mentioned the fights in the stands at Dodger Stadium in the YES forum, which contradicts the image many have of “laid back” Dodger fans. Even the “fans” who attend Dodger spring training games here at Camelback Ranch Stadium can get nasty & confrontational, and it’s not at all unusual for fights to break out in the stands at Petco when the Dodgers visit. It's unbelievable that the White Sox could have had a Camden Yards-like ball park on the Southside of Chicago. Instead they built a ballpark so bad that it had to be renovated to what is today, which is a bigger improvement over what it used to be but isn't Camden Yards. Now, their greedy owner wants a new stadium in a different area and of course wants the city to pay for a bulk of it. Screw that, I hope the city says no. I visited it when it was "US Cellular"...think it was after the renovation. Not too bad but, as you said, no Camden Yards.
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Post by inger on Mar 3, 2024 13:03:23 GMT -5
RUDY YORK
The only player to open his career with two 30-plus HR seasons in the pre-expansion era, he hit 35 in his rookie season 1937 then 33 in 1938.
Hank Greenberg had been the Tigers’ first baseman since 1933. York was brought up as a catcher, but in his first full season at that position, 1938, his 10 passed balls led the majors. Greenberg ended up in OF with York at 1B.Because of that, Greenberg was given $10,000 to vacate first base for York.
York set the record with 18HR in August of 1937. That figure stood for 6 decades until Sosa hit 20 in June in 1998. Sigh. Yet another record falls to cheating…
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Post by chiyankee on Mar 3, 2024 13:09:05 GMT -5
It's unbelievable that the White Sox could have had a Camden Yards-like ball park on the Southside of Chicago. Instead they built a ballpark so bad that it had to be renovated to what is today, which is a bigger improvement over what it used to be but isn't Camden Yards. Now, their greedy owner wants a new stadium in a different area and of course wants the city to pay for a bulk of it. Screw that, I hope the city says no. I visited it when it was "US Cellular"...think it was after the renovation. Not too bad but, as you said, no Camden Yards. The renovation was a major improvement, the second deck was so steep you felt like you're on a hike just to get to your seat! And some fans complained that the place looked too much like the renovated Yankee Stadium since all the seats were blue.
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