The sports want-to list

So Friday night I took my son to his first baseball game – the Shorebirds versus the West Virginia Power – and nearly saw something I had never seen live before.

No, it wasn’t my two-month-old catching a foul ball (he pretty much slept through the whole game) it was West Virginia pitchers Zack Van Rosenberg and Zac Fuesser nearly combining to pitch a no-hitter.

Get this, my all-Zack no-hitter was spoiled with two outs in the 9th and two strikes on Delmarva’s John Ruettiger before Ruettiger broke up the no-no with a clean single to left.

I have never seen a no-hitter or perfect game in person before, hence my objections when my wife and mother-in-law started wanting to go home when the Shorebirds were down 6-0 in the 6th inning. While I knew Van Rosenberg had a no-hitter at that point, I didn’t realize he had a perfect game going until he was removed for Fuesser, who promptly walked a man in the 7th.

Anyway, it got me thinking about my sports want-to list. I decided to contrast things I have seen in person with things I want to see in person. Feel free to chime in with your sports want-to list in the comments section.

Have: Been to 10 current major league parks – Oriole Park, Nats Park, PNC Park, Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Fenway Park, Great American Ballpark, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, Petco Park.

Want: To go to San Francisco’s AT&T Park (or whatever it’s called now). My buddy Patrick has been there and assures me it is as good as advertised. On TV, it looks spectacular, that’s for sure. And the Giants uniforms, one of the best in baseball, make it seem that much cooler.

Have: Seen a game at seven current NFL stadiums – M&T Bank Stadium, FedEx Field, Heinz Field, Bank of America Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, Paul Brown Stadium and the Valhalla of football, Lambeau Field.

Want: Most NFL stadiums these look pretty much the same, and have boring corporate names like Bank of America Stadium, which makes Lambeau the white whale of football road trips. The one stadium I’d love to see a game at is Qwest Field (or whatever it’s called these days) in Seattle, just to see if it is as loud as everyone says it is.

Have: Covered NFL and college football games as an accredited media member.

Want: To cover an NHL game as an accredited media member.

Have: Seen a player be ejected from a game. Ironically enough it was John Kruk at the end of his career when he was with the White Sox. The next game, he got a base hit and promptly retired so he could go out as a .300 hitter.

Want: To see a bench-clearing basebrawl. Sorry, it’s the hockey fan in me. I’ve seen NASCAR wrecks and more hockey fights than I can count so this is all that’s left on the bloodthirsty sports fan bucket list.

Have: Played hockey on an outdoor rink.

Want: To skate on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal in the winter. Yes, that means going to Ottawa in January when it’s Ice Planet Hell out there, but how often can you skate on the world’s largest outdoor rink? That’s what the Rideau becomes when the temperature drops in the winter and the water freezes. It’s quite something to see pictures of hundreds of people out there skating down the canal.

Have: Been to a college bowl game, the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl between TCU and Northern Illinois.

Want: To go to an NCAA basketball tournament game, something I have planned to do whenever my Towson Tigers get back in there.

Have: Played hockey on an NHL rink – Washington’s old Capital Centre – before.

Want: To barnstorm across Canada playing pickup hockey. I just think it would be fun to drive through Ontario and Quebec, stopping at random towns and joining pickup games.

Have: Been to a German league hockey game.

Want: To go to Bloomfield Road and see Blackpool F.C. play.

Have: Seen the Mighty Whale, the Hartford Whalers, play in person, twice. The Whale was the only team whose home rink doubled as a shopping mall.

Want: To see a Montreal Canadiens game in Montreal. I’ve never had a combination of money, time and the Caps on the schedule at the right time to make this happen but I’m still holding out hope.