As I noted from the get-go, I didn’t know if my original list of top 5’s would survive the week, today was supposed to be an internet related post, but decided on a different subject today!

For you non-sports fans, come back over the weekend, tomorrow will be my top 5 places I’ve been to with Elisabeth (romantic huh?).  So for today, my Top 5 sporting events I have attended seemed to be a fun one to think about.  So, the rule, I had to actually attend the game to have it qualify (in other words, not just see it on TV).

Without further ado, here is the list:

Honorable Mentions: 1992 Kentridge wins State Championship in basketball (the year after I graduated). With Elisabeth, M’s Win game 114 in 2001 to tie record (later to win 116) and Yankees/Red Sox, July 5, 2008.

Five: Cubs vs. White Sox, Wrigley Field, May 18,  2007.  This set the stage for #4 a year later.  As a “build memories while we can” surprise (no worries, neither of us is dying, but you know what I mean… right?  My wife said this sounded too morbid). I surprised my Dad by giving him a trip to Chicago to take in a few stadiums together.  We were able to see Yanks/White Sox at US Cellular Field the day before and then after Wrigley’s day game we drove to Milwaukee for a night game between the Brewers and Twins.  What a day, what a three day trip.  Wrigley Field was incredible and my Dad and I had such a fun time interacting with the fans around.  Great game too as the Cubs come from behind for a 6-3 victory.

Four: Red Sox vs. Twins, Fenway Park, July 7, 2008.  Not a big Red Sox fan, nor am I a Twins fans, however, I am a HUGE baseball and baseball park fan!  The experience of Fenway Park is worthy of a top 5 by itself, but to take it in with my dad and my brother created a great family memory.  Manny Ramirez, just weeks before being traded to the Dodgers wins it with a late-game single for the 1-0 victory.

Three: Rainiers vs. ???, 2008. Don’t remember who the Tacoma Rainiers played, I do remembered we won the game, but want stands out to me about this game was that it was with my two daughters, it was a blast and we made it through all 9 innings!  Talk about a great daddy-daughter date!  A friend of mine (Brad) IM’d me early in the day stating he had a few extra tickets for a youth event he was doing that night.  Within  a few hours we were on the road where we enjoyed hot dogs, dip-n-dots and nine innings of baseball!  The girls cheered so loud with each home run!

Two: Seahawks vs. Packers, Monday Night Football 2006.  Attended this sn0w-bowl with the Heider boys and Marc Gronholz.  What a great game and how incredible that on a Monday Night Football game we had about 3-4 inches of snow fall during the game!  The Seahawks won the game 34-24!

One: Game 4, Mariners vs. Yankees, October 1995. Without question, game 4 of the Mariners and Yankees in 1995 stands out as the best sporting event I have ever attended.  When Edgar Matinez came to the plate in a 6-6 tie in the 8th the crowd of over 57,000 had already been on their collective feet for most of the game.  Though we were not listening to it, I could in my mind hear Dave Niehaus screaming “Get out the rye bread and mustard grandma, it’s grand salami time” as Edgar crushed a grand slam en route to an 11-8 Mariner victory.

I was a Youth Pastor in Roseburg, OR at the time.  Elisabeth and I had just gotten engaged three weeks prior and she had flown up (from school in SoCal) to celebrate with our family and begin the wedding planning process.  My brother had tickets to all the playoff games and when he invited me to the game it was a difficult choice to make because we had come up to Seattle to celebrate with family but needed to get back to church by Sunday morning (small town, not good for the Youth Pastor to be gone so early in his job). So, when I saw that Elisabeth was willing to have me go (gotta love that fiancee) to the game and sacrifice sleep for us to get back to Roseburg (5.5 hours south), I jumped at the opportunity.

I remember after that home run turning and yelling something at my brother and he screamed back.  To this day, I have no idea what he said and I have no idea what he said, it was just that loud!

Okay, I need to stop, because I am beginning to re-think this list and am remembering games I attended that probably should be on this list… So, have you been to some good ones?  What is your best sporting event you have attended?  Has anyone else been to any of them that I have been to?

Grace,
Brian