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**Bstros** · 08-13-2007, 08:52 AM

Got the opportunity to go down to Houston and go to the games on Saturday and Sunday.

Enjoyed listening to Lance Berkman's testimony and Jeremy Camp jam before the game on Saturday but did not enjoy the outcome of the game.

Sunday, all that can be said is wow!

We figured arriving at 10:00 would assure us the opportunity to get one of the figurines of Biggio. When we got our first glance of Minute Maid Park our jaws dropped. The number of people already waiting in line to assure that the got to see Craig Biggio be honored for his 3,000 hit was a site to see. All of the lines were bending and wrapping around the building and down tje streets. Figuring that the line might not be as bad in the back we went to the entrance where the Minute Maid Squeeze Play is. It appeared to be just as bad. Ended up standing in line right next to some oleanders that kept us shaded thank goodness. After standing there in the shade for only l0 minutes it began wearing on us until we thought about how bad it must have been for those that had to stand in conditions like this for almost an entire week in New Orleans. We did not complain anymore about how it felt the rest of the hour.

The gates opened right at 11:00 and credit must be given to the Astros organization on getting the fans in quickly. When we got in the gate we were handed a pretty cool t-shirt and then guided up the ramp to get in line for the figurine. Suprisingly when we got down to where they were giving them away there were still a couple of boxes left and we all got one.

The presentation was very classy. Joining Biggio and his family, who drove in on a classic car out of the gate from rightfield, was Nolan Ryan, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti's widow and children, Casey Candele, Drayton Mclane and his wife, Tal Smith, Milo Hamilton, a sunshine kid that has become close friends with Biggio, G.W. Bailey, who is a director of the Sunshine Kids, and Tim Purpura who heard a couple of boo birds when being announced.

The video brought tears to many in the stands including myself.

Jeff Bagwell spoke about how things must come to an end but that they will always be friends.

Conor, Craig's son, speech really choked me up on how he spoke about his relationship with his dad. He thanked us, the fans and the Astros organization and players for putting up with him and his siblings as they ran around the clubhouses of the Astrodome and Minute Maid Park.

Drayton and his wife gave Craig an awesome crystal bat and thanked him for his service.

Also, items worn and used by Craig during the game in which he hit number 3,000 were given to the Hall of Fame.

It is difficult thinking that it has already been twenty years and that a huge era in our organization is almost over. How akward will it be to not have Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell on the field who have been the heart and soul of this organization for so long? I cannot wait to be there for the retirement of Jeff Bagwell's jersey on the 26th.

The play of this team might have sucked this year but the season has been magical due to Craig Biggio!

zhollywood · 08-13-2007, 10:08 AM

Biggio and family arrive:

Front Row (l-r): Jeff Bagwell, Nancy Caminiti and daughters
Back Row (l-4): Sunshine Kids executive director G.W. Bailey, Sunshine Kids member and cancer survivor, Frankie Velazquez, Matt Galante, Nolan Ryan, Casey Candele and son, and Brad Horn, director of communications for the Hall of Fame.

Bagwell speaks:

After Conor's speech:

zhollywood · 08-13-2007, 10:13 AM

Biggio acknowledging the crowd:

Field display:

The crystal bat presentation:

Circling the field after it was over:

zhollywood · 08-13-2007, 10:16 AM

The new permanent sign for MMP:

**Brian34Cook** · 08-13-2007, 12:12 PM

Awesome story and pics

**Bstros** · 08-13-2007, 03:04 PM

My pictures were not half as good as yours as I was behind the netting...so I am not going to post them.

Great day to be at the game.

JERSEYSTROSFAN · 08-13-2007, 03:30 PM

Great pics.

zhollywood · 08-13-2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bstros

My pictures were not half as good as yours as I was behind the netting...so I am not going to post them.

Great day to be at the game.

We moved around to find a good spot for pictures. You can see a rope of the netting in the bottom right corner of some of the photos, but other than that, they turned out pretty good. Of course, having my sis' super stalker lens helped too!

Yes, it was a good day to be at the game. The only thing I can add to your story is our experience of waiting in line from 9am until the gates opened. I have waited in line for MANY things at MMP - fan fest, replica championship rings, Oswalt bobbleheads, etc - but I have NEVER seen anything like what happened yesterday. We had been in a nice, orderly line since 9am. After the doors opened, people just rushed the doors. Those of us in line, tried to form a human barrier to prevent people from cutting. It was unreal. I'm a non-confrontational person (no, really, I am in real life), but I had to yell at a few people because I just couldn't believe they were behaving like that.

By the time we got home, the figurines were already selling for $75-$100. Makes me ill. To avoid this at the Bagwell jersey retirement game, we'll be in line by 8am so we'll be one of the first 20 or so people in line. That way, we'll be in the doors and out of the melee quickly.

Beth · 08-13-2007, 04:31 PM

I was in line with Holly and Madonna. I can't tell you how angry it made us when people just tried to walk up and get in line in front of us when we had been there all morning.

But overall, it was a very special day. I was one of those that shed tears. The game will never be quite the same for me without Biggio.

Excellent pics Holly!!

DallasStrosFan · 08-13-2007, 05:48 PM

I'm getting verclempt all over again just reading this thread and looking at our pics (Nice cropping job, btw!)

Standing in line for an hour and half in that awful Houston humidity made us all a litle edgy.

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