I have a lot of random stuff in my work office.
Most recently, I stumbled across a ticket stub from a Phillies vs Braves game in went to nine years ago when I lived in Georgia. It wasn’t just any Phillies vs Braves game, either: Cole Hamels and three other pitchers combined to no-hit the Braves that afternoon. Hamels was effectively wild, posting seven strikeouts and five walks, while the bullpen didn’t allow a baserunner.
That was actually the second no-hitter I witnessed as a fan.
The first was back in 2003 when Kevin Millwood blanked Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants at Veterans Stadium. Millwood went the full nine innings and Ricky Ledee provided the only offense with a solo home run in the first inning. That had to be one of the most boring – but exciting – 1-0 in games in the history of baseball.
Fast forward 11 years and teleport from one bygone stadium to another that has since been repurposed (Turner Field) and that’s where you’d find me sitting in Section 124L, Row 3, Seat 101.
September 2, 2014 was also Bobby Cox Bobblehead Day.
Why is that important?
Well, months later, I started dating a woman and saw that same bobblehead sitting on her TV cabinet. As it turns out, we were both at the same game and didn’t know it. Of course we wouldn’t know it because we didn’t know each other, but that made for a great anecdote. (We’d later go to several games together: CONCACAF Gold Cup, TCU vs Ole Miss, Atlanta Hawks.)