Raising a Mets Fan

I’m Lost in This Baseball Season

Since my son was born, my mother, who is a big Giants fan, has made sure her grandson has always had a jersey for game day:

Today?  I honestly forgot the Giants were playing today. It’s a big game too against the Redskins. Instead, today he’s dressed like this:

  
He’s adorable, but he’s not ready for football. That’s fine. He’s going to want to watch baseball and so am I.  Trust me, I’ll utilize the PIP to follow both games, but the Mets will be on the big screen. After the Mets game is over, I’m sure the Giants will still be on, and I’ll change the channel. Unfortunately, by that time my little buddy will be fast asleep:

  
But what do you expect?  I’m trying to raise a Mets fan after all. Lets Go Mets!

 

New York is a Packers Town

Coming off an emotional Subway Series and the Jets playing on Monday Night Football, I was curious to see what the Mets ratings were against the NFL. I wasn’t shocked when the NFL has the better night:

My first impression was I wasn’t surprised. Right now all Indy has is the Colts. New York has the Mets and Yankees in pennant races, and they were both playing last night. The Yankees have a huge series against the Blue Jays. I decided to dig deeper and see who watched what:

Unsurprisingly, the NFL had the better night. Wait!  What?  Those are Sunday night’s numbers. The Giants and Jets weren’t playing. The Mets and Yankees are in pennant races. There was the whole Matt Harvey angle. This lost to Seahwaks-Packers in September?  I mean, I knew the NFL reigned supreme, but New York?

How can New York hold itself out as a great sports city when it can’t support its local teams when they’re good?  What’s MLB’s plan of attack to counteract this?  New York is baseball. It’s the home of “Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.”  It’s where Jackie Robinson changed sports forever. It’s now the place where football reigns supreme. 

I’m still raising my son to be a Mets fan.  Right now, he loves baseball and the Mets. He watched Sunday night with me. Seemingly, we were the only ones. 

Duda Fan Club

Here’s Lucas Duda‘s #1 Fan:

  

He Broke Our Burkhardts

For a second straight week, I am lucky that I do not have to choose between the Mets and football. Now, I would choose the Mets, but I wouldn’t be thrilled with missing the Giants game.

There’s an extra treat for Mets/Giants fans like me today because

That’s right, we get to see and hear Kevin Burkhardt call a Sunday 1:00 game. Forgive me if I instinctively tune to Channel 11. 

It’s amazing if you think about it. Burkhardt was the Mets version of a sideline reporter, and now, he’s the football play-by-play man for Fox’s #2 broadcast team. In essence, it was like finding Jim Nantz doing postgame interviews for the Dodgers. No one going to ask Vin Scully to step aside for anyone, but Jim Nantz is way too qualified for the job he’s doing. 

Losing Burkhardt was tough for Mets fans. He’s one of us. Like Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, he was not only a Mets fan, but he’s also tremendous at his job. He showed he was capable of more, and he got it. However, that came at a huge loss to Mets fans. 

We miss him. I know we get him on Sundays and doing pre-game and post-game baseball work. It’s not 162 games. 

I do have one personal antedot regarding Burkhardt.  I got a chance to meet him when we just found out my wife was pregnant. I had a Mets Bob on me, which he was happy to sign. When he asked me what we were going to have, I said a baby, which he responded with an incredulous look. 

I think he thought I was trying to be funny. I explained to him that it was too soon to find out. In fact, he was finding out before most of my family because it was still too soon to tell. He then laughed and congratulated me. 

So now, I get the chance to turn him on today with my son. I’ll get to tell him that’s the guy who autographed the bib that hangs in his room. I only wish my son could get to watch him more frequently because he brought something to Mets games that made them a little more enjoyable. 

However, Kevin Burkhardt is too talented for that. Mets fans loss is America’s gain. I’m going to enjoy the Giants and seeing an old friend today.  I just want to wish continued good luck to Kevin Burkhardt . . . not that he needs it. 

Transparency in My Votes

I’m a card carrying member of the IBWAA, which means I have the opportunity to vote on the following year end awards:

  1. NL & AL MVP
  2. NL & AL Cy Young
  3. NL & AL Rookie of the Year
  4. NL & AL Manager of the Year
  5. NL & AL Reliever

Now, this blog is about two things: the Mets and being a father. With the NL categories, I haven’t made my mind up, but I suspect the Mets could be featured in any of the above categories. With the AL, there obviously will be no Mets featured unless I vote for Yoenis Cespedes for AL MVP. I’m kidding of course. 

I’m going to publish all of my votes and my reasons for my vote, whether I voted for a Met or not in any particular catergory. The reason why is that I obviously have opinions, and I try to back them up. I now have an opportunity to vote my convictions. It’s one thing for me to say Cespedes isn’t the MVP, it’s another for me not to pick him as an MVP. 

As you know, I have a son. I want to tell him to stand behind his convictions. If I can’t do it here, how can I convince him to do it in the future?  Seriously, if I can’t back up my vote for something relatively meaningless like an MVP vote, how can I have that conviction when it’s truly needed?

So with all that in mind, I will make my votes available on the site. Thank you for reading. 

Happy Grandparents’ Day

When I was born, I only had two grandparents, and I lost my grandfather when I was five. My son is lucky to have three grandparents: two grandmothers and one grandfather. 

The grandfather is my Dad. He’s the man that got me started on my Mets’ fandom. He brought me to my first game. Last year, he got tickets so he can bring his grandson to his first game. He got tickets again this year to bring him to another game. My Das gets a kick out of seeing his grandson, his namesake, cheering on the Mets. He’s amazed his grandson that never seems to stop running around can sit and follow a Mets game. 

He’s also more fun as a grandfather than a Dad at these games. When he took my brother and I, we brought our food, and we got one souvenir (that cost a certain amount). As a father now, I really understand why, but back then?  I just wanted a Mets jersey. That wouldn’t happen until I purchased one myself when I was 17. However, with his grandson, his opinion has changed:

  

Yup, my son has his own Mets jersey. What’s even better is my son is the IV, which meant my Dad had to do this: 

  
Yes, it’s personalized. It makes me happy because these are things my Dad and son can bond over. My son tells my Dad that Duda, Murphy, and Wright plays for the Mets. My Dad gets a kick out of it. 

Isn’t that supposed to be the grandfather-grandson relationship?  I only had a small taste of it, and I know I missed out on something. I’m glad my son and Dad are getting that experience. 

If you’re lucky enough to still have your grandparent, I hope you reached out to them today. I know I would’ve. My son saw his grandparents yesterday, and he FaceTimed with each one of them today (technology really is amazing). 

So to my parents and my mother-in-law, Happy Grandparents’ Day. Somewhere I know my Nana, who though Grandparents’ Day is a made-up holiday, is up there saying, “for God’s sake.”  

Are You a Die Hard or Just a Fan?

I’m a die hard Mets fan. I’m hoping my son will be one day. So far, I think he’s off to a great start:

  
You know how I’ll truly know if he’s a diehard fan?  I’ll know if he’s watching the Mets play in Atlanta over watching the first game of the NFL season, or whatever the equivalent of that will be in the future. 

This Mets team is playing great. They all but locked up the NL East. Fans are delirious to the point that they think Yoenis Cespedes is the MVP. If you can’t watch now over a meaningless NFL game (especially for us Giants fans), you’re not a die hard fan. 

Please note, I’m not saying you’re not a fan. There are various levels of fandom. It’s not for me to say if you’re a fan or not. However, I think I can comfortably say that if you’re not watching the Mets tonight, you’re not a diehard fan. You can be a fan, you can be a big fan, but you can’t be a diehard fan. 

My little diehard fan and I will be watching the Mets tonight. I hope you will as well. 

No Baseball Tonight

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been consumed with baseball. While I’ve gotten older and my priorities have changed, I’m still consumed with baseball, specifically the Mets. The Mets off days drive me crazy because it means I have to find something to do. 

Tonight is one of those nights. Now, I have plenty of things to do in its place. I’m married to an amazing woman. I have a perfect little boy. Like every night, we’re going to have dinner. I’m going to play with my son. This involves a number of games and puzzles. It always involves me breaking out his baseball stuff. 

When he starts getting tired, it’s bath time.  After that, my son asks to watch the Mets. He gets next to me in the bed, looks over, and he crosses his legs exactly the way I have my legs crossed. It may not tell me if I’m doing a good job as a parent, but it lets me know that I’m making an impact. 

On Sunday, I had a dilemma. He wanted to watch baseball. The problem is the Mets had a day game. Fortunately, there was Sunday Night Baseball. It was good enough. There’s no Mets game tonight. Not that I would put it on, but there’s no Yankee game tonight. That limits me to the MLB Network.  I’m sure I’ll throw on the game they are televising. 

My issue is their choices tonight are terrible for the East Coast. It’s either Tigers-Royals or Rockies-Giants. The Royals have a 12 game lead in the AL Central and the Tigers are 10 games under .500. The Giants, like the Nationals, are 6.5 games back in the division. Like the Nationals, they have no real shot at the Wild Card. 

Personally, I’d like to see the Braves-Nationals game. It has an impact on the Mets and their divisional race. The other games don’t. In fact, the Royals game has no impact on anything. I realize the MLB Network exists for ratings. I’ve been to a game in San Francisco. They’re terrific fans, and I’m sure they’ll drive ratings. 

However, I can’t imagine the Rockies-Giants game will remotely register in New York, the largest media market in the world. There’s Giants and Jets preseason games. There’s the U.S. Open. The MLB Network punted probably presuming there will be no eyes in New York. 

I know my son and I won’t be watching.  That’s hard to accept because I’d love to have an important game to watch tonight. It’s just one night. My son and I will be tuning in tomorrow. 

Citi Field is Great for Kids

I didn’t like Citi Field when it first opened. There were too many obstructed views. There were less seats. It was more expensive. I missed the ramps on the way out of a game. There was more Dodger than Met focus. Most importantly, the baseball was terrible. 

Most of this holds true except for the bad baseball. However, as a parent, I’ve come to appreciate and really like Citi Field. It’s the first place my son ever went to a game, and the ballpark is kid friendly. 

For starters, there’s the presence of Mr. Met. My son loves him. He had a Mr. Met mobile as an infant. There’s a Mr. Met fathead above his toddler bed. When my son saw him walking through the concourse, it was as if he saw Santa Claus. Mr. Met made a quick stop and gave my son a high five. My son was thrilled. As Mr. Met moved along, my son called for him to come back. 

Mr. Met couldn’t. He had pregame things. We were heading in the opposite direction. We were going to the Fan Fest area behind centerfield which is like a mini-amusement park. There’s an area to get photos with Mr. Met. There’s a dunk tank/speed pitch. There’s a place for video games where you get to play Homerun Derby with you favorite Met.  There are batting cages.  There is also a mini-ballfield. 

I’ll speak to each of these more in future posts. I will say the ballfield is my son’s favorite. It is a mini-Citi Field. Each kid gets to play each of the OF positions, gets a turn at bat, and weather permitting, run the bases. This is my son’s Disney Land. He hates the line. He loves the entertainment. He cries when it’s time to leave. 

We went to the Fan Fest area twice on Saturday. The first time was when we first got to the game. The second time was at the start of the second inning so we could see Mr. Met. The staff was helpful and friendly. They all seemed eager to give my son a Mr. Met sticker, which he loved. 

So, I want to thank the Mets for building Citi Field. While I miss Shea, I couldn’t have brought my son to four games before he turned two. There was nothing to do there. There’s so much at Citi Field. It was so great my wife even considered going to Sunday’s game.  Trust me when I tell you that’s no small feat. 

Overall, in part due to the ability to stop at the Fan Fest area, we had a great time at the game. We got to see six of the nine innings in our seats. My son danced with his mommy during the seventh inning stretch. As Section 132 will tell you, when the Mets rallied and the crowd came alive, my son was jumping up and down and cheering:

  
The Mets lost 3-1. It’s the only time I’ve ever been to a Mets game that I’ve enjoyed the loss. I enjoyed it because my son had a great time. He woke up the next morning and said, “Baseball, yay!” as soon as he woke up. 

He then helped pick out his clothes for the day:

  
He said to me, “Go Mets please daddy!”  I told him we couldn’t go, but we would go to another game. He replied with a half-hearted “okay.”  We then played baseball (the ball is in the bottom right of the photo). 

I haven’t been this excited to go to another Mets game since 2006, and it has nothing to do with the fun and success on the field. It’s because I see my son becoming a Mets and baseball fan. The Fan Fest area has played a part in this. I can finally see they got it right with Citi Field. 

Thank you Mets. You have helped create a new diehard fan.  

The Tale of Two Announcers

Yesterday, the immortal Vin Scully announced he will most likely retire after next season. Tonight, ESPN had Jessica Mendoza fill-in for the suspended Curt Schilling. It’s fitting they were both working the same game. It was Vin Scully’s 20th no-hitter and Hesdica Mendoza’s first. 

It’s funny for a blog, but there is really nothing new or interesting I can add here about Vin Scully, except for maybe this: He started his career when the sport of baseball was all white males; he was there for the integration of baseball with Jackie Robinson, and now he’s seen a woman of Hispanic descent serve as a color commentator. 

That’s remarkable. It’s like how my Nana was born into a world with no televisions and the beginning of the dawn of automobiles. In her lifetime, she’d watch a man land in the moon. That’s revolutionary. What happened tonight is nothing short of that. 

Think about it. Before tonight no major sport has had a female in the booth. Also, I believe the top teams for all pro sports are white males.  I’m still not sure if it’s good or bad that no one has focused on Jessica Mendoza’s heritage. 

Personally, I’ve loved her smart, insightful work on Baseball Tonight. I don’t think choosing her to join the booth tonight was a PR move. I think ESPN just chose an amazing analyst, much like Greg Poppvich chose a good assistant coach. The question is how did she do?

I think k she started tentatively. It’s only natural. It’s a three man booth with Buster Olney chiming in whenever he has a thought. It’s a hard place for anyone to find their footing. However, she did find her footing. She was insightful and funny. She didn’t over talk, nor did you forget that she was there. She took on a real challenge and succeeded. 

Much like most of my life, I didn’t hear Vin Scully. I’m sure he was amazing. He always is. When I was growing up you rarely, if ever had an opportunity to hear him call games. When I was growing up, it was Jack Buck and Bob Costas who did play-by-play. Not too shabby. However, the real voice of baseball has always been Vin Scully, and to a certain extent I missed out. 

That was until I was at Shea Stadium during a long rain delay. I remember DiamondVision turning on the Dodgers game with Vin Scully welcoming the Mets fans who were watching from Shea. He was terrific. I could’ve sat and listened to him call the Dodger game. Alas, the game was officially rained out, the Dodger game was off, and it was time to head home. 

When XM Radio came out, I got the chance to hear Vin Scully again.  During this late nights I couldn’t sleep or I was working, I’d turn on the Dodger games just to hear him. It was a pleasure. 

Unfortunately, it’s a pleasure my son won’t know. He’s heard Vin Scully; I’ve made sure of that. However, he can’t try appreciate it, and he’ll probably never remember it. It’s sad in s way. My grandfather, father, and I, all of the same name, have heard and enjoyed Vin Scully. The Fourth won’t. 

However, there’s no Jessica Mendoza. We do t know where her broadcasting career will take her, but we do know it’s off to a promising start. I did make sure he watched tonight. He won’t remember it, but he will learn why it was significant. Who knows, maybe by the time he’s old enough, it will no longer be noteworthy. Maybe next time we’re talking about a questionable error made by an official scorer and the subsequent no-hitter. 

Overall, I just want him to have good announcers to help him learn about and enjoy baseball. Jessica Mendoza qualifies as that.