However... I might have left out the part about my trips to Candlestick Park to see the San Francisco Giants. There's no doubt that I attended way more A's games as a kid, but I went to at least a handful of Giants games every season.
Some of the most memorable years took place from the mid 80's into the early 90's during the "Humm Baby" era under the guidance of manager Roger Craig. At the time, nothing would give me more pleasure than to watch the Giants lose. I'd go to the games and always cheer for the visiting teams (yup... even the Dodgers).
In hindsight... I looked back at some of those great teams and realized that even though I wasn't a fan of them... I really did enjoy watching them. I still attend at least one or two games at AT&T each season... but no longer actively root against them (unless they're facing the Padres or Athletics). I just sit back, enjoy tasty, overpriced food, and watch some entertaining baseball.
In terms of sports cards, every now and then I'll actually target a Giant from my childhood and add him to the collection. Last January, I stumbled across this 1963 Fleer Roger Craig autograph on eBay and grabbed it for $6.25 (+ $1.34 shipping):
1963 Fleer #43
I realize it doesn't feature Craig in his San Francisco Giants uniform, but whenever I look at it... it still takes me right back to my childhood days at Candlestick Park during the Humm Baby era watching Craig and his merry band of Giants.
And while we're talking about my childhood, I figured I'd dedicate this post to George "The Animal" Steele who passed away on Thursday. I read about his passing over on Corky's blog, which immediately took me on a stroll down memory lane.
Steiner Authenticated Signed Photo
I grew up watching a lot of WWF wrestling during the mid 80's and I've reached that age where a lot of the guys I enjoyed cheering for are starting to pass away. In the past few years alone, wrestling fans have lost WWF Legends Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, The Ultimate Warrior, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mr. Fuji... and now George "The Animal" Steele. On one hand it's kind of sad... but on the other hand, it's a reminder that we should appreciate those while they're still alive and kicking. Rest in peace, Mr. Steele!
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
6 comments:
If I was in Chicago should I still know about Humm Baby? Nice card. Looks like Roger was photographed in the gloamin.
The Humm Baby era was one of my favorites, wonder if we ever sat near each other actively cheering against each other. I was at a lot of Giants games in the 80s and early 90s. Nice Roger Craig, even in a Mets uni. I too fondly remember The Animal and the days of the WWF.
Your post was a great walk down memory lane for me as well.
1) The '63 Fleer set is terrific. I remember Roger Craig as a Met. He had a couple of 20 loss seasons. Of course I think he won some World Series rings, too.
2) Why is that wrestler wearing a sweater? Oh...wait...
hackenbush - hmmm. not sure. as a kid living in the area, all i read about as a teenager in regard to the giants was humm baby
arpsmith - maybe. i was the chubby japanese guy rocking an a's hat to the giants game ;) good times
commish - the '63 set is quickly growing on me. i looked it up. craig has four world series rings. didn't realize he was the tigers pitching coach in 1984.
It's cool you have a Craig card as a Met. He was part of the original 62 team (that unfortunately lost 120 games! Eek!).
That is a great deal on the Craig autograph. I've been working on an autographed '63 Fleer set and, if memory serves, I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 when I sent my Roger Craig card off to a signing.
Post a Comment