I can't remember if they won, or even who they played. My father and I were sitting either Field or Loge level on the third base side. The angle of our seats and the stadium lighting made it so that I could only see silhouettes of the fans opposite of me.

"Hey Dad, black people!"

Probably more awkward for my Dad than it was for my Mom when I insisted she explain what "gay" was while we were on line at Bank of America.

Extensive studying of Retrosheet (like about 30 seconds) leads me to believe that this was my first ever Dodger Stadium attendance
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06020LAN1971.htm

Dodgers 7, Expos 1

I remember that it was a Dodgers-Pepsi Fan Club night. I was very excited about seeing the Expos because they were so exotic. And in one of my earliest packs of baseball cards, I got a John Bocabella. Sadly Johnny Bateman was the catcher that night.

I remember the game because Richie Allen (as we called him back then) got an extra base hit in the game.

Three of the players in that game are now deceased: Carl Morton, Willie Crawford, and Tom Haller.

The paid attendance was just over 10,000 but there were many more people there because the Dodger Pepsi Club tickets weren't counted. Back then, you just need six bottle cap liners and a stamp and you got 5 or 6 free tickets to games.

I sat in the top deck, which I don't believe was red at the time. Wasn't it a different color then? More of a light green?

Surprisingly for a kid growing up in Granada Hills, my first major league game I attended was in Anaheim between the Tigers and Angels because Tigers pitcher Tom Timmermann gave our family free tickets to the game and met us afterward for dessert. He was from the same hometown as my dad and likely he and I are related in some horrific way I don't wish to contemplate.

My earliest Dodger memory was my third birthday, which was 43 years ago this Sunday--I was given a Dodger uniform that had been obtained by a family friend, Maury Wills. It had the number 3, which has since been my favorite number.

The Dodgers were still playing at the Coliseum back then, but I can remember the first games I got to go to at Dodger Stadium were field level. It was all so B I G !

Dodger Stadium and the Old Course at St. Andrews continue to be my two favorite places on this earth.

From now on, I suppose we have to call Tommy "3-Dog" in honor of Willie Davis, who must have become his favorite player.

Dodgers-Cardinals 1964 with my dad. I was 8. Koufax was pitching. I'd like to say it was against Gibson, but I can't really remember. I do remember coming out of the tunnel and seeing the field for the first time and just being awestruck at how great it looked.
We got there for batting practice and I was in 7th heaven. I know the Dodgers won, but I can't remember the score. Koufax went down for the year not long after that.
We sat next to a man with a Cardinal hat on and I talked to him throughout about how I couldn't understand he would want to root against the Dodgers. He was very nice and I'm sure I was really annoying.
Back then you could rent seat cushions for the game and my last memory of that day was watching everyone fling them out onto the field.
As I recall, I ate about every food item that came down the aisle, hot dog, cotton candy, frozen malt, Dodger Dog.
It was a great day.

Hey no sneaking in Angel nostalgia on here!

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B05290LAN1980.htm

My first game was unique in that it lasted 1hr 46 min. That still has to be the shortest game I've ever attended. Bob Welch pitched a 1-hitter vs Atlanta and faced the minimum. Reggie Smith and Joe Ferguson homered.

I sat in the back of the field level on the 1st base side. The sound really reverberates under there when the crowd roars. I started collecting baseball cards that same season and it was love.

After that I sat almost exclusively in the blue level for 10 years or so. Poor underprivileged kid!

I have a vague memory of sitting along the left field line at the Coliseum with my father in 1960 or '61. We moved across country and I didn't get back to LA during baseball season until 1984. I remember driving into town with a friend (Phillies fan) and his four kids from his home in Northridge. That must have been my first time seeing the stadium in person, and it more or less lived up to expectations, particularly the view of the San Gabriels at sunset. I remember standing in the parking lot and looking out towards downtown, thinking "hey, there really are some tall buildings in LA, despite what people say and what my memory is of 1962."

Yeah, but my Angels game was Alex Johnson Bat Night! Think of how odd that was. My first baseball game was marked by a giveaway of a free bat of a guy who in about a month the entire area would hate!

And my first Dodgers game featured one of the few players who ever matched Alex Johnson for enmity of his teammates, Richie Allen.

I was exposed to unpopular players at a young age. It helped desensitize me.

The first time I went to the stadium (as an Indian Guide!) the Harlem Globetrotters played an exhibition game along the first base line.

For several years after that I had dreams of walking down to my seat in the reserve level where the stairs were pitched well past the 90 degree level...

Big - I was at your game. With my mother and my sister. I remember having to point out to them that there was a one-hitter going on and explaining how impressive that was.

Hey, is the timestamp doing an early adjustment for Daylight Savings Time?

The timestamp looks to be 30 minutes ahead. Perhaps we have moved into one of those "half hour" time zones, like Newfoundland.

I don't remember the details of the game, but my first Dodger Stadium memory is from 1981 or '82 when I was 6 or 7 and my friend had his birthday party there. We sat in the seats immediately behind home plate (the low ones, where the field is basically at eye level). Before the game Tommy Lasorda came over to say hello to us and I remember thinking he was kind of scary and possibly insane. I still think that.

My first Dodger game (4/22/65) only came about because of the high pressure negotiation skills of my cousin to overcome parental objections.

My parents were opposed to me going (in order of importance) because a)they hated O'Malley for the Chavez Ravine "gift" from the City; b)my cousin drove his new 65 GTO way too fast; c)it was a school night, and d)I was seven.

By the way,
1)The game was the first home start of the year by Koufax against the semi expansion Mets;
2)The Dodgers won 2-1; the neatly scored game program (which I still have) was the hit of show and tell in my second grade the next day, and;
3) My father, after swearing he would never help O'Malley get richer, later became a Dodger fan, particularly of fellow Italian Joe Ferguson (why ask why?).

A very good question.

I think the first time I went to Dodger Stadium was actually in 2000. Believe it or not, I had never been as a child, though I do remember going to Angel Stadium back in the mid-70's.

Argh, timestamp. what's wrong with the clock on this machine? This is the second time I've found it jumping ahead by 32 minutes. Very strange...I'll fix it.

Just having a little fun with you, Ken.

Any word on how the game's going?

Don't change the clock until I can get to Santa Anita, I may be able to use this for nefarious purposes.

At worst, I'll end up like Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Timecop"

July 7, 1992. It wasn't my first game, but it was quite memorable. Double-header vs the Expos. The Dodgers lost game one 4-1, and game two 4-0. Yeah, 1 run in 18 innings. And it was raining for most of the double-header, with a couple of pauses for rain delays. I swear, we were at the park for at least 8 hours that day. But my two friends and I didn't leave until the bitter end! This was the season we lost 99 games...what were we thinking? Chalk it up to Dodger insanity.

My first game was sometime in July '82 or '83, against the Cubs. Or maybe it was the Mets. All I remember is sitting in right field with my parents and the Dodgers winning in the bottom of the 9th.

Corey- That was the stretch in '92 where they played 10 games in 6 days to makeup the cancellations during the riots. I was at the same Expos DH in the rain.

Incidentally I was at the 4/29/92 game the night the riots broke out. There was no special announcement made and we drove right down the 10 fwy with fires raging on both sides. I still had no idea what was going on until we flipped on kfwb. I understand that same night the Forum made an announcement about the "unrest" to fans leaving the lakers/kings game whichever it was.

June 16th 1970. Couldn't have asked for a better game then that for my 1st one. We won the game 1-0 as Don Sutton outdueled Bob Veale. Billy Grabarkewitz (yes, I used retrosheet to spell his name) hit a home run for the only run. I still remember the score and homerun but I had to check retrosheet to find the date. My favorite ballplayer at the time was Bill Sudakis and the box score says he played left field and stole a base. I don't remember Sudsy ever playing the outfield or stealing a base. Gabby had a monster 1st half and made the all-star team but got hurt and was never a decent player again, but for 3 months he was awesome.

Sudsy was never quite handy with the leather, to use a cliche. No matter he was stationed on the field, he was a hazard.

My recollection of the riot game, which I also attended, was that an announcement was make not to use certain exits/roads. It's possible that this was made on the radio and not the scoreboard, but I do remember the crowd being very much aware.

My first game was against the Pirates, with a church group in 1985.

We sat on the reserved level behind home, and I don't remember much beyond two bits of trivia: I was convinced that R.J. Reynolds was the same fellow who made all the cigarettes (odd thing for a 3rd-grader to think...) and that Greg Brock hit a home run.

He was briefly my favorite player after that, until my older sister decided he was 'cute' and I discarded him as thus somehow embarrassing...

With the help of Retrosheet (thanks for the reminder, Bob T), I found that my memory is better than I sometimes suspect. My first Dodger game was Aug 1, 1975, hosting the Reds. Rose went 5-5, so I hated him from the start, and Ron Cey hit a 2-run walk-off HR in the 10th off Pedro Borbon Jr's dad.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08010LAN1975.htm
I'd been to one game in Philly in '73 before we moved to LA, and I remember being really confused after my Dad explained that "E" stood for "errors." Because I didn't know that word (I was 5 or 6) and I thought he said "airers," as in balls hit in the air. I wasn't sure why they'd want to count fly balls, but my count far out-paced the scoreboard's. And they the heck would they use "E" and not "A?"

Still hate Pete Rose.

After begging my father all season (he was an immigrant who knew nothing about baseball but became a fan so he could teach me about the game) we went to our first game on September 30, 1962. Last game of the season against the Cardinals, Dodgers needed one win to clinch the pennant. We had box seats in the Orange section.

They lost 1-0, finishing the year in a pretty horrendous slump that cost them the pennant. Podres was the losing pitcher. Memory that sticks with me: Stan Musial booting one in the outfield. Only time the Dodgers got a base runner on second.

My earliest Dodger stadium memory is actually a game that we didn't get to go to because our car engine caught fire on the way to the game. It was May 14, 1978 (I was 2 1/2) and I remember it vividly. Dave Kingman hit 3 home runs that day and my dad hasn't stopped cursing that car (a Gremlin!) since.

A game I can't remember but my mom told me about was that same season, we hung around the field level after the game and Ron Cey, Rick Monday, Rick Rhoden and Steve Yeager all came up into the stands and signed autographs and hung out with the (maybe a dozen or so) fans that were still there for a couple of hours after the game. My mom said that Rick Monday and I were chasing each other around the seats and that he played hide and seek with me until I tired out. I wish I could remember that game.

I don't remember the exact date or how old I was (it had to be '80 or '81) making me about 3 or 4. All I remember from the game is that I got on Dodger Vision.

"I do remember coming out of the tunnel and seeing the field for the first time and just being awestruck at how great it looked."

I get that feeling every season when I visit for the first time.

"I do remember coming out of the tunnel and seeing the field for the first time and just being awestruck at how great it looked."

"I get that feeling every season when I visit for the first time."

Me too. I also get butterflies every time I pull into the parking lot from the 5 freeway and see the scoreboard from behind. It's the exact same feeling I've had since I was a little kid, and it's never gone away.

Damn retrosheet. I just learned that my memory is wrong, all wrong! http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08290LAN1977.htm

My first real game (after one of those Dodger/SC exhibition freebies) was 8/29/77. Notable in my family becasue its two days after my brother's birth, and the very day he came home from the hospital. We had great seats in field behind the Dodger dugout. I don't know if my dad took me so I wouldn't feel forgotten with the new baby, or because he didnt' want to miss his Cubs with the great seats.

Anyway, he should have missed his Cubs. Tommy John beats Mike Krukow 4-1. To this very day I thought that Johnny Oates had the home run in the game, but retrosheet tells me it was Reggie Smith. I had built this whole mythology about the guy subbing for my all time favorite (Yeager) homering in my first game, then Yeager getting knocked unconscious on my next visit. (That second game was the season finale in which Baker got to 30 homers - which retrosheet confirms.)

I'll have to take solace in seeing Krukow - now of the insufferable Giants radio team -take the loss in my first game.

Fernandomania,

Can I ask what you thought of Dave Kingman's performance?

JL

Angel/Yankees doubleheader, with my father and grandfather. Can't recall the year, but your choices are limited, aren't they? They called it Chavez Ravine back then. Bo Belinsky may have pitched one end, or maybe my father and grandfather were just talking about him. I remember the peanuts.

The first trip that I really remember clearly was in 1969, a game where my favorite pitcher Bill Singer threw a shutout. It was the first year of divisional play, and late in the year everybody in the division aside from the Padres were separated by about 2 games. No one remembers that divisional race, of course, because the Mets won the pennant.

Another reason that nobody remembers the 1969 NL West race because those were a bunch of mediocre teams that all had problems in one area or another.

The 1969 Dodgers saw their pennant hopes wane when they got swept in a 4-game series in San Diego by the expansion Padres. And the 1969 Padres were truly horrible.

My first game was an unfortunate loss to the Mets, September 5, 1987. My parents took me for my birthday (awfully late since it had been in April).

The game was memorable because my friend and I were screaming at Mr. Valenzuela to 'Get your weight behind it.' And just like that he hit a home run, further than Sax would hit one later on. Not much to get excited about throughout the game as the Dodgers were pretty tame (only 5 baserunners). But Sax did make it close at the end.

I just remembered another great stadium trip! Me and 2 of my broke friends shelled out 120 dollars each for tickets five rows behind the Dodger dugout. This was our first scalping experience, very exciting for us young punks. We were treated to SEVEN errors in that beauty! THREE by the immortal Jose Offeeeeeeeeerman. I think I single-handedly ruined his confidence as a Dodger with my endless heckling. :D

omg, I just looked it up...that game was on 9/11/92...

Another (almost-non) memory is in 1973, my brother and I scored tickets to a Cincinnatti double-header. We got tickets in the loge section right behind home plate somehow through Ticketron. I had just graduated from high school and was pretty wild, so it was decided we would drink a lot of beer before the game and have a friend drop us off at the stadium. Well, we went through quite a few brews, but got to the stadium in plenty of time. Our friend dropped us off and waved good-bye. It was then I realized the tickets were still in the car as he disappeared in the distance. My friend never noticed them. We ended up buying bleacher seats and saw the games anyway. Last time I've been in the bleachers.

Ahh, Ticketron, just like Ticketmaster, but more primitive and it usually only offered bad seats.

I miss the "Mutual Will Call" shack way out in one of the distant parking lots. I kept asking my parents if we could visit it some time.

I have a feeling it would have been a disappointing visit.

I do think that in 1971, my father lucked into some Club Level seats from one of the companies he bought from at his store. I think it was Vita-Pakt. I've sat there only one other time. And I've never eaten at the Stadium Club.

Ah doubleheaders, now that was a good time. Marty I may have been at that game as I remember going to a Reds doubleheader in the early 70's and sitting in the blazing sun in the bleachers. I think Rose hit a ball off the CF fence to start the game off.

How many posters are ex Pepsi-Dodger fan club members? All during my Little League/Babe Ruth life I looked forward to getting those tickets. Do they still have something like that for the kids?

The Dodgers have "The Blue Crew", but you have to pay $16 to join and you get $40 in ticket vouchers.

Since the Dodgers don't have unreserved seating in any section, it's hard to give away tickets.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/la/fan_forum/blue_crew.jsp

In a bigger sign of our geekiness, how many of us qualified for "A Student" tickets to Dodgers game through the LA Times?

It was 1975, Dodgers vs. Padres. Winfield was playing for the Pads at the time. I remember the excitement of approachng the Stadium from the parking lot, the view of the field as we came out of the tunnel, and the frozen malts. Can't even remember who won.

The Dodgers won 6 of 9 against the Padres in 1975 at Dodger Stadium.

One of the three losses was in 15 innings, so you would have remembered that.
Another one the Dodgers lost 10-7 after giving up 7 runs to the Pads in the 7th (and it was a day game too)

The other loss was on July 1 and the Dodgers lost 10-1 after giving up 8 runs in the 5th and there was a bench-clearing brawl in the 8th precipitated in part by Charlie Hough hitting Winfield with a pitch and also Johnny Grubb trying to steal home with a 9-run lead.

Joe Ferguson broke his wrist and there many ejections.

I'm betting you would have remembered if you had been to that game.

So I'm betting the Dodgers won when you went.

Or else you really were into that malt.

"Or else you really were into that malt."

If it was one of those Thrifty malts they used to have, I'd believe it.

"How many posters are ex Pepsi-Dodger fan club members?"

Don't know about that, but every year our little league would go in uniform to the Pavilion with every other little league in LA.

Best memory was of one of our coaches screaming at us to watch and learn from the big league outfielders, only to have Ron Fairly, and Jim Fairey drop fly balls out of their gloves in consecutive innings.

Going to Dodger Stadium gave kids early lessons in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics. You got to learn when to judge that your malt had melted sufficiently that you could get the wooden spoon in to eat the malt, while it was still cold and before it turned into a sticky brown goo that your parents would have to hose off your face.

And as adults, we are left with a somewhat philosophical discussion. Were the malts we ate as kids objectively better than those today or do we just remember that way because we associate them with pleasant childhood memories.

Unless your parents truly did hose you off after the game, then I suggest you consult a therapist to work out these issues.

I remember reading the paper to see which people I knew got the A-student tickets. The Times used to publish all the names.

I thought they just gave the tickets to everybody at Harvard School? I thought there were only A students there.

Or else the brochure fooled me.

I believe this guy:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kingmha01.shtml

was the first graduate of Harvard to play baseball in the majors.

Count me in as one of those geeky Dodger "A Students". I got 2 free tix for 3 games for 3 years. If you just took the 2 free tickets per game, you sat in the student section on the Reserved Level in the outfield. But if you bought additional tickets (@ $2.50!), you got a seat much closer to home plate. My memorable "A Student" game was the Bill Singer no-hitter on July 20, 1970.

For those who might be confused, I'm referring to the prep school in the Valley, not the ivy-covered school in Cambridge, Mass.

Nope. Had to be an A no matter where you were. Which meant that I never got the tickets.

I guess if that's true about Harry Kingman, that beats out Wes Parker and Bob Scanlan.

I don't know if they're showing the game locally, but mlb.tv has the broadcast of tonight's game if anyone's interested. Weaver's got 2 men on with one out in the top of the first.

Gvette, thanks for reminding me about little league night. I loved that. I managed to get Jim Brewer's autograph one year. I was in Arcadia little league. My team was "Frank Perini Hair Fashions" I kid you not. I sucked, but our league had a future big leaguer named Steve Kemp, who had a few good years with the Tigers.

Now that my Harry Kingman curiosity has been aroused, could the resident expert tell me more? Like what brought him here from his birthplace of Tientsin, China.

More details of today's Dodger game are welcome.

Marty,

Best little league team sponsors to have were pizza places. Hope you guys at least got free haircuts. Where I grew up, the only celebrity was Bobby Knoop of the Angels, who schedule permitting would throw out the first pitch for the league, until he got traded to the White Sox.

Arcadia/Sierra Madre Little Leagues also produced the Worrell brothers, and ex Dodger Matt Young. I saw Tim Worrell with his family at a racetrack adjacent Mexican restaurant the night before he blew WS Game 6 to the Angels, and Matt Young's parents still live in the area.

Valentin drove in 2 with a triple; Grabowski picked him up later in the inning--3-0 Dodgers. I got my first look at Navarro, who worked a walk. Victor Zambrano strugled with his control though--the entire Dodger lineup ending up batting in the 1st. Drew and Choi also worked 1-2 counts to draw walks.

The ability to edit comments might be a nice feature--that typo looks awful.

3-1 Mets on a sac fly by Jose Reyes--Weaver had loaded the bases with one out.

Drew hits a 2-run homer. 5-1 Dodgers.

For the life of Harry Kingman, you can go to
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=331&pid=7538

Or

http://tinyurl.com/637fc

It's not stated in that bio, but Harry Kingman went to Harvard at the time because it was a military school and he was constantly getting in trouble. His pal at Harvard was the son of the guy who started Hussong's Cantina and they liked to slip down across the border for "activities".

"Fernandomania,

Can I ask what you thought of Dave Kingman's performance?

JL"

I didn't get to see the game, because we were on the side of the freeway waiting for a tow truck, but we listened to Vinny call the game on my dad's transistor radio. I just remember my dad's reaction to it more than anything. I was too young to understand why 3 home runs in a game was important, but I wasn't too young to understand that it was something that my dad thought was really awesome and he really, really wished that our stupid car hadn't broken down.

So how did Jon get into Stanford if he wasn't an A student, while I was! And I had a 1430 on my SAT! And a raft of sycophantic letters of recommendation too!

It's a conspiracy I tell ya!

I guess I should note, Kingman's 3rd homer that day broke the tie and won the game for the Cubs (score: 10-7) in the 15th inning.

7-1. Izturis missed hitting a grand slam by a few feet; ended up with a sac fly. Antonio Perez drove in the other run--he's 3 for 3.

Games like this are why we take The Pledge.

I really enjoyed your article on Harry Kingman, Bob. Thanks for posting that link.

Jose Valentin just had a go batting righthanded vs a lefty and whiffed. Did anyone else know of this? First I heard.

Thank you for the comments about the Harry Kingman bio. I've always meant to write it up as a slightly longer piece and submit it to SABR for publication, but I never got my act together for that.

Then you could learn about his years at Harvard School. Long before it was Harvard-Westlake.

And had girls.

Yea, my Dodgers miniplan tickets arrived in the mail today! I have an actual tangible pair of tickets for Opening Day.

They were sent in a rather plain looking envelope that I almost tossed out. If I hadn't seen the "1000 Elysian Park Ave" on the return address, I might have done that.

Just tuned in to MLB TV -- Dodgers 16, Mets 4 after 8 innings.

There are probably a group of Mets fans preparing to commit seppuku as we speak.

Or complaining about trading Scott Kazmir.

I've never had the pleasure of Chavez Ravine, though I've seen the Dodgers in N.Y., S.F., Montreal, Boston and Vero. Whaaa!

Tommy Davis and orange seats. I couldn't have been more than 5, since that's how old I was when Davis last played for the Dodgers.

This surprises me, as I had always thought that my first Dodger game was later. But I distinctly remember Tommy Davis...

I had a Dodger-Pepsi t-shirt (very thin material!), but don't remember getting any of the other stuff, so I suspect I inherited it from a neighbor kid.

Woody, it would be worth the trip. It is simply the best, to me...as beautiful today as when it first opened.

Looks like they've added reverb to the radio broadcasts.

Living in Northern CA, I didn't attend a game at Dodger Stadium until I was in college. One summer I visited my college roommate who was from LA and we went to a game with the fireworks afterwards. I remember we had seats in the lower level and we were able to go on the field after the game to watch the fireworks show and took some grass from the outfield and saved it in a ziploc bag. I still have it today.

My most memorable experience was about 8 or 9 years ago when the Dodgers were playing the Braves on a Saturday afternoon and the game lasted about 16 or 17 innings. I remember it was so hot that day that each inning everyone was moving up the rows of seat to stay in the shade and by the end of the game we were sitting in the top row. Unfortunately the Dodgers lost, but it's always nice when you get free baseball. Does anyone know when that game happened?

On a side note, it's amazing how people can't remember what they wore yesterday but can remember the smallest detail about a baseball game from 20 years ago.

Marty,

My dad grew up in the Arcadia area, but didn't play little league ball. He did play some American Legion ball with Steve Kemp though.

So, Doug...what you're saying here is that you transported grass in a baggie from L.A. to San Francisco...?

Another little league memory I have is talking to Mudcat Grant in the bullpen one night. Nice Guy. There was a Wilson A2000 pitcher's mitt sitting on top of the phone box. I got pretty excited about that, having just aquired one for my birthday, and asked Grant who it belonged to. Don't remember the answer.

On Thursday I wore a pair of blue jeans and a UCLA sweatshirt over a UCLA Powell Library t-shirt.

Today, I wore a green shirt and blue jeans.

Since I have several pairs of jeans and as well as several pairs of khakis, I don't put a lot of thought into this matter.

You left out the part about the propellered beanie...

Bob,
Loved Willie. He was my favorite Dodger for years, although just behind that southpaw named Koufax. Big D was a favorite too.

But once both of them retired Willie was the man.

Few probably don't remember or weren't born yet to realize those bad years during the late 60's and early 70's. The Gabarkowitz/Valentine/Parker/Lefebver years. I still enjoyed them.

I find it hard to believe that BBref's most comparable hitter to Willie Davis is Jose Cruz.

However Jose Cruz drew many more walks than Davis, but surprisingly hit fewer home runs. I didn't realize that the Astrodome reduced homers by that much, as well as Busch Stadium.

Has anything been heard of Willie since he got arrested a few years back for threatening his parents with a sword?

Dodgers 5 Mets 1 bottom of the aixth. Nice to see they had something left after yesterday. It's on KFWB, BTW.

It's a split-squad day and Yahoo is reporting that the rest of the Dodgers are tied 0-0 in the 8th against the Orioles.

I saw my first live game in 1986, a few months after immigrating to this country. The Dodgers faced the eventual World Series Champion New York Mets. An on-field brawl took place at some point. "Wow!" I thought.

After 30 years of bleeding Dodger Blue I finally got to lay my eyes on beautiful Chavez Ravine for the first time in 2001. (I grew up near Vero and have lived in Cincinnati the last 13 years, but retained my Dodger Loyalty). July 31, August 1 and August 2nd, the Dodgers are in First Place and they got SWEPT before my very eyes. When I got home my front porch had over a dozen brooms on it courtesy of my friends.

"(I grew up near Vero and have lived in Cincinnati the last 13 years, but retained my Dodger Loyalty)."

And I complain that I have to drive 60 miles or so to get to the Stadium.

My first game was this one. My dad and I sat behind these Mets fans who talked trash the entire game. After the game ended, they left with a classic line, "See you in Octobah." I guess they meant from their living rooms. As for the game itself, I was 10, so I wasn't super aware that I was watching Gooden vs. Valenzuela. Gooden was masterful, though.

Guess no html is allowed. the game:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198506040LAN

I was 6 when my parents took me to my first game - which wound up being a doubleheader. My mom got the tickets through her work, and they were really good seats - field level over by the visitor dugout. I really don't remember much about the game. I do remember walking down to our seats and being amazed at how close we were to Greg Brock and Steve Sax, and being sad that I couldn't stay through the end of the 2nd game (not like I would've been able to stay up anyway). I really wish I could remember seeing Jeff Hamilton hit a game winning homerun in the 10th: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B09251LAN1986.htm

Interesting error in the box score today on ESPN.com--Dreifort was listed as having struck out. I would think that would be hard to do while recovering from surgery.

I also remember a game against the Reds. I was probably 7 years old. My Dad's company seats were in the orange Loge section between home and 1st (about where Jon's seats are located). All of the players were being announced for the starting line up and when Pete Rose was announced the entire crowd began to boo. To go along with the crowd, I did the same, until my Dad gave me "The Disappointment Look From Hell". That was all it took. He then explained to me the respect that should be given to every player, regardless of which team they played for, because of the work and dedication that they put in to get to the Show. I also remember catching a bag a peanuts from Roger Owens, who I had seen earlier that week on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I had him autograph the "Two-bagger" of peanuts. I still have the autographed bag of peanuts with all of my baseball cards.
I know I was at several games before this one, but I'll never forget that game.

My first memory is still pretty clear for me. 1985, July if memory serves. I went with a little league group and it was the month that Pedro Guerrero hit 15 HRs. We saw the 10th HR. It may have been June, I'm not sure. Anyway, I think we were playing the Braves and for some reason, it seems like we won 5-3. After the game was when it really got interesting. I was not really paying attention to what the group was doing, I think I was watching the highlights on the Jumbotron and I lost contact with the group. So I remember wondering around a bit, heading back where I thought the bus was but it wasn't. So I remember being in a little room with a nice Latina Dodger stadium employee who was very kind and I was scared and embarassed that I'd gotten separated from my group. And so then I think they made an announcement over the PA or something that they had a 10 year old kid there at a customer relations office or what not. So finally, we got going, but it had probably been about 30-40 min. later than had been expected. I remember being pretty embarassed that I'd gotten separated from the group but everyone was pretty nice to me....anyway, it was fun though seeing Pedro rip a HR...we were on the 3B side somewhere and I remember getting out of the bus and thinking how impressive Dodger Stadium looked.

Ah, the game was June 19, 1985. We won 5-1. Jerry Reuss pitching 7 innings of 2-hit ball against the Padres and Ken Howell mopping up, according to retrosheet.org.

My first game at Chavez Ravine was Jul 30, 1995. Nomo pitched a great game. Piazza and Mondesi homered. Karros hit the ball hard. Worrell almost blew it, giving up 3 runs late, but the Dodgers held on to beat the Reds, 5-4.

One game I regret not attending was Dennis Martinez perfecto against us July 28, 1991. It was real hot that day and it was against the Expos and I think me and my Dad were just very laissez-faire about it and said, ah, we'll go another time. And sure enuff, Dennis Martinez throws a freakin' perfecto. Geez. Was not happy.

As I mentioned above, I've never seen a game at Chavez Ravine, but my first memory of the Dodgers was a game my uncle took me to at the Polo Grounds against the Giants in 1957. I was a 9 year old and my decision to root for the Dodgers was based on the fact that I thought "Duke Snider" was a really cool name (better than Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle in my 9 year old mind).

I remember that Johnny Podres pitched and "The Duke" hit a homer. I think the score was 5-0 for Brooklyn.

I was so psyched that I got my uncle to buy me a Dodger uniform (flannel) at a sporting goods store in NYC. My grandmother ironed a #4 on the back. I was totally hooked. I used to wear that uniform everytime I played ball as a kid and even wore it in the winter when I was home from school. It was so big on me that it would probably fit me today.

I never made it to Ebbets Field either, but that Polo Gounds game will be with me forever.

Although my first game didn't involve Pete Rose, I did have the same experience as Bradley Strong, with booing Rose and having my dad yell at me.

Although I went to a number of games with my folks in the early 70s, my earliest memory of Dodger Stadium, was a June 14, 1977 game against the Pirates.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06140LAN1977.htm

I really just remember sitting in my dad's company's seats in the loge, aisle 143, seeing Roger throwing bags of peanuts, Garvey hit one out and Al Oliver played left field for the Pirates.

Good times reading everybody's comments...I was a bit too young for the Pepsi fan club. But I did sign up with the Danny Goodman Blue Crew or whatever it was called back then and getting wrist bands, a batting glove and some other Dodger stuff. Never knew who the heck Danny Goodman was...I think he ran the consessIons for the Dodgers. Anybody?

Goodman sold Dodger paraphernalia at least through the '70's...

With your dad's on booing individual players. But what do I know, can't stand beach balls or the `wave' either.

Danny Goodman was the concessionaire for the Hollywood Stars I believe and then when the Dodgers moved out here, O'Malley hired him for the Dodgers.

One of his first big items was a bugle that would play "Charge". I believe that Andy McCue wrote an article about him in a SABR publication.

I'm sure it wasn't the first Dodger game I had ever attended, but it is certainly my first Dodger stadium memory--and what a memory it is! It was a Sunday afternoon game in the summer of '88, an autograph day against the Reds. I don't think we actually got to go on the field like the kids today do, but I know I got awfully close to all the big leaguers. Unfortunately, the only signature I remember getting, and upon inspecting the ball again, the only signature I can still decipher, was Reds' pitcher, John Franco--Kirk Gibson was my idol, so I know I must've been upset not getting his, but I was only 6 and a well- placed Dodger Dog and Chocolate Malt helped me forget the seeming injustice of it all, I'm sure. Our actual seats, however, were just awful--last section of the Left Field outer reserve, could have even been the last row and last seats--but I don't remember it phasing me. The game up until the 9th inning is a blur, but the 9th inning is one I will never forget. I'm not the internet sleuth some of you are, but I know that the Dodgers were down by 2 runs, and with two men on in the bottom of the inning, 3rd baseman Jeff Hamilton stepped up to the plate. I don't know who was on, what the count was, or how many outs the Dodgers had left, but I do remember Jeff Hamilton's glorious walk-off dinger! The Dodgers had won the day, and as we all know, would go on to win the World Series. I remember flying high every second after that homerun. In fact, the only thing I remember about that day that wasn't a triumph, was having to go to bed at my normal bedtime. I remember arguing my case--something about the homerun meriting a few extra minutes of fun--but to no avail. Regardless, the game still represents one of my most cherished memories of the Ravine during one hell of a season.

So I just checked the retrosheet. The game was on September 11th, a Sunday, so I was probably upset that I had to go to bed AND get up early for school the next day. I must've been delirious that bottom of the 9th with Gibson starting the 9th inning rally. Gibson, however, scored on a John Shelby single, so the Hamilton homerun was only a 2 run shot, but it did come with 2 outs!!

I leave early tomorrow AM to take my 5-3/4 year-old son (that's what HE says his age is) to Vero Beach for 2 days. This will be his 1st trip to Dodgertown. I have been a Dodgerfanforlife - hopefully he will decide to become one too. I should have lots of digital pictures. Trying to figure out how I can post them..

Wow, 2 Jeff Hamilton memories. Who knew he stoked the minds of Dodger fans. Considering the fan fare that he came up with, his actual career was a major dissapointment.

Forget who the Dodgers were playing, but I remember Eric Karros hitting a walk-off solo shot to break a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. Of course, this was overshadowed by the food poisoning I got from my Fire Dog after the game. It was so bad, I literally did not eat another hot dog for another six years until someone finally convinced me I had to try a Top Dog before I graduated college. Now, I love them again, but man, something was wrong with that Fire Dog.

It just occurred to me that most of my Dodger watching memories are bad ones. The facial by the kid at Candlestick, and the last game I went to was Penny's second start as a Dodger. I got there a little late, looking forward to seeing Brad Penny pitch after his gem against the Pirates and watching the other new Dodgers play. While we're filtering into the stadium, I look up at one of the TV monitors. I'm like, "Hey, that's not Brad Penny." It wasn't until I got home that I saw the gruesome replays. A different kind of stomach discomfort.

So the Dodgers are getting ready to play DC, and I gotta ask, where's Jon?

June 1969 Padres v. Dodgers doubleheader

Willie Crawford hit a grand slam to help the Dodgers win the first game (7-3) of a doubleheader they would eventually sweep (won second game 11-1).

My dad got me one of the old style bobbleheads with a Dodger uniform (#32).

I was only 7 years old but I have pretty good memories of the '69 race. Willie Davis had a long hitting streak (31 games?), Maury Wills came back, and Drysdale got hurt. I remember an extremely close race all season and the ill-fated 4 game sweep in September the Padres handed the Dodgers to knock them out of the race that Timmerman referenced.

June 30, 1962

I had just turned nine and was already obsessed with everything Dodgers. It was a special season and my grandfather and I were at the begining of a special relationship that evolved around the Dodgers and my learning to share in his love of baseball.

As was his pattern, my grandfather came to my house early in the afternoon and told my mother that he was taking me to Dodger Stadium that night. Sandy Koufax, his favorite Dodger, was pitching that night and he wanted me to see him. My favorite Dodger was Tommy Davis and I still remember the drive to Los Angeles on the old Sierra Highway and our debate about who was more valuable Sandy or Tommy.

When we arrived my grandfather said he wanted to see what the Loge section was like. This was the first year of the new park and we had never sat in the "orange section" before. My grandfather purchased two tickets ($3.50 a piece) from the ticket window and we went into the stadium.

We sat just over first base and I still recall feeling that this section was very different from the yellow or blue--more quiet, the fans older and more serious.

From the very begining of the game it was a special night. Koufax was just incredible. From the first base side of the field I remember being so impressed with his long stride to the plate when he delivered the ball and the power of his fastball. The Mets were no match. By the 7th evening all my grandfather and I could talk about was how special it would be to see a no-hitter.

We prayed and screamed and finally hugged eachother when it was over. I remember an excitement that night like no other. The pounding in my chest, the special roar of the crowd, the tears of joy when the last out finally came.

Sandy's first no-hitter, in the first year of Dodger Stadium on my first night in the Loge...I'll never forget it.

ncb