Oklahoma State University Athletics
A Cowgirl Basketball Fall Classic
October 22, 2014 | Cowgirl Basketball
When former Cowgirl basketball head coach Kurt Budke and current head coach Jim Littell arrived in Stillwater in 2005, they brought with them a heavy Kansas influence. With that and the Kansas City Royals in the World Series for the first time since 1985, several members of the Cowgirl Basketball family have a rooting interest during this year's Series.
Current associate head coach Bill Annan and his family have been dialed in during the Royals' current playoff run and sophomore Brittany Atkins has caught the baseball bug as well. A die-hard fan himself, Annan took in the 1985 World Series at the home of his future in-laws.
Royals win! @OSUWBB start practice tomorrow! Too excited to sleep. (Pic taken in July with the boys at the K) pic.twitter.com/A43wBiVMqv
-- Bill Annan (@BillAnnan) October 6, 2014
The last time the Royals played in the Fall Classic, Budke, who named his youngest son after George Brett, was there to witness history and loved to recount the moment. The following is a transcript of Budke's experience that night in Kansas City.
Every year when the World Series comes around I have to tell my World Series story. People have heard the story time and time again, but I need to share it with people. I can root for Matt Holliday because he is one of my favorite players, but I cannot root for the Cardinals because I grew up a Kansas City Royal. But, I do root for Matt. Every time he is up I want him to hit a home run.
So 1985, I am 24 years old. I get Game 6 and Game 7 tickets to the World Series. Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals and they are coming back to Kansas City. We knew a player with the Royals and I don't know why he gave us tickets. Me and my best buddy, he gave us tickets.
So, Game 6, everybody kind of remember that series a little bit? How many Cardinal fans are in here because you will remember it. So Game 6, we are sitting in the front row of the upper deck right behind home plate. Great seats. You remember that game, one of the greatest calls in the history of the World Series was made that game. Through that call, Game 7 came about.
So Game 7 our tickets, and again how we got these I have no idea, we are 25 rows up behind home plate. We are sitting right next to the St. Louis Cardinal wives. It is fine, I am a nice guy and I am not abusing them. Game 7 is a blowout and me and my buddy are sitting there going, ok, here we go.
It gets to the ninth inning, when it gets to the second out we are going to make a move to those stairs over there and we are going to run and jump on that field. Just like that out two happened, so we make our move and we head to the stairs. At that same time, about 20,000 people make the same move. Here we go. Out three happens, ballgame over.
My buddy is ahead of me, we both get down to the wall and jump over it and he makes it. I have two security guys that grab me. One grabs this arm and one grabs this arm, they flip me back over the rail. This is no kidding now. I am back over the rail. Me feet are on the rail. My head is back and I am watching 20,000 people come down at me. I am thinking, `Get up there is no way.'
I see him out there laughing at me because he made it past the security line. So I thought, `I have got to get on this field.' I jump on the dugout and I see a 300-pound security guy that I think I can get by. I am running down the dugout and I jump out and land right in front of him. I spin out and another guy tries to get me. I shoulder shake him and I get by the line.
Now, once you get by the line you are out there, there are too many people trying to do it. So, here I am, I was a little sucker back then if you can believe that. I am out on the field now and I am sliding into second base, I am sliding into third base and I put a handful of dirt in my pocket. I see Al Michaels and Jim Palmer up there talking about the game.
Mom, if you find any dirt at home, save that, because I still don't know what happened to that. I will never forget that. We ran around on that field like a bunch of idiots for about 30 minutes until they brought the horses out to get rid of us.
So, that is why I can't root for the St. Louis Cardinals.
