Sibling Rivalry

Me & my younger brother Danny, we don't really look alike & we don't agree in 3 of the 4 majors sports. Sure we're doing our father proud by being Yankee fans but when it comes to sports, that's all we agree on. I've been a lifelong Jets, Knicks & Rangers fan. I base the Jets on my dad, I started watching Knicks games at a young age with my Uncle Rich and became a fan, I became a Ranger fan because of my mom being a Ranger fan and I like the color blue so the Broadway BlueShirts became my NHL team. My team choices were simple and local.

Danny's team origin stories are mostly interesting. Danny became a New Jersey Devils not because we live in New Jersey but rather in a similar fashion to me becoming a Ranger fan in terms of color, he became a Devil fan because of the color red. He chose the Bulls for the exact same reason, at least he wasn't a front runner though. 

Then there's football...when Danny was 2 my dad took him to a Jets game back in 1998 vs the Ravens & Danny got everything he wanted: Popcorn, a Keyshawn Johnson jersey, team trading cards & ice cream...but Danny wanted something else, a helmet. Plastic helmets back then were $15 at Giant Stadium & my dad saw some at Value City for $10 and told Danny he'd get a helmet later that day. So when my dad came home, Danny didn't want to take the ride down Route 9 & I did. When we got to Value City there were only 2 team helmets left...the Oakland Raiders & Jacksonville Jaguars. I thought the Raiders helmet was pretty cool so i took that one because I took the ride, I got to pick. Little did I know what I really decided on because as soon as we got home Danny put on his Jaguars helmet & became a Jaguar fan. My Uncle Rich bought him a Mark Brunell jersey (when he came to the Jets, Danny got pissed) & the rest is history. Oh how I wish my dad would have spent 5 more dollars.

Whenever our teams play each other Danny & I either watch or go to the games. Knicks-Bulls has mostly gone in Danny's favor but the Knicks have had their moments. Now that both teams are heating up, so's the rivalry with me & Danny.

Our true basketball rivalry has grown in the last few years ever since Danny committed to St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen back in 2010. I graduated from Cardinal McCarrick High School in 2011 after spending 4 great years there. McCarrick & St. Joe's have played each other in the Greater Middlesex Conference tournament for the last 2 years with St. Joe's coming away in 2 close games. I may be an alum now but the loss a few weeks ago hurt me the same as it did last year. McCarrick & St. Joe's have had their share of Alumni in the world of sports. Cardinal McCarrick's (formerly St. Mary's) notable sports alumni included: the first pair of twins on the same team in MLB history The O'Brien brothers who played together for the Pirates, former World Champion Yankee Allie Clark (who I've met a few times), 2 Time World Series Manager Tom Kelly & last but not least former Florida Marlins World Champion Manager Jack McKeon. St Joe's famous sports alumni are more modern: John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, Jay Williams of ESPN (former Chicago Bull) & Lakers All-Star Center Andrew Bynum. Danny & I are baseball players, being in seprate fan sections was fun but it would have been great to see him on my team or another team that McCarrick played last year. It's truly a shame McCarrick didn't play St Joe's in baseball last year, no doubt McCarrick would have gotten mercy ruled. The point of that was, while i was being confused with being a coach & Danny was on Freshman...it would have been nice to have his team on one side of the diamond & mine on the other. Back to pro sports!

(I would have used Matteau but Danny wasn't born 

when that game happened so I went for something that we've both seen)

The Devils & Rangers Rivalry is closely watched in our house. They meet an NHL most 6 times a year but to me and Danny each game is like a playoff game. Until the next meeting Danny & I always remind each other who won in the last meeting. Last week we attended the Ranger-Devil game at Prudential Center (best Christmas present ever from Danny btw) and the Rangers lost. Danny snapped a picture of me on his BlackBerry after the Devils went up by 2 in the 3rd. I'm upset they lost but going to a game with my brother meant a lot more then the result.

While Devils-Rangers is a strong division rivalry, our strongest personal rivalry is Jets-Jaguars. The first time the Jets made the playoffs in my life was 1998-99 & after a first round bye their opponent in the Divisional round would be...the Jaguars. My dad & my Uncle Sal went to the game while Danny & I attended a birthday party in Brooklyn. When we got news of the Jets victory i was 5 and started running around in joy while my 2 year old brother was angry. Oddly enough besides that playoff game the only other times the Jets have beaten the Jaguars was when Danny & I went in 2003 and in 2011. The 2003 game was great, it was me, Danny and our dad we got Big Wally's subs and had a great time, I wasn't suppose to go but my dad wanted to try to scalp a ticket for me & when we stopped at Quick Check before we hit Wally's then the Turnpike a guy noticed my & my dad wearing Jets attire and Danny in his Brunell jersey and gave us a free ticket 3 sections down from ours, it was the luckiest and coolest thing ever. Danny attended the 2005 overtime game with my dad & my dad told me that being with Danny that day was unbearable in terms of him going on & on about how much better the Jags were. In 2006 I was happy the game was played down in Jacksonville, I did watch the game with Danny though, it was the worst loss for the Jets in my life...as far as the regular season goes. We weren't able to get tickets to the 09 game because my Uncle Sal gave up his season tickets following the 2007 campaign. Last year (2011) my Uncle Rich helped me & Danny get last minute tickets on StubHub and the 3 of us went (my dad's commitment to softball prevented him from going). Rich (a Colts fan) sat between us in the first quarter to avoid me & Danny from getting into it if the game got too close but it didn't and the Jets blew out the Jaguars 32-3 & started the Blaine Gabbert era in Jacksonville as he replaced Luke McCown in the 2nd half. Danny went to a Jags home game against the Colts in 2010 with my Uncle Sal and they said it was nice down there...the reason I bring that up is because the NFL has announced the Jets will travel to Jacksonville in 2012 to play the Jaguars & I have 1 thing to say about that...ROAD TRIP!