Baseball psychology of a 4-year-old fan mystifies

Recently, Benjamin, our youngest, has been walking a very fine, diplomatic line with his baseball allegiance.

It started a few weeks ago. At lunch in Albany, a friend asked him which baseball team was his favorite.

"I like the Red Sox... (pause) and I like the Yankees."

I nearly choked on my calamari. Clearly, I was failing as Red Sox father.

It's not been for lack of trying. I recently included Benjamin in a trip to Fenway Park with his two older brothers. We weren't sure he'd have the patience for a 9-inning stint, much less for a typical marathon tilt against the Yankees. Yes, his first Red Sox game was against the Yankees! Surely I was starting him off on the right foot.

It didn't take long for him to get into the spirit of things. When the bleacher creatures took up the usual "Yankees suck!" chant, Benjamin joined right in.

I was conflicted, and quickly convinced him to switch to "Yankees stink!" He proclaimed just that at the top of his lungs several times throughout the rest of the game, to the delight of those around us. Secretly, I was more proud than ashamed. He was starting out his Red Sox fandom just fine.

A mere two weeks later, and that fandom morphed into political correctness in Albany. Worse? It has persisted, with Benjamin announcing periodically when the Red Sox are on TV that he likes them and several other teams, including the Yankees.

Cut to tonight's conversation on the couch during the Red Sox-Orioles game:

"Dad, you know I cheer for the Yankees, too."

I'd had enough. It was time for a heart-to-heart. "Benjamin, I would really like it if you cheered just for the Red Sox."

"Dad, you're family," he replied. "But I can cheer for whoever I want."

I might be failing as a Red Sox father, but how can I fault that sentiment from a 4-year-old?

The good news? A few moments later, his allegiance changed again.

"Here we go, Umpire, here we go!"