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Quick Pitch

Bobble Head Collection, Quick Pitch

Quick Pitch: Show and Tell (Chris Snyder goes to Kindergarten)

February 12, 2016

In an another post,

You Never Forget Your First . . . Figurine

I talked about Mac getting his first bobble head.  It was a Chris Snyder “catcher in action” figure.  Needless to say, Mac was engrossed by it.  He studied it, played with it and analyzed it quite a bit.  There wasn’t a detail on it that Mac didn’t commit to memory.

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So, when it came time for the school year to start, Mac needed an item for Show and Tell.  This was not a difficult choice for him.  It was time for Chris Snyder to go to Kindergarten.

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It was important for Mac to explain the nuances of the figure.

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Here is Mac breaking down the bobble in even more detail for his classmates.

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Not another picture, Dad!

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Quick Pitch

Major League – The Movie (Hi Corbett Field)

July 21, 2015

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When:  Spring 1988

Where:  Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona

Who:  Todd Martin, Eric Frans, Phil Snyder and Me

You Saw What? The guys and I ditched class one Spring afternoon to watch the filming of some new movie at Hi Corbett.  We didn’t really need an excuse to skip class, but rumors were that we could see Charlie Sheen and Corbin Bernsen in action. My hope was to see a childhood hero from my days in Wisconsin – Bob Uecker.  At that time he was riding a crest of popularity due to his Miller Lite commercials and starring in Mr. Belvedere.

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We were there for the filming of one scene – the terrible base running of Willie Mays Hayes played by some guy we had never heard of before.  Little did we know that Wesley Snipes was a future star and tax evader.

After three hours of bad base sliding, we headed out disappointed since we did not see any of the “stars” from the film. It was so boring.  Seriously, we opened up our backpacks and started doing homework.  While the day was pretty much a bust, I did get to see the Ueck in action from the press box.

Quick Pitch

George Brett’s Final Home Game (Royals Stadium)

July 2, 2015

George Brett’s Final Home Game

September 29, 1993 at Royals Stadium

Box Score

Indians – Royals September 29, 1993

Who:  Jumping Jamie Plesser and Me

What:  During my first semester at the University of Kansas School of Law, my roommate came into possession of tickets for the final home game of Royals Legend, George Brett.  Jumping Jamie was (and is) a true Royal fan.  No way were we going to miss this game.  The previous year, we almost saw his 3,000th hit.  We were a game late for that event.  This night was not optional.

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The game was pretty non-descript final weekend game for two teams headed in opposite directions.  The Royals were on the slow descent to mediocrity while the Indians were ascending toward juggernaut status.  However, every time Brett came to bat the place became electric.  It was amazing to see the fans cheer for the unquestioned greatest player in franchise history.  When the game ended, the third baseman gave a great speech.  As an Arizona alum, the high point was Brett acknowledging former Arizona hoops player, Kenny Lofton.

The Moment:  Following the emotional goodbye, Brett rode around the stadium in a golf cart before jumping off to do this:

One Last Good Bye

One Last Good Bye

Check out this great article about the final game:

http://www.si.com/vault/1993/10/11/129484/thats-all-folks-george-brett-celebrated-his-final-home-game-in-kansas-city-with-a-few-last-laughs

Quick Pitch

My Night in the Rock Pile (Mile High Stadium)

July 2, 2015

July 18, 1994 at Mile High Stadium

Box Score

Cubs – Rockies July 18, 1994

Who:  John Dalton and Me

What:  This summer I was working in Denver for the ACLU Mountain Region Office.  Luckily for me, an old friend lived in Denver near where I was working.  John’s apartment was also near the city-wide bike path, so we would hop on our bicycles to head out to downtown.

The Rockies were still a new franchise that was playing their games in Mile High Stadium, whose primary tenant was the Denver Broncos.  While Mile High was a great football stadium, it was terrible for baseball.  Due to the unusual seating configuration, tickets were plentiful.  On this evening, we rode our bikes out to the stadium to find seats in the Rock Pile.  What was the Rock Pile?  These were the seats furthest away from the home plate in Center Field.  The best part – each ticket was only $1!

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For a single dollar, we had an awesome view of what we thought was a professional baseball game.  It was hard to tell!

Located in dead Center Field.  Elevated above the field.  That was the Rock Pile.

Located in dead Center Field. Elevated above the field. That was the Rock Pile.

From our vantage point, we could see the McNichols Arena and, possibly, all the way to Wyoming.

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Somehow, though, we still managed to have a good time.

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Most Memorable Moment: 

John and I were there on a random Monday night in July.  Without a giveaway or other promotional event, there were over 63,000 fans in the stadium.  That’s right, 63,000!  It was insane.  Here is a view from the First Base line.

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