Been a fan since 1996!

[Guest Mr. Zero]

Thought I'd post this, newbie that I am, to avoid any assumptions of bandwagoneering--not that there's anything wrong with that (cough, cough).

1) Are you now or have you ever been a Yankee fan?
Nevah!

2) How did you become a Yankee fan?
as if!

3) Is it possible to root for both the Yankees AND the Mets? What about the Red Sox and the Mets?

I find rooting against the Yankees is a great way to direct all the negative energy and vindictive bile that gets stored up over the course of a year. Stub your toe? “Yankees Suck!”. Get cut off on the highway? “Jeter Blows!”. Wife cheating on you? “I think I heard that A-Rod was gay.”
Though I do find the "Yankees Suck" chants that start up at Shea kind of suck-y.

When Mets are eliminated from contention, Red Sox become de facto Mets in my household. Common enemy.

3) What gives?

I will admit to once having stepped foot inside Yankee Stadium. Hey, it was a free ticket to a World Series game! Dodgers v. Yankees (Dodgers won). Was but a wee lad at the time, yet I still retain the scar on my chest from where the Met emblem on my concealed t-shirt was seared into my skin after crossing the turnstile. And my eyebrows will probably never grow back.

[Elster88]

Mr. Zero wrote: Was but a wee lad at the time, yet I still retain the scar on my chest from where the Met emblem on my concealed t-shirt was seared into my skin after crossing the turnstile. And my eyebrows will probably never grow back.

LOL

[MFS62]

Welcome, Mr. Zero.
Was that the 1963 Series during which Yankee announcer Mel Allen was so distraught that his beloved Yankees were getting humiliated by LA that he lost his voice in the broadcast booth and "squeaked" the rest of the game?

Later

[Guest Mr. Zero]

MFS62,

Can't go back that far. 1978. Ron Cey hit a big home run. About all I remember. Aside from the stench of melting flesh and iron-on.

[MFS62]

Welcome anyhow, rookie.
Now, it is required for you to get your arse up on that virtual table in the middle of the room and sing us your school fight song. And your response tells us you're still young enough to be able to get it up there.

And when you're done, there's the matter of carrying our virtual bags.

Later

[Guest Mr. Zero]

um..err...well, my school didn't actually have a fight song. But there may have been a "lie down and let the other team roll over you" song. I'll have to check.

I don't mind carrying the virtual bags, just check your own porn through security.

[MFS62]

Mr. Zero wrote: um..err...well, my school didn't actually have a fight song. But there may have been a "lie down and let the other team roll over you" song. I'll have to check. I don't mind carrying the virtual bags, just check your own porn through security.

Deal.

And I was kidding about the song. Just checking to see if you can be easily intimidated.

Later

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Mr. Zero, nice entry into the 'pool. Just jump right in, as you can see the waters fine. Welcome, it's great to have you with us.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I saw Don Gullett pitch the Yankees to a World Series win in game one against the Dodgers in 1977. Friend Eric's father was well-cnnected and that was Eric's birthday party, despite him being an ostensible Met fan. He was later at Game Six of the 1986 series.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wow, I had forgotten that Don Gullet was a Yankee. When I first read your post, I thought you had the year and team wrong, and that it must have been Gullet pitching against the Yankees in 1976.

[Guest Edgy DC]

As I've written in the past, I first started following baseball closely in 1977. I knew somehow that Gullett was a National League refugee and had foolishly concluded that he got the Game One start because he was a good hitter and the World Series would feature pitchers batting that year. He was, it turns out, a pretty good hitting pitcher, but I think I somehow thought --- with little knowledge of Don Drysdale outside of The Brady Bunch --- that all guys named "Don" were pitchers who could hit and were either Dodgers or former Dodgers.

[Elster88]

Mr. Zero wrote: I don't mind carrying the virtual bags, just check your own porn through security.

If your first few posts are anything to go by, your sense of humor will fit right in with the rest of the folks here.

Actually that might be a bad thing. I get plenty of funny looks from co-workers when I crack up as is.

[Guest Mr. Zero]

I seem to remember Gullett as one of the Yankees early era free agent signings that didn't live up to the hype (the first of many). Then his arm detached. Though I guess I never considered him to be a "true" Yankee since none of my Yankee loving "friends" (but thanks for the series ticket!) ever chose to be him during wiffle ball home run derby contests. It tended more towards a Guidry vs Kingman matchup.

[Frayed Knot]

Gullett, IIRC, was already damaged goods when the Yanx signed him - but that was in the new FA-era when George was not only signing guys he wanted but in some cases was hording redundant players simply so opposing teams couldn't have them.

I first saw Gullett when he came into relieve during game 2 of a Met/Reds DH. I had never heard of the guy before but he came in tossing bullets and shut down Met bats for several innings as the Reds took the night-cap.

[stevejrogers]

metsmarathon wrote: i'm a former bandwagonjumperonner. it just so happens it was 1985 and i was 8. and i dont think htere's a single one of those questions i would've gotten entirely right without researching. i prolly could've happened upon the 400-homer club with enough thought, but wasn't thinking of kong, for some reason. my best showing was in the clemens question, but i wouldn't've been able to name the college. i guess i'm just not good enough for this elitist club of yours, you damned cranepoolers... edit: and i LOVE the pic of pedro with the crown.

Heh, seriously I tend to side along with the Mathews quote about fandom, though I really do think some of the basics should be known by causal fans. I.e. retired numbers and postseason apperances (and yes that means all 40+ postseason apperances and almost 20 retired numbers over there in the Bronx) and other important details

Just having some fun with those questions

[Frayed Knot]

* Found that Gullett game:

8/23/70
Mets take a 5-2 lead - but Seaver coughs up 2 in the 5th & 3 more in the 7th enroute to a 7 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 11 H, 5 BB day. He even took the mound for the 8th!! (Hodges misusing his pen again!!).
Meanwhile, Gullett came in to relieve McGlothin & Washburn to toss 4 innings of hitless/walkless ball w/8 Ks!! to close out the game.
btw, he was just 19 y/o!!

Great pitcher when he came up but really only had 3 full seasons and was done by age 28

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Welcome aboard Mr. Zero

[MFS62]

Don Gullett is the player some Yankee fans still point to when they're recalling "big money" free agants who didn't work out well.
He was the poster boy for the "don't give pitchers long term free agent contracts" school of thought.

Later

[Willets Point]

Welcome Mr. Zero.

Are you a fan of this guy?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm thinking of Zero from Beetle Bailey.

Hey! Tomorrow's Wednesday! We get to see Miss Buxley!

[Guest Mr. Zero]

no major fan of Rey-O. Enjoyed him and was annoyed by him as much as the next guy.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That proves that Mr. Zero is a Mort Walker fan!

I think.

Let's all try to guess his first name.

Absolute?

Ground?

I wish Richard Dawson was here. "Blank Zero."

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

My Hero, Zero

]Zero? Yeah. Zero is a wonderful thing. In fact, zero is my hero! How can zero be a hero? Well, there are all kinds of heroes, you know. A man can get to be a hero for a famous battle he fought; Or by studying very hard and becoming a weightless astronaut. And then there are heroes of other sorts. Like the heroes we know from watching sports. But a hero doesn't have to be a grown up person, you know. A hero can be a very big dog who comes to your rescue, Or a very little boy who's smart enough to know what to do. But let me tell you about my favorite hero... Did you ever stop to think about zero? Zero is fantastic! Why, without the concept of zero, we'd never be able to multiply, divide, add, subtract, or even to count very high. My hero, zero Such a funny little hero But till you came along We counted on our fingers and toes Now you're here to stay And nobody really knows How wonderful you are Why we could never reach a star Without you, zero, my hero How wonderful you are What's so wonderful about a zero? It's nothing, isn't it? Sure, it represents nothing alone... But place a zero after 1 And you've got yourself a 10 (See how important that is?) When you run out of digits You can start all over again (See how convenient that is?) That's why with only ten digits including zero You could count as high as you could ever go Forever, towards infinity No one ever gets there, but you could try With 10 billion zeros From the cavemen till the heroes who invented you They counted on their fingers and toes And maybe some sticks and stones Or rocks and bones And their neighbors' toes, yeah And nobody really knows How wonderful you are Why we could never reach the star Without you, zero, my hero Zero, how wonderful you are Place one zero after any number And you've multiplied that number by 10 (See how easy that is?) Place two zero's after any number And you've multiplied that number by 100 (See how simple that is?) Place three zeros after any number And you've multiplied that number by 1000 Et cetera, et cetera, ad infinitum Ad astra, forever, and ever With zero, my hero, how wonderful you are

Link to Audio

So Mr. Zero - with what major league players do you share a birthday?

You can use this as a cheat sheet

[Guest Mr. Zero]

it's pretty motley assortment, my fellow Libras:

ex Mets:

Rey Sanchez and Brent Gaff

then HOFer though non-player Henry Chadwick

followed by a bunch of guys who sound like they should be in some kind of Hall of Fame:

Davey Crockett (Frontier HOF)
Sam West (Cowboy Boot HOF)
Felix Chouinardn (Cajun Music HOF)
Scottie Slayback (Attica HOF)
and
Randy Bush (hmmm...)

Oh, and its just Mr., I guess.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

There's always room for another Libra around here, Mr.

[MFS62]

Libras are fine people.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

In the early '90s Yanqui teams, Mel Hall took it upon himself to make Bernie Williams into his personal whipping boy. "Mr. Zero" was the nickname he hung on Bernie for his supposed value to the club.

Obviously NYY mgmt thought differently (and correectly).

[Willets Point]

Bumping this thread just in case we have to welcome aboard any "diehard" Yankees fans looking to make a switch.

[MFS62]

Kudos to the Daily News.
We might have expected the picture of A-Rod on the front page would have been bigger than the picture of the Met player.
Or there would have been a picture of Torre, with no mention of the Mets.

But they didn't.
So watch the door.
The bandwagon jumpers wil be arriving shortly.

Later

[metsmarathon]

i still can't answer any of those trivia questions... can i still hang out here anyways?