Sunday, May 09, 2010
Braden perfecto: Up close and personal
Posted by Steve TrederI've just returned home from the Oakland Coliseum, having witnessed live Dallas Braden's perfect game victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
In all the hundreds and hundreds of games I've watched live over the decades, major league, minor league, and college, I've only watched one no-hitter before: Ed Halicki's, with the Giants at Candlestick Park in 1975. So this was very, very special.
But here's what made it even more special: sitting in the seats and row directly in front of my wife and me were none other than Dallas Braden's grandmother and girlfriend. Being able to enjoy the game's mounting tension and excitement with them, and of course the explosive joy when the final out was recorded, was a spectacular thrill. When we watched his grandma go down onto the field after the game, and engage in that long and intensely close hug with Dallas, I assure you that neither my wife's eyes nor mine were dry.
What a magnificent Mother's Day.
Steve Treder can often be found spending way too much time talking baseball at Baseball Primer. He welcomes your questions and comments via e-mail.
That is fantastic, Steve. Great story.