On Saturday, May 8th, I hosted an outing at Target Field that reunited three of my college buddies from Concordia.....or "Cord" as us Cobbers like to call it. These three guys had not seen each other for over 25 years. As you can imagine we had great day at the ball park reminiscing about old times and watching the Twins beat the hated Orioles. In order to appreciate the highlights of this fun filled day, I will first need to provide some background information.
Event - Background Information
-The reunion of these 3 college buddies at Target Field for the Twins game was officially called "FACDATF" (First Annual Cord Day At Target Field)....(this acronym is pronounced as a word).
-The "FACDATF" name was used to honor the annual outings to Twins games that these Concordia buddies attended each year at Met Stadium the 70's...these Concordia gatherings were always scheduled on days when the Twins played an old fashion double-header (two games for the price of one) at Metropolitan Stadium (referred to simply at "The Met") on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
-The original name that our "Cord" group gave to the first outing at Met Stadium was "FACDAM" (First Annual Cord Day at the Met)....... followed by SACDAM, TACDAM, FACDAM II, etc (figure it out)....20 to 30 guys attended each year...we sat in the front row of the left field bleachers and heckled the players from both teams...we had official T-Shirts printed up for all attendees, welcome packs, swag bags and raffle tickets for prizes.
-My guest list at this year's "FACATF" included some of the founding fathers of the those original gatherings at Met Stadium.....Greg Owens (BIG O), Jeff Wolfe (Wolf Dog) and Doug Boese (Count)....see enclosed picture.
Attendees - Background Information
-BIG O: one of my roommates at Concordia during my junior year...starting offensive tackle on the football team...from Duluth...went into banking...lives in Coon Rapids...noted for his ability to eat large quantities of food and for his love of bread...other nicknames were Fat Man and Pillsbury Dough boy....turned down a free agent contract with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks due to the following reason "if I sign the contract then I will have to work out all summer".....nice reason, huh?....well now you at least understand him.
-Count: basketball teammate at Concordia....last name is pronounced "bazy" and therefore he became know as "Count", as in "Count Basie"....from Anoka....attorney in Rochester....paired with the BIG O as the starting offensive tackles on the football team.....member of the Concordia athletic Hall of Fame.....a very intense competitor known for his meltdowns.....after a basketball game at St. Olaf he told an opposing player to go "F" himself as we are shaking hands after the game.... needless to say, big trouble ensued....the following year after fouling out of the game at St. Olaf he gave the hostile crowd the "double bird" has he headed to the bench (not very Cobber-like).....obviously more trouble for Count and the Cobbers....
-Wolf Dog: one of my roommates at Cord during my senior year....starting defensive end on the football team......from Coon Rapids....lives in Ramsey....teacher at Blaine High School.....part of FACDAM lore because he dropped his check book onto the field from front row of the left field bleachers at Met Stadium....game was stopped so that Lyman Bostock, the Twins left fielder, could retrieve the check book and throw it back to Wolfe Dog.....known for participating with me in a hazing incident our sophomere year......let's just say we were both very lucky.....we both could still be serving time in prison had things gone differently.
(click on picture to enlarge)
FACATF Highlights
-The ultimate highlight of the day came early when I spotted the BIG O strolling across the Plaza at Target Field all by himself with a bottle of beer in his hand at 9:30 am in the morning....it warmed my heart to see that nothing had changed with the BIG O in 35 years....the only thing missing was a loaf of bread at his side.
-The Big O was a true urban boy that day...took the North Star train to the game...boarded the train in Coon Rapids....de-trained at Target Field's Gate #3.....too bad there wasn't a stop at a bread store along the way.....
-The quote of the day came early....upon seeing Count for the first time in 27 years, the first words out of Wolf Dog's mouth are..."Count, you've aged."....so much politeness and being politically correct....talk about breaking the ice.....right then I knew we were in for a great day.
-No small talk with this group (that's what I like about these guys)....we get right into it......the razzing....the teasing.....the old stories.....memory lane was packed.....it's all good.
-My cronies from Concordia had never been to Target Field so the "Palmer Walking Tour" was of course a "must do" on the schedule.....the typical good natured complaining during the tour from the Big O was music to my ears...."too much walking"...."too many stairs"...."didn't know we had to work out before the game"...where are the golf carts"...."how much farther to the next beer stand?".....nobody can complain like the Big O.
-Count's son also happened to be attending the game that day so he and his buddy joined the walking tour.....as Count's son listened to our mindless banter I could only guess he was thinking, "these clowns are my Dad's friends?
-Wolf Dog gets a call on his cell phone and learns that his son is also at the game.....it's truly a family affair.....for some reason we never meet Wolf Dog's son at the game....hmmmm......probably didn't want him to see his Dad's goof ball friends....by the way, where did all these kids come from?.....my life is still the same as it was when hung with these guys in college.....what happened???....did I miss the class on growing up and becoming a responsible adult?
-Speaking of sons....Big O tells us that his son is now a pilot for Delta...WHAT?....we are old enough to have kids that can fly commercial airplanes?....and I might be on his plane someday?.....we learned that Big O's baby faced son doesn't greet the passengers as they board the plane because they tend to get spooked when they see that "this kid" is their pilot......one passenger did see him and said, "this guy's our pilot?, he's only 12 years old."
-They claim the seats are wider at the Target Field than they were at the Metrodome....didn't feel that way with these guys....two big offensive tackles sitting in our group made it a tad tight.....Wolf Dog had to get up from his seat every so often just to ease the pain in his shoulders....
-The beer flowed...stories were told....the laughter rolled....concessions were sold....the Twins bats were cold.....our friendships are gold....
-The only downside to the day was that all three of my guests had to leave right after the game....something about being mature adults with actual responsibilities..... a world that I know nothing about....when did we get old???
-Oh by the way, the Twins lost.....but it didn't matter....being together with old friends was much more important.
Footnote
-The decision to go into with group of 8 guys and share Twins season tickets has proven to be a very wise decision for me. Having three seats to fill for 10 games has given me a reason and the opportunity to reconnect with old friends. I feel the money spent for these 10 games (4 seats per game) has been well worth it. it was a great investment in friendship.
