This article was first posted to the Red Sox mailing list on February 8th, 1996. To join the list send an email with the word "subscribe bosox" in the body of the message to majordomo@world.std.com On Wed, 7 Feb 1996 16:47:32 -0800 ANDY GIZZARELLI wrote: >What was the SINGLE most defining moment of your >Red Sox fandom. [...] My defining moment must have been the first major league game I ever attended -- naturally it was at Fenway (I grew up in New Hampshire). It was the late 70's -- either 78 or 79, I think. We were going to a game to celebrate my birthday, and the Sox were playing the Angels. My parents had recently divorced, and my father had never been a baseball fan (which makes me wonder why I took an interest in it...), so my mother, and the gentleman, David, she was dating at the time took me down to Boston. At the ballpark (or was it on the approach, I can't recall), I had a slice of what to me at the time, the greatest slice of pizza I'd ever had -- which upon reflection probably meant it was a greasy mess. David had mentioned to me that it was rare for your team to win at your first game, and that it would be really unusual if the Sox were to pull it out that night [I was much more easily swayed by faulty reasoning then... :-) ]. We had seats along the third base side, out along left field -- not great seats, but amazing for a kid at his first game. I think Mike Torrez was pitching, but I don't remember who was pitching for the Angels. The Sox took the lead early on, and had a decent but not commanding lead into the 6th. Having been told of the rarity of a first-game win, I was pretty psyched about the Sox taking this game -- they'd held on this long, so they were going to win (yes, I was saying this in the 6th inning). Then the Angels started to rally, and got a couple of runners on (I don't recall if Torrez was still in the game at this point). Joe Rudi clubbed a 3 run HR over the Monster, giving the Angels the lead, and as it turned out, the game. Joe Rudi beat the Sox; Joe Rudi spoiled my chance at seeing a first-game win; Joe Rudi ruined my birthday; Heck, Joe Rudi made the 2nd piece of pizza I had on the way out of the ballpark taste terrible! I have never forgiven him. :-) :-) Joe Rudi pushed the ball between Buckner's legs; Joe Rudi paralyzed Schiraldi with fear; Joe Rudi knocked the ball off Henderson's glove over the fence; Joe Rudi whispered the words into Clemens' ear before he got ejected. Joe Rudi was distracting Pesky in 1946, too. I even think Joe Rudi advised Frazee on managing Broadway shows. Most Sox fans hate Bucky Dent for what he did in the '78 playoff, but I know the truth -- it's not Dent's fault. Joe Rudi's spirit possessed him for a single swing of the bat, and destroyed a generation of Sox fans in the process. I don't know why he's out to get me -- but he is. :-) The Sox can never win, because Joe Rudi won't let them. No matter what happens -- however close they get, Joe Rudi will hit a 3-run HR to spoil their chances, and dash your hopes. Forget Murphy's Law -- this is Rudi's Law. --- Keith Woolner keith@woolner.com http://www.best.com/~kwoolner