I’m a Giants and Mets fan, except when the Giants play the Mets, and I’m totally a Mets fan. Even though the Giants are my hometown team, and the first ball club that I knew.
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I’m a Godzilla and King Kong fan, except when Godzilla fights Kong, and I’m totally Team Kong. In this case I recall seeing the original King Kong (1933) before I ever saw a Godzilla film, the first of which might have been King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963).
This one hurts so much that I probably won’t get a postseason cap like I usually do.
I truly feel that getting swept by the Braves last week is what took the swagger away, and I began to think that getting knocked down to second place was not going to do well for my Mets.
Except for basketball and soccer, I root for two teams in every sport that I’m interested in.
Giants and Mets.
Sharks and Flyers. Maybe the Maple Leafs.
49ers and Broncos.
I root for my local/home teams unless it’s the Broncos or Mets playing the 49ers or Giants.
Just ask anyone who was around for Super Bowl XXIV, when I was probably the lone person in the city of San Francisco wearing a John Elway #7 Broncos jersey, rooting against the 49ers.
Or the postseason Giants games against the Mets.
As for this season, I threw my support for the Broncos out the window when they signed Joe Flacco. They’re still my team, but everyone knew that Flacco was not the answer. Hopefully Drew Lock will lead us into a better future.
So I climbed back onto the 49ers bandwagon, which has been a team I’d been a fan of since freshman year in high school, when this happened:
This year’s squad is full of likable guys, like George Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo.
And Richard Sherman, that guy you hate, unless he’s on your team.
So while I can say I’m a bandwagoner, I can sorta kinda claim the ‘Faithful Then, Faithful Now’ moniker as well. From a certain point of view.
I’m replaying Dwight Gooden’s rookie season in 1984, and I’m up to game #24 of his career: a road game vs. the San Francisco Giants, at Candlestick Park.
The opposing pitcher: Mike Krukow.
On this day, August 17, 1984, both pitchers went 9 innings, with no scoring.
In the top of the 10th, Krukow gave up a 2-run homer to Wally Backman, giving the Mets the lead. Jesse Orosco pitched the bottom of the 10th for the save (his 26th), with Gooden winning his 11th game of the season.
Starting pitching lines:
Gooden: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 12 K
Krukow: 9.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 10 K
I doubt my replay will turn out the same. We’ll see.
