O/T: Unassisted Triple Play

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Posted By: Scot Reader

I took my son and two of his friends to the Rockies Braves game today. One of the friends made a beeline for the snack bar just about every inning to buy more junk food. On his third or fourth trip the kid was gone a long time so I ran up to check on him. He wasn't there--but as soon as I reached the snack bar the crowd erupted. Troy Tulowitzki had just turned an unassisted triple play--the 13th in Major League history. And I missed it. The kid showed up about two minutes later with his third ice cream and a pair of $22 batting gloves that he had just bought from the gift shop he wasn't supposed to go to. Oh well.

Edited to add: O/T

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Posted By: dennis

oh well,you'll probably remember it better because you missed it...there's always sportcenter.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

I'll probably miss SportsCenter due to a local TV blackout .... Do I sound bitter?

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Posted By: rob

I enjoyed the dual references to "the kid".

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Tough break, Scot.... at least you have the ticket stub. I suggest snatching that kid's stub.

Reminds me of in the 70s, when I was a DJ and college student. Each summer I'd DJ and lifeguard, and I'd order Cardinals tickets to 6 or 8 games. Then, during the summer, as the games came around, I'd find 3 buddies to go. 4 1/2 hour drive each way, we'd get back a few hours before sunrise after a night game. $7.50 for a ticket, $15 for my share of gas, close to $20 for food and beverages... $40 to see a game.

This kid at the radio station was amazed that I went to games. He claimed to be a lifelong Cards fan, and bugged me about going. He kept promising he'd buy all the gas. When he finally got up to promising to pay for all we could eat and drink we took him. We get there for BP, and a friend catches a BP home run hit by Omar Moreno. We go to our seats, but the kid goes elsewhere. As I'm writing down the lineups, and my buddies are ready to have that first beer, our kid returns. He has one of everything the souvenir shop sold, he had a pennant, pens, bobble heads, cards, hat, T shirt, batting gloves, head band, wristbands, key chain... and he was spent out. Hell, we had to buy him food!! And we were stuck buying our own beer.

A brave man you are, you and 3 kids. You needed a backup parent.

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Posted By: Ed McCollum

when Rafael Furcal (sp) turned one for the Braves vs. the Cards several years ago. He was there with his 80 year old grandparents (my folks) who had fallen asleep (yes, in the stands) during the game, and he didn't know what was going on.

Great plays are wasted on the wrong people.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

All,

Thanks for the sympathy.

Rob,

"The kid" was used to protect the identity of a minor.

At least I can tell myself that's the reason.

Scot

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

I was at the Rockies-Braves game also today. It was the classic play of that type by a shortstop when there's nobody out and the runners on first and second are moving: catch line drive, step on second, tag guy coming over from first. He also threw over to first base just for good measure (or perhaps to try to get a fourth out), so at first I didn't realize it was unassisted; I thought maybe he had missed the tag.

Matt Holliday won the game for the Rockies in the bottom of the eleventh; breaking the tie with a walk off home run. In some ways that was even more exciting. I bet it's the first game ever with both an unassisted triple play and a walk off hit. In any case, the Rockies sorely needed a win.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

To add insult to injury, I left after the bottom of the 10th because I told "the kid"'s Mom that I would have him home by 5:30. Really, I'm not bitter.

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Posted By: rob

Just dont tell us you bought him the $22 batting gloves.

Classic story, I feel for you Scot...this last sentence is priceless, veiled bitterness everywhere:

The kid showed up about two minutes later with his third ice cream and a pair of $22 batting gloves that he had just bought from the gift shop he wasn't supposed to go to.

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Posted By: Mike

Not trying to steal your thunder, but regarding food, and other junk, I was at a twins/yankees game recently, I was maybe 15 rows straight up from 3rd base. But my point of this, and I am not exagerating in any way, I bet 10 to 15 percent of the people were getting up and leaving at any given moment. getting food, getting beer, getting pretzels, constantly standing up, leaving, coming back. Half the people weren't even watching the game. One woman was breast feeding. It was a circus. One woman had her 6 month old there. I love baseball, and I like to watch the game. You had to be there, it was unreal. I bet I had to stand 50 times to let people by me. I felt like i was in some sort of twilight zone. Popcorn boxes big enough to put a 6 month old in....Oh well. At least they won. I think.....I didn't get to see much....

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Scot,

That kid needs to be velcroed to his seat if you ever take him again.


Went to the Indy 500, the guy who had the seats said that I could take a leak 3 times, going in, going out, and I could leave my seat one time. He said if you went back and forth more than once or twice the fans would boo, spill beer on you, and eventually worse....

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Posted By: Scot Reader

Mike, Frank:

After today I think I'm joining the camp who think "shaming" (e.g. boos, beer dumps, etc.) is an appropriate reaction to those who too frequently leave their seats. Beyond "the kid", I probably missed 20 pitches from obstructed views due to adults getting up for their next brewskie, leak, or God knows what.

Scot

Edited to add: Okay, I probably wouldn't ever sanction beer dumps. Booing, yes.

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Posted By: T206Collector

I've been to three no hitters and two perfect games (Leiter, Wells and Cone). Many people forget that Cone's no hitter came with a rain delay in the middle. A lot of people left when it started raining as much as it did.... they all missed Coney's perfecto.

I stayed, so my story has a happy ending. But I still give my wife a hard time about the cheese fries line I went on for her in the top of the first inning of the NYY-MIN ALDS game a few years back. Jeter led of the game with a home run into the black. Still wish I had seen that....

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

come to wrigley with the serious baseball fans. We come early and leave after the last pitch unlike other ballparks where the fans show up in the third and leave in the 7th. From my experience the west coast stadiums are the worst for people not watching the games. I can say this from personal experience. It is especially bad when familys come to the games. I am suprised that a young family can afford the tickets and the food amd $8 beers are rediculous. Wrigley is much better due to the history and the fans.

Ken

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Posted By: Fred C

Scot,

That's an absolute pisser. It's not like you're watching a no-hitter in progress because during the course of a game some things just get missed. An unassisted 3P - YIKES!!! Sorry, I don't want to make you feel worse than you do... It's not a like a four homerun game. At least you know when the guy is coming up for his fourth HR... If it were me and a 4 HR game then one of those games one of two things would have happened:

1) I would have told the kid to shut up and watch the at bat
2) I'd see his face on the side of a milk carton because there'd be no way in hell I was going to miss that at bat...

Sorry to hear it... I'm sure you'll watch a replay and it may not be as satisfying but at least you wont forget the sound of the crowd because YOU WERE THERE...(just didn't see it....)

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Posted By: RC

Scot,

That stinks to have missed the play but like was mentioned earlier, you heard it and you were there. The last Reds game I was at you could have heard a pin drop at almost any time in the game. Absolutely dead in the stadium, the only action we had was people going in and out for whatever reasons and that is certainly annoying.

Now as far as "the kid" goes, either turn him into a real baseball fan or never take him to another game!!

RC

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Posted By: S Gross

Baseball is never off-topic:

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

Scot,

If it makes you feel any better, film clips of Tulowitzki's triple play and Holliday's homer from the game today can be seen at: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com

Eric

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

S Gross -- the back of the Neal Ball card says that he was a 'shifty' infielder. Any idea what that means? By the way, when I first read that I thought the 'f' in 'shifty' was a 't'. Gives the sentence a different meaning.

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Posted By: S Gross

"In the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on July 19,1909, while playing shortstop, he [Ball] caught a line drive hit by the Sox’s Amby McConnell. He then stepped on second base to double up Heinie Wagner, and tagged out the Sox runner, Jake Stahl, who was going from 1st to 2nd, thus completing Major League baseball’s very first Unassisted Triple Play. He also recorded 9 putouts in the game at his position, which set a record for shortstops."

I don't know -- shifty, maybe to indicate he knew how to play his position correctly (as to be in the right place at the right time), or maybe just an adjective the writer came up with (<--- dangling partaciple).

Agreed: How great would a Ball "first line" variation be.

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Posted By: Bill Todd

Looking at the list of people who have pulled this off, it's a pretty undistinguished group.

Neal Ball
Bill Wambsganss
George Burns
Ernie Padgett
Glenn Wright
Jimmy Cooney
Johnny Neun
Ron Hansen
Mickey Morandini
John Valentin
Randy Velarde
Rafael Furcal
Troy Tulowitzki

There's certainly a huge element of luck here, but the occasion does come up--runners on first and second, none out, running situation. You'd think that at least one high-caliber SS or 2B would have been able to do this over the last 107 years. (OK, maybe Furcal, but he has a long way to go.)

Bill

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Posted By: Mark L

Bill, I have to take exception to your claim that there isn't one distinguished shortstop on the list. Glenn Wright was a terrific hitter for the Pirates in the late 20's. Hit .294 over 11 seasons and knocked in over 100 runs four times. He played a big part in winning the Series in 25 and the pennant in 27. He was hurt in 29 but still had a few good years with the Dodgers. As for his defense, don't be misled by his nickname ("Buckshot"). Witnesses say that his arm was both powerful and accurate. Today, he is largely forgotten. But I will remember him because me father told me more than once that when he was a very young kid his favorite player was Glenn Wright.

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Posted By: dennis

and he has a great looking '33 goudey!!!!!