Having attended hundreds of sporting events over my 64 years, I was bound to strike gold by witnessing a handful of truly remarkable games. These events are known for the drama and history they created and also strike a personal chord and connection in my life. I want to share with you my top 5 sporting spectacles I’ve been charmed enough to see in person–and some sports collectibles that go along with them.
#5 – NEW YORK RANGERS VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
NHL SEMIFINALS GAME 5 – APRIL 27, 1971, CHICAGO, IL
I was a month beyond my ninth birthday when my dad took me to my first professional playoff game. This special treat was the New York Rangers facing off against my hometown Chicago Blackhawks in game 5 of the 1971 NHL Semifinals. My dad had taken me to a couple games at Chicago Stadium prior to this postseason affair, and I vividly remember my excitement when my parents told me I was going to a playoff game–on a school night, no less!
I had been a hockey fan for two years at that point in my childhood thanks to my mom buying me Topps NHL trading cards starting in 1969 (recounted in this Sports Collectors Daily article from last April). I loved following my favorite Hawk, the great Bobby Hull, on TV and radio, especially when his bold skating maneuvers and game heroics were masterfully described by play-by-play announcer Lloyd Pettit. But nothing compared to visiting Chicago Stadium and cheering on The Golden Jet.
This experience lands at #5 on my personal list of memorable sporting events I’ve attended for a couple reasons. First, the atmosphere. The cramped Stadium was wonderfully-packed with people. It didn’t matter that our seats were on the highest level, with standing-room only fans crowding behind us, because I was inside and a part of the action. The Madhouse on Madison buzz was intensely heightened compared to watching and listening to hockey at our house. And the colorful players and brilliant white ice were such a delight for my young eyes.
But mostly, the ending. The Original Six combatants skated to a 2-2 tie in regulation, then, suddenly, Hull won the overtime battle in dramatic fashion on a powerful wrist shot directly off the faceoff in front of Rangers star goalie Eddie Giacomin. The golden play is broadcast on this brief YouTube clip posted by Newton Minnowowski.
The Chicago Tribune caught the game-winning puck in the net the next day.
The Hawks eliminated the Rangers in seven games, then fell just short of winning the Stanley Cup in game 7 at their rink against the Montreal Canadiens. Though my home team heroes didn’t capture the Cup, I still have very fond feelings about that magical Semifinal contest.
I stated above that nothing compared to rooting for Bobby Hull in person at Chicago Stadium. Well, that’s actually not quite true. Nothing really compared to meeting him, along with All-Star teammate Stan Mikita, in the flesh, like my sister and I did in 1971.
#4 – ARIZONA WILDCATS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
NCAA BASKETBALL ELITE EIGHT – MARCH 26, 2005, ROSEMONT, IL
Just as my dad had done for me when I was a young boy, I was able to pay it forward to my son, Jack, one month before his ninth birthday in 2005 with a sporting event that we’ll talk about the rest of our lives. My alma mater, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, which had started the season 29-0 and were ranked #1 nationally for much of the basketball campaign, found itself pitted against Head Coach Lute Olson’s dangerous Arizona Wildcats in an Elite Eight showdown at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
A friend of mine happened upon two free tournament passes. Knowing I was a huge fan, he offered me the tickets hours before the matchup. Jack was growing into an Orange & Blue follower, idolizing spirited guard Dee Brown, and even modeling his Cub Scouts pinewood derby car into an Illini “I” with Dee as the exuberant driver.
Jack and I hurried to the arena to catch tip-off. As we approached our seats, we were elated that the choice tickets were about 10 rows from center court. We were living large. The place was electric and very, very loud. Periodically during play, fans would stand, blocking Jack’s pint-sized view. At halftime with Illinois up by two points, Jack had enough of the ear-splitting noise and blocked view, so we vacated our prime seats and hiked to the very top tier.
The once-towering players shrank before our eyes, but the excitement level didn’t wane. Though Illinois fell behind by 15 points with only four minutes, four seconds left in the second half, Head Coach Bruce Weber’s team fought back to miraculously tie the game at the end of regulation, then prevailed in overtime. This three-minute ESPN video posted by TheMrBlue recaps the improbable comeback.
Just like on the derby car, Brown was again caught in a euphoric pose on the following day’s Chicago Tribune.
The Illini defeated Louisville in the Final Four, then lost to North Carolina in the NCAA Championship, 75-70. But that Elite Eight experience cemented Jack’s desire to attend U of I, which he accomplished, graduating in 2018. He has grown into a massive Illini diehard, and a couple years ago, we attended a Roosevelt University Lakers game and met Head Basketball Coach Dee Brown to recall with him that remarkable evening in 2005.
#3 – ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS. CHICAGO CUBS
THE SANDBERG GAME – JUNE 23, 1984, CHICAGO, IL
In the summer of 1984, I had an internship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin through the Kemper Foundation. Several other interns and I lived in a two-flat a short bus ride to work. On Friday, June 22nd, we decided, along with friends, to trek to Chicago the following morning to see the Cardinals play the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Reluctantly, we chose to forgo the fun Milwaukee bar scene that Friday night to ensure a good night’s sleep for the long day ahead. Well, that is, all but one friend. He didn’t want to miss a night on the town, so he ventured out on his own. When we were ready to leave early Saturday, the partying pal arrived wasted. He was in no condition to join us, so he crashed on our couch.
Upon arriving at Wrigley, we bought $3 bleacher tickets and headed inside.
NBC carried the nationally televised Game of the Week. The Cardinals exploded to a 7-1 lead in the top of the second inning that warm, sunny afternoon. Despite this thumping, we were still enjoying our road trip. The Cubs cut the lead to 7-3 in the fifth, fell further behind, 9-3, in the top of the sixth, but stormed back that bottom half with 5 runs, cutting the lead to 9-8. Ryne Sandberg, the Cubs rising second baseman star, who had three singles in his first four at-bats, led off the bottom of the ninth against former Cub and future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter.
Sandberg deposited Sutter’s offering into the left field bleachers to tie the game. The Redbirds went ahead 11-9 in the top of the tenth, but Sandberg again faced Sutter in the bottom half with two outs and a man on. The 24-year-old drove a pitch into the left field seats yet again to even the score. Cubs radio announcer Harry Caray jubilantly shouted “LIS-TEN TO THIS CROWD!! EVERYBODY’S GOING BANANAS!” The Cubbies held the Cards in the top of the 11th and won it in the bottom half on a single by Dave Owen off Jeff Lahti.
Here’s a four-minute NBC segment of what became known as The Sandberg Game posted by Jeff Kelley, with Caray ecstatically calling the action on WGN-Radio. This condensed video embodies the essence of just how exciting a sporting event can be. After the bout, St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog said Sandberg was the best baseball player he had ever seen. On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune spotlighted Sandberg’s show.
That Saturday afternoon game helped propel the Cubs to their first postseason appearance in nearly 40 years, while Sandberg won the National League MVP, one of numerous awards he racked up in his Hall of Fame career.
In due time, we headed back to Milwaukee. When we got back that evening, the inebriated friend was still snoozing. The next morning, we relived the incredible experience while that hungover bud regretted missing The Sandberg Game.
#2 – NEW YORK YANKEES VS. CHICAGO WHITE SOX
CHILI DOG GAME – JUNE 4, 1972, CHICAGO, IL
In 1972, I was a 10-year-old rabid Chicago Cubs fan and baseball card collector. My family befriended our beloved grade school gym teacher Judy Belluomini and her husband Frank. Mrs. B. was an enormous Sox supporter and she strongly suggested we all attend the Sox/Yankees Bat Day doubleheader. I had never been to Comiskey Park because the Carlson’s were hardcore north siders. Thanks to Mrs. B.’s influence, we packed up and headed to the south side to see some American League action. What a great decision.
I remember the joy of receiving one of 15,000 CHICAGO WHITE SOX Bill Melton ‘71 A. L. HOME RUN KING 29-inch wooden baseball bats upon entry, an unthinkable promotion in this day and age.
We bought two 25-cent scorebooks (with pitcher Wilbur Wood and third baseman Melton on the covers) and headed to our upper deck seats. My mom filled out the lineups for each game, and I scored every inning in pencil. I have those two programs and the bat on display in my baseball card room.
I played with that Beltin’ Bill Melton lumber endlessly as a kid and it shows. I’m grateful it never cracked and so happy I kept it all these years.
I ventured over to the broadcast area and scored autographs of pioneering organist Nancy Faust, color commentator Bud Kelly, and popular play-by-play man Harry Caray. Holy Cow!
The White Sox won the opener, 6-1, behind a complete game performance by pitcher Tom Bradley. Here’s my hand-scored game 1 scorecard, which includes a sixth inning HR fittingly clubbed by the Bat Day honoree himself.
In game 2 of the twin bill, Sox manager Chuck Tanner rested superstar first baseman Dick Allen. Allen, also known as Rich or Richie, had come to Chicago in December 1971 from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Tommy John and Steve Huntz. He immediately made an impact with his big bat and leadership presence.
In the eighth inning with the Sox trailing 4-2, according to John Owens and David J. Fletcher’s terrific CHILI DOG MVP book, Tanner sent batboy Rory Clark into the clubhouse to summon Allen to get ready to pinch-hit at some point in the game. Allen was relaxing in his game jersey and shower shoes, eating a chili dog with an ample amount spilled on his shirt. He quickly changed and headed to the dugout.
Tanner inserted the slugger into the lineup to hit for Rich Morales against New York reliever Sparky Lyle with one out and two men on in the bottom of the ninth. As heard on this Classic Baseball on the Radio call by Yankees Hall of Fame shortstop and announcer Phil Rizzuto (like Caray, the Yanks’ Holy Cow! guy), Allen smashed a line drive into the left field seats for a 5-4 triumph.
The Chicago Tribune recapped Allen’s Bat Day heroics.
Writer George Langford noted that of the original overflow of 51,904 patrons, less than 15,000 had stuck around for the final pitch.
Fortunately, the Carlson’s and Belluomini’s were still in our seats for that dramatic ninth inning. My completed game 2 scorecard is a real treasure.
I squeezed Richie Allan [sic] and his HR into the lineup between Mike Andrews and Morales.
That walk-off home run was absolutely thrilling and remains one of my favorite childhood memories. While the upstart Sox finished second behind eventual World Series Champs, the Oakland A’s, Allen won the American League MVP award that season. And just last year, the Wampum Walloper was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame – an honor long overdue.
Another special story occurred that same day thanks to a chance encounter with a White Sox player. I was walking in the main concourse and saw a man carrying a large duffle bag. I thought he might be a baseball player, so I approached him with my program and pen in hand. I asked him for an autograph and he obliged. He spoke Spanish and seemed like he didn’t know where he needed to go. I remember flagging down a nearby usher and saying that a baseball player was lost and needed assistance. That usher helped him to the clubhouse. It turns out the player was Cy Acosta, the game 2 winning pitcher in his Major League debut. He signed my scorebook “Cecilio Acosta.”
Acosta wasn’t in the pre-printed program lineup. He showed up at the ballpark that day several hours before he pitched and needed guidance on how to join his new teammates. I believe I penciled his uniform number 41 and name using my program autograph as a guide after he entered the nightcap in the ninth inning. I tried to transcribe his unknown signature and obviously struggled because I incorrectly wrote “Ciento Seato.”
His 1973 Topps rookie card touts that celebrated contest and his contribution.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to claim that his signature on my June 4, 1972 scorebook was the first autograph he ever gave as a major leaguer.
One final side note: I’m lucky to have witnessed firsthand two historic Chicago baseball games – Dick Allen’s Chili Dog Game in 1972, then The Sandberg Game 12 years later. But I am not alone in this achievement. I joined Jay Johnstone (1972 White Sox centerfielder & 1984 Cubs pinch hitter) and Hal Lanier (1972 Yankees 3rd baseman & 1984 Cardinals 3rd base coach), who each saw action both days, and, of course, Harry Caray (1972 White Sox & 1984 Cubs broadcaster), who announced each gem. Anyone else out there fortunate enough to attend both?
#1 – MICHIGAN WOLVERINES VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
ROSE BOWL-BOUND – OCTOBER 29, 1983, CHAMPAIGN, IL
In December 1979, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hired California-native Mike White as head coach to turn around the school’s fledgling football program that had been mired in nearly a decade and a half of subpar seasons. White brought a high-octane offensive playbook and loaded the team with talent and tenacity. As luck would have it, I was a student football manager during my four years on campus.
In 1983, our dominant squad knocked off the first five Big Ten teams we faced, leading to a showdown against perennial powerhouse Michigan on Saturday, October 29th. The winner would gain a clear path to the Rose Bowl.
The Wolverines, led by Bo Schembechler, had U of I’s number for years (Illinois losing 23 of the previous 24 meetings), but on this day, we beat the heavyweight rival, 16-6. The crowd immediately rushed the field and tore down both goalposts as seen on this short video clip posted by Stephen Douglas.
I grabbed Coach White’s right leg as the team lifted our leader and carried him onto the field, a moment captured on the front page of the Sunday, October 30th Chicago Sun-Times.
We steamrolled the remaining three conference opponents to become the first and only team to defeat every Big Ten team in a season. The team traveled to Pasadena, California to play UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
Unfortunately, our magical run ended when the Bruins trounced us 45-9 on January 2, 1984. Other than meeting my school sweetheart, Ann, whom I will have been married to for 40 years this July, no other college moment tops the feeling when the clock ran out and we were crowned victors over Michigan.
Thanks for reading about my favorite sports experiences. What about you? What’s the top sporting event you attended? Maybe it was a championship game, a come-from-behind thriller, or a magnificent milestone by a sports hero? Drop me a line at dgcarlson5@gmail.com. I’d love to know. And if you so desire, click on this Sports Collectors Daily link to read any of my previous hobby articles.
