In April of 1977, my grandparents bought a small condo in North Lauderdale, Florida. The next February school break, my parents and my brother and I (who were 7 and 4, respectively) went down for the first of 14 consecutive Februarys. One of the best things about the condo, however, was that it was about 5 minutes from where the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees played, and where the New York Yankees held spring training. We went there every year, and met and talked to a bunch of players, managers, coaches, and even The Boss on occasion. We had multitudes of autographs. My brother kept his. I had no idea where mine are.

Of course, I'm a fan of more than just baseball. I was actually a Pittsburgh Steeler fan in the late 70s (when you're that young, you pick up on the winners, especially when your local teams aren't doing well). I think I officially became a Giants fan when I discovered that this linebacker they had drafted from North Carolina had the same birthday as I did. I've stuck with them ever since, even though my grandparents used to have season tickets to the Jets when they were at Shea Stadium.

I'm not nearly into basketball and hockey as much as I am baseball and football. I'll still root (or lament, as the case is now) for the Knicks and Rangers. I definitely appreciated one of the great moments in hockey history, when Mark Messier raised the Stanley Cup at MSG for the first time in 54 years.

Like most other American boys, I played Little League growing up. I was mostly a shortstop and pitched on occasion. I always had speed and was a spray hitter. I have always had problems with pitching above about 50 MPH, though, so nothing came of that. Now, if I'm playing softball, I love to patrol center field.

I consider myself the common fan, probably with common views. I'm writing for this site to speak for those like me.

Matt Phillips is a staff writer for ContractBud.com and lives with his wife and child in New York

Contact: phillips@ContractBud.com