Mississippi Sea Wolves v Richmond Renegades, May 23, 1999
Richmond Coliseum, Sec 6L, Row D
The prize wasn't as grand as the 97 Calder Cup Championships the family attended but the Richmond Renegades were in the Finals of ECHL Championships. The home Renegades won a squeeker infront of a jubilant, rare Coliseum sell out crowd taking going up 3-1 in the series.
The Sea Wolves went on to win the next 2 setting up a Game 7 in Mississippi. There was no TV for minor leagues so I sat in front of the radio and listened as the Renegades took Game 7 into OT. Bruce Boudreau was the coach for the Sea Wolves this season.
Sunday
Playoff Hat Trick
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| The last helmetless NHLer; Craig MacTavish |
The Spectrum, Sec 21, Row 9
1941 was a chant you no longer hear when the Rangers play as they won their first Cup since then in the 1994 season. The Flyers didn't even make the playoffs in 94. But with Eric Lindros and the acquistion of Eric Desjardins and John LeClair, 1995 was a whole new season.
Normally I split seats with 4 guys during the regular season. We only had 2 tickets for select playoff games. We did some contest to divvy up the pairs. I drew this game and took my wife. The guys muck during the regular season and the wives get all the glory games.
Playoff hockey is a different atmosphere. Traffic is more intense. I usually parked for free on the other side of a lot where Lincoln Financial Field now sits. Cops had the side street blocked. I wasn't familair with too many options so I pulled into the first lot off Pattison (where Citizens Bank Park now sits). A guy stood at the entrance collecting $15. Suck it up and enjoy the day. We park and as we get out of the car I see other cars coming in from another entrance and they appear to be doing so without anyone collecting money.
I walked up to a guy who pulled in from that direction and asked if he paid. He said, :No, this is a free lot. It's private property." I told my wife to sit tight. I walked around the warehouse to the guy collecting money. he had to have a wad of hundreds in his hand. Not to make a scene, I walked up behind him, made no eye contract and said "give me my fucking money back so I don't have to kick your ass". Not missing a beat he charged the next car $15, handed me my refund making no eye contact and continued charging cars again. Nice work if you can get it.
This was Game One of the series. A weekend afternoon game. The Flyers dispatched Buffalo 4-1 in the previous series.
Things didn't start out well for the upstart Flyers playing the Stanley Cup defending champs. The Flyers Eric Lindros was called for a cross checking in the opening minutes of the game. Referee Don Koharski was hell bent on controlling the much more physical Flyers. With a man advantage New York's Mark Messier fed Brian Leetch for the game's first goal. Hoping to close out with a 1-0 deficit in the first the Flyers were called for another infraction with :31 to go in the period. Kevin Dineen was called for elbowing. Shortly thereafter the Rangers Petr Nedved scored with assists going to Sergi Zubov and Leetch. A goal in the first minute of a period or last minute is alway hard on the victim's psyche. The Rangers took a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
The 2nd started with a nice make up call when the Rangers Alexei Kovalev was sent to the box for hooking. On the same penalty kill, The Rangers Steve Lamar was called for hooking, giving the Flyers a 5 on 3 advantage. What the fans came for was to see the Legion of Doom in action. Eric Desjardins and Mikael Reneberg fed John LeClair for the home team's first goal of the game. The goal energized the Spectrum.
The Rangers were given another power play opportunity at the 15:04 mark setting up a Pat Veebek goal with assists to Messier and Zubov. John LeClair added another unassisted goal late in the 2nd.
While even strenght,the Flyers Eric Lindros and Petr Svoboda set up LeClair for a game tying hat trick which almost caused the crowd to rip the roof off the building at the 12:50 mark of the 3rd. Reneberg passed to Desjardins shortly after for the go ahead goal. The place could not be louder.
In desperation the Rangers pulled home town goalie Mike Richter for a man advantage. With :19 seconds left in regulation Verbeek scored tying the game and letting the air out of the barn.
A nail biting 20 minute intermission seemed like it took forever. Etched on the Stanley Cup for the 1994 Rangers was Craig MacTavish. MacTavish was traded to the Flyers in the off season. And it was today that he passed to the point to set up Desjardin up for the game winning goal. This may have been the loudest I remember the Spectrum. If not, it ranked up their the the Top 3. Also one of my greatest memories of The Spectrum.
Thursday
Great Ballpark, Horrible Game
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| Empty Seats |
PNC Park, Sec 213, Row 10
A business trip with a group. My first time seeing baseball in Pittsburgh (I've seen football and hockey already). A great stadium in a phenomenal location. Of the 4 classifications of baseball stadiums in my lifetime (Classic, Concrete Bowl, Dome, New), this is the best new stadium I have been in. Great city views, a little intimacy. Piss poor team for 20 years now. But Pittsburgh has some great baseball history.
Only 13,975 was on hand for this one. The Bucs shot out to a 3 run lead in the bottom of the 1st with a few singles, a triple followed by a double. The Brew Crew responded in the next frame with 2 of their own. The Brewers went ahead in the 4th, when the final score was determined.
In the annals of Major League Baseball, this was not an epic game.
Introduction to Minor Leagues Part II
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| Mgr John Mizerock |
Fawley Stadium, Sec 10 Row 5
The home team went 80-60 this year in the Carolina League. The Blue Rocks are the Single A farm team of the Kansas City Royals.
John Mizerock, a former Richmond Brave, was the manager this year for the Blue Rocks.
Baby Beltran
Fawley Stadium, Sec O, Row 2
We discovered minor league baseball thanks to the greed of the MLB players union in 1995. I worked for a minor league team a decade prior. But back then the minors were the Bush Leagues. A stop along the road where teams did little to no marketing and kids fell asleep by the 2nd inning.
But post strike minor league teams found they had a captive audience if they wanted to go get it. And the first thing most well run teams did was target the children.
Wilmington, Delaware was a good 1 hour from our home but I was familiar with the city. The kids loved the intimacy, the between inning antics, the mascot. These people wanted my kids there. Can't say the same for the Philadelphia Phillies in their concrete bowl with artificial turf and tens of thousands of empty seats.
The Blue Rocks had Carlos Beltran on the roster that year.
More NASCAR
Richmond International Raceway, Henrico V, Row 18
NASCAR is a sport that ranks far down on the list of sports I follow.
Hockey, baseball, football, college basketball (only), curling, women's volleyball, NASCAR...... But I sure do seem to go to a lot of races. It must be the tailgating.
The Intimidator was still alive for this one. He got a Top 10 finish. He never ran well in Richmond.
Top 10: Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Bobby Hamilton, Rusty Wallace, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Ward Burton and Rich Bickle.
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