I can’t pull the trigger

Phil Gurnee ♦ October 24, 2017 ♦ 2 Comments

Anyone who knows me knows this story. At the age of fifteen, my mom let me cut school and stand in line for world series tickets for 1974.  Back then the tickets were sold through outlets called ticketron and the local Sears in Glendale was our ticketron outlet.

My mom dropped me off early in the morning but not crazy early.  I was already working so I had some money, it was all the money I had at the time and the plan was to buy the maximum tickets allowed which were four tickets. The Dodgers were the home team so I could buy tickets for game 1, 2, 6, or 7. I felt very confident the Dodgers would win the World Series but felt it would not be easy so I went with game six and game seven, thus starting a tradition of making bad decisions that has lasted most of my life. The line was fairly short. It was not like I spent the night to get a great spot in line. I don’t remember why, but I was about 10th in line and was able to get exactly the tickets I wanted. I went for the cheapest seats in the Pavillion as that was all I could afford at the time.

The Dodgers lost the series in five games and there was no game six. It was a very competitive World Series and it could easily have gone six games if a few breaks had gone the Dodgers way. I kept those tickets for a long time but eventually, they left as much of my possessions did as I tried to carve out a new life at the age of 30.

For whatever reason, I was never able to acquire tickets for any other World Series. 1977, 1978, 1981, and 1988 passed me by. From 1977 – 1981 I was working, going to college and living from check to check. I guess that is why, but I don’t really remember why. Seems like I could have figured out a way. I went out of my way to get two tickets for the 1980 play-in game against the Astros so I don’t know why I didn’t get World Series tickets in 1981. Maybe I felt my wife at the time would not approve of us spending that kind of money but I don’t even remember thinking about it.

It is very strange to me how blurry my mind is on something that should have been big moments in my life.

Anyway ever since 1988 when the Dodgers shocked me by beating Oakland I have sworn to myself that I would go to the next World Series. I didn’t expect it to take 29 years.

Starting in 2004 I got season tickets to make sure I would get World Series tickets. By 2010 I gave those tickets up and partnered up with someone else. From 2012 – 2015 I had season tickets with some one else but I was only going to ten of the forty games I had and was mostly giving them away to people at work. Once I stopped working, I couldn’t justify the season tickets anymore and let them go again.  Another mistake.

Still I had a plan on buying World Series tickets. To help make that happen I sold my game seven Laker/Celtics tickets for $1500 in 2010. I have kept that cash in a bank in a special account specifically for buying World Series tickets.

In 1988 the highest World Series ticket was $750 for they best field box seats. That is the lowest price for the worst seat for game two.

1988 World Series tickets topped out at $750 https://t.co/E5jyo8eoqf via @latimes

— Phil Gurnee (@meercatjohn) October 24, 2017

So I have the money to buy the ticket to a game two. But I don’t want too.

At 58 I’ve found that watching a game at home is pretty damn sweet.

But the real reason.

Forty-five years may have passed but dammit I want to see a GAME SIX

The Dodgers better not win in five:)