Oh, I remember Pepitone well. I was born in '59. He was in the thick of the Yankee lineup when I first took an interest in the game. Of course, I'm a Mets fan, which a lot of people can't understand because I'm a Bronx guy through and through.

Short version: My Dad was a Harlem guy. You know that. So, naturally, he was a Giants fan. He was like thirty years old when they pulled up and moved out west. Never forgave them (although, since Bonds retired, he rooted for them in the three World Series that they've won).

Anyway, like most Giants and Dodgers fans, in '62 he became a Mets fan. He instilled it in me, and that's all she wrote. But I don't "hate" the Yanks. I usually root for them as long as they're not playing the Mets. I mean, if it's Yanks-Braves in the series, do you think I'm rooting for a bunch of assholes from Georgia?