There are a few athletes I’m really glad I got to see play live.
Cal Ripken Jr. Saw him play on a scorching hot day in California against the then California Angels. It was a Sunday afternoon game, the perfect day game after a night game where many players often get a day off. I don’t think either the Angels or the Orioles were in a playoff hunt during this game in August sometime in the early 1990s. He hadn’t broken Gehrig’s record yet, but I wanted to see him so I could say I saw him play on his way to the record.
I also saw Ripken in a couple of spring training games in Florida toward the end of the 1990s. I was amazed at how long he stayed signing autographs after the game was over.
Pavel Bure. Saw him once with the Canucks and twice with the Panthers. He was my favorite player as I started to become a big hockey fan. When he was on the ice, he was the only player I was watching.
Tony Gwynn. My favorite baseball player. Loved watching him hit.
Athletes I wish I had seen.
Brooks Robinson. I love watching defense down the third base line, one of my favorite places to sit in a ballpark.
Ken Dryden. I always like to watch good goalie play.
Those I’ve seen play live (much of this is thanks to going to Packer games for the past 30-odd years):
Football
Brett Favre
Reggie White
Aaron Rodgers
Walter Payton
Fran Tarkenton
Barry Sanders
Joe Montana
Jerry Rice
Steve Largent
Steve Young (as a rookie with the Bucs in 1985)
Baseball
Paul Molitor
Robin Yount
Rollie Fingers
Barry Bonds
Ryne Sandberg
Andre Dawson
Tim Raines
Rickey Henderson
Frank Thomas
Bo Jackson (note: this was when he was playing on an artificial hip for the White Sox)
Players whom I wish I had been able to see live (this only includes players who were active when I was actually going to games; I would love to have seen Don Hutson or Red Grange, but they predate me by many decades):
Peyton Manning
Dan Marino
Nolan Ryan
Wayne Gretzky
Michael Jordan
At 50, I’m just barely old enough to have seen Mickey Mantle play for the Yankees. In fact, the first baseball game I ever attended was a Yankees-Twins game around 1966 or 1967. So, I saw two Hall of Famers that day: Mantle and Harmon Killebrew.
For several years after that, I was actually a Twins fan because I got an autograph from the Twins backup catcher Earl Battey.
Over the years, the Hall of Famers I saw in person at Yankee and/or Shea Stadiums include:
Johnny Bench
George Brett
Lou Brock
Rod Carew
Rollie Fingers
Carlton Fisk
Bob Gibson
Catfish Hunter
Reggie Jackson
Fergie Jenkins
Al Kaline
Willie Mays (with the Mets in 1973)
Joe Morgan
Phil Niekro
Jim Palmer
Gaylord Perry
Jim Rice
Brooks Robinson
Nolan Ryan
Tom Seaver
Don Sutton
Carl Yastrzemski
Oddly enough, though, I don’t remember seeing ANY of those guys do anything spectacular or even memorable in the games I attended!
All of the most memorable moments in games I actually attended involved players who weren’t Hall of Fame caliber. The best pitching performance I ever actually saw? Ron Guidry mowing down 18 Angels. Most spectacular catch I ever saw? Fred Lynn catching a deep Thurman Munson drive at Shea in 1975 (the Yankees played at Shea for two seasons). Neither guy was quite a Hall of Famer.
Guys I’ve seen play live:
Michael Jordan
Barry Bonds
Rod Woodson
Hines Ward
OK, pretty much anyone who played on the Steelers from 94-96 and 2005-2010.
Mario Lemieux (in game 7 of the 2001 Eastern conference semis against Buffalo…Pens won in overtime on a goal by Kasparaitis)
Sidney Crosby
I can’t even begin to recount the baseball stars I’ve seen live. I’ve had good luck watching star hitters hit, and bad luck watching star pitchers pitch.
The one and only professional sports player I went to a game deliberately to watch him play was Wayne Gretzky. (Gordie Howe’s game-winning goal against the Toronto Toros was not deliberate.)
So many baseball players that I can’t even think of half of them. Bonds, Sosa, Gwynn, Sandberg, and going as far back as Rose & Bench back in the 70’s. Most memorable was Willie Mays when I was a little kid. Not that I recall anything special he did that day, just that it was freakin’ Willie Mays. Wish I could have watched Nolan Ryan pitch live.
Haven’t been to a ton of NFL games, but I’ve seen Joe Montana, Marcus Allen (in the game where he went over 10K rushing yards), Jerry Rice and probably a few others that aren’t coming to mind. I’d give my left nut if I could go back in time and see Sweetness play live.
Don’t watch much NBA anymore, but back in the 80’s I saw the Showtime Lakers a few times (Magic, Kareem, Worthy, et al) and Larry Bird - alas not against each other. Never saw Jordan play, that would have been a treat.
Been to a handful of hockey games in the last 20 years. Gretzky is really the only big star that comes to mind. Was kind of amusing to watch Marty McSorely try to pick a fight with some Russian kid in an exhibition game once.
Areos, in Toronto. I actually saw them play once in Houston as well, but none of the Howes did shit in that game.
It was the Whalers that my ex and I drove down from Pittsfield to watch Gretzky play against. I don’t think Howe joined them until after the WHA folded.
There’s too many to list, both that I’ve seen and wish I’d seen. I was at the University of Maryland when Len Bias and Michael Jordan were going head to head, playing some of the best college basketball I’ve ever seen. I’d give anything to have seen Lenny playing in the NBA (damn, just got something in my eye).
My first baseball game I watched Maris and Yaz (his rookie year), as Maris went (and failed) at #61). Mantle was out of the lineup so Maris played CF. Since then I’ve seen almost every star play live, in both leagues, and in other major sports. And you know what? I don’t remember a goddamned thing about any plays, at-bats. I just remember being in various stadiums, what my seat was like, the weather, but plays? Zip. Around 1985, I “saw” a hidden ball trick performed against the Angels (I think Reggie Jackson was up, but I’m not sure) by Marty Barrett, only I didn;'t actually see a thing. I asked the people around me what just happened, and everyone said “Damned if I know.” We had to read the papers the next day to learn what happened.
Sporting events in person are highly over-rated, IMO.
Have seen live:
Gary Ablett (senior)
Peter Hudson
Malcolm Blight
Tony Lockett
Ian & Greg Chappell
Denis Lillee
Jeff Thompson
Brian Lara
Michael Holding
Stephen Davies
Ken Wark (junior)
Warren Birmingham
Des Piper
Ron Riley
Bob Proctor
All of whom had a valid claim to be the best in the world in their various crafts at one time.
My single greatest moment was watching Reggie Jackson hit one off the light tower in right field in Tiger Stadium at the 1971 All Star Game. Second greatest was Roberto Clemente hitting one right next to me in the upper deck in centerfield at that same game. Oh, how I wish I had tried to grab it. Saw many greats that night- Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, Frank Howard, Vida Blue, so many great players that year. Over the years in Detroit of course saw Al Kaline and saw Mickey Mantle, though long past his prime. Later saw guys like Winfield and Mattingly.
At Michigan State, I saw Earvin Johnson play a few times. Also stood by as the players walked in and was maybe 3 feet from him- he was one big guy. Saw Kirk Gibson play football, I still think he picked the wrong sport to go pro in.
Should mention the coaches- Bobby Knight, Bo and Woody, Lou Holtz, and Paterno.
Saw Roger Maris hit #61. So I also saw Mickey Mantle.
I also saw Sandy Koufax’s last regular season loss. He got tagged by the Mets (a team he owned) and, as he left the field, he gave a shrug to the dugout, as though to say, “I didn’t have it tonight.”
Football is waaaay better on TV than in person. Better view, more comfortable, and you’re not freezing your butt off.
Baseball CAN be a lot more fun in person, even in the lousy seats. In fact, I’ve often had more fun in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium than in box seats.
Hockey and basketball are infinitely better in person… and they’re sports where the best seats are WORTH every penny.
When I lived in NJ for a few years I had a chance to go watch Wayne Gretzky & Mark Messier when they were with the Rangers (I was a big fan when they were with the Oilers). Never did, something I now deeply regret. I used to have frequent dreams where I played with the classic Oilers lineup, very realistic dreams, FWIW (tho I remain a complete novice who has only rollerbladed a little).
I got to see Troy Aikman in his rookie year, playing for the Cowboys. At that time they were still rotating between him and Steve Walsh, trying to figure out who’d be the starter; Aikman had the arm, but Walsh was a tactician. The game was at Mile High, so John Elway was there too, and it was before the infamous trade, so Herschel Walker was still with the Cowboys, as well.
I never realized how much hockey was better in person until I went to a Wild game a few years back. Being able to see the entire playing surface at one time really adds to your understanding and enjoyment of the game.
Sadly besides Hank Aron I can’t recall seeing anyone really famous play. Does Tony Gonzales count?
I concentrated on baseball earlier, because that’s the sport I’ve seen most often in person.
Among other sports, I’ve gotten to see the following Hall of Famers play:
NFL
Troy Aikman
Warren Moon (Oilers game against the Redskins)
Joe Namath (after he was over the hill, and getting relieved byJets backup Bill Demery)
Emmitt Smith
Fran Tarkenton (at Yankee Stadium, back when he was QB of the Giants)
Lawrence Taylor
NBA
Walt Frazier
Earl Monroe
David Robinson*
NHL
Brad Park
Jean Ratelle
Rod Gilbert
Eddie Giacomin
This was at San Antonio, during a Spurs-Trailblazers game. I had excellent seats, and was very close to the Portland bench. PJ Carlesimo was the coach then, and he was screaming like a maniac at his players nonstop for hours. Now, PJ may be a wonderful guy off the court, but years later when I heard about the Latrell Sprewell choking incident… I can’t say I was a bit surprised. It seemed inevitable that EVENTUALLY, some player was going to get sick of Carlesimo’s antics and take a swing at him, at the very least.