Twins Almanac: Rod Carew Jersey Day, 1977

Great article!  Twelve year old me was absolutely thrilled that day.  I remember listening to it on the radio and being really, really excited about it!

36 minutes ago, Karbo said:

I went to that game. Sir Rodney was so good.

You have no idea how jealous I am right now!  He was indeed a great one, and we have the same October 1 birthday.  Have you read One Tough Out?  It’s excellent.  

22 minutes ago, Matt Johnson said:

I wasn't born yet, but sounds like the offense was firing on all cylinders to that point during the 1977 season.

 

If only they could have pitched.  

7 hours ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Great article!  Twelve year old me was absolutely thrilled that day.  I remember listening to it on the radio and being really, really excited about it!

Eleven-year-old me was in the right field bleachers. 

The actual crowd was at least two less than announced. My brother-in-law wanted a jersey of his own, so he bought two extra tickets. We went in with the extra tickets, got the shirt, exited and reentered with our actual seats, getting a second shirt. 

My first game at the Met had been the previous day, when the crowd got on Adams for being a little lackadaisical going for a ball, so he was still getting some grief when he came up and hit a grand slam on Sunday.

Steve Stone was the pitcher for Chicago, so the game occasionally comes up on broadcasts that he’s doing.

A few years ago at Twins Fest, Carew was part of a panel, aand I was able to ask him about the day. He spoke for several minutes, naming it his most memorable day as a Twin and talking about how much the fan reaction meant to him. He received several extended standing ovations over the course of the day.

That day remains the most memorable game I’ve ever been to and ranks alongside Game 6 and Game 7 as the three biggest moments of my Twins fandom.

Also, with the picture at the top, let’s also not forget the great Butch Wynegar pictured in the background. Another favorite of mine. 

4 hours ago, darwin22 said:

Very interesting recollection of that day as I also (12 at the time) was at the game with my 2 brothers and my dad.

Having attended several Twins games as a youth---we lived in northeast Iowa---this game stands out as the BEST GAME I ever attended at Metropolitan Stadium.  Not only was the Met filled to capacity it was an electric atmosphere with the Twins playing well battling for 1st place. Our seats were along the 1B line in the 2nd deck.

Not sure how long I held onto the replica Rod Carew jersey, but it was at the top of my list of possessions for years to come.  

Only thing in error in this write up---was that the fan who delayed the game did so climbing up the LEFT FIELD foul pole---not the one in RF.  My 12 year old mind remembers the game was delayed for at least 10 minutes as Thornley (who later became a SABR member) kept security at bay scrambling further up the pole as security tried to coax him down.  I'm guessing significant consumption of Grain Belt, Ice cold Oly or Hamms played a contributing factor in Thornley's actions.

A final memory was staying (our tradition) at the Howard Johnson's--a stone's throw from the Met along Cedar Avenue.  For a young kid, an indoor swimming pool COMBINED with a putting green made for a great time.  

I was in the lower deck, but further down the right field line. With having grown up near Iowa City, perhaps we passed each other, either at the game or on the road! And yes, I had the shirt for a long time. As recently as a few years ago, my brother-in-law still had his.

This weekend was my only trip to the Met. That it was only my third MLB game ever had me not realizing how electric the atmosphere was, but it certainly made an impression on me.

Oops. I didn't catch that the OP said right field. Agreed -- Stew climbed the left field pole as the caption says. In fact, the picture was probably taken from about my angle.  

My hotel memory from the weekend is a little different and more traumatic. We stayed in a suite, so I slept in the couch in one room. When I went to the bathroom, I walked into the bedroom my sister and brother-in-law were in, oblivious to the thought of knocking first. As an impressionable kid, I was appalled to see them in the same single bed. I later did the math and, as it turns out, my first niece was born nine months to the day later.

They claim nothing happened that night, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.