I might be the luckiest guy in the world because everyday of the year, I get to talk to my father about baseball. Even on those Dead of Winter Days when absolutely nothing is going on, my father and I can find something to either discuss or argue about. In my opinion, that is the real beauty of Baseball but it is also a bond that all baseball fans have. I sincerely hope I’m not the only one who has it with his father.
My father, the die hard Yankee fan, has busted my chops for the last 20 years about the Mets. And as brutal as it has gotten, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  By the way, don’t think I haven’t given it to him back, because I have- in spades.  It is only fitting that he and I are opposite ends of Baseball. And  honestly, it just wouldn’t be exciting if we both rooted for the same team-really, where is the fun in that? It is ironic though that my grandfather was also a Mets fan so in way, we have kept the family tradition alive.   My father wants my son to be a Yankee fan, I am still debating on that one but in a way I might have to relinquish, after all, wouldn’t it only be right? (just for the record, my son loves the Mets and also the Red Sox…why the Sox, I haven’t the faintest clue) Â
 Let me tell you a story. Last year when the Yankees were playing the Angels I decided to give my father a call. At the time the Yankees were winning something like 4-2 in the 7th or 8th inning. Well, I called him up and told him that the Yankees “had the game in the bag” My father laughed but at that very moment that I was talking, Vladimir Guerrero golfed a shot that put the Angels in the lead that eventually lead the them to win the game. After the shot I hung up the phone laughing. My wife was appalled, “you jinxed him” she told me ” how can you do that?” I sat down and actually felt that I had ruined the moment for my father. I promptly called him back to apologize.Â
I’ll never forget this. He told me that if I ever apologized again for baseball that he would never talk to me again.  I had to call him up, he explained, that’s what baseball is all about. He actually told me that if I didn’t call him up that he would really be angry with me. Furthermore, he did add that if the shoe was on the other foot, that he would do the same thing to me.Â
IÂ hung up the phone a wiser person.
 On this Father’s Day I will promptly call my Father and wish him a great day and thank him for everything he has done for me, and then I will also try my best to jinx the hell out of the Yankees and in turn,  he’ll do the same to me with the Mets.Â
It is only fitting.
Â
So Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there and of course, let’s go Mets!
33 comments
Hazmet
6/20/2010-10:12am at 10:12 am (UTC -4)
Great Story. For me, this is what make’s this site great. The slice’s of life stories that give us a little insight into the personal side’s of each of the participant’s journey as a baseball fan rooting for our beloved Metsies. You’re father is a wise man with perspective keenly in place. Enjoy the day and thank’s for sharing.
stickguy
6/20/2010-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
please gonz, save your son from converting to the dark side.
but, depending on how old he is, you may be save. Once the cement is set, it is rare to change.
And the met/Sox thing is fairly common. I root that way too. I think it is a combo of payback for 1986, and common hatred of the yankees.
Plus, I have friends up in Boston that root for the sox, and have a couple of times got really good seats for a game at Fenway (not against the mets though).
trs86
6/20/2010-10:49am at 10:49 am (UTC -4)
That Will is what this site is all about. Great story! To me this post is your coming out party!
gonzowill
6/20/2010-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
Thank you TRS86, it is this site that makes it all possible. I’m glad that I could share something so special with all of you.
Will
dirtysanchez
6/20/2010-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
Great story will
Me and my dad are both met fans. We dont agree on alot of things but our love for this team is something we are on the same page on.
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-12:01pm at 12:01 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, it was always a common bond between my old man and me. (I?, myself?, whatever) No matter what nonsense was going on in life between the mets and the devils, there was always that bond. Good stuff Gonz.
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
Great piece Will! My experience is similar to Dirty’s.
My Dad took me to my first Met game as a 4 year old in 1970, and all I remember is that it seemed as though the entire world was there, and all the men were wearing hats–and not the baseball kind.
I love my Dad so much, but we don’t always agree on everything, and just about every day of the year we talk about the Mets.
The Mets are the one thing which can always bring us together, and over the years when each of us travels, which we do a lot, we are still in touch via phone or email regarding the Mets almost every day.
And he does get some serious props, as he attended Game 5 in 1969 AND Game 7 in 1986.
Way to keep the original ideas and thoughts flowing on here Will!
rustyjr
6/20/2010-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
yeh gonzo great story
it’s a shame that I am estranged from my father – but I guess I can’t hate him for making me a mets fan
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
Sincerely sorry to hear that Rusty.
I did send you an email through the site regarding Mr. Pastorius.
rustyjr
6/20/2010-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
i saw – havent had time to research yet
and what no comment on my column?!?! lol
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
Check again sir!
And I agreed with all of your customarily brilliant ideas as usual!
rustyjr
6/20/2010-11:46am at 11:46 am (UTC -4)
here’s todays lineup
Sunday, June 20
at Yankees
Jose Reyes – SS
Angel Pagan – CF
David Wright – 3B
Ike Davis – 1B
Jason Bay – LF
Rod Barajas – C
Fernando Tatis – DH
Jeff Francoeur – RF
Ruben Tejada – 2B
_______________
LHP Johan Santana
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-11:58am at 11:58 am (UTC -4)
How does Tatis bat above Francouer? Is it that whole Lefty/Righty thing? And I still feel Carter should be in there vs. Tatis. Tatis at this point is a skills diminished player who will never play consistently enough to stay sharp. Tatis, I loved all you’ve done for us in the past, but I’d rather they just gave you like a 300K going away gift last year and opened up a spot for someone else.
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
CC against Chris Carter of the .259 OBP?
He is 3 for his last 20, and rapidly proving why he is a AAA player.
1 BB in 54 PA?
I wish he was good, but he just isn’t.
stickguy
6/20/2010-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
in the spirit of father’s day, I will pass on debating Carter, and Jerry, with you!
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
Sounds good, but while of course I can easily see the LARGE amount of evidence contrasting with my new opinion of Jerry the Jenius, there is no debate yet about Carter.
Two mistake pitch HRs against one of the worst teams in baseball do not a career make.
He is sinking like a stone. A weak AAA stone.
stickguy
6/20/2010-12:20pm at 12:20 pm (UTC -4)
and as promised, I will save my rebuttal for another time. I would hate to see you crying into your bourbon this early on a Sunday.
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:27pm at 12:27 pm (UTC -4)
There’s no crying in bourbon!
Nah, I don’t drink this early.
And yes, save the rebuttal on Carter until there is one shred of evidence to support one!
He might be in AAA by then!
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
PS–My next piece does question our li’l friend Jerry….
stickguy
6/20/2010-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
well, if you are still working on it, feel free to use my analogy for Jerry (and of course, the copyrighted phrase Jidiot, for free.
Jerry is like that old girlfriend of yours that has a drinking problem, and occasionally would sleep with one of your friends.
eventually she went on the wagon and promised to be faithful, so you took her back. But in your mind, you know that one day she was going to stop at the bar, start doing belly shots, and you are going to walk in on her and the skanky guy from the next apartment.
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
Ouch! That is a pretty tough analogy, and a pretty damn good one if I must say so my damn self!
Hey Stick, I try to reason based on what I see and am ALWAYS open-minded, so when the Jenius begins to falter again (which I think we will both agree we would rather not see) rest assured I will call it like it is!
stickguy
6/20/2010-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
so, did anyone ask their father what they think of the new rumors floating around about the mets being interested in Carmona?
this one I am on the fence about. ALthough it is quite possible it was an intentional leak (misinformation) designed to lower some other asking price!
in theory, it could be a good move. getting a younger talent that is just finding himself, and is controllable for years to come at a reasonable cost. Sort of like the reason I really want haren, but cheaper to get and cheaper to own!
Of course, there is the real possibility of the flip side, that he is a RH Ollie V2.0.
stickguy
6/20/2010-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
follow up:
If the Indians offered Westbrook or Carmona for the same reasonable cost (something you would not mind paying for a SP plug for this year), which one would you take?
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
Carmona, based on salary. Westbrook is due 10 mil, right?
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:32pm at 12:32 pm (UTC -4)
Carmona, based on salary, age, and potential.
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
That whole Ollie 2.0 thing leads me to say no, barring a minimal asking price for Fausto.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-12:39pm at 12:39 pm (UTC -4)
Cliff Lee please!!!
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-12:43pm at 12:43 pm (UTC -4)
Make that a double. Get Aardsma too!
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-12:46pm at 12:46 pm (UTC -4)
Heck, even bring back JJ.
metsfan4decades
6/20/2010-12:47pm at 12:47 pm (UTC -4)
Great story!
I too have that same relationship with my Dad and baseball. As a matter of fact, I just spent the last 30 minutes on the phone with him dissecting yesterday’s loss. The only difference is we’re both die hard Met fans and both life long Yankee haters.
My Dad calls me up sometime during just about every single game. Always with the ‘So what do you think? Think they’re gonna get this done? Or think they’re gonna hold this lead’? If the phone doesn’t ring during the last inning my husband, who doesn’t really share my love of all things Mets says ‘No phone call tonight? The Mets must be losing’. hahaha – You see my Dad absolutely can’t stand when they’re losing. And losing to the Yankees? That’s a fate worse than death.
Happy Father’s Day to all my fellow NY Met ‘Dads’. LGM and let’s take the series today.
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-12:53pm at 12:53 pm (UTC -4)
HAHA! My Met relationship with my Dad almost EXACTLY!!
Happy Father’s Day to your hubby, who must be a great guy!
rustyjr
6/20/2010-1:01pm at 1:01 pm (UTC -4)
I now know why the mets lost – I was forced to watch the yes feed
Kingman 26
6/20/2010-1:10pm at 1:10 pm (UTC -4)
OUCH!
I really hope you weren’t also forced to LISTEN to it!