13 years ago today-- Brant Brown's dropped ball

[erik316wttn]

We all remember it: September 23, 1998 in Milwaukee. What should have been the final out, a fly ball to left, was dropped by Brant Brown as the winning runs came across to score after the error. It led to one of Ron Santo's most memorable moments in the booth.

 

I had knee surgery the day before, so I was off of school and listening on the radio doped up on vicodin.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJfslft_oDk&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL2288FAF860743F65

 

Damn, do I miss Ronnie. :(

[biittner77]

I remember Steve Stone had to tell the play by play guy at the time (Chip?) that Brown had dropped the ball.

 

That dropped ball led to really the only good moment of that post season- the one game playoff against the Giants.

[SouthSideRyan]

I remember Steve Stone had to tell the play by play guy at the time (Chip?) that Brown had dropped the ball.

 

That dropped ball led to really the only good moment of that post season- the one game playoff against the Giants.

 

No, he had to tell Chip the game was over. Chip thought the Brewers had tied the game on the play.

[Exile on Waveland]

One of those "remember where you were" times for me. Freshman year of college, arriving back from class as the game ended, and my roommate and dorm neighbor saw me come in, basically re-enacted the play (with more (less?) profanity), and I think I fell backwards on my backpack. Ugh. Guess it didn't really matter in the end . . . game 163 against the Giants was a lot of fun (really the most tense-yet-fun game of my Cubs fandom at that point . . . I watched in 1989 but I was just a bit young to really care). Can't believe that's been 13 years.

 

Cool story bro.

[SouthSideRyan]

We did waste Trachsel on game 163 rather than getting to throw him against the Braves.

[bcl412]

The season I became a Cubs fan.

[biittner77]

We did waste Trachsel on game 163 rather than getting to throw him against the Braves.

 

Mark Clark LOL

[Guancous]

The hidden tragedy of that play: The Neifi era does not exist if he doesn't hit that home run for the Rockies that afternoon.

[mul21]

I was in the weight room at UW-LaCrosse with a buddy who is a Brewers fan. I'm pretty sure I got some strange looks because of my profanity laced reaction.

[SpongeWorthy]

The hidden tragedy of that play: The Neifi era does not exist if he doesn't hit that home run for the Rockies that afternoon.

 

The Neifi homer was against the Giants on the final day of the season.

[HossmanGT]

Can you imagine how much attention/remembrance this play would have gotten had the Cubs not eventually still made the playoffs? Considering the Cubs made the playoffs, I'm always a little surprised by how much attention this play still gets.

[jersey cubs fan]

Can you imagine how much attention/remembrance this play would have gotten had the Cubs not eventually still made the playoffs? Considering the Cubs made the playoffs, I'm always a little surprised by how much attention this play still gets.

 

Yeah, I don't know if it was because it was the beginning of the internet/espn dominated era of sports or what. But in the end it was just another loss. WFAN in NY was cutting in and airing lots of Cubs broadcasts that year because of the HR chase and so everybody listening to NY sports radio heard it (at the time it was the only sports radio here). You could here WGN online anywhere in the world so people heard that everywhere.

[erik316wttn]

The season I became a Cubs fan.

 

1998 was still the most fun I've ever had being a Cubs fan.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The season I became a Cubs fan.

 

1998 was still the most fun I've ever had being a Cubs fan.

 

I don't know, I liked 2008 an awful lot. I also liked the 2003 dogfight to the end.

[erik316wttn]

The season I became a Cubs fan.

 

1998 was still the most fun I've ever had being a Cubs fan.

 

I don't know, I liked 2008 an awful lot. I also liked the 2003 dogfight to the end.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, 2008 was great, but 1998 had Sammy coming out of nowhere in an epic HR race with McGwire, Kerry Wood emerging on the National scene after his 20k game, the one-game playoff, the ball under the padding during the White Sox game, the 8-2 start, Beck with his 50-some saves, and so many other great moments just made it a hell of a lot of fun from beginning to end.

[mopapa]

I remember walking in the house, the game on WGN. All they were showing was the Cubs fans sitting stunned in the stands. I asked my mother what happened, she said "They lost." :shock: I couldn't believe it. The image of the fans sitting in the stands, heads in hands, resting on railings, in complete and utter shock, will live in my mind forever. The only other time I felt so badly for a player was for Bill Buckner in 1986.

[jersey cubs fan]

Oh, don't get me wrong, 2008 was great, but 1998 had Sammy coming out of nowhere in an epic HR race with McGwire, Kerry Wood emerging on the National scene after his 20k game, the one-game playoff, the ball under the padding during the White Sox game, the 8-2 start, Beck with his 50-some saves, and so many other great moments just made it a hell of a lot of fun from beginning to end.

 

Why is this on the list?

[North Iowa Cub]

I was a big fan of Brant Brown and still bristle at the notion that "He almost cost us going to the playoffs!". Did Beck not walk the bases loaded? And I recall there were two Fridays in a row Brant Brown hit a GW HR in the last at bat. Wish more people remembered that about Brant Brown. Yeah, I guess I am an official Brant Brown apologist.

[SouthSideRyan]

I was really pissed when they sent him down in '96 after he hit roughly 1 HR per AB. Dump Grace, keep Brown.

 

ETA: Brant Brown is [expletive] 40 years old.

[erik316wttn]

Oh, don't get me wrong, 2008 was great, but 1998 had Sammy coming out of nowhere in an epic HR race with McGwire, Kerry Wood emerging on the National scene after his 20k game, the one-game playoff, the ball under the padding during the White Sox game, the 8-2 start, Beck with his 50-some saves, and so many other great moments just made it a hell of a lot of fun from beginning to end.

 

Why is this on the list?

 

It just stuck out in my mind at the time and still does.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I was really pissed when they sent him down in '96 after he hit roughly 1 HR per AB. Dump Grace, keep Brown.

 

ETA: Brant Brown is [expletive] 40 years old.

 

Screw you for pointing that out.

[bcl412]

I was really pissed when they sent him down in '96 after he hit roughly 1 HR per AB. Dump Grace, keep Brown.

 

ETA: Brant Brown is [expletive] 40 years old.

 

Looks like he had a good year in 1998, granted, I'm sure there were a lot of people OPSing in the 800s during that era but still, I didn't realize that he was pretty good for the Cubs that year.

[erik316wttn]

And then we traded him to Pittsburgh and got a pretty good starter in Jon Lieber out of it.

[UMFan83]

1998 was the most enjoyable year for me as a Cubs fan but only because I was 15 and the result of the Cubs game was the only thing that mattered to me. Much worse than even my mid aughts NSBB angst if you can believe that. At one point in my life I could tell you the result of every game that year and how many home runs Sammy hit. Now I can't tell you what the Cubs did last week. Growing up sucks. Even booze isn't as fun.

[jersey cubs fan]

Growing up sucks. Even booze isn't as fun.

 

You're doing it wrong.