Favorite Municipal Stadium Memory

Pro Sports 54 replies 2,395 views
THE4RINGZ's avatar
THE4RINGZ
Posts: 16,816
Apr 8, 2011 2:50pm
OK this thread is for us old timers. Cleveland Municipal Stadium was a magical place to watch the Indians as a kid and younger man. Magical, not in the sense that every seat was seemingly right behind a pole, but magical for a small town kid like me to see modern day heros in action.

If you attended games there, what are some of your favorite on field and off field memories?

My partial list:

Bo Jackson cranking a HR into the centerfield bleachers.
Cory Snyder mowing down a runner at the plate from RF in the 9th to preserve a win over the Brewers.

Frank Robinson's debut as player/manager. I believe he was tossed by the home plate umpire for arguing after HE was tagged out at the plate.

Seeing the White Sox play a double header in their old black uniforms which looked like uniforms from the 1890's. Long before the trend of throw back uniforms.

Let's hear yours...
Laley23's avatar
Laley23
Posts: 29,506
Apr 8, 2011 2:54pm
Whats Municipal Stadium???

Kidding aside, I actually wish I was alive to experience it. My dad and his friends always talk about the games back in the Muni. I was born in 1986, so my fondest memories are the Major League movies...
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thavoice
Posts: 14,376
Apr 8, 2011 2:56pm
Last steelers browns game there. SOme of us steelers fans go. It was after Modell was trying to put the city out of its misery by moving the team.

Sat in top row....waaaay up there. The beeer bitch was giving away beer for just tips! She said she did it for the fun of it...didnt do it for money. I think she did it one or two of the trays she had. she musta took a big hit though...because each time ya gotta buy back your next rounds!

I couldnt see the numbers on the players backs after that one!
OneBuckeye's avatar
OneBuckeye
Posts: 5,888
Apr 8, 2011 3:08pm
I was just a young buck in 1992 but I loved going to see the indians play and loved starting out in the upper deck and upgrading to lower level seats in the middle of the game. I saw Jim Thome's first home run in the muni stadium against the White Sox. Don't remember much from the game besides a towering shot to right field.
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Gardens35
Posts: 4,929
Apr 8, 2011 3:49pm
Saw Sam McDowell ( he was a lefty pitching "ACE" at the time) get replaced by a reliever, but instead of heading to the dug-out he played 2nd Base for the rest of the game.
Classyposter58's avatar
Classyposter58
Posts: 6,321
Apr 8, 2011 6:54pm
OneBuckeye;736325 wrote:I was just a young buck in 1992 but I loved going to see the indians play and loved starting out in the upper deck and upgrading to lower level seats in the middle of the game. I saw Jim Thome's first home run in the muni stadium against the White Sox. Don't remember much from the game besides a towering shot to right field.

Haha you can do that right now at Indians games
ytownfootball's avatar
ytownfootball
Posts: 6,978
Apr 8, 2011 7:01pm
I remember seeing Thunder Thornton, Rick Manning, Buddy Bell and of course Oscar Gamble lol

Mohican00's avatar
Mohican00
Posts: 3,394
Apr 8, 2011 7:14pm
Sept 17th, 1989....pissing in a trough as Bernie threw a TD vs the Jets
wes_mantooth's avatar
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Apr 8, 2011 7:21pm
Mohican00;736487 wrote:Sept 17th, 1989....pissing in a trough as Bernie threw a TD vs the Jets

Haha....that was the only game I ever attended!
justincredible's avatar
justincredible
Posts: 32,056
Apr 8, 2011 7:36pm
I went to a few Indians games with my grandpa. I don't remember any thing about them but it was time spent with grandpa so it was good.
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BigYtownRed
Posts: 118
Apr 9, 2011 12:02am
My dad would drive me 2 1/2 hours to Cleveland to watch the Tribe instead of 45 minutes to Pittsburgh. The man absolutely despised Pittspuke :). What is my favorite memory... ...all of them. We went to a couple a year so we would arrive 2 hours early to watch both teams hit BP, he always had a wad of cash so the sky was the limit that day. I saw the Tribe spank the Yankees one day on a Yankee-hankee day. Was there in the summer of 86' for a twi-nite double header against the Yanks that had something like 65,000+ fans which @ the time was the largest crowd for a twi-niter (memory is fuzzy on that one).

Footlongs with Stadium mustard (better than steak) & a big coke, mini bats, ice cream in the batter's helmet, cold in the shade, burning up in the sun, hat pins. Nasty old pissers, ahhhh the memories.

Andre Thorton, Cory Snyder, Joe Carter, Brooks Jacoby, Len Barker, The human rain delay Mike Hargrove

I took dad to the Jake in 95' two years before he died. Baseball memories are better @ the Jake but the best ones were buried with Muni.

Great thread, thanks

Go Tribe that's my team
KnightRyder's avatar
KnightRyder
Posts: 1,428
Apr 9, 2011 11:43am
bobby bonds striking out 4 times in a game and throwing all the bats and batting helmets on the field. and seeing the indians take the field on july 4th 1985 in front of a crowd of 75,000 plus. the largest crowd to see a game that year in baseball that season. the tribe defeated the defending champions kanas city royals. i think the final was 10-3.
KnightRyder's avatar
KnightRyder
Posts: 1,428
Apr 9, 2011 11:45am
turkey joe jones planting terry bradshaw head first in the sod back in 1976
HitsRus's avatar
HitsRus
Posts: 9,206
Apr 9, 2011 12:54pm
I loved Jose Canseco's 'header' for a Tribe HR. Also Al Luplow's catch going over the fence.( you gotta be really old to remeber that one)

Actually, It was so long ago that I forgot Luplow's catch was at Fenway, but I remember watching it on TV.
Here's the story for those interested, or who never heard of it.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1120015/2/index.htm
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georgemc80
Posts: 983
Apr 9, 2011 12:55pm
Watching as part of a near capacity crowd during Nolan Ryan's last game in Cleveland.

And always 3.50 general admission seats that were easily turned into box seats.
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Footwedge
Posts: 9,265
Apr 9, 2011 1:34pm
Way too many to count. Was at the 64 NFL title game. Waiting in line to pee...and then getting your turn...only there was no urinal....just a wall. Good thing I was wearing boots. You could sneak down behind the first base dugout after the 4th inning...nobody gave a shit. Attendence was in the hundreds many days...not thousands.

It was almost as quiet there as it would be at a movie theatre. I remember talking to Duke Sims from the railing while he was at the on deck circle.
KnightRyder's avatar
KnightRyder
Posts: 1,428
Apr 9, 2011 4:12pm
the mustard
A
Al Bundy
Posts: 4,180
Apr 9, 2011 5:08pm
I used to love going to twi-night doubleheaders. It seemed like they had them against the Yankees often. Opening day at the stadium was great too. Jacobs Field was great in the 90's, but I would have loved to see those late 90's teams at the stadium. The World Series with 80,000 would have been amazing.
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cbus4life
Posts: 2,849
Apr 9, 2011 6:41pm
Went to quite a few Indians games with my grandfather. Good times.
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cat_lover
Posts: 2,388
Apr 9, 2011 11:26pm
went to a lot of Indian and Browns games with my father. Enjoyed them all.
BRF's avatar
BRF
Posts: 8,748
Apr 10, 2011 12:32am
WHOA! I just found this thread. I will have to formulate all my thoughts.

Be back later.

p.s. - have enjoyed all the comments so far!!!
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Bigdogg
Posts: 1,429
Apr 10, 2011 12:49am
Not going lie, this was my favorite.

THE4RINGZ's avatar
THE4RINGZ
Posts: 16,816
Apr 10, 2011 1:17am
While my original intent was a baseball thread, there are some good football posts. And concerts, I never thought about those. However I saw both The Who and Paul McCartney there, excellent.
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Sonofanump
Apr 10, 2011 1:19am
Brett Butler not diving for that ball in the 8th inning to protect Canidotti's no hitter.

Yelling at Mel Hall in left field.

Saw the Brown beat the Patriots in the playoff in maybe 94? I think it might be their last playoff victory.
like_that's avatar
like_that
Posts: 26,625
Apr 10, 2011 11:01am
BigYtownRed;736711 wrote:My dad would drive me 2 1/2 hours to Cleveland to watch the Tribe instead of 45 minutes to Pittsburgh. The man absolutely despised Pittspuke :).

Good for your father for not being a bandwagon POS and taking the easy way out. There are quite a few posters here that could have used your father's guidance.