10 Years Ago Today....

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#1 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:42 am

I decided to do something I had never done before, and until next week can still say I have never done since..... and because of it, I got to witness something that has happened only three times in the history of Major League Baseball, and the only time it occured during my lifetime.....

It was my very first week off I ever got at Mecca, and without anyone able to go with me, I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City since they were playing a doubleheader (A REAL doubleheader, not one of those day-night travesties) against the Angels. It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...

This was the first (Actually first two) of many completely meaningless September games that I have had the pleasure of witnessing at Kauffman Stadium over the years. The Anaheim Angels were in the middle of their 5 year flirtation with those perky looking Angels in the Outfield unies, which I have to admit I actually liked, though they found little to no success while presenting themselves that way.... and 1999 was by far the worst of those campaigns, as they were on their way to a 70-92 finish, and were coming into Kansas City from Minnesota, where Twins pitcher Eric Milton had just thrown a no-hitter against them 3 days earlier. They had also just recently let manager Terry Collins go, replacing him with long-time bench coach Joe Maddon... the same Joe Maddon who would later take the Rays to their first ever World Series. So the Angels, to say the least, were quite a mess at the end of the '99 season....

The Royals were not much better... in fact, they were far worse. In the midst of a run of 8 consecutive losing seasons, Kasnas City would finish the season 64-97, and set new standards in bullpen futility as they would amass a staggering 30 blown saves that year (2nd highest in ML history) compared to just 29 successful saves! In fact, they were about to rack up 2 more of them that very night, as they would blow 1 run leads to the Angels in the 9th inning of both games!

The official attendance for that doubleheader was listed at 11,290, but believe me, there were far less people there (There were no more than 100 people present in the stands when the first pitch of Game 1 was thrown). I'd estimate maybe 5,000 people were there to witness this rare event, and the baseball nerd in me is quite happy to have been one of them. So what happened? Let's set it up.....

In the 8th inning of Game 1, Royals left fielder Johnny Damon (Why yes, all former Yankees used to play for the Royals... it's a rule, you know) hurt himself swinging at a pitch. He was pinch hit for by Scott Pose (Noted as the first batter in Florida Marlins history), and would be unable to play the second game which put an end to his Kansas City Royals record 305 consecutive games played streak. Fortunately, with the expanded rosters, the Royals had someone to replace him in the second game. A guy that had just called up from AAA Omaha that day.....

That would be Mark Quinn, who would make his Major League debut in the second game as the designated hitter and batting 5th. Quinn wouldn't make a splash right away. He popped up to third base in his first at bat. He'd come up for the second time in the 4th inning, and lace a double to left field for his first Major League hit. But as excited as he mist have been to get that, he hadn't even set the table for what would be the lone bright spot of his all too short career (His last ML season was in 2002). With 2 outs in the 6th inning, facing Angels starter Mark Fyhrie, he'd crack his first Major League homerun, a 2 run blast to help the Royals pull within a run of Anaheim. Could it get any better for Quinn?

With a man on and one out in the 8th inning, with the Royals still trailing 4-3, Quinn would not only put KC ahead, but put his name on a list in the record books that to this day still only has 2 other names on it. Off of reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Quinn would smack his second homerun of the game, which put the Royals up 5-4. And while the shoddy Royals bullpen would later lose the game for them, one thing they could not piss away was Quinn's place in baseball history. Only the Browns' Bob Nieman (Ironically on this day 58 years ago) and the A's Bert Campaneris on July 23, 1964 had ever hit a pair of homers in their Major League debut prior to Quinn. I am still amazed to this day that it has only happened three times EVER, but of course, I am always rooting against every player who makes their debut to not go yard twice, thus preserving the absolute rarity of the event I got to witness.....

Thank you Mark Quinn, wherever you are!!!!

lb13

MarleysGh0st · #2 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:47 am

littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...

I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

mcd1400de · #3 Post by **mcd1400de** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:43 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

Agreed -- even as huge a baseball fan as I am, that stopped me dead in my tracks!!

Ok, now back to the rest of the post, lol.

Odyssey · #4 Post by **Odyssey** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:44 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

Me too!!! (Except for the skimming part--sports makes my eyes glaze over.)

#5 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:15 am

Odyssey wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

Me too!!! (Except for the skimming part--sports makes my eyes glaze over.)

I see y'all have seriously underestimated me when I talk about how little I get out......

lb13

MarleysGh0st · #6 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:38 am

littlebeast13 wrote:
Odyssey wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

Me too!!! (Except for the skimming part--sports makes my eyes glaze over.)

I see y'all have seriously underestimated me when I talk about how little I get out......

lb13

I believe it with undiminished amazement.

So what's the furthest you've ever been from home when you were traveling with family?

Southpaw Fanny · #7 Post by **Southpaw Fanny** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:39 am

mcd1400de wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).
Agreed -- even as huge a baseball fan as I am, that stopped me dead in my tracks!!

Ok, now back to the rest of the post, lol.

I don't find this particularly unusual, given the key phrase "on my own". Lots of people don't go anywhere by themselves. Now that I think about it, if it weren't for going to Nebraska by herself to pick up the kids or coming home after dropping off the kids, I don't think my sister has ever gone further than Denver (60 miles) on her own.

Not that she'd be scared to, just that she's never had the opportunity, necessity or desire for solo traveling.

#8 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:39 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:
Odyssey wrote:

Me too!!! (Except for the skimming part--sports makes my eyes glaze over.)

I see y'all have seriously underestimated me when I talk about how little I get out......

lb13
I believe it with undiminished amazement.

So what's the furthest you've ever been from home when you were traveling with family?

What's the distance from Granite City to ABC Studios?

lb13

MarleysGh0st · #9 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:44 am

littlebeast13 wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:So what's the furthest you've ever been from home when you were traveling with family?
What's the distance from Granite City to ABC Studios?

lb13

Ah! Yes, of course...

Google Maps says that's 949 miles, following I-70. I don't know what it would be by air.

#10 Post by **Bob78164** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:47 am

littlebeast13 wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:I believe it with undiminished amazement.

So what's the furthest you've ever been from home when you were traveling with family?

What's the distance from Granite City to ABC Studios?

lb13

Which airport did they have you use? I think both LGA and JFK are farther from Granite City than Manhattan is. EWR would be closer, though. --Bob

#11 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:49 am

Bob78164 wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:I believe it with undiminished amazement.

So what's the furthest you've ever been from home when you were traveling with family?

What's the distance from Granite City to ABC Studios?

lb13
Which airport did they have you use? I think both LGA and JFK are farther from Granite City than Manhattan is. EWR would be closer, though. --Bob

EWR it was....

But now we are getting picky....

lb13

#12 Post by **Bob78164** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:50 am

littlebeast13 wrote:But now we are getting picky....

lb13

You say that as though it's in some way unusual.

--Bob

MarleysGh0st · #13 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:58 am

Bob78164 wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:But now we are getting picky....

lb13
You say that as though it's in some way unusual. --Bob

Right! If we're establishing a record here...but if you flew into Newark, then the ABC studios remain the record mark.

#14 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:01 pm

MarleysGh0st wrote:
Bob78164 wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:But now we are getting picky....

lb13
You say that as though it's in some way unusual. --Bob
Right! If we're establishing a record here...but if you flew into Newark, then the ABC studios remain the record mark.

I wouldn't want to disappoint the picky, so maybe you need to figure out whether Times Square would be further than the ABC Studios.....

I will get with Dad in an attempt to trace out the exact route we walked so that we can get the distance to the nearest nanometer.....

lb13

#15 Post by **Bob78164** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:21 pm

littlebeast13 wrote:I wouldn't want to disappoint the picky, so maybe you need to figure out whether Times Square would be further than the ABC Studios.....

It's not. Times Square is certainly south of ABC Studios, and I think it's also a touch east. --Bob

tanstaafl2 · #16 Post by **tanstaafl2** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:05 pm

MarleysGh0st wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote:I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City...It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...
I find this far more incredible than any baseball-related anecdote that might have followed (which I skimmed over).

And makes me rethink the notion in a previous thread that beast and I think the same since I typically go 30 miles from home several times a week and have been going 30 miles from home on my own for some 35 years or so.

Or else the second part about it being scary is the more likely scenario...

silverscreenselect · #17 Post by **silverscreenselect** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:34 pm

littlebeast13 wrote: It was my very first week off I ever got at Mecca, and without anyone able to go with me, I decided to jump in the family Lumina and head off to Kansas City since they were playing a doubleheader (A REAL doubleheader, not one of those day-night travesties) against the Angels. It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own, but I am so glad I took the adventure...

I remember the first time I ever saw the Atlanta Braves play was before I started college in 1969. They played the expansion San Diego Padres in a twi-night doubleheader and swept the DH. I remember that year the Braves had a "Home Run for the Money" promotion sponsored by the tobacco company (back when they still advertised). They picked one inning and each Braves batter "hit" for one selected fan. If the Brave hit a home run, the fan got the jackpot which went up each game. They had a $25,000 grand slam promotion so if the Brave hit a grand slam, the fan got however much was in the jackpot plus 25G (back in 69, that was even bigger bucks). Anyway, Tony Gonzalez (not the current Falcon) hit a grand slam and some woman cashed in for about $30,000.

That was the year the Braves won the NL West and got swept by the Miracle Mets.

Does anyone know the last regularly scheduled doubleheader (not a rain game makeup) in the major leagues?

Snaxx · #18 Post by **Snaxx** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:45 pm

silverscreenselect wrote: Does anyone know the last regularly scheduled doubleheader (not a rain game makeup) in the major leagues?

I do not know myself but I googled up this source:

MEMORY LANE: Doubleheaders once were routine in major league baseball, but no more.
According to SI.com, the last regularly scheduled major league doubleheader was June 7, 1996 at Minnesota’s Metrodome (Twins-Athletics).
Why no more double dips? SI.com’s Tom Verducci recently wrote:
“The main culprit is simple economics. The game grew too popular (and salaries too expensive) for owners to forfeit an entire gate.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2009 ... +DH+Monday

.

#19 Post by **tubadave** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:46 pm

littlebeast13 wrote:It remains to this day the only time I have ever been more than 30 miles from home on my own

Damn. My commute to work is almost that far (a shade over 20 miles, I think.)

I've traveled, completely alone, to:

Several cities in Texas (especially Austin, since I lived there for a while)
Baltimore (for a weekend, had lunch with Corn while I was there!)
Los Angeles (the entire week following the weekend visit to Baltimore)
Las Vegas (flew alone once, though I met friends there)
Indianapolis (driven there from TX and flown)
Peoria, IL (family near there)
Baton Rouge (drove there alone in college, met people when I got there)

LB, I have Southwest buddy passes....I'll gladly send you one. Take a vacation. Come to Texas and watch the Rangers with me. Or something. But you have to got to get out more. :p

Jeemie · #20 Post by **Jeemie** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:48 pm

littlebeast13 wrote:I see y'all have seriously underestimated me when I talk about how little I get out......

lb13

Now we know why you have so much time for all those notebooks and paintings...

Although I admit that this surprises me too.

You come from a large family. So do I (youngest of seven).

Because of that, I absolutely RELISH the times I am off by myself...because it happened so rarely when I was growing up.

Snaxx · #21 Post by **Snaxx** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:49 pm

And this source says there was another one in 2001 with the same teams:

On Saturday, however, the A's and Minnesota Twins will step into yesteryear. They will play the only non-makeup doubleheader in the majors this season _ the first for the A's since a doubleheader at the Metrodome in 1996.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-121013244.html

Snaxx · #22 Post by **Snaxx** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:55 pm

Here is more on the May 2001 games:

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Playing an old-fashioned doubleheader in
nostalgic uniforms, the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins
staged a classic.

http://www.asp.usatoday.com/sports/scor ... 146305.htm

.

tlynn78 · #23 Post by **tlynn78** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:06 pm

LB, take Dave up on his offer, man. You need to get out more. Longest trip by myself? Atlanta to Manilla, PI when I was 20. I adore travelling alone.

t.

#24 Post by **littlebeast13** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:35 pm

jacorbett70 wrote:
silverscreenselect wrote: Does anyone know the last regularly scheduled doubleheader (not a rain game makeup) in the major leagues?
I do not know myself but I googled up this source:

MEMORY LANE: Doubleheaders once were routine in major league baseball, but no more.
According to SI.com, the last regularly scheduled major league doubleheader was June 7, 1996 at Minnesota’s Metrodome (Twins-Athletics).
Why no more double dips? SI.com’s Tom Verducci recently wrote:
“The main culprit is simple economics. The game grew too popular (and salaries too expensive) for owners to forfeit an entire gate.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2009 ... +DH+Monday

.

LOL! Just this afternoon while I was having my attack of insomnia I was just looking up the game I attended in Denver on June 8, 1996 and saw that doubleheader! (BTW, I'm pretty sure it was the 8th and not the 7th as the article says, unless Retrosheet is messed up) And the only reason I double-taked is I remembered that doubleheader was scheduled in to Ken Griffey Jr.'s baseball game for the Super Nintendo (Which ran off of the 1996 season schedule), and I always thought it was just a programming glitch.....

lb13

#25 Post by **littlebeast13** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:25 am

You know, I will admit that when I typed this little story I figured a smartass or two might comment on that little factoid about me I threw in there, but I am surprised there seemed to be such a

reaction to it. Sheesh, am I that bad because I've never really had the urge to go anywhere by myself before?

But fear not those of you who think I don't get out enough. By next Tuesday afternoon, I hope to be a little over 500 miles away from here...... on my own...... assuming the LBN can make it that far without the wheels falling off.....

tubadave wrote:LB, I have Southwest buddy passes....I'll gladly send you one. Take a vacation. Come to Texas and watch the Rangers with me. Or something. But you have to got to get out more. :p

I will pass on the buddy passes since flying doesn't interest me in the least (The drive/ride is half the trip experience), but hold that second thought for another year. Once I visit Cleveland, I believe Arlington becomes one of the next closest parks to me that I have not been to yet. If I come down there though, I expect you to buy me a Pepsi.....

lb13

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