Sports Stories: Craig Caruso

Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page or email me at dearsportsfan@gmail.com.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Craig Caruso. A VoIP employee during the day and a mobile app designer by night, Craig finds time between to follow his home town teams — or at least three of them. Staten Island born and bread, Caruso has his choice of the New York teams and some choice words about the rest. In his photo, Craig is wearing a the bacon logo of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on his hat and a shirt that supports New York Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez. You can read a synopsis of our interview below or listen to it in full here.

 

Name: Craig Caruso

Teams:

  • New York Yankees
  • New York Jets
  • New York Rangers

Born and lives in: Staten Island, NY

Do you have any sports superstitions?

No, not really. I try to wear my jersey when I can, just to be in the spirit with the team.

What is your earliest sports memory?

It’s funny, I’m a Yankees fan but my first game that I ever went to as a kid was a Mets game. It was at Shea. My Dad’s union took everyone at the shop out for a day out at Shea — there was probably a hundred of us — and my dad was like, “Okay, let’s go to your first baseball game.”

Were you a Mets fan at the time?

I really didn’t have a team alliance, I would say, I just went because… at the time I didn’t know better. And then I got into sports and I started growing into certain teams, and liking certain players. I have a superstition — my favorite number is 23 — and then I started watching baseball and I started liking the Yankees and I started liking Don Mattingly and all of a sudden… I started watching baseball a lot.

What did you like about Mattingly?

Just how he led the team. He wasn’t really the captain but… how he led the team, how he played first base, how he commanded himself on the field, the things he did for the Yankees. It’s kind of funny, he never made a World Series championship but they made it the year after he left and the year before he came to the Yankees — they were World Series championship teams.

What do you think sports adds to your life?

Excitement. When you have something in common with a lot of people, you can go to work, you can talk sports with someone, even if you’re not a Jets or a Rangers or a Yankees fan, there’s always that commonality with people about what teams they like. I work in NJ and there’s a lot of Philly fans — it’s that commonality you have: Did you see the game last night? Did you see the hit? Did you see the pass? Who are the Phillies playing tonight? It’s the commonality that really brings people together.

If it wasn’t sports, what would our common language be?

Probably technology. I think we would be talking more about coding, design, UI, and UX. You know, all the other crazy things we do at work. And I think that would probably connect us more than sports — love of technology.

Do you think you miss out on anything in life because of sports?

No. Am I sitting in front of a game every night? No. I think with the day and age that we live in, we’re always somewhat connected to our phones or Apple watches. Life is more important than one game. Baseball is 162 games, I don’t have to watch every single one. I think some people over-obsess about sports. You know, “I gotta watch the Yanks, I gotta watch the game.” No, you have to prioritize your life on what really comes first. If it’s Game Seven, Stanley Cup, and the Rangers are in it, that takes a little priority but you don’t have to watch every Yankees game.

On going to Jets games with his father:

He’s a football fan, not necessarily a Jets fan or a Giants fan. He’s a football fan. If he could get the NFL package wherever he was, he would watch every game, every Sunday. But he goes with me because he knows I enjoy it, we enjoy it together, and seeing football live is more fun than watching it on TV.

What is the best part of seeing football live?

The atmosphere, the environment. People laugh — Jets fan, Jets fan — but there’s nothing more exhilarating than seeing that Jets chant live with Fireman Ed, and getting the crowd really rowdy, and not rowdy, but in your face. And the opposing players know you’re in Met Life stadium. You know you’re in the home of the Jets. I’m a Yankees fan and I go to maybe 10-15 games a year. It’s not like that. It’s two different sports but — I’m a Bleacher Creature, I do roll call, I sit with the Yankee fans in the outfield — but there’s nothing more exhilerrating than being at a Jets game and hearing chants going for four quarters.

On basketball:

I dropped basketball completely many years ago, I don’t even watch it anymore.

Why did you stop watching basketball?

Jordan left.

What was it about Jordan?

Everything. The shots he’s taken — just seeing a player like that, working with the Bulls, passing to Pippen. He used his weapons and he could always count on his weapons. If it’s a pass to Pippen, he knows Pippen is going to get it in. If it’s Rodman defending… Luc Longly. All those players. And they know if they have the ball, they know they can pass it back to Jordan to make the shot. Just seeing him running up and down the court, back and forth. And hustling, not giving up. There’s no player that hustles like Jordan or hustled like Jordan.

What would you like non-sports fans to understand about sports or sports fans?

We have a passion for a lot of things. Come to a game with us. We have a passion for our teams and there are times you have to — if you’re a non-sports fan — you just have to get into it a little bit to cheer your team on, even if it’s the Rangers or the Jets or the Yankees or even the Mets who are doing excellent this year. Just embrace it, and try it, if you don’t like it, great, sure, no harm no foul, but give it a chance. Embrace your team, embrace your city. You don’t have to fall in love with the Yankees. Embrace the city and, especially in NY — NY goes crazy when our teams start winning. Embrace it — be happy for everyone else.

What is your favorite stadium food?

I actually have to admit — I do go to some Mets games and I think the Mets have the best collection of foods — and [the best is] probably Shake Shack. It’s funny — I’m a die hard Yankees fan and I always will be, but I’m rooting for the Mets this year. Listen, Yankees stadium will always be Yankees stadium but I think Yankee stadium was built as more of a memorial and a museum to the older players. You go to Citi field and it’s like an amusement park. If you want Chinese, sushi, pizza, you have your options. I feel like Yankee Stadium does not have enough food options or variety. Even across from Shake Shack, there’s a Mexican place that’s amazing.

If you could be any type of professional athlete, what would it be?

I think my favorite would probably be a defensive end or a center, like a Nick Mangold center. You have the upper body strength, yeah you have the weight to you, but you have the upper body strength and the lower body strength to run through a brick wall.

Sports Stories: Jake Northrup

Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page or email me at dearsportsfan@gmail.com.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Jake Northrup. Jake spent some of his childhood in Connecticut on the border between Yankees and Red Sox country, a split that divided even his own family. These days he’s in college where he divides his time between “important stuff” like schoolwork and employment and following sports passionately. You can read a synopsis of our interview below or listen to it in full here.

 

Current Location: Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Stormy Petrels — get stormy!
Home town: Clifton, Virginia, Connecticut, and Atlanta

Teams:

  • New York Yankees
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Tennessee
  • Atlanta Braves
  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Atlanta Falcons

What is it like to root for scattered teams?

Especially because one of the teams I grew up watching is the Lakers, and they play on the west coast, I can’t watch them as often.

What’s your first sports memory?

When I just moved to Atlanta (at age six) there was this sweepstakes for Ritz and it was win and Derek Jeter or Ken Griffey Jr. could play in your back yard. And I didn’t win but I got a Derek Jeter baseball card.

What was it like growing up in Connecticut?

Women have ten titles, the men have four. the women seem to get more hate because of Geno [Aueriema, the  controversial UConn women’s basketball coach.] Women’s basketball there is huge. especially when the teams do well, that’s when the whole state feels like big things are happening.

I lived in the middle between Boston and New York. I did not choose [a baseball team to root for,] my dad was a Yankees fan and that pretty much is in my blood, so I was with the Yankees. My brother is a Red Sox fan. So, we got a little sibling rivalry there. He’s younger, and I like the Yankees, so he likes to pick on me.I definitely felt [the rivalry] it lives in my own home with my brother.

How do sports fit into your weekly routine?

I used to be a high school athlete, I played basketball and tennis but now that I’m in college I don’t participate that often and i do miss [it] because I used to always play pickup basketball with friends but  — school and now I have a job so i got to focus on those but when I have the time I will be watching sports.

What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV?

Oh basketball because I grew up laying it and I think it’s more action packed. More than the NFL because while the NFL waste[s] time by walking around, NBA and basketball in general — every second is running up and down the court. No wasting time.

What are your sports superstitions?

Yes! They change all the time. I know when I was younger I used to make my brother sit on an ottoman because it would help the Lakers win. Then I would wear my team clothing for a period. Then there was a point where my teams would win when I was doing my homework. This year, I don’t know what it is. It could be anything.

How do sports play into your friendships at college?

It’s huge, especially when I lived with my dorm-mates. We would talk about sports… it’s a huge integral part of college.

How would your life be different without sports?

Before I became really into sports, I was this huge history buff. I also am a shark enthusiast. I love learning about sharks. So I think I would spend a lot more time [doing] research on sharks and history.

What’s different about rooting for the Yankees? What makes Yankees fans unique?

Besides all the world series championships, you got all these legendary players. You got some sense of pride in being a team. Of course you have all the haters but you gotta just kind of shake it off.

Is your favorite player Derek Jeter?

Of course it is!

Who is your sports nemesis?

It’s David Ortiz. I remember when, in ’04 when the Yankees blew that 3-0 lead, my friends gave me such a hard time with the Red Sox and David Ortiz seems to be the guy who helped them out in fueling the comeback. So I just couldn’t stand that guy at all.

How do you feel about players who come from the Red Sox to play with the Yankees?

Oh my gosh that makes it so weird! When Johnny Damon came over, I completely switch my attitude towards him. I started liking him. now that Jacoby Ellsbury is there, I like him. And I find it a little hypocritical and ironic because i didn’t like these guys but now that they’re here in pinstripes, I like them.

What would you like non-sports fans to understand about sports or fans?

I think sports is more than just watching or playing a game. It teaches you life values like teamwork, competition, rivalry, sportsmanship, all those things.

How do sports play into your dating life?

I haven’t seen much of that but I will admit there was this girl I really liked, and considered asking out, but when I found out she was a Red Sox fan, I was like, “Oh, then that’s not going to happen.”

What do you think the ratio of male to female sports fans is in your generation?

I would say social media makes it look 50/50, but outside in the real world, I see 70/30.

What can we as male sports fans do to make the world more welcoming for female sports fans?

I think… maybe because with the NFL with all their domestic violence issues, [we could] try to make it more appealing to the women — To make it look more like we really care about equality. I actually watch women’s college basketball and I think if we watched more female sports, maybe that will get the female fans to watch sports as well.

What’s the difference between men’s basketball and women’s?

When I grew up, there was basically no difference. I liked basketball in general, didn’t matter men or women. But I think with the women it’s more shoot first. Men was basically slow down, try to work down the shot clock from the 35 to the very last second. Women — dribble down the court, if you’ve got an open shot, take it, then let’s get back on defense.

Sports Stories: Mary Reagan

Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Mary Reagan. Mary has been a Boston sports fan her whole life and after years as a transplant, she’s returned home with lots of great stories. You can read a synopsis of our interview below or listen to it in full here.

 

Name: Mary Reagan

Current Location: Outside of Boston
Home town: Outside of Boston

Teams:

  • Boston Red Sox
  • Boston Bruins
  • New England Revolution

What’s your earliest sports memory?

Going to Fenway park with my father. Back then you used to have to go into the ticket office to buy your tickets. So we would have our yearly ritual of going into Fenway and deciding which games we wanted. I have very distinct memory of the first time I was allowed to pick a game. I picked the Milwaukee Brewers because my favorite player at the time had been Billy Conigliaro and they traded Billy to the Milwaukee Brewers and back then the brew were in the same league, so I got to see that game. And I actually met Billy Conigliaro a couple years ago and I told him that story. And he said, “Do you remember what I did that day? I wasn’t happy with the Red Sox and I knocked one out of the park.”

Why was he your favorite?

“Everybody else loved Tony Conigliaro and I had to be different, so I liked his brother. Of course everybody loved Yaz and the biggies but you had to have another player that was one of your favorites. So I decided Billy wasn’t getting enough love, and so this little kid was going to be his number one fan.”

On how she started rooting for the New England Tea Men, an NASL soccer team in the late 1970s:

When I was in high school, I actually started rooting for them because I was babysitting for the players kids and they would give me tickets for the Saturday afternoon games when the kids were going to come so they didn’t need a babysitter. So I picked up on Soccer that way.

On how she started rooting for the Boston Bruins

Bruins, I’m a big hockey fan. My cousins used to play hockey so my mother would keep her sister company during the practices and bring me along when I was a little kid. So, I  was exposed to hockey very young. And I grew up in the age of Bobby Orr.

Was watching sports a part of your friendships as a young person?

Probably not, it was more of a family thing. Brother and sister. And my mother was into sports as well. She liked basketball though, and I never quite got into basketball. And my father’s a huge football fan and that didn’t stick with me.

What about now?

My sister and I in particular go to a lot of games together. She’s a big Revolution fan so she mostly comes with me to those games but occasional Red Sox. And my brother comes once or twice a year to the Red Sox, he’s not as into soccer. And my father hasn’t been but he’s thinking about coming to a Red Sox game with me… if I can get good seats for him.

Biggest difference in the at-stadium experience between now and when you were a kid?

Yeah, there is a lot more of that, but I like it. I don’t like — when I would go to other fields, not Fenway — I don’t like what I would call the minor league stuff at the high end games. I don’t like the between innings — I don’t know if you’d call them games or activities. That’s a minor league thing in my mind and I don’t like the “make some noise” and “everyone clap your hands” at Red Sox games. I know they do it at hockey games but… Okay, I’ll let them slide, but at baseball I’m a purist, and when you cheer, you cheer because it’s organic and not because someone tells you to.

What was it like to be a Boston Sports fan living in New York City?

It’s interesting. Especially, since 2004. It’s more of a thing with baseball than another sport I follow… The Yankees – Red Sox thing was a bit hard. It was also tough because back then, there were Red Sox bars — in part I didn’t know about a few of them and then some of the ones that have come along since came along after 2004. So I hadn’t gotten as clued into that scene. I would just watch whereever I could find it and then found out later — oh there were hundreds of people gathered at each of these bars cheering for the Red Sox.

My two go-to bars in the last few years have been Riviera and Professor Thom’s. Primarily Professor Thom’s but I started out with Riviera for hockey. It’s a Boston bar that’s not in-your-face Boston… So it’s low-key in that sense but it’s hard core when it comes to watching the games. And then Professor Thom’s is like a mecca for Boston fans in New York though. You walk in and you know you’re in a Boston bar.

Do you have any sport superstitions?

We are convinced that if we order and consume, of course, the loaded tots at Professor Thom’s that the Red Sox and Bruins will win. So our ritual — we don’t take a chance. It doesn’t always work but every time we go to watch the game, we buy the loaded tots. And we have tried tots at other places and there’s just no comparison. The loaded tots at Professor Thom’s are fantastic! I keep telling them they should make a smaller portion so that if i’m there by myself i can order it.

What do you think being an Boston sports fan says about you? What makes it different from rooting for any other teams?

What stands out most is being a Red Sox fan growing up and the decades of hoping and not getting that championship. It took dedication to keep following the Red Sox through all those years.

What’s the most important thing you’d like non-sports fans to understand about sports?

I think it’s that, especially if you’re at an event, non-sports fans can enjoy going to sporting events even if they don’t like sports. I can definitely understand people who aren’t going to sit with me and watch it on TV — might even not go to a bar and watch it there — but having people give it a chance to go to an event and experience it first hand. It may not turn them into sports fans but it may help them understand or at least appreciate — especially nowadays when there’s so much to do at events and so much that can capture your attention. I think that’s kind of cool.

Sports Stories: Meet Jehangir Madon

Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Jehangir Madon. Jehangir is a man of international sports fandom whose enthusiastic and thoughtful nature make his sports story worth learning. You can read a synopsis of our interview below or listen to it in full here.

 

Name: Jehangir Madon
Current Location: Brooklyn
Home town: Bombay (now called Mumbai,) India

Teams:

  • The Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL
  • India in international cricket
  • The Williams team in Formula One racing
  • Otherwise, teams wearing blue.

How did you become an Eagles fan?

“I became a fan of the eagles for two reason within five plays. I had never really watched football before I came to America. It was on TV a few times and I was like, “Ehh whatever.” But then one day, I was home and it was the playoffs and there was nothing to do in the afternoon. So I turn on the TV, and there was this playoff game between the Eagles and the Giants, I think it was the 2000 playoffs. And on the first play the Eagles kick off and the Giants take the ball and run it all the way back for a touchdown. Now I would normally have rooted for the Blue team, you know, I like blue, but I was a little older so I say, “I’m going to cheer for the team that’s losing” and that was the Eagles. And then they had a black quarterback who was running around and I had never seen that. I did not know that Randall Cunningham existed. I didn’t know about anybody before McNabb who did that. So I thought, “Oh my God, this guy is so cool, I’m going to cheer for him.” And then I did cheer for them the whole game… and they lost.”

What’s your earliest sports memory?

“My earliest sports memory is the 1994 football World Cup. It was the final between Brazil and Italy. We took our TV from the living room and put it in the kitchen because I lived in a house with ten people and the kitchen was the only place where nobody would sleep… So me, my Dad’s brother and his son took the TV and we watched this really interesting and engrossing match… A zero zero draw, and I was cheering for Italy because they were wearing blue… and they lost… I was living in India, that match was going on at 2 in the morning I think that’s why I remember it because it was such an odd time for me to be allowed to be awake.

How do sports play into your family life? What about your group of friends? or dating life?

“Dating life, it’s mostly me watching sports while my girlfriend just lies in my arms and goes to sleep. She enjoys it and I enjoy it.”

“With my friends, during the NFL, I like to hang out, get a drink and watch some games. It’s a nice social thing. I think that’s why I like sports. I just remember sitting in my house with my uncle and my brother sitting and just watching a game very intently it’s something you do together and it’s fun to cheer for something. Or cheer against something, it’s great, especially when you win when you’re not supposed to.”

What do you think being an Eagles fan says about you? What makes Eagles fans different from everyone else?

“Somehow you just believe that this year you’ll win even when all of the statistics say that there’s zero chance. But there’s always this hope.”

On fidelity to a sports team:

“When you choose a team you cannot switch, nobody respects your fandom then, especially yourself.”

How does rooting for the eagles fit into your weekly routine?

“During the NFL season, it’s all NFL. I try to catch the game at a friends house or lately I haven’t been watching because I’ve been in New York and there’s lots of nicer things to do on Sunday… What’s changed over the past four years is fantasy football, it really pulls at you and makes you want to cheer for weird things.”

“It’s become less intense. I remember in 2004 or 5 when the eagles were really good, it was like, this week I’m really excited. Because once you start losing a lot, it makes it hard to look forward to, you know, the pain that’s coming if you’re going to lose.”

During the offseason — “There’s nothing going on, it’s just nonsense stories, there’s no reason to keep up with it. And that’s the best thing about the NFL you can really really be into it and it’s only one third of the year.

Who is your all-time favorite player from the Eagles?

“Donovan McNabb. He just seemed like a funny nice guy and no matter what happened, he always took the blame. I always liked him because he was a leader and when he was younger he did really amazing things. I think we just forget when we see somebody like Kaepernick doing these things now, we’re like, “oh my God, it’s never been done before” although it’s been done every three years, McNabb has done it, Vick did it. And when [McNabb] was in his prime, he was the best at it.”

Who is your all-time football nemesis?

“Fantasy football makes it hard to hate anybody. cause you can have them on your team next year. I think fantasy football has tempered my love and hate for people in the nfl because I know they could be on my team next year so I can’t really hate them and I don’t want to love them too much because I know they could be gone. It’s made me a more moderate football watcher.”

What’s the most important thing you’d like non-sports fans to understand about sports?

“Most of us realize that it’s just sports and when it ends its okay but that doesn’t mean when you’re cheering you don’t cheer with all your heart. Cause the real extacy you only get when you really want someone to win and you don’t expect them to win and somehow they make it and there’s few things in life that are that good.”

Sports Stories: Waffle fries and victory

Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page.

To get things started, I’ll be sharing some of my own personal sports stories here.

Although we grew up in Central New Jersey, my friend James and I have been Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fans for around 20 years. Like many young people (read this New York Times article about this phenomenon) we jumped on the bandwagon of a winning team in that impressionable age bracket between 8 and 12. Back then, the Penguins were a skilled hockey team that played a wide open style of play. They didn’t care so much if their opposition scored five goals because they were convinced they could score six. This provided a striking contrast with our local team, the New Jersey Devils, whose tactical choice to turn hockey into a grapple-first, skate-second sport eventually sparked widespread rule changes. Not only were we rooting for a winner, but we felt we had the favor of the hockey gods.

Fast forward to the Spring of 2009 and James I were both living in New York City. We weren’t close friends but we hadn’t had a falling out, either. Call us, dormant friends. Then, the NHL playoffs started, and for the second year in a row, the Penguins began a deep run. In the first round, they faced their dreaded rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. We started meeting up for games at a bar convenient to both of us called Dewey’s. The Penguins beat the Flyers in Game Six of the series. After giving up 3 goals to start that game, the diminutive and much-loved Penguin, Max Talbot, picked a fight with a much bigger Flyer. Talbot “got his ass kicked” as he said later, but it seemed to snap the team out of their malaise, and they rattled off five straight goals to win the game and the series. It was glorious.

Over the next few weeks, as the Penguins progressed closer and closer to their goal of winning the Stanley Cup, James and I settled into a superstitious pattern. Go to Dewey’s. Sit in the back. Get the waitress or busboy (most of whom knew us by then) to turn on the game. Order a pitcher of Yuengling. At the start of the second period, order chicken fingers and cheese fries and share them. We even had roles to play. James was the optimist, I was the pessimist. “They’re not going to win,” I would say, “the other team is too big, too strong, their goalie is too good.” James would talk me down. Our act worked. The Penguins beat the Capitals 6-2 in Game Seven on the road to win that series 4-3. The conference finals were a breeze — a four game sweep over the Carolina Hurricanes. This set up a rematch of the previous year’s Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and the Red Wings.

The series was an epic. The Red Wings won two games at home, then the Penguins won two games at home. The Red Wings took game five, the Penguins took game seven. Before we knew it, we were looking at one last evening at Dewey’s for game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. There’s nothing better or more thoroughly nerve-wracking than a game seven. The only problem was — James was hosting a party in his apartment that night. Not to worry, he said, he would get a friend to open his door and we could join the party after the game. NO WAY was he going to be responsible for a Penguins loss by changing up our routine.

We went to Dewey’s. The Penguins won. We hopped into a cab and rode it to Red Hook, Brooklyn, screaming happy inanities periodically through the open windows.

Thanks for reading. Share your sports stories with me soon. Book some time today.