I was destined to be a baseball fan. My parents cheered on the Brooklyn Dodgers. They courted at Ebbets Field, and were married in 1957, the same year that their beloved “Bums” played their last season on the east coast. My family did not move to Los Angeles, nor did they cross over and root for “The Dark Side” (the Yankees) but instead they waited five long years to cheer on the Amazin Mets.
We- my parents, my sister, my grandpa, and I- spent many a summer’s day watching the Mets play at Shea. I loved going to the ballpark and was thrilled to see their vivid blue and orange uniforms on the greenest grass ever. Back then, we only had a black and white TV, so it was spectacular to see the game in living color. My father would always buy tickets to the Old Timers games, so he could share stories of seeing Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, and, of course, Jackie Robinson play in the good old days. It was quite a treat to see them “compete” against such all-time greats as DiMaggio, Berra, and Satchel Paige. Then, we’d cheer on the Mets in the second game.
I was lucky to watch the Mets become champions in 1969 during their first decade. Tom Seaver led the way as the Mets swept Hank Aaron’s Braves in the playoffs, and then beat Frank & Brooks Robinson’s Orioles in the World Series. That’s when I knew that miracles occur. When I turned twelve, Ed Kranepool surprised me at my party. In 1977, when Tom Terrific was traded to the Reds during my senior year in high school, I cried. Fortunately, in the early ‘80s, I moved to Queens- the borough where my folks were raised- and saw a baseball renaissance in Flushing. Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Gary Carter, and Keith Hernandez created an unstoppable core.
Moving to Texas in 1987, I became a history teacher at a community college, where my family- my wife, three children, and I- attended San Antonio Missions games, and saw future Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez among many others, most who never made it to The Show. Since retiring from teaching in 2022, I “work” as an usher for the Colorado Rockies (see me at Gate C), and during the off-season I volunteer at the National Ballpark Museum. Yes, indeed, Baseball is Life!
