Twenty years ago tonight

My God, can't believe so much time has passed. Sorry to bore you, but I'm going to tell my all-time story.

Having covered the Braves through many of the pennant races and postseasons, including every game of the 1995 playoffs, I had applied for credentials for the games in New York as well as Atlanta for the Series. But I found out to my dismay the week of the Series that the paper would not send me to New York. Crushed, but a good soldier, I worked in the office that Saturday night the Series was supposed to open, but Game One was rained out!
I had the next three days off, so an evil plan came to life. After working my shift on Saturday, I got in my car, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, around midnight and headed North, credentials in hand. Alone. I drove all the way to New York with only the barest of stops and without any money to speak off and pulled into the Yankee Stadium parking lot during the National Anthem. The other members of the Atlanta media were incredulous, as were the guys back at the paper. I called them from auxilary box and told them only then where I was. My boss was on medical leave, flying to Mayo Clinic the next day. Told them I would file stories if they wanted them, but since I was technnically on vacation, it was up to them.
So I saw Andruw's huge game, and of course the paper wanted me to file. I stayed in a HoJo in Jersey, ate there (and found out Jersey doesn't believe in free tea refills) and covered Game Two as well, also a Braves win. Since the travel day was eliminated due to the rain delay, as soon as I filed those stories, I got in the car to drive to Atlanta -- where I was scheduled to cover Games 3-5. Came straight down thru Virginia and N.C., got to my parents house in Atlanta about 1 p.m. the next afternoon and crashed. Our columnist picked me up there and we went together to A-FC. Again, the Braves media were incredulous.
So was my boss. The staffers agreed not to tell him about my stunt, so his first awareness that we were there for Game One was when he looked at the paper while he was flying to Minnesota.
Of course, Jim Leyritz rewrote the ending I was seeking, so it was clear I would not be returning to New York for the post-mortem.
Called on the carpet by my boss the following week, it was pointed out that since I was representing the paper, they were at risk for me. I replied that, credentials notwithstanding, I simply took a little vacation on my long weekend. I wasn't turning in expenses and gave the paper the option of using my stuff or not. I then pointed out to him that I was just turning 40, and how many more chances in my life would I get to do something wonderful and crazy like that?
Duly chastised, I started to leave the office. But my boss said in a quiet voice. "Turn in your expenses before you leave."
Yes, that's why I loved worked there and working for that man.

If you read this, thanks for your time.
 
Cool story Rico.

I always maintain that the Leyritz homer off Wohlers was the nail in the coffin for the Braves to become an elite dynasty. If it weren't for that event, history rewrites itself drastically different. We would have had 2 World Series championships and the confidence to probably march on and win 1...2...possibly 3 more. For one thing the Yanks dynasty doesn't happen, cause you know George would have panicked and a lot of that young core that they built around for the next half decade would have been shipped off and Torre would have been fired. The stable calming influence would have been gone and it would have been the same Bronx zoo. And if we win in 96, it probably doesn't cause JS and ownership to go through such drastic changes and moved going into the new park. Justice should have stayed here. Dye shouldn't have been traded for Tucker and Lockhart.

Yes we won many games and many division titles after and since then, but the Braves were never the same especially in October. Always got the sense that the players and fans were always looking behind our backs wondering...what's next instead of going out there and attacking.
 
rico43 said:
My God, can't believe so much time has passed. Sorry to bore you, but I'm going to tell my all-time story.

Having covered the Braves through many of the pennant races and postseasons, including every game of the 1995 playoffs, I had applied for credentials for the games in New York as well as Atlanta for the Series. But I found out to my dismay the week of the Series that the paper would not send me to New York. Crushed, but a good soldier, I worked in the office that Saturday night the Series was supposed to open, but Game One was rained out!
I had the next three days off, so an evil plan came to life. After working my shift on Saturday, I got in my car, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, around midnight and headed North, credentials in hand. Alone. I drove all the way to New York with only the barest of stops and without any money to speak off and pulled into the Yankee Stadium parking lot during the National Anthem. The other members of the Atlanta media were incredulous, as were the guys back at the paper. I called them from auxilary box and told them only then where I was. My boss was on medical leave, flying to Mayo Clinic the next day. Told them I would file stories if they wanted them, but since I was technnically on vacation, it was up to them.
So I saw Andruw's huge game, and of course the paper wanted me to file. I stayed in a HoJo in Jersey, ate there (and found out Jersey doesn't believe in free tea refills) and covered Game Two as well, also a Braves win. Since the travel day was eliminated due to the rain delay, as soon as I filed those stories, I got in the car to drive to Atlanta -- where I was scheduled to cover Games 3-5. Came straight down thru Virginia and N.C., got to my parents house in Atlanta about 1 p.m. the next afternoon and crashed. Our columnist picked me up there and we went together to A-FC. Again, the Braves media were incredulous.
So was my boss. The staffers agreed not to tell him about my stunt, so his first awareness that we were there for Game One was when he looked at the paper while he was flying to Minnesota.
Of course, Jim Leyritz rewrote the ending I was seeking, so it was clear I would not be returning to New York for the post-mortem.
Called on the carpet by my boss the following week, it was pointed out that since I was representing the paper, they were at risk for me. I replied that, credentials notwithstanding, I simply took a little vacation on my long weekend. I wasn't turning in expenses and gave the paper the option of using my stuff or not. I then pointed out to him that I was just turning 40, and how many more chances in my life would I get to do something wonderful and crazy like that?
Duly chastised, I started to leave the office. But my boss said in a quiet voice. "Turn in your expenses before you leave."
Yes, that's why I loved worked there and working for that man.

If you read this, thanks for your time.
Click to expand...

That was awesome! I also come from a newspaper background, but never had a story that awesome to tell.
 
UNCBlue012 said:
That was awesome! I also come from a newspaper background, but never had a story that awesome to tell.
Click to expand...

It's my only one! Unless you want to count driving to Minnesota with a colleague who lived there, or driving back from St. Louis jamming on Stone Temple Pilots for five straight honors. But in each of those, I was merely the passenger.
 
rico43 said:
It's my only one! Unless you want to count driving to Minnesota with a colleague who lived there, or driving back from St. Louis jamming on Stone Temple Pilots for five straight honors. But in each of those, I was merely the passenger.
Click to expand...

Wel, the Stone Temple Pilot story has happened at some point in my life, I know! That's awesome though. The only notable thing I've ever done in the business is cover a few UNC basketball games and cover UNC-Charlotte's first football game!
 
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