***By insane, we're talking 1000% face value. Yes that would be 10x face value. There you have it. I paid ten times face value of a bleacher seat to see Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series in Miller Park against the Phillies. And you know what the sick thing is? I would happily do it again. Wouldn't even think twice about it.
So when I was at my internship at 101 ESPN this Friday and Cliff Saunders, the show's host, started discussing the idea of asking callers to recall the first sporting event they attending with their Dad for Father's Day, memory after memory started to flood in to my brain.
I remembered calling my Dad after the final game of the 2008 season and hearing the excitement in his voice as we discussed Ryan Braun's home run. I remembered watching game after game in Miller Park with him as he cheered on possibly his favorite Brewer of the last ten years, Bill Hall. I remembered him literally booing Jeff Suppan.* I remembered taking advantage of my sister's spot on the honor roll and watching the Brewers from the upper deck during Miller Park's inaugural season. But none of these memories were my first ballgame with my Dad.
***This is one of my few memories of him booing an actual player. I think this truly speaks volumes to the infamously terrible time Suppan spent with the Brewers.
Welcome to Milwaukee County Stadium.
I remember hearing these words as I walked through the turnstiles with my family for my first Brewers game. I wasn't in Miller Park. There was no corporate sponsor. No retractable roof. No fancy glass paneling. There was just County Stadium. A stadium that reflected the hard-working, blue collar workers of Milwaukee.
From what I remember of this first game, it was a cool spring evening. The most vivid memory I have is walking in the corridor of County Stadium as I prepared to walk up the stairs to our seats in the bleachers. The only thing I could think of when walking up those stairs was not the stadium. Or the game. Or our seats. I was only worried about batting practice!
Batting practice was the only thing I was concerned with. During the previous Brewers season, my brother had attended one of his friend's birthday parties and they went to batting practice and returned with a few baseballs each. Because of his story, I was convinced that if you stuck your glove in the air you were going to catch a baseball. Something like this. I think it almost goes without saying that the five year-old kid didn't catch any balls during batting practice. Though I was crushed, I settled in for the rest of the game.
I would be lying if I told you I remembered who the Brewers were playing or what the final score of the game was. But at that point it didn't matter. I was at County Stadium with my family and sitting next to my Dad. One thing I can guarantee is that my Dad was telling me about the finer points of the game.
My Dad is an absolute baseball junkie. He absolutely loves the game and is always willing to discuss it with just about anyone. To this day, if you are wearing a Brewers shirt at Nehm's Greenhouse and Floral, you will end up talking about the Brewers with my Dad. There is no way to escape that conversation. He just wouldn't have it any other way.
Sure, there were plenty of other things to distract me at that game. There was Bernie's Chalet in centerfield. For those of you non-Brewer fans, Bernie's Chalet was a little house that hung over a giant mug of beer that Bernie Brewer would slide down into when the Brewers hit home runs. Maybe that night Brewers first basemen John Jaha lifted one into the bleachers and Bernie slid down his slide, but I don't remember this. There was the World Famous Klement's Sausage Race, which at the time occurred virtually and featured little red dots racing around a virtual stadium. I don't remember this either. But I do remember having a ton of fun and wanting to go to Brewers games again and again.
I truly believe that the fun I had and the love that I developed for the game of baseball was due to my Dad's passion for the game. As the game went on, I'm sure he pointed out that hitting the cutoff man would have kept the hitter at first instead of second and kept the double play alive. And he was probably upset that Greg Vaughn didn't hustle down the line on his single to left field.
At the time, these small details met very little to me, but as time went on it showed just how much enjoyment you could get out of watching a simple game. And as I look back, I can honestly admit that I wouldn't have the same appreciation for such a simple game if it wasn't for my Dad. Thanks, Dad.
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Feel free to share your first sporting event experience with your Dad in the comments section of the article. It's always great to hear other people's experiences and their memories. And be sure to wish your Dad a Happy Father's Day and thank him for all of the things he has done for you in your life.
Welcome to Milwaukee County Stadium.
I remember hearing these words as I walked through the turnstiles with my family for my first Brewers game. I wasn't in Miller Park. There was no corporate sponsor. No retractable roof. No fancy glass paneling. There was just County Stadium. A stadium that reflected the hard-working, blue collar workers of Milwaukee.
From what I remember of this first game, it was a cool spring evening. The most vivid memory I have is walking in the corridor of County Stadium as I prepared to walk up the stairs to our seats in the bleachers. The only thing I could think of when walking up those stairs was not the stadium. Or the game. Or our seats. I was only worried about batting practice!
Batting practice was the only thing I was concerned with. During the previous Brewers season, my brother had attended one of his friend's birthday parties and they went to batting practice and returned with a few baseballs each. Because of his story, I was convinced that if you stuck your glove in the air you were going to catch a baseball. Something like this. I think it almost goes without saying that the five year-old kid didn't catch any balls during batting practice. Though I was crushed, I settled in for the rest of the game.
I would be lying if I told you I remembered who the Brewers were playing or what the final score of the game was. But at that point it didn't matter. I was at County Stadium with my family and sitting next to my Dad. One thing I can guarantee is that my Dad was telling me about the finer points of the game.
My Dad is an absolute baseball junkie. He absolutely loves the game and is always willing to discuss it with just about anyone. To this day, if you are wearing a Brewers shirt at Nehm's Greenhouse and Floral, you will end up talking about the Brewers with my Dad. There is no way to escape that conversation. He just wouldn't have it any other way.
Sure, there were plenty of other things to distract me at that game. There was Bernie's Chalet in centerfield. For those of you non-Brewer fans, Bernie's Chalet was a little house that hung over a giant mug of beer that Bernie Brewer would slide down into when the Brewers hit home runs. Maybe that night Brewers first basemen John Jaha lifted one into the bleachers and Bernie slid down his slide, but I don't remember this. There was the World Famous Klement's Sausage Race, which at the time occurred virtually and featured little red dots racing around a virtual stadium. I don't remember this either. But I do remember having a ton of fun and wanting to go to Brewers games again and again.
I truly believe that the fun I had and the love that I developed for the game of baseball was due to my Dad's passion for the game. As the game went on, I'm sure he pointed out that hitting the cutoff man would have kept the hitter at first instead of second and kept the double play alive. And he was probably upset that Greg Vaughn didn't hustle down the line on his single to left field.
At the time, these small details met very little to me, but as time went on it showed just how much enjoyment you could get out of watching a simple game. And as I look back, I can honestly admit that I wouldn't have the same appreciation for such a simple game if it wasn't for my Dad. Thanks, Dad.
-----------------------
Feel free to share your first sporting event experience with your Dad in the comments section of the article. It's always great to hear other people's experiences and their memories. And be sure to wish your Dad a Happy Father's Day and thank him for all of the things he has done for you in your life.
Steve likes to take long naps at the game. And yes, WE would definetely do the playoff experience ANYDAY lol
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