9-8-98 - 12 years ago I was on cloud # 62 - A Reflection

Wow! Before you know it, your all grown up in a blink of an eye, well I'm still 15 years old going on 27.......

Sophomore year of high school, sitting up Indian style on my bed with my eyes starting to well up watching my childhood

sports hero send # 62 over the left field fence and in the process making me feel like the happiest fan in the world

considering I could say I was not one of the millions who jumped on the bandwagon.

No Bashing Please Folks, Just a reflection of how happy this hobby and this great sport can

make us feel as fans. Without Passion in life their is no living. Following a player from the time you were a little brat and

then he is the focus of everyone's TV screen all summer long around the world is just dam cool. Not everyone can say their

favorite player was the most talked about thing at the water cooler for an entire season. Before the MLB package , I can

still remember getting ready to leave for school at 6:30am in the morning and seeing the notes my dad used to leave me on

the kitchen table informing me of if he went yard in last nights game....What a great year and a great a moment I will never forget and will forever cherish. If you got em, show em off.....




Full Unused Ticket from that magical night - Signed March 15,2010 @ spring Training






The Swing


One of the Main Items I had been waiting 6 years to get signed.....Got to love Spring Training


The Mottola Family Christmas Card from 1991


thanks for looking and if you ended up posting and sharing , thank you

That was a pretty cool season. I remember being at my aunt's house for a family get together and they had this little TV in the kitched tuned to a Cardinals' game. Every time McGwire came to bat, everyone would gather around the TV to see if he would hit one out. The cool part about it was that besides myself and my Dad the rest of my family never paid any attention to baseball. So that season definitely transcended the sport.

timfsu2k said:

That was a pretty cool season. I remember being at my aunt's house for a family get together and they had this little TV in the kitched tuned to a Cardinals' game. Every time McGwire came to bat, everyone would gather around the TV to see if he would hit one out. The cool part about it was that besides myself and my Dad the rest of my family never paid any attention to baseball. So that season definitely transcended the sport.

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great story.

I remember he almost missed first base and after he touched it Mark Grace hit his behind with his glove!

coltsnsox07 said:

I remember he almost missed first base and after he touched it Mark Grace hit his behind with his glove!

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And he hit this magicial shot off of Steven T.r.a.c.h.s.e.l Trachsel. Then Sammy Sosa the attention ***** that he was came running in from the outfield and gave him a hug. I think even lifted him up.

Hard to believe it has been 15 years now. Thanks for sharing your...where were you moment.

Pine Tar said:

And he hit this magicial shot off of Steven T.r.a.c.h.s.e.l Trachsel.

Hard to believe it has been 15 years now. Thanks for sharing your...where were you moment.

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I'm surprised Big Mac didn't fall asleep in the batters box waiting for Steve "The Human Rain Delay" Trachsel to deliver the pitches.

12 years? Dang I feel old!

OP...great story, and the last McGwire piece you got signed truly is an amazing piece to cap that collection.

Pine Tar said:

Hard to believe it has been 15 years now. Thanks for sharing your...where were you moment.

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Even harder to believe it's already 2013

JoshHamilton said:

Pine Tar said:

Hard to believe it has been 15 years now. Thanks for sharing your...where were you moment.

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Even harder to believe it's already 2013

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It seems like just yesterday it was 2010.

Man, time does indeed fly when you're getting older.

Great post. I was a huge Sosa fan and liked McGwire too...1998 may have been the most fun baseball season I can remember.

Thanks for sharing. What a great season, steroids or not. I feel where you are coming from Big Mac as I am a Sosa fan. Gotta admit that I mainly "jumped on the bandwagon" during that 1998 season but I've stuck with him.

Its was fun to remember the time when the vast majority of us were blissfully ignorant.

Did anyone else feel 'oddly uncomfortable' with them hitting a HR seemingly every game? While it may have been fun for folks back then, I wonder if some of the same people feel duped if not angry now.

ffgameman said:

Thanks for sharing. What a great season, steroids or not. I feel where you are coming from Big Mac as I am a Sosa fan. Gotta admit that I mainly "jumped on the bandwagon" during that 1998 season but I've stuck with him.

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Great story. great thing that he and Sosa saved baseball

uniquebaseballcards said:

Its was fun to remember the time when the vast majority of us were blissfully ignorant.

Did anyone else feel 'oddly uncomfortable' with them hitting a HR seemingly every game? While it may have been fun for folks back then, I wonder if some of the same people feel duped if not angry now.

ffgameman said:

Thanks for sharing. What a great season, steroids or not. I feel where you are coming from Big Mac as I am a Sosa fan. Gotta admit that I mainly "jumped on the bandwagon" during that 1998 season but I've stuck with him.

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I don't feel that way. After all, it's not like they (and Bonds) were the lone rangers that used PEDs.

uniquebaseballcards said:

Its was fun to remember the time when the vast majority of us were blissfully ignorant.

Did anyone else feel 'oddly uncomfortable' with them hitting a HR seemingly every game? While it may have been fun for folks back then, I wonder if some of the same people feel duped if not angry now.

ffgameman said:

Thanks for sharing. What a great season, steroids or not. I feel where you are coming from Big Mac as I am a Sosa fan. Gotta admit that I mainly "jumped on the bandwagon" during that 1998 season but I've stuck with him.

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This is my problem with that era, were people really naive about steroid usage or simply choose not to care because of the excitement?

I was under the impression that it was almost common knowledge that baseball had a steroid problem, but no one seemed to care. Not the media, not the owners, not the commissioner, not the players and not the fans.

Not looking to get into an argument, just amazed that some people do indeed feel duped (or angry/both) as you implied...because certainly there are some that do.

Nothing can take away the excitement of that season, and it was an amazing time to be a baseball fan or not. Steroids or not. Baseball needed that race and needed history to be rewritten, and I think it was selective in its needs coming down AFTER the wallets were stuffed again.

I find it even more amazing that this season will always be more memorable than Barry Bonds 73-HR year. I love it too.

Hardly anyone cares that he owns the single-season and career home run records.

Yet another steroid user and his magical 1998 season is still talked about fervently. I know I remember where I was when Big Mac hit #62, couldn't even tell you where I was when Bonds hit #71.

JoshHamilton said:

Pine Tar said:

Hard to believe it has been 15 years now. Thanks for sharing your...where were you moment.

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Even harder to believe it's already 2013

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So great, well played.

I never realized this date has a secondary significance. It's my dog's birthday, so that's what I'll be celebrating... :lol:

markakis8 said:

I find it even more amazing that this season will always be more memorable than Barry Bonds 73-HR year. I love it too.

Hardly anyone cares that he owns the single-season and career home run records.

Yet another steroid user and his magical 1998 season is still talked about fervently. I know I remember where I was when Big Mac hit #62, couldn't even tell you where I was when Bonds hit #71.

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Weird for me - I remember where I was when Bonds hit 71, but not when Sosa or McGwire hit their respective numbers (and I'm a Sosa fan!).

The vast majority of people -- fans -- were blissfully unaware and became increasingly suspicious with the rise of Mr. Bonds.

200lbhockeyplayer said:

This is my problem with that era, were people really naive about steroid usage or simply choose not to care because of the excitement?

I was under the impression that it was almost common knowledge that baseball had a steroid problem, but no one seemed to care. Not the media, not the owners, not the commissioner, not the players and not the fans.

Not looking to get into an argument, just amazed that some people do indeed feel duped (or angry/both) as you implied...because certainly there are some that do.

Nothing can take away the excitement of that season, and it was an amazing time to be a baseball fan or not. Steroids or not. Baseball needed that race and needed history to be rewritten, and I think it was selective in its needs coming down AFTER the wallets were stuffed again.

Click to expand...