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Fans' Alex Box Memories
Readers share their memories of Alex Box Stadium as they join us in the countdown toward the final games of the 70-year-old ballpark and the transition to the new Box:
I almost graduated from LSU in 1976 without ever attending a game at Alex Box Stadium.
But, just a few weeks before school ended, I drew an assignment to cover a game there for the Daily Reveille. My first baseball game ever, and it was not love at first sight. After several hours in the press box, I turned to Sports Information Director Paul Manasseh and asked, “Exactly how long do baseball games last?”
Eventually, my baseball-loving husband and my baseball-playing son Chris made me a fan. When Chris was 2, we moved from Baton Rouge to Florida, where kids play baseball year-round. I was destined to log countless hours in the bleachers, from Little League all the way through high school. And I loved every minute of it.
The things I hated about baseball that first night in The Box are the things I have since learned to love about it. It seemed boring then; now it’s exciting. I thought it was too simple a game, with no strategy; now I appreciate its complexity and difficulty. That first game seemed to drag on forever, but as a baseball mom, I loved that the pace of the game allowed me to cultivate lasting friendships with other parents and to get to know the kids.
My love for baseball didn’t begin at The Box, but I am grateful for the introduction, and, 30 years later, for the experiences the field gave my son last year, when he had the good fortune to serve as a student manager for the LSU baseball team.
A thousand miles away from home and friends, Chris spent his afternoons and weekends his freshman year the same way he had since elementary school: on a baseball field.
I have been coming to LSU baseball games since 2003, so I was about 10. I had come to a few games before that, but that is when my dad and I got season tickets. I haven’t missed more than five games since then. I go with my dad and I sit in right field.
My first favorite (player) was Ivan Naccarata. After he left, I fell in love with Quinn Stewart, and he is still my all-time favorite. I took a picture with him and I remember when I got him to sign it, he wrote “To: Kara, My #1 fan”, and that made me so happy! Now, my favorite current player is Sean Ochinko; he has my number for softball.
I await for baseball season every year and I love going with my dad; we always go together and it is just something I love. I will miss Alex Box, but the new stadium will be great also!
I have so many good memories of the four years of having the privilege to play at LSU (1993-96)! It is very difficult to narrow down to one memory, especially being a hometown kid. I have seen and been a part of so much there. It truly is a special place to play baseball ... the pride, the excitement, the energy and electricity is truly a special experience. You can feel it the minute you walk into the gate.
One of best memories that I have about The Box was having the opportunity to play side by side with other hometown players like Kevin Ainsworth, Brian Daugherty, Trey McClure, Kevin Shipp, Pat Coogan, Eric Berthelot, Russ Johnson, Mike Neal and Jason Williams. These are all local players that you played with or against for years and years. Those local-area players played with a ton of pride because they all realized how awesome of an opportunity playing at The Box and for LSU really meant! I know that the pride and hustle helped create an “energy” with those fans in the early to mid-’90’s!
Although I had the honor to be part of many great wins at The Box, I have to say my favorite moment in time was the “inning” in the ’96 Regional final against an incredibly good Georgia Tech team. The way we played that day ... that (18-run) inning was truly an amazing experience. I can still remember Skip calling me over before I went out to catch the ninth inning ... he put his arm around me and laughed as he lit up his cigar. He looked at me and said, “I have been waiting for 30 years for an inning like that....” You can’t ask for much more than that!
To be part of a team like our 1996 team that played with such pride, such intensity pitch after pitch was awesome. To be able to carry the flag around Alex Box to represent another run to Omaha was an invigorating experience that I am very thankful I was chosen to be part of, and one that I reflect on often. I am sure there will be many moments for many other players in the New Box, but the history of The Box is so strong ... it will be missed.
Thanks to all the fans that have supported the Tigers for many years; you have truly made the electricity in that park the greatest place for a player to play!
My fondest Alex Box Stadium memory is about a father and a son. When you grow up in Lake Charles, baseball is a religion, and in 1993, I had my first Alex Box experience with my dad.
As a kid I went to the regional that year, and we would go to every regional after that. It was a tradition to take off school that Friday afternoon in May, make the two-hour drive to Baton Rouge and watch Game 1 of the regional from the right-field bleachers and stay through the weekend. As a kid, I’d look forward to that every year with my father. You learn the game and remember the moments. That continued into my college days at LSU beginning in 2001.
Perhaps the moment that most epitomizes the whole Alex Box experience during my college days came at the 2003 NCAA Baton Regional championship game. LSU had just defeated UNC-Wilmington, 9-8, and the Tigers made the usual victory lap around the field. Then, to the urge of the LSU fans, players and coaches, UNC-W made a victory lap of its own and then headed across the street to tailgate with LSU fans after defeat. In the coming days, I received a few emails from staff at UNC-W saying that experience was the best of their players’ lives and that it was something they would never forget. You could see it on their faces, too. They would go on to cheer for LSU after that as the Tigers reached the College World Series.
That is what truly made Alex Box special — the fans — and as this college baseball shrine closes its doors, you never forget moments like that.
I was a season ticket holder from about ’93 to ’99.
Most of my memories were from the regionals at The Box. We saw so much talent come through there it was unreal.
Here are some of my highlights from (section) Left 2, no order:
- Jacques Jones of USC hitting three homers in one game (1994).
- Rain-delayed game (1997) against the Dirtbags (Long Beach State). (LBS) Pitcher threw about 150-170 pitches. When he was pulled the crowd was chanting “Transfer, “Transfer.” Kid had a smile that was unbelievable.
- Against Georgia Tech, the 18 runs in one inning (1996).
- My No. 1 memory: The (2000) Sunday game against UCLA (we beat the Bruins.) The (UCLA) head coach jumps in the Left 2 bleachers and runs up about halfway to thank the fans. He was telling everybody how this was the most awesome atmosphere he had ever been in and didn’t want it to end.
