Chicago Cubs co-owner and chairman of the board Todd Ricketts had nothing good to say about the New York Mets this weekend.
While taking questions at a Cubs Fan Fest at the Sheraton Grand Chicago ballroom on Saturday morning, here’s what Ricketts had to say about Mets fans. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but Mets fans are really, really obnoxious,” Ricketts said.
Ricketts then went on to explain how even his wife noticed the difference between fans from other rivals and how much more obnoxious Mets fans are.
“So in any case, we go to Pittsburgh and we have a great time. The energy level is great. We go to St. Louis and the fans there — they were a little more confident — but still friendly and hospitable. And then there was New York.”
Despite getting swept by the Mets in the NLCS, Rickets and his wife continued to watch then in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. He then tells Cubs fans, who at this point during his speech are howling with delight, about ninth inning of Game 5.
“My wife and I are sitting in our living room. It’s 10:30 at night. We’re in our pajamas. I don’t know if you guys remember — Matt Harvey refused to come out of the game.”
“He did a show on TV. He did his own little drama on TV to show that he was the tough guy and he was going to win this game for the Mets. He went back out on the mound — and I think three batters later the Royals had scored two runs.”
“When Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate,” Ricketts said, “my wife jumped up, pointed at the TV and she said: ‘Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’
“So I’m not certain that she’s adopted baseball as her favorite sport. And I’m not certain that she still would say that the Cubs are her favorite team because she loves the Blackhawks so much. But I know this for sure: She really, really hates the Mets.”
I think that’s cool, let ‘them think that if they want. We’ll show ’em how we feel when the Cubs come to Citi Field for a four-game series beginning on June 30. It looks like Ricketts is bent on renewing a Cubs and Mets rivalry that was once a very heated one.
When I was a kid I hated the Chicago Cubs more than I do the Nationals, Phillies and Braves now. Until 1994, when the National League expanded to three divisions, the Cubs and Mets always had a sometimes very heated rivalry in the NL East. Both teams took turns being a thorn in the other’s side, sometimes with some very dramatic and season altering outcomes.
Ask me what the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking game I ever saw was, and I’d tell you it was watching some scrub named Jimmy Qualls spoiling Tom Seaver’s perfect game with two outs to go in the ninth inning on July 9, 1969 at Shea Stadium. It was devastating to say the least, I cried.
Luckily, we exacted our revenge two months later thanks to a little help from a black cat that crossed the path of Cubs All-Star Ron Santo while he was in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium on Sept. 9, 1969. The Miracle Mets would stun the Cubs with a dramatic 7-1 victory and then move into first place for good the next day as the Cubs spiraled into an epic collapse.
There have been so many great and not-so-great memories between these two storied franchises throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s (Google Tim Leary or Tuffy Rhodes!), and there’s nothing I’d like more than to start piling on the Chicago Cubs again. Sweeping them in the NLCS was a good start.
(All quotes used in this article are courtesy of Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago)
Site Note: Been out of commission and in hospital, so please forgive my lack of posting these last three days. Also excuse any typos as i’m not accustomed to writing articles via my phone. Thanks.
