Our current TWO-GAME WIN STREAK aside, it’s been a rough summer for Cubs fans. We’ve lost, and lost, and lost some more. Â What’s worse, we’ve had to listen to the Cubs’ front office tell us how much they adore this team.
To be honest, none of us have enjoyed it.
But hope springs eternal on the North Side, and, let’s be honest, if there’ s one thing we can get excited about, it’s the prospect of beating the White Sox. Â Am I right?
I’m right.
And, to get you a little more pumped up ahead of this weekend’s BP Crosstown Cup, BP has been kind enough to give us a bunch of BP Gas Cards to give away. And let’s be honest, who among us doesn’t want free gas?
To try your hand at winning our first $50 gas card, simply go to the comments and tell us what your favorite moment in Chicago Cubs baseball has been. Ever. I’ll pick the winner, and a bright, shiny, new $50 gas card will make its way to him/her post-haste.
Once you enter, make sure you keep checking back to see if you’ve won. I’ll need your email and home address to get the prize to you. And we’ll be giving more cards away all weekend during the BP Crosstown Cup, so keep entering! I’ll announce today’s winner in tomorrow’s morning headlines.
So tell us, Cubs fans, what’s YOUR single favorite moment in Cubs history?
My favorite moment would have to be in June 28, 2007 with the Cubs trailing the Brewers 5-4. That particular afternoon, my dad and I attended the game with our cousins from WI who happen to be the biggest Brewer fans I ever met. They were talking some smack but were being generous since we were the Cubs afterall. Haven’t we been kicked while we were down enough?! We get a runner on and Aramis Ramirez steps up against power closer (at the time) Francisco Cordero (or Coco for some ridiculous reason). Lost cause. Lets just leave now… Well Cordero hangs a slider and Ramirez crushed it. Cubs win 6-5. Loudest I have ever heard Wrigley get in my life. I still get goosebumps thinking about that game and still think it is one of Pat Hughes’ (and Ronnie’s) greatest calls.
My favorite moment as a Cubs fan came on September 28th, 1998. That is the day the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Franscisco Giants 5-3 in a one game playoff to clinch the National League Wildcard spot. It cost me an arm and a leg, but I got tickets for my son and I and it was the best money I ever spent. You cannot put a price tag on a memory, and that night was memorable. The atmosphere was electric and when they won-it was like we had won the World Series. Seeing the joy on my son’s face is something I will cherish forever. Cubs fans are hands down the best ever. We had so much fun during the game and after. I like to remember all of the fun we had that night…while my son likes to remind me that I ‘lost’ our car that night and it took us over an hour to find. I had parked on Grace and for the life of me couldn’t find it! He sat on the curb while I walked up and down streets…That’s what being a Cub fan is all about-making memories and sharing your love for the Cubs.
My favorite moments have all been sitting next to Julie at Cubs games.
My favorite moments occurred 27 July 1975. It was seven-year-old me’s first trip to Wrigley Field with my dad. We had great seats — ten rows behind home plate. And it was a double header, too. Yay! Against the Mets. Boo!
Steve Stone threw a complete game, and Bill Madlock hit two homers to win game one. We lost game two in extra innings because Paul Reuschel was terrible at baseball.
Nothing historically important happened while those two lousy teams were playing. But it was the first of many with my father, so I’ll always remember it…
So far, Carl is in the lead . . .
But seriously, these are great! Keep ‘em coming!
Visited Chicago in July 2009. Had tickets for a game the next day, but found out Cubs were playing that evening also. Walked more than 3 miles from our hotel to Wrigley, bought tickets from a scalper even though the game was two hours old. Got in the stadium just in time for the seventh-inning stretch…got our money’s worth when the game went to the 13th inning. Called a grand slam for Soriano to the guys next to us in the bottom of the 13th. Correctly. Best baseball night ever.
For “single favorite moment”, I can’t honestly pick better than the exact moment we recorded the 1st out in the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. Of course, it all went downhill from there, and my dad died the next summer. They did not make the World Series in his lifetime, but for that one moment, they were so. damn. close.
May 6, 1998 Kid K in his fifth ever start strikes out 20 Astros in one of the most dominating performances since I’ve been a baseball fan. I remember being sick from school and watching the game on TV. Complete game 1-hitter, 0 walks, 2 baserunners the whole game, and the stat that really jumped out at me when I read it in the Trib the next day: 2 batted balls in play that left the infield. TWO (a single and a flyout as it turns out)!
I remember nearly spilling 7-up all over myself lying on the couch when he struck out the last guy for the twentieth. I remember thinking how weird it was that for most of the day, Sandy Martinez had his shins on the ground as opposed to a normal crouch. I remember Astros starter Shane Reynolds didn’t have too shabby of a day, but there was no stopping Kerry Wood that day.
My brother soon found out that he shared a birthday with Wood (June 16), and his jersey immediately went on his birthday list.
Because this thread went up at a time when most people have logged off LOHO for the day, I’m going to keep it going until game time tomorrow. At that point, we’ll start another contest.
Keep your eye on Twitter and the game thread for some Trivia, too!
My favorite memory would definitely be June 10,2000. Sammy Sosa was in a horrible slump against the Sox and there were rumors that the Cubs might trade him. My friends were teasing me about it, and they were looking forward to rub it in. I was so upset at their teasing that I told them Sammy would hit a homer in the ninth. Not just a homer, but a two-run homer. He whiffed in the first, and three other times during the game. But alas, Eric Young got a hit and up came Slammin’ Sammy. I smiled as I looked at my friends and inside prayed to God, Allah, Buddah, and any deity who would listen. With two strikes against Keith Foulke, half the crowd was looking for K #5 and the other half hoping for the game-tying homer. Sosa came through with an upper deck shot that did indeed tie the game. My friends just stared at me in disbelief as I jumped on my seat and screamed utter happiness. One could swear that I was not a 30 year old, but a 6 year old who got the greatest gift Santa ever gave him. In fact, the screaming I did actually caused some permanent damage to my vocal cords so I have a reminder of my joyous experience every time I speak in a raised voice. Of course, this being a Cubs memory, they lost in the 14th inning. That, however, did not matter to me. I witnessed what to me was the greatest home run ever hit.
My favorite moment was actually after a game. It was the presser when Dusty Baker was fired. And there he was, that fucking toothpick, still blubbering nonsense, blaming everyone else for the failures under his watch. Watching Dusty being fired. Favorite. Moment. Ever.
My favorite Cub memory is the early-70s. Sneaking on the ‘L’ on a hot summer day to get to Wrigley Field, getting a seat in the bleachers for $1, a program for a dime, cheap cokes and hot dogs. Win or lose, those were some great times!
June 23, 1984,Ryne Sandberg hit game-tying home runs off Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter in the 9th and 10th innings as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 12-11. That was a nationally televised game and my most favorite Cubs moment!
Aug 29, 1989 – The Comeback. The Cubs were down 9-0 against the Astros and staged an unbelievable come back capped off by Dwight Smith’s walkoff single in the bottom of the 10th to win 10-9. It tought me at a very young age NEVER LEAVE THE GAME EARLY.
On a side note, the second greatest Cubs moment I have did not come at a Cubs game. In an effort to travel to all the ballparks, my Dad and I ended up at PNC one July day to catch the front end of a Pirates/Astros day night double header. The Pirates were down 8-2 with 2 outs and no one on base. A few weird plays later and Billy Wagner is brought in to save the game. He plunks the first batter to load the bases. A few pitches later, Brian Giles walk off grand slam. Meanwhile, the Cubs were facing the Cards at Wrigley in an effort to stave off both the Card and Astros to stay in first place. We were so stoked going back to the airport about seeing the Astros in person loose like that for the second time only to have the whole thing ruined by the Cubs losing a nail biter. Ah well, what can you do. GO CUBS!!
I think for me, it was Big Z’s no hitter up in Milwaukee/pretend Houston. What an amazing moment. I’m not gonna lie, I was on the edge of my seat, so nervous for him and when he finally recorded that last out, I cried like a baby. I even wrote about it in the journal I was writing for my not-yet-born-niece (who, by the way, is being bred a Cards fan. Yuck) to remember the exact date. I had never been more excited for someone and at that moment, was extremely proud to be a Cubs fan.
Very easy…
Game 1
NLCS
October 7th, 2003
Cubs vs. Marlins
Bottom of the 9th inning and the Cubs are down by 2 runs. Ugueth Urbina is on the mound for the Marlins, and Sammy Sosa was up to bat for the Cubs.
Sosa crushed a homer to tie the game and the scene at Wrigley was something that I had never seen before…it was the loudest, most joyous situation I had ever seen. While the Cubs eventually lost that game a couple innings later, the single moment was my favorite as a Cubs fan. I was very happy that I was able to attend that game and, overall, it was the best, most exciting game I had ever seen. I remember that I was completely exhausted when that game was over due to the back and forth scoring, constant cheering, and overall tense drama during the game. The crowd basically was on it’s feet from the 5th inning on, But Sosa’s homer in the 9th was the pinnacle.
And, honestly, there hasn’t been a game with that much at stake and with that sort of excitement and euphoria in the 7 1/2 seasons since…game 2 of that series was a blow out and not nearly as exciting, and game 6 almost achieved the same level of excitement, but the Cubs collapse doused the joy before it could crest. It was game 1 of that series that was the high point for me.
Just on a side note…I went to that game with my sister. It just happens that my sister had a baby girl this morning, so we in the Blume household are all very happy today!
Easy choice. May 6, 1998. Kerry Wood strikes out 20 in the best pitched game I’ve ever seen. I worked that day, so I stuck a tape in my VCR and taped the game to watch later. Since then I’ve almost worn out the tape watching it over and over again. I now have the DVD, and anytime I’m feeling a little blue I put it in and it never fails to cheer me up. I wish I could shake Kerry’s hand and thank him.
Best game by far has to be the June 23, 1984 against the Cards. 2 HR’s against Sutter… Also, Sutter’s face captured by NBC cameras, utter disbelief, anger… and Bob Costas famous “Do you believe it!” Cubs went on to win. It was an awesome game to watch as a young Cubs fan.
Fixed my comment : Best game by far has to be the June 23, 1984 against the Cards. Ryne Sandberg 2 HR’s against Sutter… Also, Sutter’s face captured by NBC cameras, utter disbelief, anger… and Bob Costas famous “Do you believe it!†Cubs went
My favorite moment was game 1 of the 1984 NLCS. Here I was, sitting in my seat (aisle 7, row 7 seat 101 – right by the Cubs bullpen) at Wrigley Field during an actual post-season game, something Cubs fans could not say for 39 years. The band on the field, Jimmy Buffett singing the National Anthem, Ernie Banks throwing out the 1st pitch and then the game. Bobby Dernier leading off the Cubs 1st with a home run. Rick Sutcliffe hitting a home run and pitching a shutout. The Cubs winning 13-0. It was a special day all around. If only that magic could have lasted for 3 games.
BTW…Jimmy Buffet was singing the National Anthem in memory of Steve Goodman who just passed a little bit before the Cubs clinched the NL east.
June 23 1984 the day I found out who Ryne Sandburg is..two homeruns to beat the cardinals one off a great closer …from that day on he grew to be my favorite cubs player ..26 years later I named my son after him ..go cubs
For me it was Gm 2 2003 playoffs in Atlanta. ESPN ha dme & my buddy (& Ron Santo deserves HOF sign) prominent in their intro to the 3rd inning. Everyone in the neighborhood wound up calling my Grandma to say they saw me on TV–and she a huge Cubs fan watching the game missed that cutaway. Thankfully I taped the game and she got to watch it. She was so tickled that she received so many calls. She passed 3 years later still looking for me at the games and still looking for a Cubs World Series championship.