100th Game

I like milestones; you can probably tell by reading the blog.

Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and similar events have all served as inspiration for topics here. And, as I wrote a couple weeks back, the Coach Jeff Blog, itself, is closing in on a milestone of its own – the 500th post –  sometime next month.

While we were in D.C. earlier this month, I checked a box on my list of sports milestones (I hate to say ‘Bucket List’ because that seems kind of overdone). But, if you use that terminology, I have 3 major MLB-related bucket list items:

• See games featuring all 30 teams
• See a game in each park
• See 100 games

In D.C., on the 7th, amidst all those “curly w’s” and surrounded by a sea of red, I accomplished the third item on that checklist. I saw my 100th Major League Baseball game.

By the way, I also have some NFL goals, too, but that seems like a topic for another season; another blog.

As for the 100games, I didn’t start off with that as a plan in mind. It just happened. And one day, I looked up and realized I was getting close.

First of all, to see that many games, I have been very blessed. I have been blessed with good health and the ability to travel, friends interested in seeing some games (and a loving wife who endorses my love of the game). And, I have been blessed with good jobs that have paid me well enough to be able to indulge in this pastime.

As I counted down through the 90s, I wondered what would be the make-up for the magical 100th game. 91. 93. 96. They all went by. 97. 98. 99.

Which one would it be? Where would it happen? Who would be the teams? I thought, maybe, I could ‘seed’ the match-up…in other words, pick a game that seemed memorable for the 100th. Then, that just seemed like cheating.

So, I just decided to let it play out. 

By sheer proximity, I have seen lots of games featuring the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, respectively. So a match-up of those teams was a possibility. But, after thinking it over, I decided to let the randomness of the schedule decide things. 

Over the course of 99 games, I have seen lots of uneventful match-ups. None of these would be considered fierce rivalries – Mets at Blue Jays, Rockies at Cardinals, Rays at Royals. Trust me: I know them all. Part of the fun of celebrating milestones is having a record of them. I have an excel spreadsheet with all the locations, dates, scores and teams. I also have a notebook with a printout of each of the box scores.

Those box scores show a lot of baseball history. Believe it or not, I am old enough to have seen Willie Mays play (during his last year – when he was on the New York Mets – and they played a game at Cincy). I also saw other Hall of Fame greats from my childhood, including Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Lou Brock and countless others.

When we were making vacation plans back in the winter, we found that our schedule lined up for this particular Sunday afternoon baseball game: San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals.

OK. Perfect. Book it. That seemed pretty darn random. The perfect time and place for #100.

And on a sultry summer afternoon, it really wasn’t much of a game. The Nats jumped all over the Padres. San Diego rallied to make things respectable but the final score of 11-7 didn’t really reflect the fact that the game was, in essence, a blow out.

But, to me, it didn’t matter.

Our game was just one picked from a 162 game schedule; played on a typical summer afternoon. I think that was the perfect way to mark the 100th occasion. And I got to celebrate the milestone with my three favorite people! That was a must. 

As for future goals, I’m getting very close to checking off that first box. I’m probably about halfway to achieving the middle one but many of those west coast parks may have to wait a few years.

JG

Originally posted 7/22/2013