NY Mets Give a Longtime Fan and His Family The Gift of a Lifetime

For Jerry Ghinelli, Shea Stadium used to be his playground.

On a hot Saturday in late August 1964, in the midst of the New York Mets' inaugural season in their newly built stadium, Ghinelli peered from under the stands behind home plate.

Ghinelli, only 13, lived just blocks from the field and had snuck into the stadium plenty of times.

Lying flat on his stomach, he watched the game unfold in front of him. Staring back at him was Chicago Cubs pitcher Larry Jackson, firing pitch after pitch to the catcher. Suddenly, a ball scorched past the reaching catcher, shooting right under the stands and at Ghinelli’s feet.

In between innings, Ghinelli said he expected someone from the grounds crew to find him lurking beneath the dark rafters, but to his surprise it was someone different – Larry Jackson himself.

“[He] came under the stands to look for the ball,” Ghinelli said. “Here I am 13 years old, full of mud and standing next to what looked like a giant in a Cubs uniform. He said to me 'What are you doing here?' and me being a smart-ass even then said 'What are you doing here?'"

Since that day, Ghinelli has accumulated a plethora of stories involving the team he’s followed for its entire 50 year existence, but none quite like the one he will have from this Father’s Day.

Ghinelli, who has had season tickets with the Mets for over 30 years, his daughter Victoria and her friend were offered the chance to come onto the diamond at Citi Field by the Mets last Sunday as part of an appreciation package for being a “valued customer.”

Ghinelli and his family met all of the day’s umpires, current Cincinnati Reds Manager Dusty Baker, Mets third-base coach Tim Teufel and Mets catcher Josh Thole.

“It was so cool to be on the field and meet the umpires," Victoria Ghinelli, whose on field expierence was the first time she had been to a baseball game, said. "One umpire was named Victor and had a daughter he named Victoria like me. He gave me a game ball. My father is a big Mets fan and he was excited but sad the Mets lost the game.”

While this experience might not have been quite like the ones he had when he was a teen sneaking through gates at Shea Stadium, Ghinelli said this time was even more gratifying and personal.

“My father passed baseball down to me and now I try to pass it down to my kids,” Ghinelli said. “Father’s Day was a very special day for me… [I had] a lot of thoughts of my dear father as well. He’s been gone for 27 years now and I know he would have been proud to see his grandchild at home plate yesterday.”

Ghinelli said his father would take him to the Polo Grounds to watch the Mets, and would often say to his son that their favorite team would turn around their misfortune.

“My father would always say, 'This year is the cellar, next year will be more mellow,’” Ghinelli said. “He was right, in July 1969 a man landed on the moon, but even more 'mellow' in October 1969 Gil Hodges landed the Mets at the top of the baseball world. Incredibly, the Mets won the World Series.”

As for the future, Ghinelli said his adoration for the Mets and the game of baseball will only grow stronger as he hopes to bring his father’s love of the game into the hearts and minds of his children.

“What amazes me to this day is what a long strange trip it’s been,” Ghinelli said. "I am blessed now through a lot of hard work, mixed with a little good luck, to be able to afford 8 Mets full season tickets... The Mets are wonderful organization, despite what you read in the papers, and treat their customers royally. For this customer — after yesterday — I will be coming to the ballpark for many more years to come.”

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Joseph M. Gerace at Joseph.Gerace@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.