Life, Work, Parenting and Sports RivalriesWhat Do You Do When...

Like many of you, I am a professional. I am also a dad. I work hard. I enjoy what I do for a living - wait - I LOVE what I do for a living!!!

Although I have a long way to go, I have had a great career so far for which I am very thankful. But more than anything else in the world, I love and would do anything for my little boy.

I'm also a fan and I love my Yankees and my Giants - and I don't mean the ones Mr. Clear or the Cream, Home Run Record Man with the * played for - I mean the "G-Men" who play in the toughest division in the NFL and get it done each weekend in the swamps of Jersey - my home state).

If you understand sports rivalries, you understand the intensity (sometimes insanity) that surrounds them. And when you are a Yankee fan, you know what happens when it comes time to play that team in New England that has only recently established a championship tradition. I think it goes without saying if you were to ask any Boston fan how they feel about the Yankees there is no love lost there. This rivalry is arguably the greatest in all of sports. It runs deep. There is history there. A lot of it. It is at times fun, at times heated, and it is in our blood. It is how we were raised. We understand that to be true.

My son? Well, he is five. He is growing up with me here in California. A long way from Jersey. But he knows why Daddy loves his Yanks and G-Men. He understands.

So, one day about a year ago, he asked me, "Daddy, why do you hate the Red Sox so much?" I replied to my impressionable little man, "Son, we don't say "hate" (wink wink). Now your Daddy is from Jersey and Daddy was raised a Yankees and Giants fan. And when you are from where I'm from, under no circumstances do you ever cheer for the Red Sox. It's just the way it is."

He then turns to me and says, "Well Daddy, what if I played for the Red Sox? Would you cheer for them then? Would you come to my games? Would you move to Boston?"

Needless to say, looking into his little eyes, I immediately responded, "YES! Of course son! Buddy, I will root for whatever team you play for, you are my son! And I love you more than anything in the world and if you have the opportunity to play for the Red Sox, I will root for them (wink, thinking...$$$$$$ - hey c'mon already — we all need a bailout)!"

"But Dad," he said, "what about the Yankees? Would you cheer for me when we played the Yankees?"

Perplexed, I said, "Yes, of course!" (thinking to myself, no self-respecting Yankee fan would EVER...wait...stop — this is my son...).

He smiled, hugged me and all was well in the world.

Until...

I found out today the Little League team that drafted him was...

...The Red Sox....

And Theo Epstein was nowhere in sight.

Reaction? Joy and pain. Like sunshine and rain.

And I already offered to help coach.

The anguish?

THIS IS LIKE A BUCKEYE WEARING MAIZE AND BLUE!
THIS IS LIKE A TAR HEEL JOINING THE CAMERON CRAZIES!
THIS IS LIKE WATCHING RUDY GIULIANI PUT THAT D*MN "B" BASEBALL HAT ON HIS HEAD WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO GET SOME STINKIN' VOTES! (Seriously, that was appalling — and he calls himself a Yankee fan)!?!?!
THIS IS LIKE A.ROD AND VARITEK TEXTING EACH OTHER!
THIS IS LIKE KEN STARR AND BILL CLINTON BEING FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK!

THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!

THIS IS “THE YANKEES AND THE RED SOX” PEOPLE!

Okay, I know. Perspective. He's five. And he's playing baseball and loving it and he's on...

...The Red Sox...

Oh man. And now here I am - having to put that damn "B" on my head, with those two freakin' words describing a color and clothing item across my chest.

My son's reaction? He laughed. Hard. And I did, too. We laughed for a while. It was a good laugh. A really good laugh. He knew what it meant. And he said, "Daddy, you must really love me because you sure don't love the Red Sox!" We laughed even harder.

We're going to have fun this season. He's my son and I'm his dad. Nothing - not even the Yankee - Red Sox rivalry — can separate that.

Oh man. The things we do for our kids.

Now, let's hope during football season he's not picked to be on the Redskins....

:-)