I was there when (rules in thread)

[NH Husky]

Unassisted triple play. John Valentin. 7/8/94

At the time I think it was only the 9th or 10th one in history making it one of the rarest occurrences in baseball.

Beats mine for sure.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I always thought I was at the first ever Baltimore Ravens game in '96 for preseason game at the meadowlands...but it was actually their 2nd...lame

 

[richw]

Tom Seaver coming on in relief, with Willie Mays in right field . Just before All Star break they wanted to get Seaver a few innings. Also Hartland Park Topeka Ks. Connecticut’s Chuck Etchells first 4 second funny car run

 

[MTHusky]

I witnessed Mickey Mantle last World Series Home Run in 1964 against knuckle-baller Barney Schultz. Also attended the opening of Gampel and the next day I moved to California. Finally, the last UConn game I attended was our 1999 National Championship in Florida!

 

[Mister P]

I was in the Orange Bowl for the 1992 Wide Right 2 game between the #3 Canes and the #2 Noles. Noles missed a game tying FG, wide right, as time expired. This game was the season after Wide Right 1 in Tallahassee, when FSU was ranked # 1 and Miami # 2. FSU missed a potential game winning FG, wide right, in the waning seconds.

The game atmosphere in the Orange Bowl that day was one of the best that I’ve ever experienced.

 

[storrsroars]

I was there too, I think that game instituted cutting off alcohol after 3rd Q

That part of the upper deck was already tanked halfway thru the 3rd when all the crap started up.

 

[rgw]

Opening night at Gampel in 1990.

I was also at that game a great win over St John’s. While existing Gampel my brother and I heard the sirens and we walked down the hill where students were throwing all sorts of things on a very large fire. We went back to the car got a six pack came back to witness sofas and other large pieces of furniture dropping from upper floor windows. We watched this huge fire drank our beers. I was quite the spectacle

 

[rgw]

Went to the one game Red Sox Yankees play off game in 78. Went Sunday night found a guy scalping tickets and he had a wad of tickets. Got box seats on 1st base line. Paid $20 for I think was an $8 seat. Next day $2 bleacher seats were going for $100. Unfortunately I am a Sox fan. Fenway before the game was hopping. Soaked my sorrows in a lot of beer that day

 

[Blue Blood]

Vikings fan went to a game against the giants in 05 first team ever with kickoff punt and interception return tds in the same game. Also saw them set the team sack record vs Detroit in 2018 felt bad for Stafford by the end of that one

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I’ve got three sort of interesting ones.

First, I was at the old Boston Garden for the last game played there, a Bruins-Canadiens exhibition, September, 1995. Got to shake hands with a host of Bruins legends on the way in including Orr, Esposito and Bucyk. Link

Also was on the sidelines for the infamous (in Washington and Philly) 1990 ‘Body Bag game’ on MNF between the Eagles and Redskins. They kept carting Redskins off the field until Brian Mitchell had to QB at the end. Link.

Finally, I was in Boston Garden February 1978 for the first round of the Beanpot (BU 12, BC 5) when the Blizzard of ‘78 shut down the northeast, and the Garden stayed open to keep fans safe. Link.

Addendum:

Sorry, one more. I was in Baltimore at Camden Yards for an Orioles-Red Sox game August 11, 1994. Heavy rain halted the game in the 3rd, and we hung in there for 2+ hours having a great time until it was called … and that was the last game of the season. Baseball went on strike at midnight that night. Link

 

[Scottzer]

I was running at an indoor track meet at Brown in ‘99. We had trained with Conn Coll head track coach for a week once, and knew he was a beast and former Olympian. Watched him set a master’s world record by running an indoor 800m in about 1:53-1:55 (40 years old). Insane to see someone you were pretty well acquainted with to set a record like that. Johnny Grey retired a year or two later and obliterated the mark.

 

[uconnfan68]

I was there too

Probably 20k more too. ;^)

 

[GemParty]

Have you ever gone to a random sporting event and caught a classic, famous or infamous?

Did you buy a ticket to a regular season baseball game and see a no-hitter?

Did you go to the butt fumble game?

*Playoff, tourney games, superbowls, world cups etc. are all amazing events to attend. However, For the purpose of this thread, try to include only the games you went to where something particularly memorable happened out of the blue.
I know that every uconn win is special, but try to include games where something happened besides simply your team winning.

I've been to a few but here's the one that sticks out the most:

I was randomly in the 10th row at a Nets-Bulls regular season game (Brendan Byrne) when Rodman headbutted the ref.

What did you see?

1995 US Senior Open, Jack Nicklaus, Congressional.

Witnessed his hole in one.

What a roar, the crowd made. Fun moment.

 

[shizzle787]

Until recently I had only gone to one MLB game: a Red Sox ALDS game they won on a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 13th.

Only have gone to one UConn football game in 2011. Against USF we were losing 10-9. A couple walked up to us from a lower level and wanted to exchange seats so we did. We got side end zone seats. Hasheem Thabeet was sitting in the row in front. USF fumbled in their own end zone in the 4th quarter right in front of me and we won 16-10.

Went to the Villanova game in 2022 when we won on the Gillespie charge. In all the years, I have been going to UConn home games, we have only lost three times.

 

[Leebo]

1996 Big East Championship Final for Ray Allen's game winner

I was there, but since I was 10 and everyone around us was standing, I did not actually lay eyes on it. Still fun though.

 

[T-Squared]

Kemba’s step-back game winner vs. Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament at MSG. I was wearing my Rip Hamilton jersey; I ran down to the concourse and sprinted the entire way around MSG screaming my head off.

I also won $200 gambling with strangers in my section, which I used on two steak dinners for my buddy and I before the evening session.

 

[kobebeanbryant]

Was at the 2001 World Series game where Jeter hit the walk-off homer on Byung-hyun Kim to become “Mr. November”.

That was the year they pushed the playoffs back after 9/11. The game was on Oct 31st, but went into extra innings and past midnight, into November.

We were in the upper deck of the old Yankee Stadium, and I have a vivid memory of feeling the whole stadium shake. Then walking out of the stadium to everyone singing Sinatra.

Doubt I will ever top that sports experience in my lifetime.

My Dad got us those tickets and pulled me out of school early to head into the city for the game. Years later he told me that as the game started to drag later in the night he debated leaving to get me back home at a reasonable hour on a school night so he wouldn’t have to hear it from my Mom the next day. But said screw it and decided to stay.

My Dad unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Going to that game is one of the best memories I have with him from my childhood.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Was at Pedro Martinez’s first start for the Red Sox in 1998, the opener in Oakland. No runs, 11 SOs, signs of what was to come.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

When Bucky F….n Dent hit a 3 run home run off Mike Torrez

Yep, me too.

Sitting in the right field bleachers, and knowing instantly it was going out, and my future brother-in-law and I looked at each other and both mouthed, "Bucky Dent?!?," leaving out his middle name in real time.

Also, in 1974, I was there the night streaking came to the Fenway Park.

It was a few random incidents throughout the game with security keeping a watchful eye, and chasing/catching anybody who went into the field, until in the 7th inning or so, when the first woman dared to remove her top, and the hammer came down. She was descended upon by security, and immediately covered up.

The next day's Globe briefly reported the incident within an article that focused on and emphasized a zero tolerance point going forward.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

In 1976, I was at the Sunday night World Series game at Riverfront Stadium where MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn wore a sweater beneath his sports coat to rebut complaints that it was too cold to play night games in October.

I was at Yankee Stadium for either Yaz's final game there, maybe his 400th home run, possibly both. My stronger memory was that it didn't feel entirely safe to enthusiastically riot for the Red Sox in the Bronx, though I think the crowd was more respectful than I'd expected.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Finally, another baseball memory: I think it's the 3rd or 4th mention of witnessing a triple play in this thread, which is interesting because today I learned that there have only been 735 in MLB history. It averages to about 5 per season.

Mine was in 1982, when there were only 4 triple plays that year, and 2 were by the Mets against the Cubs. The first was in August at Wrigley Field.

During the final Shea Stadium home stand, the last place Mets held little interest, so I got all 4 tickets for my company's box, and could only interest a friend who lived in Manhattan to join me we with a fellow copywriter from his ad agency. I came in from Syosset and lived in Suffolk County, LI. The total crowd was a meager 3,200 or so. I'd never seen a stadium so empty.

My cohorts found the game suitably uninteresting, so they skipped out during an inning to get beers, and missed the triple play. It happened so fast that it was a real, "Wait, what?" experience, and I experienced somewhat alone.

Later in the game, my friends decided they'd seen enough on a work night, so they left to catch the 7 train back into the city. I stuck around until the end, or at least close to it. In a late inning, there was a play with either 2 on (or even bases loaded), and a sharp line drive that was caught and gave the fielder a seemingly casual choice of which bag to double up a runner. It was only because there was already one out that it wasn't a second triple play; it was that much of a case of runners breaking off the bag and putting themselves in easy position to get caught. Obviously not as much of a miss for my friends, but they weren't in the stands to see either. And I again experienced it in a weird lonely way. You all believe me, right?

Turns out, as Yogi said, "You could look it up." September 29, 1982. It's pretty great that it's so easy to find such baseball stats so easily, and it confirms my impression that baseball cards before age 10 were my gateway drug into multi-sports fandom.

Funny that I can only remember the baseball stories. I'm pretty sure I've got some others, maybe even legendary games with Wes B. and Bill Corley's 50 point game, but I was so young that I can't be sure. I did see a Putt-Penn State football game decided by a field goal by one of the Barr brothers (Matt & Chris) who kicked for the opposing teams. Might have been Pitt winning an upset, or going ahead and then losing. I'm not going to look it up...at least not right now. I think it'd be 1975 or 74.

 

[Steve UConn72]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned - Along with about 4,000 of my closest friends, I was at the famous 35-32 slow down game against heavily favored Rhode Island in 1970. 9-7 at the half. Three UConn players (two starters and the first guy off the bench) were suspended for some off the court "shenanigans" earlier in the week. Little used sophomore Doug Melody was the primary ball handler and ran the four corners beautifully. That was Dee Rowe's first year. He always said his biggest mistake was to win 14 games his first year (following a 5-19 season the year before his arrival). The Huskies were sub .500 the next two years before they turned it around.

Also saw "well past his prime" Michael Jordan score 45 points for the Wizards against the Nets on New Years Eve in 2001. Was visiting family in Northern Virginia and my brother got us some tickets.

 

[DRBackup]

Not quite a classic since it was just a regular season game in the old Metro conference, but best game I've ever been personally in attendance for:

Southern Mississippi at Virginia Tech, double overtime game that ended 141-133 for Tech. Bimbo Coles had 51 in the game

 

[Huskybass]

Oakland A's game 1992. 3 consecutive home runs by Bordick, Canseco and McGwire.

I was a student when JC and Geno arrived at UConn.

At MSG for the 1988 NIT Championship.

Was at the Red Sox game where Pedro Martinez 's # was retired.