In the world of sports, we in the Bay Area have been spoiled. Plain and simple. In the past 45 years, our professional Bay Area sports teams have captured 19 championships (5 = 49ers, 4 = Warriors, A’s, 3 = Giants, 2 = Raiders, 1 = Earthquakes)...or one in every 2.5 years! So any of those could have easily made my list of favorite moments that I’ve personally experienced. In fact, I could have probably written a book discussing all of them. But to save time and space, I’ve narrowed the list to a couple handful. Enjoy:
1. My First Games - 1966 & 1971
My number one favorite moment has to be the first two games I attended that my dad took me to as a kid. And, believe it or not, I remember a little bit of both. The first one came in 1966 when we went to a San Francisco Warriors game vs the St. Louis Hawks. This six year old got to watch a hotshot youngster named Rick Barry play, who, unbeknownst to me at the time, would eventually become my all-time favorite basketball player. Although I don’t remember who won, I actually still have the program for the game.
The second game was in the fall of 1971 when my dad took me to a San Francisco Giants game against the. Cincinnati Reds. I can clearly remember walking out through the tunnel and taking in Candlestick Park for the first time. It was so much bigger than on TV! Although I didn’t know it, I had the fortune that day to watch five of the greatest baseball players in Major League Baseball history: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose. I still have the program for that game as well.
2. “The Catch” & 1981 Super Bowl
Wanted to combine these as they are directly related. “The Catch” of course, refers to the SF 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys NFC Championship game where Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark to help edge the heavily favored Cowboys, allowing them to go to (and win) their first Super Bowl ever. This was particularly exciting on a couple of fronts. First, the 49ers Super Bowl season came of nowhere. The niners were 6-10 the season before and 2-14 the prior to two seasons before that. Bill Walsh took over during that time and optimism abounded that he would turn things around fast. But what happened was much faster than anyone anticipated! Unexpected success is always the most fulfilling. At least to me.
Another reason “The Catch” game is on my list is because I actually attended it! Thanks to my dad again, I was able to watch history being made from the 45 yard line, 12 rows behind the Cowboys bench. The best part of it is that I was surrounded by longtime season ticket holders who had suffered watching poor 49er teams for most of the prior decade. And some who had season tickets going back to the Kezar Stadium days. So to say these folks were hysterical would be an understatement. Tears flowed everywhere. Definitely something I’ll never forget.
I remember watching the Super Bowl at a friends house in Los Gatos, with all of us becoming euphoric when the 49ers jumped out to an early lead, and then simultaneously biting our nails as they held on to a 26-21 win, thanks in part to a late goal line stand. We went into downtown Los Gatos after the win where people were going nuts, screaming their heads off while driving up and down Santa Cruz Blvd.
3. 2010 World Series - Game 6
The entire World Series actually, but game 6 was the one that clinched the Giants first ever World Series title in San Francisco. They came close a couple of times, particularly in 1962 and 2002, but this time the title came home after the defeating of the Texas Rangers. Simultaneous relief and excitement after waiting for 52 years! And who would have known that they would win two more in the next three years. Wow….
4. Golden State Warriors - 1975 NBA Championship
Although the Warriors were pretty competitive the prior four seasons, finishing 2nd in the Western conference all four years, this NBA championship following the 1974-75 season came as almost as much of a surprise as the 1981 49ers Super Bowl title did. After coming back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls in the conference finals, the 48-34 Warriors took on the powerful and heavily favored 60-22 Washington Bullets for the NBA title. Not only did the Warriors win, but they swept the mighty Bullets 4-0, All, however, were hard fought, physical, tight, nail-biting games. Some the come-from-behind type. Still, it was quite a shocker. And like the 49ers unexpected Super Bowl victory in 1981, the win was particularly fulfilling. Not to mention that it was the franchise’s, and the area’s, first Bay Area NBA title.
5. Oakland Raiders - 1976 Super Bowl
Unlike the aforementioned 49er and Warrior championship wins, the Raiders 1976 Super Bowl victory had more of an “it was about time” feeling. One of the top AFC teams during the entire 1970’s, the Raiders had the bad luck of playing at the same time as the powerhouse and multiple Super Bowl winning Miami Dolphin and Pittsburgh Steeler teams, frequently facing one or the other in the playoffs. And until 1976, often losing to them. But after an 11 point fourth quarter come-from-behind win in a round one AFC playoff game against New England, you knew it was there year. That win catapulted them through the rest of the playoffs, as they easily beat the dreaded Steelers in the AFC Championship game 24-7, and thrashed the Minnesota Vikings 33-14 in Super Bowl X to win their first ever Super Bowl title.
The game was particularly memorable, as I remember watching it during a camping trip we were on, barely getting the game on our small, portable rabbit-eared black-and-white TV in our 25 foot Prowler trailer.
6. 2002 NL Championship - Game 5
For a while, it looked like 2002 might be the Bay Bridge Series II, as the Giants snuck into the playoffs as a wildcard, while the A’s won the AL West with a league tying 103 wins. Huge upsets in the AL took care of that though, as the Minnesota Twins and wildcard Anaheim Angels knocked off the heavily favored A’s and New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.
In the NL, the Giants continued the wildcard winning ways by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in five games to advance to their third San Francisco World Series in 40 years, and the first since the 1989 Bay Bridge Series I. The clinching game 5 was played in San Francisco, and I was fortunate to have attended it (thanks again dad). Upper deck, right behind first base. And what a game. Trailing 1-0 going into the 8th inning, the Giants scored a run in each of the final two innings to eek out a 2-1 win. In the ninth, the Giants put together three consecutive two-out singles to claim the NL championship. Talk about suspense! The Giants were in the World Series….finally! In about a week, that thrill would be erased by a gut punch, as you’ll read in my “Toughest Moment in Sports” (#4).
7. 1974 World Series - Game 4
October 16, 1974…. my very first first World Series game. I was 14 years old and my dad and I were sitting in the lower deck between the Dodgers dugout and the Dodgers bullpen down the right field line. A’s pitcher Ken Holtzman not only pitched a great game, but became one of the few pitcher’s in World Series history to hit a home run. A shot over the left field fence. The 5-2 win gave the A’s a 3-1 series lead which they clinched the next day, giving them their third World Series championship in a row.
Just eight years earlier, a horrible A’s teamed moved from Kansas City to Oakland, and within three years began their playoff run thanks in part to some great drafting and smart free agent signings.
8. Introducing the San Jose Sharks
In 1991, San Jose’s welcomed its first ever Professional team! Ok, the San Jose Earthquakes technically were back in the 1970’s, but the Sharks were the first local team from the big four: NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Very exciting when it happened. However, the Sharks wouldn’t play in San Jose until 1993, as the SJ Arena was being built during their first two years of existence. Seasons 1 and 2 were held at the Cow Palace in Daly City, but that didn’t discourage my friend Steve and I from becoming Shark Pak owners (10 game plan). We attended the third ever home game for the Sharks.
Although they were predictably bad during that time, including an 11-71-2 record in their second season in 1992, they turned it around big time in their inaugural season in San Jose by going 33-35-16 in 1993. Not only did that represent the biggest turnaround season in NHL history, the Sharks shockingly made the NHL playoffs for the first time as well! And if that wasn’t enough, the #8 seeded Sharks beat the #1 seeded Detroit Red Wings in round 1 of the playoffs for one of the biggest upsets ever in the NHL. I remember going to one of the playoff games, and can safely say that it was, and still is, the loudest crowd experience I’ve ever had. Deafening. Could not hear the person next to you talk.
9. San Jose Earthquakes - MLS Champs
I have to admit that I’m not much a soccer fan, and only watch the sport every four years when the World Cup is played. But I did have to catch the 2001 MLS Championship game (on TV, not in person) as it featured our own San Jose Earthquakes. Although not one of the big four professional sports, the MLS is nonetheless a professional sports league, and on October 21, 2001, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 to bring home San Jose’s first ever professional sports championship. I honestly thought the Sharks would be the first team to lay claim to that, but that wasn't the case.
10. The SF Giants Booster Club Trip - 1979
Airfare, three Giants games at Dodger Stadium, hotel accommodations for two nights, and admission to Disneyland, all for $180. Who could pass that up? I couldn’t, so I decided to join the San Francisco Giants booster club for one of their weekend trips to southern California to watch a 3-game series against the Dodgers in the fall of 1979. The good news: we stayed at the same hotel as the Giants. The bad news: the Dodgers were one of the best teams in baseball, the Giants not so good. As an added bonus however, the Oakland Raiders were in town to play the LA Rams in a preseason exhibition football game that Saturday and were also staying at the same hotel we were. I was in Bay Area sports fan heaven!
The Dodgers predictably dominated the baseball, taking 2 of 3 from the Giants. And Disneyland was fun. But the best part was at the hotel. Almost every time you used the elevator or walked in the lobby you would see a Giant or Raider. Willie McCovey, Ken Stabler, and announcer Bill King were just a few I saw roaming around. On Friday night we (my roommate and I) snuck into the lounge (we were only 19) for a few minutes and saw five or six Giant players huddled around a table in the far corner of the room playing poker. Sitting by himself at the bar, however, was Giants shortstop Johnnie LeMaster. We mosied on up and struck up a conversation with him. He was very gracious and soft-spoken, and we actually ended up talking for about 15 minutes before we left. Before going to bed around 1:30am, I snuck a peak in the lounge and saw the poker players still going at it. No team curfew then, evidently.
My top highlight, however, was meeting the star of the Rockford Files, James Garner. As we returned from breakfast on Saturday morning, Garner, a huge Raiders fan, was sitting alone in the hotel lobby reading a newspaper. As a huge Rockford Files fan, I did a double take to make sure it was really him. After the initial shock wore off, I decided to walk up, say hi, tell him I’m a big fan, and hopefully get an autograph. Thankfully, he was very friendly and signed the paper I was able to find. My roommate, who was a little gutsier than me, asked if he could take a picture with him. Again, Garner was very accommodating and happily did it. I took a picture with my roomies camera, and regretted not having one taken of him and I as well. At the time, I didn’t want to push my luck, as he did allow me to interrupt him and signed an autograph. But soon after I wish I had. I still have a copy of the photo I took in some album somewhere. A couple of weeks later when my roomie sent me a copy of the picture, I immediately noticed that I cut half of him out of the picture. Got all of James Garner though. Bummer.
That night after the Raider/Ram game was over, I ran into Garner at the hotel elevator. While we were waiting for it, I asked him how Raider quarterback Kenny Stabler looked. He gave a short reply, but I don’t remember what it was. He obviously didn’t want to be bothered so I was silent during our elevator ride. It was still pretty thrilling for a 19 year old!
1. My First Games - 1966 & 1971
My number one favorite moment has to be the first two games I attended that my dad took me to as a kid. And, believe it or not, I remember a little bit of both. The first one came in 1966 when we went to a San Francisco Warriors game vs the St. Louis Hawks. This six year old got to watch a hotshot youngster named Rick Barry play, who, unbeknownst to me at the time, would eventually become my all-time favorite basketball player. Although I don’t remember who won, I actually still have the program for the game.
The second game was in the fall of 1971 when my dad took me to a San Francisco Giants game against the. Cincinnati Reds. I can clearly remember walking out through the tunnel and taking in Candlestick Park for the first time. It was so much bigger than on TV! Although I didn’t know it, I had the fortune that day to watch five of the greatest baseball players in Major League Baseball history: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose. I still have the program for that game as well.
2. “The Catch” & 1981 Super Bowl
Wanted to combine these as they are directly related. “The Catch” of course, refers to the SF 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys NFC Championship game where Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark to help edge the heavily favored Cowboys, allowing them to go to (and win) their first Super Bowl ever. This was particularly exciting on a couple of fronts. First, the 49ers Super Bowl season came of nowhere. The niners were 6-10 the season before and 2-14 the prior to two seasons before that. Bill Walsh took over during that time and optimism abounded that he would turn things around fast. But what happened was much faster than anyone anticipated! Unexpected success is always the most fulfilling. At least to me.
Another reason “The Catch” game is on my list is because I actually attended it! Thanks to my dad again, I was able to watch history being made from the 45 yard line, 12 rows behind the Cowboys bench. The best part of it is that I was surrounded by longtime season ticket holders who had suffered watching poor 49er teams for most of the prior decade. And some who had season tickets going back to the Kezar Stadium days. So to say these folks were hysterical would be an understatement. Tears flowed everywhere. Definitely something I’ll never forget.
I remember watching the Super Bowl at a friends house in Los Gatos, with all of us becoming euphoric when the 49ers jumped out to an early lead, and then simultaneously biting our nails as they held on to a 26-21 win, thanks in part to a late goal line stand. We went into downtown Los Gatos after the win where people were going nuts, screaming their heads off while driving up and down Santa Cruz Blvd.
3. 2010 World Series - Game 6
The entire World Series actually, but game 6 was the one that clinched the Giants first ever World Series title in San Francisco. They came close a couple of times, particularly in 1962 and 2002, but this time the title came home after the defeating of the Texas Rangers. Simultaneous relief and excitement after waiting for 52 years! And who would have known that they would win two more in the next three years. Wow….
4. Golden State Warriors - 1975 NBA Championship
Although the Warriors were pretty competitive the prior four seasons, finishing 2nd in the Western conference all four years, this NBA championship following the 1974-75 season came as almost as much of a surprise as the 1981 49ers Super Bowl title did. After coming back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls in the conference finals, the 48-34 Warriors took on the powerful and heavily favored 60-22 Washington Bullets for the NBA title. Not only did the Warriors win, but they swept the mighty Bullets 4-0, All, however, were hard fought, physical, tight, nail-biting games. Some the come-from-behind type. Still, it was quite a shocker. And like the 49ers unexpected Super Bowl victory in 1981, the win was particularly fulfilling. Not to mention that it was the franchise’s, and the area’s, first Bay Area NBA title.
5. Oakland Raiders - 1976 Super Bowl
Unlike the aforementioned 49er and Warrior championship wins, the Raiders 1976 Super Bowl victory had more of an “it was about time” feeling. One of the top AFC teams during the entire 1970’s, the Raiders had the bad luck of playing at the same time as the powerhouse and multiple Super Bowl winning Miami Dolphin and Pittsburgh Steeler teams, frequently facing one or the other in the playoffs. And until 1976, often losing to them. But after an 11 point fourth quarter come-from-behind win in a round one AFC playoff game against New England, you knew it was there year. That win catapulted them through the rest of the playoffs, as they easily beat the dreaded Steelers in the AFC Championship game 24-7, and thrashed the Minnesota Vikings 33-14 in Super Bowl X to win their first ever Super Bowl title.
The game was particularly memorable, as I remember watching it during a camping trip we were on, barely getting the game on our small, portable rabbit-eared black-and-white TV in our 25 foot Prowler trailer.
6. 2002 NL Championship - Game 5
For a while, it looked like 2002 might be the Bay Bridge Series II, as the Giants snuck into the playoffs as a wildcard, while the A’s won the AL West with a league tying 103 wins. Huge upsets in the AL took care of that though, as the Minnesota Twins and wildcard Anaheim Angels knocked off the heavily favored A’s and New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.
In the NL, the Giants continued the wildcard winning ways by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in five games to advance to their third San Francisco World Series in 40 years, and the first since the 1989 Bay Bridge Series I. The clinching game 5 was played in San Francisco, and I was fortunate to have attended it (thanks again dad). Upper deck, right behind first base. And what a game. Trailing 1-0 going into the 8th inning, the Giants scored a run in each of the final two innings to eek out a 2-1 win. In the ninth, the Giants put together three consecutive two-out singles to claim the NL championship. Talk about suspense! The Giants were in the World Series….finally! In about a week, that thrill would be erased by a gut punch, as you’ll read in my “Toughest Moment in Sports” (#4).
7. 1974 World Series - Game 4
October 16, 1974…. my very first first World Series game. I was 14 years old and my dad and I were sitting in the lower deck between the Dodgers dugout and the Dodgers bullpen down the right field line. A’s pitcher Ken Holtzman not only pitched a great game, but became one of the few pitcher’s in World Series history to hit a home run. A shot over the left field fence. The 5-2 win gave the A’s a 3-1 series lead which they clinched the next day, giving them their third World Series championship in a row.
Just eight years earlier, a horrible A’s teamed moved from Kansas City to Oakland, and within three years began their playoff run thanks in part to some great drafting and smart free agent signings.
8. Introducing the San Jose Sharks
In 1991, San Jose’s welcomed its first ever Professional team! Ok, the San Jose Earthquakes technically were back in the 1970’s, but the Sharks were the first local team from the big four: NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Very exciting when it happened. However, the Sharks wouldn’t play in San Jose until 1993, as the SJ Arena was being built during their first two years of existence. Seasons 1 and 2 were held at the Cow Palace in Daly City, but that didn’t discourage my friend Steve and I from becoming Shark Pak owners (10 game plan). We attended the third ever home game for the Sharks.
Although they were predictably bad during that time, including an 11-71-2 record in their second season in 1992, they turned it around big time in their inaugural season in San Jose by going 33-35-16 in 1993. Not only did that represent the biggest turnaround season in NHL history, the Sharks shockingly made the NHL playoffs for the first time as well! And if that wasn’t enough, the #8 seeded Sharks beat the #1 seeded Detroit Red Wings in round 1 of the playoffs for one of the biggest upsets ever in the NHL. I remember going to one of the playoff games, and can safely say that it was, and still is, the loudest crowd experience I’ve ever had. Deafening. Could not hear the person next to you talk.
9. San Jose Earthquakes - MLS Champs
I have to admit that I’m not much a soccer fan, and only watch the sport every four years when the World Cup is played. But I did have to catch the 2001 MLS Championship game (on TV, not in person) as it featured our own San Jose Earthquakes. Although not one of the big four professional sports, the MLS is nonetheless a professional sports league, and on October 21, 2001, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 to bring home San Jose’s first ever professional sports championship. I honestly thought the Sharks would be the first team to lay claim to that, but that wasn't the case.
10. The SF Giants Booster Club Trip - 1979
Airfare, three Giants games at Dodger Stadium, hotel accommodations for two nights, and admission to Disneyland, all for $180. Who could pass that up? I couldn’t, so I decided to join the San Francisco Giants booster club for one of their weekend trips to southern California to watch a 3-game series against the Dodgers in the fall of 1979. The good news: we stayed at the same hotel as the Giants. The bad news: the Dodgers were one of the best teams in baseball, the Giants not so good. As an added bonus however, the Oakland Raiders were in town to play the LA Rams in a preseason exhibition football game that Saturday and were also staying at the same hotel we were. I was in Bay Area sports fan heaven!
The Dodgers predictably dominated the baseball, taking 2 of 3 from the Giants. And Disneyland was fun. But the best part was at the hotel. Almost every time you used the elevator or walked in the lobby you would see a Giant or Raider. Willie McCovey, Ken Stabler, and announcer Bill King were just a few I saw roaming around. On Friday night we (my roommate and I) snuck into the lounge (we were only 19) for a few minutes and saw five or six Giant players huddled around a table in the far corner of the room playing poker. Sitting by himself at the bar, however, was Giants shortstop Johnnie LeMaster. We mosied on up and struck up a conversation with him. He was very gracious and soft-spoken, and we actually ended up talking for about 15 minutes before we left. Before going to bed around 1:30am, I snuck a peak in the lounge and saw the poker players still going at it. No team curfew then, evidently.
My top highlight, however, was meeting the star of the Rockford Files, James Garner. As we returned from breakfast on Saturday morning, Garner, a huge Raiders fan, was sitting alone in the hotel lobby reading a newspaper. As a huge Rockford Files fan, I did a double take to make sure it was really him. After the initial shock wore off, I decided to walk up, say hi, tell him I’m a big fan, and hopefully get an autograph. Thankfully, he was very friendly and signed the paper I was able to find. My roommate, who was a little gutsier than me, asked if he could take a picture with him. Again, Garner was very accommodating and happily did it. I took a picture with my roomies camera, and regretted not having one taken of him and I as well. At the time, I didn’t want to push my luck, as he did allow me to interrupt him and signed an autograph. But soon after I wish I had. I still have a copy of the photo I took in some album somewhere. A couple of weeks later when my roomie sent me a copy of the picture, I immediately noticed that I cut half of him out of the picture. Got all of James Garner though. Bummer.
That night after the Raider/Ram game was over, I ran into Garner at the hotel elevator. While we were waiting for it, I asked him how Raider quarterback Kenny Stabler looked. He gave a short reply, but I don’t remember what it was. He obviously didn’t want to be bothered so I was silent during our elevator ride. It was still pretty thrilling for a 19 year old!
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