OT: Famous Baseball Players You’ve Seen Play In Person | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT: Famous Baseball Players You’ve Seen Play In Person

Every Yankee from about 1978 to 2010 and I probably saw most of the American League stars (and many of the Nationals) during that time. I haven't gone much lately. Most memorable games and opponents:
  • Game 4 of the 2001 World Series. Strange and sad times in NY/NJ, dramatic 9th inning and finish. Just so emotional
  • Doc Gooden No-Hitter in 1996. I went with a few friends after school ended for the year. We sat in the bleachers. We knew there was a weird buzz, but because there were some walks/errors, and you can't see the scoreboard from the bleachers, we had no idea Doc was pitching a no-hitter until like the 6th inning. Then it was awesome.
  • 1999 NLDS Mets vs. Diamondbacks. A friend got last minute tix from his boss. I'm a Yankee fan, but it was a great game. We had seats about 20 rows behind the plate and we were sitting with Al Leiter's family. His wife was super nice and his brother Mark was pleasant, but wanted nothing to do with us (good decision by him). Leiter had a no hitter going and my very chatty friend points it out. I told him to shut up and he tells me it's stupid to think his statement can ruin the no hitter. I swear that it was the next pitch that gets ripped for the first hit. Leiter's wife leans over to him and says, "you're really not supposed to talk about it" and I thought Mark was going to kill him. Ended with a walk-off homer for the Mets to go to the NLCS.
  • Bo Jackson. I saw him as a teenager when he was at his biggest. We had seats right above the visitor dugout and we were friendly-heckling him (the Yankees were mediocre then) and we were pretty sure he grinned a bit. I'm sure I'm misremembering the exact timing, but first he went over the fence to take away a Yankee homer. Then he comes up the next half-inning and rips a homer. We gave him a polite "golf clap" standing O and he pointed up at us. What a freakin' talent.
 
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Mays was exciting just walking onto the field.

Monte Irvin hit the longest HR I've ever seen in person (Polo Grounds 1949).

Bobby Thomson, Dark, Stanky, Reese, Robinson, Campy, Hodges, Manle, Berra, Maris and most of the other Giants, Dodgers, and Yankees of the Golden Era of NY Sports. At all 3 ball parks.

Saw Kiner & Garagiola hit HRs against the Dodgers in Ebbets Field (1951).

Saw Koosman hit Santo in the 1969 Black Cat game right after Hands hit Agee. That was the moment when we knew the Mets were winning the pennant. Banks & Williams were in that game.

Henry Aaron, Rico Carty et al in the 1969 Playoffs. Nolan Ryan came out of bullpen to fan Carty after he hit a couple of seat breakers and turned the game around to win the pennant.
 
I saw Hank Aaron hit two home runs at Shea Stadium in 1973. Second one was in the blue lodge section in left field. Just a flip of the wrist for Aaron.

I saw Carlton best Tom Seaver in a 1 - 0 game that was over in two hours.

I saw Guidry pitch in AA West Haven.

My great grandfather played in a game against Babe Ruth when he was barnstorming one off season in PA.
 
alexd. said:
I'm a Red Sox fan , but I have to tell this story. My former brother in law is a huge Yankee fan. He buys a bunch of seats with his buddies every year and then splits them up. He averages 8-10 games a year at the Stadium. Turned out in 1998 and 1999 he was there for both David Cone's and David Wells' perfect games. Out of 162 home games over those two regular seasons.... :cool:
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I'm a Mets fan (obviously) but I've been to Yankee Stadium about 20 times in my life. Crazy thing is in those 20 games I was lucky to attend 3 of the top 25 games in Yankee Stadium history as rated by The Daily News in 2008 when Yankee stadium was closing.

I was at the game the day after Thurman Munson was killed and the crowd gave him a impromptu 20 minute standing ovation before the game started and I was also at Gooden's no hitter and the Aaron Boone game.
 
BlueDolphin said:
Mays was exciting just walking onto the field.

Monte Irvin hit the longest HR I've ever seen in person (Polo Grounds 1949).

Bobby Thomson, Dark, Stanky, Reese, Robinson, Campy, Hodges, Manle, Berra, Maris and most of the other Giants, Dodgers, and Yankees of the Golden Era of NY Sports. At all 3 ball parks.

Saw Kiner & Garagiola hit HRs against the Dodgers in Ebbets Field (1951).

Saw Koosman hit Santo in the 1969 Black Cat game right after Hands hit Agee. That was the moment when we knew the Mets were winning the pennant. Banks & Williams were in that game.

Henry Aaron, Rico Carty et al in the 1969 Playoffs. Nolan Ryan came out of bullpen to fan Carty after he hit a couple of seat breakers and turned the game around to win the pennant.
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Played for Stanky in college. We weren't allowed to speak Rizzuto's name in his presence. Still hated him after all those years.
 
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I saw Satchel Paige pitch for the Miami Marlins against the Rochester Red Wings sometime in the early 50's. I was just a little kid, but I remember being told about his "palm ball" and the "hesitation pitch"
 
Like most folks here, too many to mention. I did see Aaron is his last days with the Brewers.
 
Saw Boggs (always hated him still do) 3000 hit a homer for the rays traveld to 3 Nolan Ryan games the last yearhe playe. saw him Brett , yount , cepeda inducted into the hof
 
I was at Yankee Stadium, July 18, 1990, and saw Bo Jackson hit three home runs his first three times up. The whole place was electric awaiting his fourth at bat, but he partially dislocated his left shoulder diving for Deion Sanders’ inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning and had to leave the game.

“That’s the best performance I’ve ever seen by an individual in a major league game,” Kansas City Royal Manager John Wathan said at the time.
 
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Pawsox said:
Played 5 years in the Red Sox organization in the mid to late 70s. Made it to Pawtucket before my arm (Lefty pitcher) told me enough. Played with Boggs, Hurst, Stanley, Tudor, Gedman, etc. First catcher I threw to as a pro was Fisk. Good times, but my shoulder still hates me to this day.
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Pretty sick post/handle
 
HoFers... Aaron, Ashburn, Bagwell, Banks, Berra (his partial season with Mets), Biggio, Blyleven, Boggs, Brock, Bunning, Carlton, Carter, Cepeda, Clemente, Dawson, Drysdale, Gibson, Glavine, Gossage, Griffey Jr., Guerrero, Gwynn, Henderson, Hoffman, Jackson, Jenkins, Jeter, Jones, Koufax, Larkin, Maddux, Mantle (albeit a Mayor's Trophy game), Marichal, P. Martinez, Mathews, Mays, Mazeroski, McCovey, Morgan, Murray, Mussina, Perez, Perry, Piazza, Raines, Ripken, Rivera, F. Robinson, Ryan, Sandberg, Santo, Schmidt, Seaver, L, Smith, O. Smith, Smoltz, Spahn, Stargell, Sutter, Sutton, Torre, L. Walker, B. Williams, Winfield.

Didn't see a lot of AL guys till interleague started and the one I'm most surprised I never saw was Randy Johnson.
 
storrsroars said:
HoFers... Aaron, Ashburn, Bagwell, Banks, Berra (his partial season with Mets), Biggio, Blyleven, Boggs, Brock, Bunning, Carlton, Carter, Cepeda, Clemente, Dawson, Drysdale, Gibson, Glavine, Gossage, Griffey Jr., Guerrero, Gwynn, Henderson, Hoffman, Jackson, Jenkins, Jeter, Jones, Koufax, Larkin, Maddux, Mantle (albeit a Mayor's Trophy game), Marichal, P. Martinez, Mathews, Mays, Mazeroski, McCovey, Morgan, Murray, Mussina, Perez, Perry, Piazza, Raines, Ripken, Rivera, F. Robinson, Ryan, Sandberg, Santo, Schmidt, Seaver, L, Smith, O. Smith, Smoltz, Spahn, Stargell, Sutter, Sutton, Torre, L. Walker, B. Williams, Winfield.

Didn't see a lot of AL guys till interleague started and the one I'm most surprised I never saw was Randy Johnson.
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Great list.
 
jibsey said:
Famous Old Timers; Mantle, Mays, Koufax, Maris, Pedro among the best I’ve seen. Wish I saw Williams.
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My first live game was at Fenway, but I don’t remember the year (59-60?). Red Sox vs. Yankees. Berra was playing right field that day. Mantle in center. Williams played for the home team. We had seats in right field, a few rows past the bullpen. It was a broiling hot day. First time I ever saw my father drink a beer... and he liked it.
 
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Sachem said:
I miss baseball so bad, summer sucks without it!
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Summer without baseball just feels wrong. I know this seems a bit weird but spring to me is the final four on cbs. Summer to me is also a cookout watching the NBA Finals and of course Fall to me is football on a cool sunny sunday afternoon. These things all take me back to my childhood when life was easy.
 
thatguyed said:
In the stands in Tampa for Wade Boggs' 3000th hit. In Tiger Stadium when Reggie sent one out over the lights.
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I had tickets for the rained out game right next to where the guy caught Jeters 3000th. I know a different day/game means a completely different hit but...still.
 
I grew up 20 blocks north of the original Yankees Stadium in the 50s. Got see them all numerous times: Ford, Yogi, Mick, Kubek, Skowron, Marris and Richardson. Sat behind Marris in the right field bleachers. Saw the '69 Mets many times when a Jr at UConn Also when at UConn went to Fenway to see the Sox vs the A' s (Catfish Hunter pitched and Reggie was in the OF) Lived in Dayton in' 75/'76 and got to see the BIG Red Machine numerous times (Bench, Rose, Griffey, Sr., Gullett) When at ASU in' 77 saw Bob Horner on their Nat'l Championship team. Lived in NYC in the mid-80s and went to 8 opening day Met games, the Playoffs in '86 and the WS Game #2 (Doc Gooden lost that game). Saw Gary Carter hit a G-Slam that season. Also saw Willie as a Met strike out 3 time in one game at the end of his career (so sad}. Lived in Houston and saw JR Richard and Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver and George Foster when the Red's came to play there. Was in Boston on business and saw Pedro Martinez pitch the "Last Game of the Century" there in Sept '99. Was working in Ft Worth in 201 and went to one of the Rangers vs Giants WS games. Worked in Phx in the 00s and saw the BIG Unit, Randy Johnson several times Have lived in Denver since '92, and other than going to the All Star Game here in '98, there is not much to talk about. All of this is very true. I have most of the tickets since the 80s framed behind my bar at home!
 
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Frank Thomas
Robin Ventura
Mike Piazza
Mike Mussina
Jason Giambi
Masahiro Tanaka
Francisco Lindor
Jose Ramirez
Rafael Palmeiro

Many many more
 
I was 9 years old and my grandfather took my brother and I to the 1978 Yanks/Sox one game playoff at Fenway. I was and am a huge Yankees fan and loved Thurman Munson. My grandfather and his friend scalped two tickets outside. Then at the gate he had my brother and I in front of him and paid the ticket taker and said “hey these two boys will sit in our laps” and the guy let us in. Third base side and saw the Yaz pop out right there come down in Nettles glove. I cheered quietly because a Sox fan took one of those plastic Yankees helmets a guy was wearing and smashed it on the concrete. Good times!

Been to Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Royals stadium, metro dome in minny, Cleveland, Shea, Camden Yards, Angel Stadium, Safeco Field, all between years of like 1976 and present day so I have seen most of the great players in that time frame
 
Like others, I'm 34 so my list isn't crazy but I go to 70+ games a year so I've been lucky to get to see a lot of current/recent stars.

- The 2013 Wild Card game was magic. Hands down the greatest game in any sport that I've been able to attend. Two decades of anger, frustration, and sadness got piled on poor Johnny Cueto and the Reds that night.

As for players, taking trips to Toronto as a kid to see Griffey and/or Clemens were special.

My Buccos haven’t provided me with a ton of star power in my years. I was young for the Bonds/Van Slyke years but they were fun (and heartbreaking). The 2013-15 run was special, even though short lived and spectacularly mismanaged. Andrew McCutchen is a great player and a solid dude. I wish he left in a better way, even though that trade looks great for us, but he’ll eventually be honored accordingly. AJ Burnett will forever be my favorite Pirate. Not the “greatest” but his energy and attitude just flipped a switch for the franchise. Its downright criminal what we did with Gerrit Cole.

For opposing players, getting to see Trout was a treat. When Kershaw was in his prime, I never missed one of his starts against us. Our interleague “rival” is Detroit for some reason so we got a lot of Miggy and Verlander. I was at Scherzer’s no hitter against us in DC when Tabata leaned into one with two outs in the B9. Getting to see Springer come to town a few years ago was awesome as I got a thumbs up after a UConn chant.

Just writing this makes me miss it, even as awful as we are. I hope they can get their stuff together soon.
 
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Rich said:
Frank Thomas
Robin Ventura
Mike Piazza
Mike Mussina
Jason Giambi
Masahiro Tanaka
Francisco Lindor
Jose Ramirez
Rafael Palmeiro

Many many more
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Your a young one
 
I was at Tom Seaver’s 300th win. We were in the upper deck and left field line was obstructed. I thought Don Baylor hit a home run to win game, but no! It was Seaver’s Day and on Phil Rizutto Day. I was 10.
 
Highs and lows of a minor leaguer-
Highs -
1. Pitched against Fisk, Yaz, Rice, Lynn, basically everyone on the 75 world series team. Rod Carew, Ricky Henderson, Rusty Staub, Omar Moreno, Dale Murphy and a ton others I faced in spring training.
2. Pitched against Righetti, Blyeven, Len Barker, Mahler brothers (Rick and Mickey), Jim Beattie, Ken Clay, Ed Whitson, Al Holland.
3. Won championships in Carolina and International Leagues (Ben Mondors first year as Pawtucket owner - great man.)
4. Johnny Podres was my pitching coach. Ted Williams loved to talk about fishing and hunting.

Lows -
1. Salary stunk. Was making $1,200/month in AAA. Of course, big league minimum in 1977 was $19,000. Only get paid during the season.
2. Bus rides stunk. Our bus in the Carolina League had no AC or bathroom. 10 hour bus rides overnight were not a lot of fun.
3. In those days, the only days off were the major league all star game day and our league all star game. 140 games in basically 142 days. Better conditions now.

Wouldn't trade those years for anything, except maybe a better shoulder.
 
Man you guys all have some great memories. I wish I could have seen half the stuff you guys have.

A bit off topic here but still related.

A couple cool things for me for legends I have met. Bob Feller signed a ball for me at the Waterbury Indians game as a kid. My Dad knew what he was doing for me that day.

Cal Ripken and a few Orioles came into a watering hole of mine one Friday after work. They wanted a table, grabbed ours (we had our tabs comped), and I mustered up enough courage to go say hi and shake his hand. He's a legend and total class act, IMO. I wished him good luck as I was parting and asked he take it easy on the Yankees in jest as I put my hand on his shoulder (the dude was 40's and hard as a rock), he looks me dead in the eye and says, in all seriousness to me... "we go out on the field looking to win every game we go out out there and play" and then I cowered away with my tail between my legs. Such a great experience. There is likely none better a guy around than he is.
 
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