Wild Thing Preview

Chicago Cubs v Philadelphia Phillies, September 5, 1990

Veterans Stadium Sec 207 Row 1

A low scoring game with the Cubs up 1-0 going into the 8th. The Phils Terry Mulholland gave up only 4 hits in his 8 innings on the mound. The Cubs starter Mike Harkey only gave up 1 hit in his 6 1/3 innings of work.

It was a pitchers duel until the Phils got deep into the Cubs pen.

Philadelphia got a preview of things to come when the Cubs brought in Mitch The Wild Thing Williams. Williams gave up an RBI single to Darren Daulton and a ground rule double to Lenny Dykstra to put the Phils ahead 2-1 in the 8th.

The Phils added another run in the 8th after the Cubs pulled Williams in favor of Les Lancaster.

The home 4th place Phillies beat the 4th place Cubs 4-1 in this battle of mediocre teams late in the year to the delight of 16,177 in this house that seated over 60,000.

Season Opener Fizzle

University of Virginia v Pittsburgh, September 2, 2006

Heinz Field, Sec 411

We were in luxury boxes for this season opener for both Virginia and Pitt.

Tyler Palko threw a pair of first-down touchdown passes longer than 70 yards and Pittsburgh got off to the kind of strong start in coach Dave Wannstedt's second season that it wanted in its first, routing Virginia 38-13 Saturday night.

Palko, in his third season at quarterback but teamed with an almost-new cast of receivers, played a near-perfect game except for an interception that was returned 47 yards by Nate Lyles to set up Virginia's only touchdown. Palko finished 17 of 22 for 283 yards with three touchdowns, including a 72-yarder to Oderick Turner and a 78-yarder to Derek Kinder.

Palko showed off a deep passing game that Pitt lacked last season while going 5-6. The Panthers started the season in the Top 25, only to be routed at home by Notre Dame 42-21 in their opener en route to an 0-3 start.

This debut game was nearly the opposite, except that Pitt also began it with an opening-drive touchdown, just as it did the Notre Dame loss. Palko found Turner for 20 yards on Pitt's initial third-down play of the season. That led to Palko's 1-yard scoring flip to Darrell Strong on a misdirection play that found Palko and Strong wide open by themselves on the left side of the field. Palko, who followed up an excellent sophomore season with a good but not great junior year, hit on the first deep throw he attempted, finding Turner open down the middle on a 72-yard scoring pass midway through the second quarter.

There was a Fighting Irish connection in this game, too, as Christian Olsen debuted as Virginia's quarterback four years after transferring from Notre Dame. Olsen, a senior, had a rough debut as he could never get into a rhythm with his receivers in a Cavaliers offense that produced only two field goals and the interception-created touchdown.

Olsen was intercepted himself for a score, by Darrelle Revis for 19 yards midway through the third quarter to make it 24-10, and so was his replacement. Kevin McCabe came in late in the fourth quarter and immediately was intercepted by Clint Session for a 78-yard scoring return during Pitt's ninth opening-game victory in its last 10.

Virginia coach Al Groh has called it a rebuilding season for his team, which is coming off a 7-5 season that was considered disappointing, but no doubt even he didn't know that competing with Pitt would be so difficult. The Panthers have questionable depth at running back, wide receiver and kicker but displayed none of those weaknesses during a solid start-to-finish opener.

Pitt's receiving group was a major unknown after losing top receiver Greg Lee, who left after his junior season but was not drafted. None of Pitt's returning receivers had as many as 40 catches last season, but Turner made two catches for 92 yards and Kinder had four.

Pitt had a ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of its unbeaten 1976 national championship team led by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, who attended the game.

Bushes

Charlotte Knights v Richmond Braves, September 2, 2005

The Diamond,
Sec COMP





09/02 CHA    W   5-4         55-86      (W) Bernero      (L) Diaz        (SV) Childers   

Commissioner Dies

Seattle Mariners v Boston Red Sox, September 1, 1989

Fenway Park, Sec 5 Row 5

This was the day baseball commissoner Bart Giamatti died. Prior to the game a moment of silence was observed.

An early two run homer by Seattle's first baseman Alvin Davis got the visitors ahead quickly in the first. An Ellis Burks single to left scoring Jody Reed cut the early deficit in half for the Sox. Dewey Evans drove in Mike Greenwell in the 4th for the Sox to tie the ball game up at 2.

Philadelphia native Jeffrey Leonard hit a home run in the 6th to put the Mariners ahead again 3-2. That was followed by another 1 run homer in the 7th by Seattle's Dave Valle. The Mariners kept adding on in the 8th once they got to Boston's bullpen.

Mike Smithson suffered the Sox loss by a score of 7-2. There was a very decent crowd of 31,581 on this early fall Friday evening.

A young Ken Griffey, Jr went 0-4 in the contest.

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." Bart Giamatti.

Giamatti served as Major League Baseball Commissioner for only 154 days before succumbing to a heart attack on this date. 8 days prior Giamatti banned Pete Rose from baseball for life for gambling on baseball.

1950 WS Rematch

New York Yankees v Philadelphia Phillies,

September 1, 1997 Veterans Stadium, Sec

This was still the first year of interleague play. There was still a novelty. The first time the New York Yankees came to Philadelphia since the 1950 World Series. The Yankees are coming off their first World Series victory since 1978. Plus the much hyped Hideki Irabu is pitching for the Bombers against the Phils ace Curt Schilling. Plus it was a Labor Day daytime game with a packed house. Not a bad atmosphere.

I had just returned home from Boston where I caught an interleague game at Fenway against the Braves over the weekend. I took my one son to his first MLB game today.

Schilling sat down the first 6 Yankees early. Irabu gave up two quick singles that set up a Mike Lieberthal RBI single to left scoring both Mickey Morandini and Scott Rolen.

Tony Barron did not have either a long or illustrious MLB career but he did manage to jack one out to deep right center to start the 4th inning. Irabu uncorked a wild pitch later in the inning scoring Kevin Stocker. And a Scott Rolen single in the same inning scored Curt Schilling, who reached base earlier on a bunt.

The Yankees Wade Bogg finally got the Bombers on the board in the 6th with an RBI single.
Second year Yankees and lead off man Derek Jeter went 0-4 in the game.

The Phils went on to beat the Yankees 5-1 in front of 50,869.

4 Hitter

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies, August 31, 1991

Veterans Stadium, Sec 624 Row 4

Another Phils Braves matchups. I never sought out to ever see one particular visiting
team but it does appear I have attended a bunch of Braves away games.

Wes Chamberlain and John Kruk each drove in runs in the first for the home team. Dickie Thon did the same for the Phils in the 3rd. Thon drove in another run in the 4th after Darren Daulton launched a home run to deep right field earlier in the inning.

Jose DeJesus 3 hit the Braves in 8 innings. Releiver Joe Boever the Saver came in to close out the game. He only surrendered one hit. Combined, the Braves only had 4 hits for the entire game.

The 5th place Phils ended up beating the 1st place Braves 5-0. Mark Woehler's pitched 2 innings in relief of the Braves. I remember watching the scoreboard radar gun readout topping 100 MPH.