C'mon, Blue!
Then the Ellises and Play Ball Missoula teamed up to bring the grand ol' game back to town, and they did knowing full well what to expect from fans and what fans expected from them.
Who to play? Where to play? How to play?
It was a pipe dream to some, but an all-or-nothing opportunity to others. That's why so many citizens consider these Missoula Osprey lucky ducks.
Through the legal wranglings, stadium snafus and temporary bathrooms, fans showed up to watch.
“When you look at it, there's been some monster happenings that happened in the last 10 years,” said Matt Ellis, Osprey vice president and general manager.
“It has been so many years, it's hard to remember 'em all,” said super fan Steve Kemler, a city bus driver better known by the nickname “Lefty.”
Here's some of the Missoulian's Top 10 memories of Osprey baseball:
10 Soon-to-be fan favorite Luis Terrero crushes a grand slam to help the Osprey win their first home game 8-6 over Helena on June 22, 1999 at Lindborg-Cregg Field.
“Yeah, and I still got the ball,” said Kemler, who used to sit near the left field corner at Lindborg-Cregg Field so he could chase down balls. “I got over 135 game balls from that first season.”
As far as grand slams go, it was a preview of things to come for Missoula. Terrero smacked the team's second grand slam five days later and future pro Lyle Overbay adios-ed two more that year.
The Osprey have 24 grand slams in their history, but two others in particular are worth mentioning.
n John Hester's grand slam to win the first game of the O's playoff series with Billings back on Sept. 8, 2006 - it propelled them to a second title.
n Derrick Walker's walk-off grand slam to beat Billings on July 3, 2007.
9 The dismal '07 season that ended with a 27-49 overall record was eased by the 86,881 fans who showed up at the ball park, the third straight year in which Missoula's attendance set a record.
The Osprey won the Bob Freitas Award as the nation's top short-season minor league baseball franchise for 2007.
8 It's coming up on the eight-year anniversary of the first - and biggest - brawl in team history. Back on Aug. 5, 2000, the Osprey and Medicine Hat Blue Jays erupted for a 12-minute melee that saw six players ejected - and later resulted in mass suspensions which potentially cost the O's a postseason spot. A Missoula Sheriff's deputy got knocked out by a flying helmet.
7 The relief pitchers. We're of course talking about Charlie Williamson, Jose Valverde and Jason Neighborgall, in particular.
Williamson, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-hander, sprinted in from the bullpen down the first base line, with menacing scowl in tow, to electrify the fans with his sidearm - almost submarine - delivery.
“He almost grabbed dirt when he pitched,” Kemler said. “I mean he got down there, but I think everybody remembers him for that full-tilt, house-on-fire sprint he'd do from the bullpen.”
Valverde was a fierce, flame-throwing right-hander who never gave up a run in 12 outings in Missoula. His stuff is legendary, but something about him rankled his opponents.
“The other bullpen hated that guy,” Kemler said. “He'd strike a guy out and then make all those gyrations. It just (ticked) those guys off.”
Neighborgall set Pioneer League records for wild pitches in a season (23) in 2005, and then nearly reached it again the next year (22). A lightning rod for insults, Neighborgall became a bizarro fan favorite because he truly defined what the minor league baseball experience is all about - rooting for the underdogs.
6 Pea-nuts.
Scream if you want 'em.
5 Completion of the downtown stadium gave the Osprey their current home by the Clark Fork River. The O's moved there in 2004 but didn't fully finish the facility until the 2007 season. Still, '08 marks the fifth year of baseball at what is now called Ogren-Allegiance Park.
4 Lyle Overbay. The first former Osprey player to make it in the pros. He helped guide the team to its Pioneer League championship in 1999 and hit 101 RBIs in the process. His success validated what the Osprey were about.
“Overbay's 101 RBIs is still, to me, one of the most amazing feats in baseball history on any level,” Ellis said. “You look at that and go, ‘Wow, how'd he do that.' ”
Overbay made it to the big leagues just four seasons later.
3 Good things come in threes.
Three times Osprey pitchers have combined on no-hitters, July 27, 2001 at Billings, Aug. 20, 2006 at Casper and on June 30, 2008 at Helena.
Three times the O's defense has turned a triple play, including once this year which netted a fan $10,000.
One triple crown winner in Jesus Cota, who won the batting average, home run and runs batted in categories to earn such an honor in 2001.
Lastly, let's not forget Jimmy Principe, who hit for the cycle (single, double, triple and home run) on Aug. 17, 2007 vs. Ogden. Sometimes good things come in fours, too.
2 Championships in 1999 and 2006 gave the organization two titles in their eight years in Missoula.
1 Osprey announce their intentions to play in Missoula. That was always the first step.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)