Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News
With our first day to start the 2010 season, and the demolition of the old building progressing quickly, I found myself getting a bit melancholy during yesterday’s game. Baseball is always a blend of the old and new, and seeing the 2009 team getting their shiny, newly minted rings juxtaposed against Gene Monahan (who is battling throat cancer) left me a bit wistful and reflective amidst all the joy and triumph of yesterday’s ceremonies. Gene got a nice ovation and big hugs from players who he’s probably spent a lot of time with in Posada and Matsui. He’s been a fixture with the Yanks, he’s been the Yankee trainer since 1973, longer than I’ve been following the team. It made me think what a memorable day yesterday was, and I found myself reflecting back to when I was introduced to the team as a young boy.
My first memory as a Yankee fan was October 14th, 1976. I was a 7 year old, and had no idea of what Baseball was other than the fact that my parents watched a lot of it. We were gathered around the TV watching Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS (best of 5 back then) played at the newly renovated Yankee Stadium. The game was tied 6-6, as Kansas City scored 3 in the top of the 8th off Yankee reliever Grant Jackson, who blew the save for starter Ed Figeroa. Chris Chambliss came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th, and hit a walk-off, ALCS winning Home Run off Mark Littell of the Kansas City Royals that put the Yanks in the World Series for the first time in 12 years. I’m sure you’ve seen the video, the fans flooded the field and Chambliss ran to the dugout as if for his very life. I was a 7 year old kid and became instantly fascinated at what could cause such a furor. My parents were huge Mets fans and old Brooklyn Dodger fans from the time when they were kids, so their son getting hooked on the hated Yanks was an unfortunate turn of events. My Dad was no doubt rooting against them and left his chair in disgust after the Chambliss blast. I started following the Yanks thereafter, saw them win in 1977 with Reggie Jackson’s 3 HR game and again in 1978 when Graig Nettles saved a spent Ron Guidry with 3 sparkling defensive plays in Game 3 of that series. But by that time, I was already long since hooked. The Chambliss blast intrigued me and the Reggie game cemented the deal.
Do you remember you first memory as a Yankee fan? The moment when you got hooked on the team? If so, what was it?
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17 Responses to Your First Memory as a Yankee fan
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It was the same year, 1976, I was eleven then. You see, my family immigrated from the Carribbeans and I did not know about baseball until the Yankees signed Reggie Jackson. I started following Reggie initially due to the hoopla created with his signing. From that moment on, until today, but especially during that 3 hr performance, I have been a huge Yankees fan. Now, I monitor myself so it is not an addiction…yea that bad. Great story.
Andy Hawkins pitches a no hitter and loses 4-0. I was nine. I have earlier baseball memories but Ive trotted that one out enough times to explain that no, being a Yankee fan wasn’t always rings and parades, that it has become the dominant baseball memory of my young life.
Hm, I guess it was a game vs. the Blue Jays in 1995. I went with my family and the guy sitting next to us was really funny. I remember Don Mattingly hit a ball to RF that didn’t quite go out, but he thought it did so he got thrown out at second. The Yankees ended up winning, though.
I remember my first Yankee game (a few years earlier I was taken to a Mets game fell asleep in the first inning woke up at home and threw up — been a Yankees fan since) 2nd base ump Tim Tschedia blew a double play call in the first (said the SS didnt touch 2nd) and cost the yanks 3 runs and they lost 3-1 (I want to say Matt Nokes hit a homerun and Steve Sax popped up with the base loaded and 2 outs in the 8th — but I may be confusing games). I think this was 1993. In 1995 I got to see Andy win his first game (Jeter actually paid SS as he spent some time in the Majors in May the year before he was ROY due to an injury).
BTW someone from MLB’s office reads this blog and had the video link removed.
My first memory of the Yanks is one of their worst moments ever, it was of Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk-off homer in the 1960 series. I never really recovered from that even though I was only 6 at the time. Many many more happy memories since then. Also, God bless the Boss for buying the team. The late sixties, early seventies teams were agony to watch. George, you’re my hero.
Damn Steve, you’re old.
For me, I was 12 years old. I don’t remember really enjoying pro ball before that. I played little league, and every once in awhile went to a game. One of those games was Game 1 of the 1998 World Series. Tino Martinez his grand slam right over my head. Instantly, Tino was my favorite player and baseball was my favorite sport.
That’s funny, the Chambliss homer is also my first Yankee memory – how weird. I remember going crazy, and being so excited, yet I can’t remember a single thing before that moment, though I must have been following the team to some extent in order to get so worked up. Maybe I could just feel the excitement of the crowd?
Mazeroski’s homer is a suppressed memory for me, a subconscious pain that I refuse to acknowledge. So I say that my first Yankee memory is of the Mantle/Maris homerun race in ’61 when, at age seven, I added to my nightly bedtime prayers a request that it be Mickey who broke Ruth’s record.
I kind of have two answers to this. I very, very vaguely remember watching the 1998 World Series with my brother, but not caring about it (actually, I was bored to death of baseball on T.V.) at all, seeing as how I was 9 at the time. In 2001, I was not much of a Yankees fan because I still couldn’t sit down and watch a regular season game from beginning to end without getting bored. However, I do remember watching that bloop float over the head of Derek Jeter and throwing a couch pillow across the living room in a bit of anger.
Officially, my first year as a Yankees fan, 2003, saw my first memory and still the greatest post-season series – and game (Super Bowl 42 between the Giants and Patriots comes a close second, here) – in sports history. Aaron Boone’s pennant-clinching, walk-off home run in the 11th inning off of Boston’s Tim Wakefield is not only my greatest memory as a Yankees fan, but officially my first.
In my case was not a single moment, it was the Don Mattingly magical season of 1985. Watching Donny baseball play that season was something else pure class and talent, since then I’m a “die hard” Yankee fan.
While I did watch before ’60, that world series is the first indelible memory. Gil McDougald, Richardson’s amazing series, Ford’s streak of scoreless innings, etc. Maz’ HR (and the events leading up to it) are kind of a blur, but the whole sequence of events in the late innings of game 7 still seem a bit surreal anyway.
My first memory about baseball that I can remember vividly was my disappointment about the 1994 strike. I was 9 or so. The first clear baseball memory was the Leyritz homer in the 1995 ALDS.
Ditto on the strike. I was seven and thought that some guy from MLB was going to come to my house and take all my baseball stuff, so I took it and hid it so no one would find//take it.
i’d have to go with donnie baseball putting one in the seats in the 95 ALDS … that moment is just magic … still one of my favorite moments ever.
then of course mr jeter coming up. everyone my age ish (25) i think can thank jeter for loving the yankees
I saw a kid back in 1951(?) hit a monster HR into the right field stands, he was fooled by the outside pitch and only hit it with one hand on the bat. It was his first of many HRs.
The kid was Mickey Mantle, in Chicago.
Not my first game but, one I have never forgotten.
Charlie Hayes catching the last out of the ’96 World Series – very vividly, even though I was six years old.
I was 9 when that happened. All I remember is watching the beginning of the game, falling asleep at some point, and waking up in time to see Joe Torre giving a champagne covered press conference. It was such a mix of disappointment and joy.