Stadium Traditions

[MWillyamz]

This post is inspired by YTown_Tribe_Fan's post about the paper bag gag. I would appreciate it if you can help me out by listing some unique ballpark traditions, i.e Cub fans throwing back HR balls. I'm very curious about this.

I would like you to list any traditions involving what fans do during the game (like the Yankees roll call) or what happens at the stadium when a HR is hit (like the cheap looking apple popping up at Shea).

Thanks,
Mark

[Kroxquo]

They don't have them any more, but when the Vet first opened, there were these two colonial looking characters named Phil and Phyllis who walked around the stadium. There were also large versions of them beyond the outfield fence and they would ring a large Liberty Bell for every Phils' homer (not often in the early 70's).

[RR]

Here are some things that I consider Stadium traditions:

Fenway: rhythmic clapping and sound effects to foul balls rolling on the screen.
Baltimore: give that fan a contract.
Yankees: roll call, characters (freddy the tin pan man, scatman, the old dancing postal worker)
Toronto: ok, blue jays, Lets. Play. Ball.
Montreal: banging the seats.
Mets: the apple, by the way, was the brainchild of Al Harazin in 1981. "Let's Go Mets". "oooh".
Cubs: throwing back home runs and ronnie woo-woo.
ChiSox: Nancy Faust, playing songs that are cute take offs on player names.
Phillies: Wolf Pack for Randy Wolf starts.
Columbus Clippers: ringing the bells.

[Kroxquo]

The organist at Three Rivers (and I assume that they took him to the new park whose name escapes me at the moment) had a different song for every player in the majors based on the player's name, nickname or something else about him. He would play the James Bond theme for Barry Bonds, the Dick Van Dyke Theme for Andy Van Slyke, music from the movie "El Cid" for Sid Bream, Strawberry Fields Forever for Darryl Strawberry, etc. He said one time that the only player he could never come up with a song for was Dickie Thon. He said it drove him nuts, but he couldn't think of one appropriate for him.

[MWillyamz]

Does the new Comiskey Park have an exploding scoreboard like Old Comiskey had when players hit HRs?

[The Commissioner]

Yep, its still there. That's one of the only features that they retained in the new Comiskey.

[SouthsideTom]

Unfortunately some of my South side breathern have decided that the "throwing the home run back" tradition was cool enough to import to Comiskey Park.
Nancy Faust (long time Comiskey Park organist) also plays "Na-Na-Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Hey-Goodbye" whenever an opposing pitcher is pulled from the game (along with fan sing along).

The exploding scoreboard is back from the old park

Tailgating is getting popular in the parking lot to the southwest of the Park.

Elvis Appreciation Night has been there for a few years (Beetle's Appreciation night was scrapped for some reason this year)...cheesy...yes, but better than Barney the Purple Dinosaur singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on the Northside.

Just after Jerry Reinsdorf took over the team, the Sox got their first mascots that I can remember.....a pair of oversized alien looking muppets named "Ribbie" and "Roobarb". They didn't last too long.

At Olde Comiskey Park during the Bill Veeck (God rest his soul) years, many of the ethnic communities had their own day at the Park (Greek Day, Irish Day, Italian Day, Lithuanian day, etc.) There was a Fun Run that was run through part of the neighborhood, with a finish line at home plate held every year at the beginning of September.

And of course, there was Andy the Clown at olde Comiskey Park. A guy just showed up one day dressed as a clown and started shouting "Goooo...youuuuuuu Whiiiiite Sox.....and made baloon animals for the kids......regretfully the current regime ended his stay shortly after they took over.

[retrofan]

I remember Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phyllis ringing the Liberty Bell. Plus, the Phillies always came up with a gimmick for opening day to deliver the first ball. Anybody remember Kite Man?
A nineties tradition was to buy cheap tickets and work your way down to the field seats, which were always empty. Ahh, the Vet...

[SouthsideTom]

At Comiskey Park, in another of the corporate "tie-ins", has a mini-UPS truck that delivers the baseballs to the umpires at the beginning of each game.

It brought back some other memories of the olde Park. There used to be a small sack of bseballs on an "elevator" that was located behind and to the side of home plate. If umpires needed new baseballs, they would signal someone, and the sack of baseballs would rise out of the ground, and the umpire could get what he needed.

Olde Comiskey Park used to have a barber's chair for haircuts during the game, and a shower. The New Comiskey has recently added showers for fans on hot days.

[Kroxquo]

Do they still sing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" in lieu of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th Inning stretch?

[bluezebra]

The Cubs' Bleacher Bums only throw back visitors' home runs.

I understand this is still done: when a foul ball rolls up the backstop screen, the fans go "Wooop Wooo" on the way up then down.

Bob

[JAdams]

The Budweiser theme at stretch time at Busch. At least they used to, I'm not sure since the stadium renovation when everything became more baseball like (ie better)

[SouthsideTom]

Hey, aside from forfeiting the game (Sparky Anderson convinced the umpires to call the second game), I would love to see disco demolition.......rap demolition.....you name it.

One of the DJs (Steve Dahl?) who was "responsible" for Disco Demolition actuall yfelt bad about it because he was a big Sox fan, and when they tore down the olde place, he reocrded a song about the Park...I have been looking for that recording because it is actually a very touching song.

[FERIS]

For Yankee stadium there is also the 5th inn. YMCA by the grounds crew

And lets not forget about our drunks

Feris

[satchelp]

Hi MW -
Currently at Qualcomm Stadium in the far provinces of San Diego, they play a very solemn dirge sequence of Cathedral Bells whenever Trevor Hoffman strides from the Bullpen to the Mound to Save the game for the Padres. BONGGGGGG ........BONGGGGGGGGGG ......BONGGGGGGG. It is supposed to indicate the funeral which is about to happen for the opposing team, I guess.

I remember some old Ebbets Field traditions from the 40's and 50's in Brooklyn:
* Whooooop up and whooooop down for foul balls on the screen behind home plate.
* The Dodger "Sym-Phony" roaming throughout the stands playing songs in their inimitable style.
* Beulah and her Cow Bell; she seemed to be at EVERY game.
* Happy Felton's KnotHole Gang before the game along the right-field line.
* Abe Stark's "HIT SIGN - WIN SUIT" sign on the fence in right field.

[bly11]

I thought it was Hilda Chester who had the cowbell. (Have you ever heard the story Pete Reiser told about the time Hilda changed pitchers for the Dodgers?) And don't forget Fierce Jack Pierce, the Cookie Lavagetto fanatic!

[bly11]

>What I like is that you know all this stuff better
>than I do - and you probably weren't even born yet.

You're right, I was born in 1969 ... but I'm basically a book addict, so my lack of personal experience is balanced by a ton of head knowledge. A mixed blessing.

I don't remember much about Fierce Jack Pierce, except that he used to chant, "Cook-ee, Cook-ee", and that he always had a helium tank with him - whenever Lavagetto came to bat, Pierce would blow up a helium balloon and send it floating into the air. But here's the story on Hilda Chester changing pitchers, courtesy of Pete Reiser in Donald Honig's "Baseball: When the Grass was Real":

----------------------------------------------------------

I remember one time, it was in either '41 or '42, we were in the seventh inning of a game. I was going out to take my position in center field, and I hear that voice: "Hey, Reiser!" Hilda. There could be 30,000 people there yelling at once, but Hilda was the one you'd hear. I look up, and she's dropping something onto the grass. "Give this note to Leo," she yells. So I pick it up and put it in my pocket. At the end of the inning I start heading in.

Now (Larry) MacPhail used to sit in a box right next to the dugout, and for some reason he waved to me as I came in, and I said, "Hi, Larry," as I went into the dugout. I gave Hilda's note to Leo and sat down. Next thing I know he's getting somebody hot in the bullpen; I think it was (Hugh) Casey. Meanwhile, (Whitlow) Wyatt's pitching a hell of a ball game for us. In the next inning the first guy hits the ball pretty good and goes out. The next guy gets a base hit. Here comes Leo. He takes Wyatt out and brings in Casey. Casey got rocked a few times, and we just did win the ball game, just did win it.

Leo had this rule that after a game you didn't take off your uniform until he said so. Usually he didn't invoke it unless we'd lost a tough one. But this day he goes into his office and slams the door without a word. We're all sitting there waiting for him to come out. Finally the door opens and out he comes. He points at me.

"Don't you ever give me another note from MacPhail as long as you play for me!"

"I didn't give you any note from MacPhail," I said.

"Don't tell me!" he yells. "You handed me a note in the seventh inning."

"That was from Hilda," I said.

"From HILDA?" he screams. I thought he was going to turn purple. "You mean to say that wasn't from MacPhail?"

I'd never even looked at the note, just handed it to him. Leo had heard me say something to MacPhail when I came in and figured the note was from Larry. It seems what the note said was: "Get Casey hot, Wyatt's losing it." So what you had was somebody named Hilda Chester sitting in the center-field bleachers changing pitchers for you. You talk about oddball things happening in Ebbets Field, you're not exaggerating.

----------------------------------------------------------

Oh, I wish I could've been there at Ebbets in the good old days. "The glorious past is gone forever ..."

[BlessYouBoys84]

Back in the 1980's at Tiger Stadium, the bleachers were known for their rowdy, yet loyal fans. At one time, they organized a parody of the Miller Lite ad "Less Filling, Tastes Great!" I'm probably not allowed to say it here so I'll paraphrase: One half of the bleachers would shout "F--- You!" and then the other half would shout "Eat S---!" I suppose this is why Mr. Campbell ordered the bleachers closed for nearly an entire season! Also, us bleacher creatures had a habit of jingling our car keys collectively when the opposition was at bat. Imagine the sound of thousands of keys! And it was also the bleacher crowd who would invariably start the wave around the stadium. One unique feature that I miss about Tiger Stadium is the double-decked stands. I recall watching the wave go thru the crowd clockwise on one deck and counter-clockwise on the other! Such great memories of the bleachers...

[olddumbguy]

In Anaheim, we have the "Wave" and beachballs. Also, fans are notorious for showing up late and leaving early. Not me, of course, I like to open the place and close the place. Problem is, they dont open the park until an hour before the game. Are there any parks that open earlyer so you can watch the home team take BP?

[bly11]

>I always wondered if it was true that west coast fans
>are fair weather fans and do not have the passion
>of some other fans. But, I didn't want to
>stereo type anyone because I know how it is to
>have a certain reputation being a Philadelphia fan.

Sad to say, West Coast fans have earned that reputation (I'm a California native myself). At the Big A, back in the '80s, the big tradition was tortilla-tossing (flinging them like frisbees), which should give you a clue ... . We're just not as intense on average out here, I guess.

But the other extreme wouldn't be any better. I mean, I don't think we've ever boo'ed Santa Claus. ;-)

One new tradition: the teenage drum corps at the Oakland Coliseum. Gives some people migraines, but I think it's mad fun.

bly11 - Oakland A's (boom boom boom) conference moderator

[RattleHead]

> Are there any parks that open earlyer so you can watch the home team take BP?

At the BOB they open the gates two hours before game time so you cn watch some of the batting practice, anyway. They throw you out real quick after the game, though, especially a night game.

Rattlehead

[trosmok]

Wrigley does have some lesser known traditions. There is still a bleacher bum who will lay odds and bet on every single pitch if he can "git sum action", Waveland Avenue is filled elbow to elbow with kids in mitts during BP, and during the game, but opening day is something everyone should experience if they can brave the April winter in the Windy City. As it is always sold out, one year I brought my camera, tried to check in as a member of the press corps, and easily slid past the hundred or so year old fellow watching the press credential door. Next thing I know, I'm on the field, greeting the Governor and other mucky mucks near first base. Almost everyone left by the fourth inning, so I had my choice of seats. Ranks as one of my favorite games. Only one better that comes to mind was opening day at Crosley Field; they used to put two rows of seats on the field, around the outfield, and I was priveleged to sit there, one year. Incidently, balls hit into those seats were ruled as ground rule doubles; priceless

[BlessYouBoys84]

Just another thought about the subject. I was watching a Mariners game this past week and I noticed a sound in the background. Did my ears deceive me? No! I had forgotten about the train! Apparently, there is a rail line near Safeco Field and on occasion, you can hear it's whistle blowing. Personally, I think the engineer likes to make a little more noise than is necessary. But perhaps he wants his part in baseball tradition too. Can any Seattle fans give us a little more info on this?
And of course for my Detroit input: there is an opera-singing hot dog vendor that works the area between third base and home at Comerica Park. His name is Charley and he gets upset if you want a hot dog with more than just mustard. He's a young guy, 21 I think, and he has great pipes. If you ever watch a Tigers game (bear with us) on TV or attend a game, you're sure to hear him.

[mjrbaseball]

Does anyone remember the "Sign Man" at Shea Stadium in the late '60s and early '70s? He wore a white hat, and always had an assortment of professionally-printed large signs he would hold up for every occasion. (I used to know his name, but I've forgotten it.)

[AndyS]

Let's not forget that guy in liederhosen that used to slide down the slide into the giant mug when a Brewer homered!

[AndyS]

Steve Dahl was indeed the DJ responsible for the damage to Comiskey Park on Disco demolition night. Was this the last major league game to be forfeited?

[MWillyamz]

BENNY!

I think his name was Benny the Brewer.

[bly11]

Bernie Brewer. Didn't they move him & the beer mug over to Miller Park?

bly11 - Oakland A's conference moderator

[Ytown_Tribe_fan]

John Adams. Every time the Tribe needs a rally (which is about every game) -- he's up there 'BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM' on his drum.

The Jake might be the only park in baseball with Advil vendors in the stands, although savvy long-time fans bring ear plugs and a thermos full of "Jack 'n' 'Zac", a home-brewed concoction of Jack Daniels and Prozac.

Old Municipal Stadium had the disctinction of being the most hated park for visiting ballplayers. A layer of green slime covered nearly every surface -- cold, damp slime. Players would occasionally slip and injure themselves, giving the Tribe a slight home-field advantage in those days.

[Chisox73]

Bernie Brewer has a new set up way up in left field.He has a bigger slide

[Williamsburg2599]

Whell you cant forget the "Ladys and Gentleman,Boys and Girls, Welcome to Fenway park" thing. And i dunno if i would call the throwing back the homeruns a tradition, cause if i caught a yankee homerun i would do it too.

[Brian McKenna]

Do they still sing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" in lieu of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th Inning stretch?

yeah - they stopped that for awhile in baltimore but its back

[F_man8326]

A couple of traditions that I can think of...
In Baltimore, the fans shout "O" at the appropriate time during the National Anthem.
The Brewers of course have the weiner race
Atlanta of course use to have Chief Noc-A-Homa; now they have the Coke-Cola Bottle lighting the sky up with fireworks after each homer.
In St. Pete, after every Devil Rays' win (which isn't a lot) they will illuminate the dome orange, signifying a win to the Bay Area
Dodger Stadium has what I call the "photo lights" in the out field that go off every time a dodger hits a HR.
San Fran has the Fog horn after each HR
A new tradition evolving in DC; the Fans jumping up and down, just like the old Redskins' Fans use to do in RFK

[Chisox73]

Steve Dahl was indeed the DJ responsible for the damage to Comiskey Park on Disco demolition night. Was this the last major league game to be forfeited?

The last game to be forfieted was about 10 years ago when the Dodgers had to forfiet a game againbst St.Louis after fans threw the free baseballs onto the field during the game.

I'll look this up for more info.

[wamby]

John Adams. Every time the Tribe needs a rally (which is about every game) -- he's up there 'BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM' on his drum.

The Jake might be the only park in baseball with Advil vendors in the stands, although savvy long-time fans bring ear plugs and a thermos full of "Jack 'n' 'Zac", a home-brewed concoction of Jack Daniels and Prozac.

Old Municipal Stadium had the disctinction of being the most hated park for visiting ballplayers. A layer of green slime covered nearly every surface -- cold, damp slime. Players would occasionally slip and injure themselves, giving the Tribe a slight home-field advantage in those days.

I remember hoping in 1994 that three particular individuals would not make the trip from Cleveland Stadium to Jacobs Field. One of them was John Adams.

[RuthMayBond]

I remember hoping in 1994 that three particular individuals would not make the trip from Cleveland Stadium to Jacobs Field. One of them was John Adams.Uh oh, was I one of the other two? :laugh

[wamby]

Uh oh, was I one of the other two? :laugh

Well.....

Actually, they were Herb Score and Mike Hargrove.

[Twisted Wicker]

The Tomahawk chop really sticks out in my mind for the Braves.

I can't really think of any good Tiger traditions, although I do remember the beach balls in the upper deck bleachers.

[Captain Cold Nose]

The Tomahawk chop really sticks out in my mind for the Braves.

I can't really think of any good Tiger traditions, although I do remember the beach balls in the upper deck bleachers.
For the longest time, they played John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" between innings, despite the fact Detroit was home to Motown Records, the Grande Ballroom, and is very much urban. The playing of the song was dropped when it was discovered John Denver was, in fact, an Oriole fan.

[RuthMayBond]

Well.....

Actually, they were Herb Score and Mike Hargrove.Thanks for keeping me at number 4 :laugh

[west coast orange and black]

F_man8326: San Francisco has the Fog horn after each HR

yep. the fog horn was used at candlestick park and it moved along with the team to the new digs.

also, a cable car bell is struck to sound the number of runs that the giants score in their half-inning.

new stuff at pac bell since the park opened:
water fountains in right field shoot off for giants home runs
use of a counter for giant player splash home runs
after sunday day games kids get to run the bases

fans throw hr balls hit by the visiting team back to the playing field. that oughtta take place only at wrigley.

[Victory Faust]

Back in the 1980's at Tiger Stadium, the bleachers were known for their rowdy, yet loyal fans. At one time, they organized a parody of the Miller Lite ad "Less Filling, Tastes Great!" I'm probably not allowed to say it here so I'll paraphrase: One half of the bleachers would shout "F--- You!" and then the other half would shout "Eat S---!" I suppose this is why Mr. Campbell ordered the bleachers closed for nearly an entire season! Also, us bleacher creatures had a habit of jingling our car keys collectively when the opposition was at bat. Imagine the sound of thousands of keys! And it was also the bleacher crowd who would invariably start the wave around the stadium. One unique feature that I miss about Tiger Stadium is the double-decked stands. I recall watching the wave go thru the crowd clockwise on one deck and counter-clockwise on the other! Such great memories of the bleachers...


I can tell by your screen name that you're a true friend!!! I spent many summer nights in the Tiger Stadium bleachers. Your post brought back many fond memories.

[BeatEmBucs]

The organist at Three Rivers (and I assume that they took him to the new park whose name escapes me at the moment) had a different song for every player in the majors based on the player's name, nickname or something else about him. He would play the James Bond theme for Barry Bonds, the Dick Van Dyke Theme for Andy Van Slyke, music from the movie "El Cid" for Sid Bream, Strawberry Fields Forever for Darryl Strawberry, etc. He said one time that the only player he could never come up with a song for was Dickie Thon. He said it drove him nuts, but he couldn't think of one appropriate for him.

Ahh the good old days. Vince Lascheid was the organist. He's still the organist at PNC Park, but the days of introducing players with his organ have gone by the wayside as nothing happens when an opponent comes to bat, and some pop tune (I would assume of the players choosing) plays as a Pirate steps up to the plate. The only real "tradition" of PNC Park is the pierogie race before the top of the 6th inning, and the bouncing "Eat N'Park Smiley Cookie" that bounces on the jumbotron during the 7th inning stretch (played by Lascheid) Everything else is kinda corporate as when a Pirate hits a homer, a big Pepsi bottle in Right Field spurts out steam, fireworks go off and it's annouced like "The (Car dealership) Bucco Blast, his (number) of the season, hit by (Player name and number)" It is disturbing IMO that some Pirate fans are trying to steal the ridiculous Cub gimmick of throwing back opposing HR balls. I think the baseball gods have punished the Cub fans because they do this. A home run ball during a game is special no matter who hits it, and I think we should leave that "tradition" to the Cub fans. Lord knows the Pirate pitchers have given up more than their share over the years.

[Centreville82]

Even though Anheuser-Busch doesn't own the Cards anymore, the crowd still sings the AB song "Here Comes The King" during the 7th inning stretch..

Ernie Hays has been the organist at Busch II and hopefully at III for over 30 years..

[Elvis]

Along the same line, perhaps the most notable and memorable Dodger home game tradition is the organ music. From Gladys Gooding in Ebbets Field to Dodger Stadium and Bob Mitchell in the 60s, Helen Dell in the 70s and 80s and Nancy Bea Hefley since 1988. Even though the insipid Pop and Hip-Hop have invaded Chavez Ravine in recent years, you can still hear Nancy Bea on her Roland organ playing before, throughout and after the game.

http://www.ballparktour.com/NancyBea.jpg

[Williamsburg2599]

Ahh the good old days. Vince Lascheid was the organist. He's still the organist at PNC Park, but the days of introducing players with his organ have gone by the wayside as nothing happens when an opponent comes to bat, and some pop tune (I would assume of the players choosing) plays as a Pirate steps up to the plate. The only real "tradition" of PNC Park is the pierogie race before the top of the 6th inning, and the bouncing "Eat N'Park Smiley Cookie" that bounces on the jumbotron during the 7th inning stretch (played by Lascheid) Everything else is kinda corporate as when a Pirate hits a homer, a big Pepsi bottle in Right Field spurts out steam, fireworks go off and it's annouced like "The (Car dealership) Bucco Blast, his (number) of the season, hit by (Player name and number)" It is disturbing IMO that some Pirate fans are trying to steal the ridiculous Cub gimmick of throwing back opposing HR balls. I think the baseball gods have punished the Cub fans because they do this. A home run ball during a game is special no matter who hits it, and I think we should leave that "tradition" to the Cub fans. Lord knows the Pirate pitchers have given up more than their share over the years.
I have to admit i might be stealing cubs fans traditions if i throw back a A-rod homerun, but not the first time the soxs stole something from the cubs (hint hint 1918):D :clapping :crazy If i hit him with it u think they throw me out;)?

[Bluesteve32]

In Anaheim, we have the "Wave" and beachballs. Also, fans are notorious for showing up late and leaving early. Not me, of course, I like to open the place and close the place. Problem is, they dont open the park until an hour before the game. Are there any parks that open earlyer so you can watch the home team take BP?

The leaving early and arriving late is more of a tradition at that other So Cal ballpark located in Chavez Ravine. Remember seeing clips of Gibson's homer and seeing the brakelights? I don't think people were leaving the stadium during the 2002 Series. ;)

I remember Fred Lynn was "surprised" by Morganna when she planted a big kiss on him. his quote was, "I heard the commotion in the stands and figured it was the wave or beachballs, I soon found out it was beachballs."

Not my pic, just found on google. ;)

[Elvis]

In Anaheim, we have the "Wave" and beachballs. Also, fans are notorious for showing up late and leaving early. Not me, of course, I like to open the place and close the place. Problem is, they dont open the park until an hour before the game. Are there any parks that open earlyer so you can watch the home team take BP?

Dodger Stadium opens 2 hours before the game and lets anyone sit in the Pavilion or Field level to try and catch balls.

And Steve, I don't know where those cars were coming from, but anyone at or watching the tape of that game knows there weren't any empty seats at the end of that game. Those were probably a couple of A's fans who thought the game was in the bag. :D

[RuthMayBond]

Dodger Stadium opens 2 hours before the game and lets anyone sit in the Pavilion or Field level to try and catch balls.One that I'll be taking advantage of this summer :D

[Bluesteve32]

Dodger Stadium opens 2 hours before the game and lets anyone sit in the Pavilion or Field level to try and catch balls.

And Steve, I don't know where those cars were coming from, but anyone at or watching the tape of that game knows there weren't any empty seats at the end of that game. Those were probably a couple of A's fans who thought the game was in the bag. :D

Actually, I was teaching a class and one of the kids (in HS) said he was at the game with his girlfiriend's family, so her dad, mom and GF were in this group of four, the guys were out voted 2-2 to leave.

That was one set of Dodger fans that left early. And take a look at the video, you WILL see cars in the parking lot leaving.

[Elvis]

That was one set of Dodger fans that left early. And take a look at the video, you WILL see cars in the parking lot leaving.

So if 50 out of 56,000 people left early, what's your point?

[Ontarioguy]

Actually, I was teaching a class and one of the kids (in HS) said he was at the game with his girlfiriend's family, so her dad, mom and GF were in this group of four, the guys were out voted 2-2 to leave.

That was one set of Dodger fans that left early. And take a look at the video, you WILL see cars in the parking lot leaving.
I'd lose countless hours of sleep if I missed a monumental event like that.

On the other hand, maybe the best place to be was infront of your TV:
Courtesy of WikiPedia
and look who's coming up," [Vin] Scully said. After two strikes, Gibson hit a ball on the ground, limped about 50 feet toward first base before the ball bounced foul, "...and it had to be an effort to run that far." Finally, on a 3-balls, 2-strikes pitch to Gibson from relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Scully was as stunned as anyone when he nearly screamed, "High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is... gone!!!" Holding to his long-standing belief that the noise of the fans best tells the story, Scully did not speak for 67 seconds before announcing, incredulously, "In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!"

Just Classic. Absolutely Classic.

[brooklyndodger14]

Does anyone remember the "Sign Man" at Shea Stadium in the late '60s and early '70s? He wore a white hat, and always had an assortment of professionally-printed large signs he would hold up for every occasion. (I used to know his name, but I've forgotten it.)

The man's name was Karl Earhardt, who sat in the season boxes along the 3rd base field level. According to one of the Met history books, he was a professional sign maker who hand cut the letters to all of his signs. He had so many made that he had a tab index so he could keep track of them. It became a kind of proceedure for him to select what ensemble of slogans would accompany him before each and every game. He would always have a knack for "signing" just the right message at any given moment.

(Picture included is from 1970 NY Mets Yearbook)

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[Elvis]

The man's name was Karl Earhardt, who sat in the season boxes along the 3rd base field level. According to one of the Met history books, he was a professional sign maker who hand cut the letters to all of his signs. He had so many made that he had a tab index so he could keep track of them. It became a kind of proceedure for him to select what ensemble of slogans would accompany him before each and every game. He would always have a knack for "signing" just the right message at any given moment.

(Picture included is from 1970 NY Mets Yearbook)

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

I remember just a few years ago seeing him at Shea. It was during a Dodgers broadcast and Vin was commenting on him from time to time as they showed him on camera. The signs looked the same by the way.

Is he still doing it?

[Bluesteve32]

So if 50 out of 56,000 people left early, what's your point?

Why anyone would leave a WS game with the situation still in doubt, is beyond me. Yet those knuckleheads did leave a classic moment in one of the most memorable plays in the game's history, to beat the traffic??????

Come on Elvis, that DOES give us So Cal fans a bad reputation and both the Dodgers and Angels do get some of those come in the third ining and leave in the eighth inning "fans" who come to the ballgame just to be seen and to brag that they have tickets.

[Elvis]

Why anyone would leave a WS game with the situation still in doubt, is beyond me. Yet those knuckleheads did leave a classic moment in one of the most memorable plays in the game's history, to beat the traffic??????

Come on Elvis, that DOES give us So Cal fans a bad reputation and both the Dodgers and Angels do get some of those come in the third ining and leave in the eighth inning "fans" who come to the ballgame just to be seen and to brag that they have tickets.

I'm sure a handfull of Angels fans left early in the World Series too. But of course you can't see the Anaheim parking lot on TV like you can in Los Angeles.

As for whatever reputation we have as fans in the SoCal area among other communities doesn't consern me, nor should you. We should worry about we think of ourselves. What others think of us is their worry.

The fact remains, in '88 and '02, both SoCal venues were packed right to the end of every game. That's what counts - not a few melvins who left early.

[riverfrontier]

As a midwesterner who was raised in san bernardino, i'd have to say that the baseball experience coast to coast has been pretty much the same for me. if you're a baseball mad kid and your folks know that every minute spent at the park is a memory you will treasure, they'll stay until the last out of a 10-2 ballgame. if you're with people who don't know if the padres play in the nl west or pcl, you'll be pressured to leave early. they're unaware of the cardinal rule that once you start a scorecard, you finish it. i saw my first games at dodger stadium and the big 'a' , and averaged about 10-15 games a year at tiger stadium during the 80s. i've been to a lot of parks, and as anybody who has also, you'll notice the number of people there for an 'outing' and the number there for the game. i don't understand how anybody would leave a world series game, but maybe an nba fan couldn't understand how i'd rather give my cat a bath than pay for any nba game, playoffs, finals included. when you have west coast stadiums built as islands in a sea of cars, getting out of the parking lot can take a lot longer than you want to take. inner city stadiums have cars parked in little side lots with easier access. many people walk. if you're downtown in cincinnati it is/was a short walk. you'd never walk to candlestick park. it's apples and oranges. fans who leave early are fans who leave early. i've been around apple-cheeked families in tiger stadium who would leave with a two run margin at the top of the eighth and guys who've been 'escorted' out of jack murphy stadium in extra innings. i've been the quiet guy with the scorecard and the loud guy with one beer too many (and the scorecard, always the scorecard) and i want to be the guy who calls the new york-boston phalanx of 'die-hard fans' out for what they are. just baseball fans who take the spotlight because the teams are winning. like mid 90s indians fans. go team.

[bluejaysfan]

In Toronto we used to have the fireworks go off whenever the Jays hit a home run, when the Jays took the field and when the Jays won a game (which was alot in those days). We also have the theme song "OK Blue Jays," which gets sung during the 7th Inning Stretch.

[RuthMayBond]

Do most other stadiums shoot off fireworks right after the National Anthem, or is that a Jacobs Field thing?

[Erik Bedard]

The last game to be forfieted was about 10 years ago when the Dodgers had to forfiet a game againbst St.Louis after fans threw the free baseballs onto the field during the game.

I'll look this up for more info.

Are you absolutely, completely positive? I seem to remember something about roof tiles falling at the SkyDome... might have to look that up.

[Erik Bedard]

I remember hearing about the 10,000th homer at Fenway being hit by a Sox player, then the 10,001st was thrown back... the announcer said something like "Well, I guess 10,001 isn't as important as 10,000." It was interesting because both homers came within an inning of each other... and if the opposing pitcher had been a little bit better, then the 10,000th homer at Fenway would have been thrown back, which would have been kind of sad.

[RuthMayBond]

Are you absolutely, completely positive? I seem to remember something about roof tiles falling at the SkyDome... might have to look that up.August 10, 1995

[efin98]

Are you absolutely, completely positive? I seem to remember something about roof tiles falling at the SkyDome... might have to look that up.

Are you sure you are not mistaking Sky Dome for King Dome? King Dome had tiles fall from the dome and forced the team to play away for part of that season while repairs were made, including games against the Red Sox(famous mad dash at Fenway for good seats!)

[bluejaysfan]

August 10, 1995

There was also a similar incident a few years ago that caused a game at Skydome to be postponed.

[SteveJRogers]

I remember just a few years ago seeing him at Shea. It was during a Dodgers broadcast and Vin was commenting on him from time to time as they showed him on camera. The signs looked the same by the way.

Is he still doing it?

He stopped coming after the new ownership took away his comp tickets. That was sometime in the early 1980s.

That game you are referring to was just a one game special during the Mets' 40th Anniversary celebration in 2002. He returned for the first time since he stopped coming regularly, and he would never return again.

He died over this past winter.

[Philtration]

At Comiskey Park, in another of the corporate "tie-ins", has a mini-UPS truck that delivers the baseballs to the umpires at the beginning of each game.

It brought back some other memories of the olde Park. There used to be a small sack of bseballs on an "elevator" that was located behind and to the side of home plate. If umpires needed new baseballs, they would signal someone, and the sack of baseballs would rise out of the ground, and the umpire could get what he needed.

Olde Comiskey Park used to have a barber's chair for haircuts during the game, and a shower. The New Comiskey has recently added showers for fans on hot days.

The shower in the center field bleachers at old Comiskey and now at U.S. Cellular is great on a hot day.
Not to mention the wet t-shirt bonus!:highfive:

[WestSideBomber]

Opening Day in Cincinnati is unparalleled in any other city. The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade (held every year since 1920) is amazing. The parade is broadcast live on TV and on the web to anybody who isn't skipping work or school to line the streets downtown.

Cincinnati has of course the Great Mr. Red's Race. Began back in the 70's with the move to Riverfront.

The greatest winning call in all of sports with Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman's "And this one belongs to the Reds" at the end of each game.

And of course, the greatest sign off in history' the late Joe Nuxhall "This is the ol' lefthander, rounding third and heading for home".

[LetsGoMets687]

The man's name was Karl Earhardt, who sat in the season boxes along the 3rd base field level. According to one of the Met history books, he was a professional sign maker who hand cut the letters to all of his signs. He had so many made that he had a tab index so he could keep track of them. It became a kind of proceedure for him to select what ensemble of slogans would accompany him before each and every game. He would always have a knack for "signing" just the right message at any given moment.

(Picture included is from 1970 NY Mets Yearbook)

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

RIP Karl....

[Paul W]

a n.y. times profile on the shea "sign guy"...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/sports/baseball/18cheer.html