GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
are you kidding me - the chance to see nashville clinch their very first playoff bid - and you ask if you should go there, or not?
GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
how many people would kill for the chance to go - and you have that chance! there is nothing better than playoff hockey - and here you get the chance to experience it a few days earlier. the atmosphere will be something you will never forget - trust me - you will be able to feel the tension the second you walk into the building.
GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
are you kidding me - the chance to see nashville clinch their very first playoff bid - and you ask if you should go there, or not?
GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
how many people would kill for the chance to go - and you have that chance! there is nothing better than playoff hockey - and here you get the chance to experience it a few days earlier. the atmosphere will be something you will never forget - trust me - you will be able to feel the tension the second you walk into the building.
GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your right, this is my first season in trying to be a Preds fan, i have been a Devils fan for a few seasons.. I really didnt mean, do you think i should go (even though it sounded like that).. I meant, do you guys think Nashville will beat the Blues tomorrow and clinch the first playoff spot for them.. I think Winky believes they will..
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SSI:
...I meant, do you guys think Nashville will beat the Blues tomorrow and clinch the first playoff spot for them.. I think Winky believes they will..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
honestly - no clue how this one will turn out - all i am saying the environment will be something to remember for a long time. IF they win that place will be partying until the playoffs begin.
...I meant, do you guys think Nashville will beat the Blues tomorrow and clinch the first playoff spot for them.. I think Winky believes they will..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
honestly - no clue how this one will turn out - all i am saying the environment will be something to remember for a long time. IF they win that place will be partying until the playoffs begin.
i didnt make it,, today was my dad's birthday, he would have been 65 today, he passed away exactly 5 months ago.. its been a tough day.. he and i were very close and both huge baseball fans, its been on my mind alot with the season approaching.. it will be my first without him, we discussed and watched each and every game that the braves played (the next day).. as it turned out, nashville lost and i wasnt in the party mood..
turns out ya didn't miss anything. blues win 4-1.
i know wher you are coming from on your dad. i used to make the 90-ish mile drive down to SD to see the broncos/chargers game with a friend who was a broncos' fan, too. he died july 6, 2000 and i haven't been to a broncos/chargers game in SD yet, for it is too painful to think about going w/o him.
i know wher you are coming from on your dad. i used to make the 90-ish mile drive down to SD to see the broncos/chargers game with a friend who was a broncos' fan, too. he died july 6, 2000 and i haven't been to a broncos/chargers game in SD yet, for it is too painful to think about going w/o him.
im trying to be a predators fan but i really cant get into them,, my interest in hockey lies mostly in the wagering aspect of it (sorry to say that to the real hockey fans), i am a baseball man, in years past i have pulled for the devils, mostly because they have won me alot of money (especially last year).. i still hope the preds get in, even if they back in..
Hey SSI…your story hits very close to home for me as well. All of it…the Braves…..talking about the game the next day. Your post compels me to share something with you and I hope you take it the right way.
Just a short story about me, my dad, and the Braves.
He was a Boston Braves fan as a kid living in south of the city. I became one during the eighties through TBS when all they did was lose a hundred games a year. But we loved them. Dale Murphy, Phil Neikro, the original Ken Griffey, Zane Smith, Pete Smith, Bob Horner,. Etc. Nearly every day we would talk on the phone, or have breakfast together , played much golf together, and every time during baseball season we would talk about the bone head play that Ronny Gant made, or the great play by Glen Hubbard, or the monster homer by Dale or why on earth did Doyle Alexander throw a fast ball down the middle on a 0-2 count .
We were best friends. Mine passed away 13 years ago. He passed away the summer of ‘91 from a very fast cancer. He was 67. In June of that year he was in the best of health. In July it was discovered. I quit my job in Vegas , Packed my car with everything it would hold and drove back to Boston as fast as I could. I was with him every minute of every day. That was the year that the Braves won their first N.L. Championship. The year when they made up all those games the second half and won it on the last weekend. By the time they clinched he was no longer around for me to share the thrill of this miracle finish. Our beloved losers had finally won a pennant. And my best friend was gone.
I’ll always remember one moment we shared that summer. We were in the den watching the game and he wasn’t sitting in his easy chair anymore. At that point it had been replaced with a hospital bed. I guess that bed in that spot symbolized how upside down our world was that summer. His disease was all consuming. Not just in his physical health but our emotional one as well. It was a very dark time.
However during the course of this game something happened. Ron Gant made the catch of a lifetime down the left field line. We both reacted with shock and amazement. And immediately starting talking about it with joy and excitement. Suddenly his lack of energy, pain, and disease were gone. This lasted for a couple minutes and then it got quiet again. Reality came slowly back. I thought about it afterwards. I realized what had just happened. How special that moment was for both of us. For a brief minute things were the way they were supposed to be. All was right with the world. There was no disease, no hospital bed, no pain. Ron Gant made the catch of a lifetime and I shared it with my best friend.
It’s been thirteen years and I still cry at times. And I can tell you from experience that you will never stop missing him and there will always be things and times that will remind you that he’s no longer a phone call away. My advice is to embrace those things. It’s your way of still sharing with your dad. And possibly the best medicine you can use right now.
Despite not being able to pick up the phone and call him doesn’t mean you stop talking to him. Know what I mean? He’s still with you and still looking over you. And if you feel anything like me you’ll know he’s still watching those games with you. Every pitch, every bone head play, every great catch by Andruw Jones and every homer by Chipper.
Something tells me he was a great man and more than just a father. You loved him with all your heart.
Why don’t you tell him.
Just a short story about me, my dad, and the Braves.
He was a Boston Braves fan as a kid living in south of the city. I became one during the eighties through TBS when all they did was lose a hundred games a year. But we loved them. Dale Murphy, Phil Neikro, the original Ken Griffey, Zane Smith, Pete Smith, Bob Horner,. Etc. Nearly every day we would talk on the phone, or have breakfast together , played much golf together, and every time during baseball season we would talk about the bone head play that Ronny Gant made, or the great play by Glen Hubbard, or the monster homer by Dale or why on earth did Doyle Alexander throw a fast ball down the middle on a 0-2 count .
We were best friends. Mine passed away 13 years ago. He passed away the summer of ‘91 from a very fast cancer. He was 67. In June of that year he was in the best of health. In July it was discovered. I quit my job in Vegas , Packed my car with everything it would hold and drove back to Boston as fast as I could. I was with him every minute of every day. That was the year that the Braves won their first N.L. Championship. The year when they made up all those games the second half and won it on the last weekend. By the time they clinched he was no longer around for me to share the thrill of this miracle finish. Our beloved losers had finally won a pennant. And my best friend was gone.
I’ll always remember one moment we shared that summer. We were in the den watching the game and he wasn’t sitting in his easy chair anymore. At that point it had been replaced with a hospital bed. I guess that bed in that spot symbolized how upside down our world was that summer. His disease was all consuming. Not just in his physical health but our emotional one as well. It was a very dark time.
However during the course of this game something happened. Ron Gant made the catch of a lifetime down the left field line. We both reacted with shock and amazement. And immediately starting talking about it with joy and excitement. Suddenly his lack of energy, pain, and disease were gone. This lasted for a couple minutes and then it got quiet again. Reality came slowly back. I thought about it afterwards. I realized what had just happened. How special that moment was for both of us. For a brief minute things were the way they were supposed to be. All was right with the world. There was no disease, no hospital bed, no pain. Ron Gant made the catch of a lifetime and I shared it with my best friend.
It’s been thirteen years and I still cry at times. And I can tell you from experience that you will never stop missing him and there will always be things and times that will remind you that he’s no longer a phone call away. My advice is to embrace those things. It’s your way of still sharing with your dad. And possibly the best medicine you can use right now.
Despite not being able to pick up the phone and call him doesn’t mean you stop talking to him. Know what I mean? He’s still with you and still looking over you. And if you feel anything like me you’ll know he’s still watching those games with you. Every pitch, every bone head play, every great catch by Andruw Jones and every homer by Chipper.
Something tells me he was a great man and more than just a father. You loved him with all your heart.
Why don’t you tell him.
thank you for sharing Vic..
My mom and dad divorced in 1979, when i was 12yrs old, my dad never remarried and i lived with him and my mom jointly. i was an only child and i came and went as i pleased.. My dad was my little league and babe ruth coach, he was a good coach and a good baseball man.. He enjoyed other sports vic, but he was a baseball man.. He grew up with the yanks/dodgers and he still says sandy koufax was the best..
we were some of the first to get a satellite dish and we began following the braves daily on tbs and we too, suffered through the bad years.. remember 1982 vic, they won the division and was leading game 1 of the playoffs against the cards and it was rained out before the 5th and they never recovered.. sure i remember those teams, chris chambliss, glenn hubbard, rafeal ramirez, ken oberkfell, murphy, claudell washington, bruce benedict.. but anyway, we followed daily on the radio before that, i can remember playing a Little League All Star game the night gene garber and the braves stopped Pete's streak at 44 games.. thats still my worst memory of the braves (with me against them), i wanted rose to continue on..
Murphy's 2 MVP awards were great.. then along came the bobby cox regime and the magical 1991 season, culminated with sid sliding across home plate and skip screaming "braves win".. man chills went up my spine.. i shared all those and more with my friend (my dad)..
Vic, then exactly 1 year ago, my dad suffered a light stroke at the age of 64 and began to live with me and we watched the games at my house last year.. but about august he came down with a very aggressive form of lung cancer,,, small-cell carcinoma (i believed they called it).. he made it to the end of the season but only a shell of himself and passed away on nov 3rd.. now i sit waiting for opening day, and i find myself wanting to call him and go over the opening day lineup.. talk to him about how we are going to beat that northerner (glavine) on opening day and what a fine guy we have going in russ ortiz.. nothing but good things are said about russ..
and yes i remember the things about gant that you said.. i always said ronnie would run through a brick wall for a fly ball and i believe he would have.. i miss the old guys and am saddened each time we lose one that has come up through the system,, i never forgive them for trading klesko.. sorry for rambling vic, but today was my dads birthday and baseball is starting, guess these will be yearly feelings.. i trust in the Lord to get me through the hard times Vic.. once again thank you for the kind words..
My mom and dad divorced in 1979, when i was 12yrs old, my dad never remarried and i lived with him and my mom jointly. i was an only child and i came and went as i pleased.. My dad was my little league and babe ruth coach, he was a good coach and a good baseball man.. He enjoyed other sports vic, but he was a baseball man.. He grew up with the yanks/dodgers and he still says sandy koufax was the best..
we were some of the first to get a satellite dish and we began following the braves daily on tbs and we too, suffered through the bad years.. remember 1982 vic, they won the division and was leading game 1 of the playoffs against the cards and it was rained out before the 5th and they never recovered.. sure i remember those teams, chris chambliss, glenn hubbard, rafeal ramirez, ken oberkfell, murphy, claudell washington, bruce benedict.. but anyway, we followed daily on the radio before that, i can remember playing a Little League All Star game the night gene garber and the braves stopped Pete's streak at 44 games.. thats still my worst memory of the braves (with me against them), i wanted rose to continue on..
Murphy's 2 MVP awards were great.. then along came the bobby cox regime and the magical 1991 season, culminated with sid sliding across home plate and skip screaming "braves win".. man chills went up my spine.. i shared all those and more with my friend (my dad)..
Vic, then exactly 1 year ago, my dad suffered a light stroke at the age of 64 and began to live with me and we watched the games at my house last year.. but about august he came down with a very aggressive form of lung cancer,,, small-cell carcinoma (i believed they called it).. he made it to the end of the season but only a shell of himself and passed away on nov 3rd.. now i sit waiting for opening day, and i find myself wanting to call him and go over the opening day lineup.. talk to him about how we are going to beat that northerner (glavine) on opening day and what a fine guy we have going in russ ortiz.. nothing but good things are said about russ..
and yes i remember the things about gant that you said.. i always said ronnie would run through a brick wall for a fly ball and i believe he would have.. i miss the old guys and am saddened each time we lose one that has come up through the system,, i never forgive them for trading klesko.. sorry for rambling vic, but today was my dads birthday and baseball is starting, guess these will be yearly feelings.. i trust in the Lord to get me through the hard times Vic.. once again thank you for the kind words..
Above my computer I have a large specially made framed tribute to that ’91 team that has a cover of a Atlanta Constitution special section to the N.L. Championship Series (picture of Brian Hunter high fiving after hitting a two run dinger) and the Headline say’s…”Do you believe in miracles? Yes! Braves clinch pennant". Around it I have inlayed cards of Treadway, Lemke, Nixon, Blauser, Smoltz, Belliard, Justice, Avery, Glavine, Olson, Smith, Gant, Pendelton, and Deion Sanders. It’s pretty special.
Your story was sad but wonderful at the same time. I can relate to almost every bit of it. My parents also divorced when I was around 12. But I stayed with my dad. Thankfully my mother is still alive and is one beautiful woman!
We share a lot more than the Braves and a loss of a parent SSI. Our mutual faith is the most important thing of all.
God Bless
Your story was sad but wonderful at the same time. I can relate to almost every bit of it. My parents also divorced when I was around 12. But I stayed with my dad. Thankfully my mother is still alive and is one beautiful woman!
We share a lot more than the Braves and a loss of a parent SSI. Our mutual faith is the most important thing of all.
God Bless
vic, good luck in the playoffs and i look forward to talking with you in the MLB forum.. Steve Avery, man he pitched his rear off in those 91 playoff games against the pirates.. too bad poor lonnie couldnt keep his feet rounding second.. remember game 7, smoltz/morris, kirby hitting the homer in game 6 and jack buck saying -"we will see you tomorrow night".. the 91 season is still my favorite, even though we won one in 95..
any thoughts on this years team, i think our catcher will be fine, and im anxious to see how young Laroche can handle first base..
any thoughts on this years team, i think our catcher will be fine, and im anxious to see how young Laroche can handle first base..
Lonnie losing his way around second was the worst memory I had of that series. If I remember correctly he never picked the ball up in the outfield and should have scored easily but one of the infielders for the Twins, (either the ss or 2B), faked like they had the ball. If Otis hadn't been busted for drugs and suspended for the year, he would have been the one running on that play. And everything could have come out differently.
I used to buy pennant and world series tickets on the Braves every year as Christmas presents for my dad and brother, (as well for myself).
That year I got 100/1 for the pennant and 250/1 for the series. We had enough on it that I made my biggest score of my life but if Lonnie Smith had watched were that ball went or if Otis Nixon stayed clean I'd be living in Hawaii right now rather than Vegas!
As far as this year I think it's going to be a re-building year. Too many holes but I'll tell you what. If anyone can get something out of this group it would be Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone.
I'm excited about J.D.Drew. I think he will have a great year as long as he stays healthy.
And I haven't seen LaRoche yet but he comes with high praise.
I used to buy pennant and world series tickets on the Braves every year as Christmas presents for my dad and brother, (as well for myself).
That year I got 100/1 for the pennant and 250/1 for the series. We had enough on it that I made my biggest score of my life but if Lonnie Smith had watched were that ball went or if Otis Nixon stayed clean I'd be living in Hawaii right now rather than Vegas!
As far as this year I think it's going to be a re-building year. Too many holes but I'll tell you what. If anyone can get something out of this group it would be Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone.
I'm excited about J.D.Drew. I think he will have a great year as long as he stays healthy.
And I haven't seen LaRoche yet but he comes with high praise.
