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Wish You Were There
2008-07-04 07:02
by Alex Belth
I often felt like I was being jipped when I was a kid. Whatever I had, it never seemed to be enough. Didn't have enough presents, stuff, didn't get enough attention, not unless I was acting the fool. It's part of the territory when you are a twin, I suppose. So I often was envious of the "things" that my friends had--a t-shirt, or a pair of sneakers, a book or a guitar. I remember my friend Matt Cantor being at Yankee Stadium twenty-five years ago when Rags threw his no-hitter against the Red Sox. Normally, it would have been just the kind of thing that had me green with envy. I don't recall much about that day--I'm sure I watched the game, but I don't have a clear memory of it. What I do remember is feeling happy that Matt got to see it in person. At that point, Yankee pleasures came in small doses, and this was surely an unexpected surprise--the great Wade Boggs stuck out to end the game no less. I was not jealous that I wasn't the one at the game, I was just excited that someone I knew was there. Hey, if it wasn't me, might as well have been Matt, who a die-hard Yankee fan. Twenty-five years ago. Jeez. Think I'll go change my diaper now and put in my teeth.
Comments
2008-07-04 07:28:24
1.   joe in boston
I remember that game well. I had driven homoe to upstate NY for a family bbq. What a great game !

At 47, almost 48... I am amazed at how fast life has gone by. We mark our lives by certain milestones and memories - drivers license, high school grad, college years, singleness stuff, ball games, marriage, kids etc. It all flies by.

Taking my kids to their first game at Yankee stadium next month. Then it will begin for them !

2008-07-04 07:41:16
2.   monkeypants
I don't remember that game. In those days, living in upstate NY, we didn't get to many games or see very many on TV. I used to listen to the games almost every night on the radio. For whatever reason we didn't listen to the game--maybe we went to the park or something. The next day I read the headline in the paper.

I have since missed Abbots no-no, and Cone's and Wells' perfectos (even though I did have cable then, but for whatever reason didn't tune in those nights/days).

To this day, I have still never seen a no-hitter (live or on TV) or heard on the radio in its entirety (ESPN cutting to the end of a no-no doesn't count).

2008-07-04 07:43:37
3.   monkeypants
Billy Traber called up, Melky in CF. Surely this means that the Gardner Experiment has come to an end?
2008-07-04 07:46:55
4.   DarrenF
Game was on radio, not on TV. All the TV replays morph our memories. I was painting a neighbor's house, probably for about $5/hr., and I remember it was unbelievably hot. My dad fetched me so I could listen to the last couple of innings.
2008-07-04 08:13:09
5.   Bruce Markusen
The Righetti game was so long ago that Bert Campaneris! played third base for the Yanks, and guys like Steve Kemp and Roy Smalley were both in the starting lineup. And for the Red Sox, Jerry Remy, known to younger Sox fans as the voice of the team, batted leadoff and played second base.

I remember that day very well. I was working as a caddy at Siwanoy Country Club; it was an extremely hot and humid day, not the kind of afternoon to have two heavy bags on your back. At the 10th hole, we stopped at the snack shack (we used to call it the halfway house), where the man at the counter had the game on the radio. I remember Frank Messer talking about how Rags was mowing hitters down. And then by the time we finished the round, Righetti had finished the no-hitter!

2008-07-04 08:16:56
6.   mehmattski
Darrel Rasner is going to pay homage to Rags today. Just you watch!
2008-07-04 08:17:32
7.   Chyll Will
2 You even missed Gooden's no-no... (tsk, tsk) >;)
2008-07-04 08:23:40
8.   monkeypants
7 Yep! Sorry to leave you out, Doc!

I was so bummed about Moose's near perfecto, mainly for the selfish reason that I was watching the whole game!

Now, I did have the (mis)fortune of seeing about two-thirds of Andy Hanwkins' infamous pseudo-no-hitter on TV, and then listening to bits and pieces of the last third on the radio at work. Does that count?

2008-07-04 08:48:02
9.   rbj
I was over in Britain for Rag's no-no. Got home a couple of days later. Dad greeted me at the airport with the NY Times from the next day, with Righetti on the front page.
2008-07-04 09:02:30
10.   monkeypants
3 Apparently AG was optioned down.

BTW, according to Pete Abe, the Yankees will wear hats with red, white, and blue NY for the next few days. This pisses me off. It's not because I am particularly bothered by the overt patriotism. Rather, I like the idea that the YAnkees don't have twelve different uniforms and hats, and that they don't constantly change their uniforms or team colors every season. I was even galled when MLB forced them to wear negro league uniforms a few years ago for some MLB marketing stunt.

Oh well.

2008-07-04 11:57:45
11.   Murray
I was there with my big brother in the Main Reserves, Section 19, Row F, Seat 19. (The seats were later removed to make room for seating for people with disabilities.) My brother called the no-no in the first inning. I told him he was wrong, of course because it was so unlikely.

Fun days!

2008-07-05 06:51:43
12.   Raf
I made it to Gooden's no-no, courtesy of tickets gained from the Yankees Fan Festival.

I made it to Cone's perfect game.

The only reason I didn't go to Wells' perfect game was because it was beanie baby day, and I didn't want to deal with the crowd.

I didn't go to Abbott's no-hitter because my boss was griping at me for coming in late to work (I was a regular attendee @ weekend games), even though I cleared my being late with my co-worker.

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