November 18, 2021

Super Bowl 29, San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 (Miami) — Jan 1995

This one was over fast. The Chargers’ Stan Humphries is remembered as having turned in one of the worst SB quarterbacking performances (24-of-49, 2 INT). Meanwhile, Niners QB Steve Young connected with Jerry Rice on the game’s first offensive play for a TD strike and the rout was on. I attended as part of a McDonald’s worker junket. Throughout the week, I had worked on a Ronald House Charities’ PR initiative with spokespeople Joe Namath, Anthony Munoz, and Dan Marino. Postgame I had media access to the player “kiosks” (a mini podium “stand” that helped with security / larger numbers of reporters), and apart from having Young or Rice or Deion Sanders close at hand, what I remember today is just how tiny, diminutive, minuscule Mike Lupica and Mitch Albom were (are). Post-Super Bowl, I actually stayed over in Florida for an extra day to drive to Delray Beach to see my grandmother, Dodie Romey, whom I hadn’t been able to visit in about 7-8 years. We had a wonderful dinner together and I’m so glad it happened. It was our last time together; she passed away in 1996.

World Series, Games 1 and 2 (Chicago) — October 2005 

These were the loudest, most suspenseful two nights of my life as a sports fan. As a former Sox employee I was able to score tickets behind the rightfield picnic area at The Cell. To get to 35th and Shields both days, I took the El from the Clark and Waveland stop. It was surreal to be standing on the El platform at Belmont — a Sox fan waiting for the train to see them play in a World Series while staring into a forlorn, postseason Wrigley Field.

My section at Comiskey was populated with the familiar faces or former colleagues, many I hadn’t seen in a decade and all of whom were equally delighted to be in the unlikeliest of White Sox scenarios: hosting a World Series game. It was the greatest homecoming. Nobody wanted to leave the ballpark after either White Sox victory, 5-3 in Game 1 (on Scott Podsednik’s walk-off homer in the 9th), and 7-6 in Game 2. In the latter game, total strangers embraced after Paul Konerko’s 7th-inning grand slam in a 46-degree mist erased a 2-run deficit. Football may have supplanted baseball as our national pastime, but nothing beats the drama of October baseball, in person. Great memories too, of postgame (and other) beers on the Northside — both nights! — with longtime Chicago friend Brent. 

NHL All Star Game (Chicago) – January 19, 1991 

The 42nd National Hockey League All-Star Game took place in Chicago Stadium. This one is best remembered for the Wayne Messmer rendition of the national anthem, (go to the 24:50 mark). Coming as it did 48 hours after the initial aerial bombardment (and memorable CNN reporting from Baghdad by Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett and John Holliman) during the Gulf War, the crowd was deafening. That was a fun game for me personally as well. McDonald’s was honoring the Penguins’ Ray Bourque for his tireless charity activities, and we were on the ice pre-game taping the “handshake and oversize check” ceremony. Also, we had ordered an NHL-appropriate silver commemorative item for all-around good guy Bourque that, at the last second, my boss decided was too small (and we later replaced). The original dish looks swell in my office.

Formula 1 US Grand Prix (Indianapolis) 2005

This was the F1 Race That Wasn’t. After much wrangling between the teams, the various F1 tire vendors and the sport’s ridiculously self-aggrandizing governing body, the United States Grand Prix finally started with just six cars on the track. Michelin, tire of choice for the other 14 drivers, couldn’t provide a composite in time for conditions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rather than wait a day — or find a same-day solution (share tires???) like Indy or NASCAR would have — race organizers simply went on with the event as planned, a predetermined 1-2 finish for Ferrari.

As had been rumored, the remaining 14 drivers, running on Michelins, drove a low-speed parade lap before returning to the pits. Finished for the day but they still received credit for having run. Ferrari and lesser teams Jordan and Minardi were thus left to contest the 73-lap event to a chorus of booing from, among others, fans of Juan Pablo Montoya who had saved their money and traveled thousands of miles from Colombia (and all over) only to see their man drive a single lap. For the record, Michael Schumacher won over Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello with Team Jordan driver Tiago Monteiro finishing third.

A native Hoosier used to open-wheel IndyCar racing, a packed IMS infield, and pre-race walking through Gasoline Alley to see into the pits, I was suffering culture shock. F1 is all about exclusivity. The infield: empty. Gasoline Alley: empty. And I had a balcony and a suite in the Bombardier main building “all to myself” along with 2-3 colleagues.

It was a memorable race, for all the wrong reasons.

VENUES I HAVE BEEN TO (note: have NOT been everywhere, man)

Wrigley (also – 1989 NLCS)

Comiskey / US Cell (also – 1993 ALCS and 2005 WS)

Riverfront Stadium

Busch Stadium

Diamondbacks venue

SkyDome / Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)

Arlington Stadium (Texas Rangers)

Astrodome / Minute Maid

Yankee Stadium (original)

Shea Stadium

Camden Yards

The Vet

County Stadium

AT&T / Oracle (SF Giants)

T-Mobile (Mariners)

Hoosier Dome

Joe Robbie 

Lambeau Field

Soldier Field

Market Square Arena

Chicago Stadium (also: 1991 NHL All-Star Game)

Charlotte NBA (also: 1991 NBA ASG)

San Antonio AT&T Center

Alamodome (also: 1996 NBA ASG; 1998 Final Four)

Madison Square Garden (also: 1986 NIT)

Checkerdome

NHL – Islanders, Rangers, Blackhawks, Blues

Indiana – football and basketball

Illinois – football and basketball

Iowa – football and basketball

Michigan State  – football and basketball

Michigan  – basketball

Purdue –  – football and basketball

Wisconsin  – football and basketball

Northwestern – football and basketball

Notre Dame – football and basketball

Texas – football and basketball

Kansas – basketball

Duke – basketball

LSU – basketball

Syracuse – basketball

Georgia Tech – basketball

Oklahoma State – football

TCU – football

Baylor  – football

Depaul – basketball

Loyola – basketball

Evansville – basketball

Daytona

Charlotte CMS

Indy IMS

Circuit of the Americas

Tour de France — Cognac to Angouleme time trial / Champs d’Elysees finale

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Seen ‘Em

Paul McCartney

Tom Petty 7x

Marshall Crenshaw 5x

Rolling Stones; Keith Richards solo

Bob Dylan [w/Tom Petty and Heartbreakers]

Elvis Costello 2x

Van Morrison

Pretenders

Crowded House; Neil Finn solo

Ray Davies

Buddy Guy

Peter Frampton

Squeeze

U2

Chicago

James Taylor

Jimmy Buffett

James Brown

SRV

Springsteen

Mellencamp 2x

John Fogerty

Cracker

Eric Clapton w/Knopfler

Replacements

Beach Boys

Smokey Robinson

Dave Edmunds

The Who 2x

REM

Warren Zevon

Wilco

Kings of Leon

BoDeans

Ben Harper

Franz Ferdinand

The Killers

Joe Ely 2x

Butch Hancock

The Gourds

Bottle Rockets

Buckwheat Zydeco

Son Volt

Jonathan Richman

Black Crowes

Allman Brothers Band

Spoon

UB40

Jet 

Bob Mould

Nick Lowe

Morning Jacket

Rush

Tame Impala

The Cars

Steve Earle 3x – The latest [and last] being the worst show I’ve ever seen. Leave out your politics.

Willie Nelson

Smithereens 3x

Webb Wilder

Lou Reed

Beatlemania

Paul Shaffer & TWMDB

World Party

Pete Yorn

Drive-by Truckers

Don Dixon

Chris Izaak

Pearl Jam

Lyle Lovett