My thoughts from being there:

[MusicMan]

- This HAD to happen at MMPUS.  Anyone who complainedd about Garner "manipulating" Biggio's playing time can stick that opinion where the sun don't shine.  The crowd was absolutely electric, from Biggio's first AB on.

- I have to assume Ausmus was the guy who sent word to the rest of the team to make sure that Biggio's sons got out there first.  However it happened, it was truly great to see.  Biggio may be he master of the cliche, but in his reactions with his family, his reaction to the crowd... you could see that he meant every word when he had discussed why he was coming back to go after 3000.

- Probably not shown on TV, but a detail I'll never forget: Everett on the top step of the dugout, clearly looking incredibly disappointed that he couldn't hobble out there to be with him.

- Biggio comes back into the dugout - Garner talking to the ump, are they going to double-switch him out? - OK, here comes the curtain call - what's Berry doing, he's hollering something to Craig? - oh holy shit, that's gotta be Bagwell, now I'm crying...

- I was so focused on the scene on the field, when Mrs. MM said on the way home "the banner was really nice", I literally replied "What banner?"

- but this, above all else, is what I'll remember:

We had brought our 2 year old daughter to the game.  For her, bed time is always 8:00, never later than 8:30.  We knew we'd be asking a lot for her to stay up.  I know she's learning new words every day, and "baseball" was a real milestone for me a couple of months ago.

And so Biggio comes up in the 5th... and the crowd chants... and there's 2999.

And in the quiet after that inning... I hear my little girl starting to say:

"B-G-O.  B-G-O!"

And she DID NOT STOP.

She may not remember going to this game... shoot, she probably won't, except for what we tell her... but I'll remember it to my dying day.

[BudGirl]

I have a picture of the banner, I'll send it to you if you want.  I also took one of the line ups posted by Larry's.

Biggio did hug Everett in the dugout.

Bagwell made me cry.

I've cried this morning reading all the articles.

I was rather proud of the home crowd for once.

[Arky Vaughan]

It was the best regular-season game I've ever been to. Anybody who criticized the Astros for trying to make this happen at home is missing the big picture about what baseball means to the fans.

[matadorph]

- but this, above all else, is what I'll remember:

We had brought our 2 year old daughter to the game.  For her, bed time is always 8:00, never later than 8:30.  We knew we'd be asking a lot for her to stay up.  I know she's learning new words every day, and "baseball" was a real milestone for me a couple of months ago.

And so Biggio comes up in the 5th... and the crowd chants... and there's 2999.

And in the quiet after that inning... I hear my little girl starting to say:

"B-G-O.  B-G-O!"

And she DID NOT STOP.

She may not remember going to this game... shoot, she probably won't, except for what we tell her... but I'll remember it to my dying day.

Stop it before I start crying again.

[Frobie]

Can't really add much to the above except to say that I think my (now) wife's hankerin' for Biggio was the only reason she would sit and watch baseball with me when we first started hanging out together.  After his first AB I said, "Well, looks like we're not going to see the big hit" and she replied, "You just wait and see."  She got pretty teary-eyed after the big 3k.

OTOH, she wanted to leave after they went down 4-1 in the 8th (or at least said she did; she knows about our strict "We Do Not Leave Early" policy).  I think what (understandably) kinda got lost in the brouhaha last night is what a wonderful baseball game it was.  Too bad 3/4 of the crowd left early and didn't get to see the big finish.

[Noe]

I have a picture of the banner, I'll send it to you if you want.  I also took one of the line ups posted by Larry's.

Biggio did hug Everett in the dugout.

Bagwell made me cry.

I've cried this morning reading all the articles.

I was rather proud of the home crowd for once.

Any pictures you want to send our way (the OWA), we will accept and post as tributes to Biggio and of course to all of you who are Astros fans.  Great moment for all of us.  Worthy of drinking it all in even the day after!

[JaneDoe]

  Too bad 3/4 of the crowd left early and didn't get to see the big finish.

You gotta be kidding me.  I would have loved to be at that game, and would have stayed to the end. 

Even if we had lost.

Or if he hadn't even gotten one hit.

[Amy]

You gotta be kidding me.  I would have loved to be at that game, and would have stayed to the end. 

Even if we had lost.

Or if he hadn't even gotten one hit.

I know how you feel.  I stayed until Biggio left the field and I was sure he wasn't coming back out.  I don't understand how anyone could leave that game early.  Last night at the hotel bar, which was mostly filled with people in formal dress who clearly didn't have a clue what happened, I ran into a man who had been at the game until the end.  He was from Switzerland and through business connections just happened to be sitting in the diamond boxes last night.  He didn't really understand the true significance of what he witnessed.  But he grasped enough from what his colleagues told him and just taking in the proceedings that he realized he had seen something special and wanted to stay until the end.  If he can get it enough to stay, what was wrong with all those other people at the ballpark who should've known better?

[Andyzipp]

I know how you feel.  I stayed until Biggio left the field and I was sure he wasn't coming back out.  I don't understand how anyone could leave that game early.  Last night at the hotel bar, which was mostly filled with people in formal dress who clearly didn't have a clue what happened, I ran into a man who had been at the game until the end.  He was from Switzerland and through business connections just happened to be sitting in the diamond boxes last night.  He didn't really understand the true significance of what he witnessed.  But he grasped enough from what his colleagues told him and just taking in the proceedings that he realized he had seen something special and wanted to stay until the end.  If he can get it enough to stay, what was wrong with all those other people at the ballpark who should've known better?

His ride probably didn't want to leave.

[JimR]

I know how you feel.  I stayed until Biggio left the field and I was sure he wasn't coming back out.  I don't understand how anyone could leave that game early.  Last night at the hotel bar, which was mostly filled with people in formal dress who clearly didn't have a clue what happened, I ran into a man who had been at the game until the end.  He was from Switzerland and through business connections just happened to be sitting in the diamond boxes last night.  He didn't really understand the true significance of what he witnessed.  But he grasped enough from what his colleagues told him and just taking in the proceedings that he realized he had seen something special and wanted to stay until the end.  If he can get it enough to stay, what was wrong with all those other people at the ballpark who should've known better?

i'm pissed he got a ticket.

[JimR]

- This HAD to happen at MMPUS.  Anyone who complainedd about Garner "manipulating" Biggio's playing time can stick that opinion where the sun don't shine.  The crowd was absolutely electric, from Biggio's first AB on.

- I have to assume Ausmus was the guy who sent word to the rest of the team to make sure that Biggio's sons got out there first.  However it happened, it was truly great to see.  Biggio may be he master of the cliche, but in his reactions with his family, his reaction to the crowd... you could see that he meant every word when he had discussed why he was coming back to go after 3000.

- Probably not shown on TV, but a detail I'll never forget: Everett on the top step of the dugout, clearly looking incredibly disappointed that he couldn't hobble out there to be with him.

- Biggio comes back into the dugout - Garner talking to the ump, are they going to double-switch him out? - OK, here comes the curtain call - what's Berry doing, he's hollering something to Craig? - oh holy shit, that's gotta be Bagwell, now I'm crying...

- I was so focused on the scene on the field, when Mrs. MM said on the way home "the banner was really nice", I literally replied "What banner?"

- but this, above all else, is what I'll remember:

We had brought our 2 year old daughter to the game.  For her, bed time is always 8:00, never later than 8:30.  We knew we'd be asking a lot for her to stay up.  I know she's learning new words every day, and "baseball" was a real milestone for me a couple of months ago.

And so Biggio comes up in the 5th... and the crowd chants... and there's 2999.

And in the quiet after that inning... I hear my little girl starting to say:

"B-G-O.  B-G-O!"

And she DID NOT STOP.

She may not remember going to this game... shoot, she probably won't, except for what we tell her... but I'll remember it to my dying day.

my one thought not related to #7's greatness:

he started the winning rally by busting his ass down the line on a slow grounder to keep the inning alive. he is being deified today for his hustle in the 11th. virtually every HS player i coached or played against would have done the exact same thing without fanfare. that Biggio's hustle is considered outstanding in MLB is an indictment of the well over 90% of the players who do not bust their asses, even with the game hanging in the balance. that struck me last night as i watched and listened to the aftermath.

[BudGirl]

my one thought not related to #7's greatness:

he started the winning rally by busting his ass down the line on a slow grounder to keep the inning alive. he is being deified today for his hustle in the 11th. virtually every HS player i coached or played against would have done the exact same thing without fanfare. that Biggio's hustle is considered outstanding in MLB is an indictment of the well over 90% of the players who do not bust their asses, even with the game hanging in the balance. that struck me last night as i watched and listened to the aftermath.

I'm hoping some of his team mates realize it now.

[Arky Vaughan]

my one thought not related to #7's greatness:

he started the winning rally by busting his ass down the line on a slow grounder to keep the inning alive. he is being deified today for his hustle in the 11th. virtually every HS player i coached or played against would have done the exact same thing without fanfare. that Biggio's hustle is considered outstanding in MLB is an indictment of the well over 90% of the players who do not bust their asses, even with the game hanging in the balance. that struck me last night as i watched and listened to the aftermath.

Quintessential Biggio. "Playing the game the way it was meant to be played" is not just a slogan with him.

[Froback]

Quintessential Biggio. "Playing the game the way it was meant to be played" is not just a slogan with him.

He was even asked about that in the post-game interview and basically he said exactly that, talking about the greats of the game, I know he mentioned Frank Robinson by name, as being guys he played that way, and that he wanted to play that way too.

We have been so spoiled for so long, I am going to really miss things like that, that don't show up in any box score.  You just can't teach that, you just have to want it!

[Noe]

He was even asked about that in the post-game interview and basically he said exactly that, talking about the greats of the game, I know he mentioned Frank Robinson by name, as being guys he played that way, and that he wanted to play that way too.

We have been so spoiled for so long, I am going to really miss things like that, that don't show up in any box score.  You just can't teach that, you just have to want it!

He's mentioned Thurman Munson quite a bit as well.

[Froback]

He's mentioned Thurman Munson quite a bit as well.

That was he hero growing up.  As he put it, "even though I didn't particularly like the Yankees".

[Limey]

he started the winning rally by busting his ass down the line on a slow grounder to keep the inning alive. he is being deified today for his hustle in the 11th. virtually every HS player i coached or played against would have done the exact same thing without fanfare. that Biggio's hustle is considered outstanding in MLB is an indictment of the well over 90% of the players who do not bust their asses, even with the game hanging in the balance. that struck me last night as i watched and listened to the aftermath.

It's bad enough when Berkman or Lee lollygag on a pop up or grounder, but when you see marginal players like Lane do it, it's even more annoying.  It was obvious that Lane had to go when, towards the end, he would pop up and start walking back to the dugout, not even caring that it might not be caught.

If I was manager, any player not breaking his bottom down the line gets an instant, and very public, benching.

[Froback]

If I was manager, any player not breaking his bottom down the line gets an instant, and very public, benching.

It needs to be taught throught the minors too, that way when they get to the majors, it is part of their nature.

[Limey]

It needs to be taught throught the minors too, that way when they get to the majors, it is part of their nature.

Not disagreeing or picking a fight, but it shouldn't need to be taught at all.  Kids should just be running.  I don't know at what point they decide that it's ok not to, maybe when they get their first bonus cheque.

Of course, to negative side of hustle is that it gets you players like Speckstein.

[JackAstro]

Not disagreeing or picking a fight, but it shouldn't need to be taught at all.  Kids should just be running.  I don't know at what point they decide that it's ok not to, maybe when they get their first bonus cheque.

Of course, to negative side of hustle is that it gets you players like Speckstein.

What the fuck is a cheque?

[BudGirl]

What the fuck is a cheque?

I think he means check.

[strosrays]

He was even asked about that in the post-game interview and basically he said exactly that, talking about the greats of the game, I know he mentioned Frank Robinson by name, as being guys he played that way, and that he wanted to play that way too.

Exactly.

In my family, we know all about Frank Robinson.  He is something of an icon.  My children know more about him than they do Jeter or A-Rod or Bonds or any of those guys.  It makes them appear a bit odd to their peers, who have never heard of F-Robby, or only know him as an aging manager; but my boys don't give a fuck.  They think he is cool.  Frank Robinson was, is, and always will be bad-ASS.  That sort of thing transcends generations, cultural divisions, whatever.

I like it that Biggio cited him, and Munson, and guys like that as his models.  Biggio is/has been a direct descendant of just that sort of player. . . the sort that wants the personal recognition, and the money, but when it gets down to it, all that stuff goes out and the window, and it's balls to the wall, no quarter offered, none expected.  Winning - the right way - is all that matters.

- This HAD to happen at MMPUS.  Anyone who complainedd about Garner "manipulating" Biggio's playing time can stick that opinion where the sun don't shine.  The crowd was absolutely electric, from Biggio's first AB on.

- I have to assume Ausmus was the guy who sent word to the rest of the team to make sure that Biggio's sons got out there first.  However it happened, it was truly great to see.  Biggio may be he master of the cliche, but in his reactions with his family, his reaction to the crowd... you could see that he meant every word when he had discussed why he was coming back to go after 3000.

- Probably not shown on TV, but a detail I'll never forget: Everett on the top step of the dugout, clearly looking incredibly disappointed that he couldn't hobble out there to be with him.

- Biggio comes back into the dugout - Garner talking to the ump, are they going to double-switch him out? - OK, here comes the curtain call - what's Berry doing, he's hollering something to Craig? - oh holy shit, that's gotta be Bagwell, now I'm crying...

I am sorry I was not there to see this.  I had vague plans to witness 3000, and Bagwell's 500th.  I'll have neither, now; but that is a minor disappointment, and pales next to having the privilege of watching the both of them play every day all these years.

Thanks for posting this.  Reading these personal accounts, from true fans, is the next best thing to being there.  I appreciate it much.

[Limey]

What the fuck is a cheque?

Someone from the former USSR.

[strosrays]

Someone from the former USSR.

My maternal grandmother was a cheque.  Well, part-cheque, part-slovaquian.

[JackAstro]

Equecellent. Just got baque to the queeyboard after a quique breaque, and I see that we're baque on traque. Quearry on.

-JaqueAstro

[JimR]

Equecellent. Just got baque to the queeyboard after a quique breaque, and I see that we're baque on traque. Quearry on.

-JaqueAstro

Fuque off

[JackAstro]

Fuque off

This made my fuquing month. Thanques.

[Limey]

Equecellent. Just got baque to the queeyboard after a quique breaque, and I see that we're baque on traque. Quearry on.

-JaqueAstro

I'm just keeping my hand in, as Jim is going to have me deported.

[Ty in Tampa]

I am sorry I was not there to see this.  I had vague plans to witness 3000, and Bagwell's 500th.  I'll have neither, now; but that is a minor disappointment, and pales next to having the privilege of watching the both of them play every day all these years.

My vague plans have now become crystal clear; to be in Cooperstown at the exact moment that both Biggio and Bagwell are inducted into to the Hall of Fame.

[Limey]

Fuque off

Something for Mark to get you for Christmas:

(http://store.theonion.com/images/get/59)

[matadorph]

Is this Budgirl screaming?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=byQsurHx1qI

Good perspective from the stands. 

[Randy Watson]

Not disagreeing or picking a fight, but it shouldn't need to be taught at all.  Kids should just be running.  I don't know at what point they decide that it's ok not to, maybe when they get their first bonus cheque.

Of course, to negative side of hustle is that it gets you players like Speckstein.

I actually like Eckstein, even though he plays for the Cardinals and is so damn pesky.  He could play somewhere on my team.

[Limey]

I actually like Eckstein, even though he plays for the Cardinals and is so damn pesky.  He could play somewhere on my team.

I am a complete snob, so all-hustle, no-talent players bug the crap out of me.  Eckstein plays ever game like it's a reality show and he's desperately trying to avoid being voted off.

[BudGirl]

Is this Budgirl screaming?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=byQsurHx1qI

Good perspective from the stands. 

No, I was behind home plate.

http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/astrobudgirl/?action=view&current=3000hit.flv

[matadorph]

Awesome video! Thanks.

Don't you dare remove it.

[BudGirl]

I have a screaming one also.

http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/astrobudgirl/?action=view&current=celebration.flv

[matadorph]

I am so envious.

[BudGirl]

It is really hard to video it because you want to start cheering and the camera is going everywhere, that is why I stopped.  I meant to video when Jeff was pulled out of the dugout, but I hit the power button on accident.

It is still a great feeling.

[MusicMan]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I've always shied away from video of events like this - I prefer that they remain in my mind's eye.

For example - it was *years* before I watched a replay of the first Big XII championship game.  I was there, why would I want to listen to Brent Musburger calling that?  Why should I muddy my own memory of it?

That said - I was watching SC/Astros Live/BBTN until about 1 last night.  But the event will always exist, for me, from my 1b side perspective.

[Gizzmonic]

What the fuck is a cheque?

I don't know, but I bet you have to wait in the queue for it.

[dirty steve]

here's my view of it (behind section 116) --not the best quality (taken with my digital camera), but another perspective nonetheless.  i tried to keep the camera as steady as possible even while trying to cheer.  turn the volume down if you dont want to hear me screaming either.  i had a decent shot until all those people came and stood to the right of me.  security "guard" seemed to keep shooing people away until right before then.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfWGfeT2NvQ
the hit is at about the 26 second point.

[BudGirl]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I've always shied away from video of events like this - I prefer that they remain in my mind's eye.

For example - it was *years* before I watched a replay of the first Big XII championship game.  I was there, why would I want to listen to Brent Musburger calling that?  Why should I muddy my own memory of it?

That said - I was watching SC/Astros Live/BBTN until about 1 last night.  But the event will always exist, for me, from my 1b side perspective.

Here is a great reason to video it.  A lady here at work brought a kid down to my desk to see the hit.  He was rather excited.  I can't find anything bad about that.

And I'll remember it always whether I have the video or not.

[strosrays]

Equecellent. Just got baque to the queeyboard after a quique breaque, and I see that we're baque on traque. Quearry on.

-JaqueAstro

Come to think of it, granny had a little polloque in her, as well.

[Ty in Tampa]

"Fuck Jackson Polloque."

[Jacksonian]

Come to think of it, granny had a little polloque in her, as well.

Your granny was part fish?

[strosrays]

Your granny was part fish?

Nope.  That was my dad's dad.  A macqueral snapper.  Micque, for short.

[Limey]

"Fuck Jaqueson Polloque."

FIFY

[Ty in Tampa]

FIFY

I noticed that right after I posted it. I didn't want to edit it. Thanks.

[JackAstro]

"Fuque Jaqueson Polloque."

FIFL

[Ty in Tampa]

FIFL

DAMN!

[Jacksonian]

DAMN!

No worries.  We'll chalk it up to post-recap afterglow.

[Ty in Tampa]

afterglow.

Is that another way of saying 'lack of sleep'?