So to keep up with our traditional birthday gifts, Frank bought two tickets for tonight’s Mets game for my birthday, which was yesterday, May 13.  Turning the big 27 has been a scary time.  I’m not liking the idea considering the fact that at some point I need to start acting my age and not the sum of the two numbers in my age.  That being said, these tickets were purchased weeks ago.  This seems to be the new thing for Frank and me.  I buy two Rangers tickets for his birthday in December and he buys 2 Mets tickets for my birthday in May.  It’s becoming a nice tradition.  Considering the fact that he was responsible for basically all of my sports followings, (with the exception of the Nets and Villanova basketball, which were definitely both my brother Chris’ doing), it seems fitting. 

We actually had this discussion over Mother’s Day dinner, during which, my sister Stup, (This is Stup’s first mention on the blog, also a Mets fan), asked Chris, how, considering the fact that Chris and I shared a room for the first 10 years of my life, he was not successful in making me a Yankees fan and an Islanders fan, where as Frank, the Mets/Rangers fan, (yes that does sound backwards) who was away at college for 4 of the first 10 years of my life, was able to mold me into the same fan as him.  Chris’ response was, “I never really tried.  Frank tried so hard, I just let him have it.”  Fair enough.  What Stup doesn’t realize is that being that she was a Mets fan and the sibling closest to my age, thus the one I spent the most time with as a kid, she was a huge influence on my Mets fandom at a young age.  As time went on though, Frank and I are basically one in the same when it comes to how we stand with the Mets.  Chris and I still have the Nets, ‘Nova and horse racing though.  I tend to think I have a little bit of each of my siblings in me, which is why I’m so good with dealing with my parents.  I watched them all go before me and learned from their mistakes.  It pays to be the baby. 

Enough of the family history.  Tonight we have draw Claudio Vargas against Tim Redding.  Despite the fact that this is my third Mets game, 1-1 on the year, I have a history of early season games with some AWFUL starting pitchers:  Victor Zambrano, Chan Ho Park and Vargas is probably going to fit that mold.  The one bright spot is that I did have Mike Pelfrey penciled in as this year’s AWFUL starting pitcher I have to sit through this year, but as it turns out, he pitched well before the 7-Pack on that cold April night, so maybe my luck is changing.  Maybe I can dunk a basketball. 

Here’s hoping Vargas surprises me tonight.  But for now, I need to get some work done so that I can get outta here early.  I’ll try to get an update from the game in a couple days.