Tulsa World: Die-hard Drillers fans

TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | WIRELESS

OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL

HOMEPAGES

SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

		Sports Editor Mike Strain
		Sports Columnist Dave Sittler
		The Picker Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

Search the World's archives

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US

BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

Buy a published photo by clicking the "Order this Picture" link on the photo. For a full-color page reprint, call 732-8198 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or order online.

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Learn more about the site.

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

Die-hard Drillers fans
The couple open their home to players

Eric and Kellie Gerner are longtime season ticket holders for the Tulsa Drillers and have also been a host family for players since 1993. STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World

By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer
Published: 6/30/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 6/30/2009 4:47 AM

For longtime Tulsa Drillers season ticket holders Eric and Kellie Gerner, a big part of the fun they have at games comes from cheering for their "family members."

"When you have players stay with you and you get to know them, it's like they are a part of your family," Kellie Gerner said.

The Gerners have been a host family for Drillers players since 1993. They usually host one or two players a year, although that number can increase for the final homestand as players' apartment leases often expire with a week or two left in the season, or a player joins the Drillers for the final few weeks. Last year, pitcher Keith Weiser moved up to the Drillers in the final month and stayed with the Gerners. He is with them again this year along with pitcher Jonathan George.

Players stay with a host family for various reasons. Many are single, some are foreign-born and learning English. And some just prefer living in a family setting and enjoying home-cooked meals to staying in apartments or eating out all the time.

"You usually see host families at the lower levels in minor league baseball, but it's rare to see them here in Double-A," Drillers general manager Mike Melega said. "Eric and Kellie are unbelievable. They make the Drillers a true part of their family by welcoming players to their house."

Eric and Kellie Gerner, who were named by the Drillers as their season-ticket holders of the year, do not have an official relationship with the team and do not receive compensation from the Drillers.

"But we wouldn't trade the experiences we've had with them for anything," Kellie Gerner said.

Eric Gerner added, "We've never had a bad experience with a player in 17 years. We can turn on just about any major league game, and we'll know a player who is playing in that game."

The Gerners' children, Craig and Ashley, both grew up going to Drillers games. Craig was a bat boy in the early 1990s, and Ashley is a part-time employee for the Drillers, working in promotions.

Michael Jackson's death Thursday brought back memories for the Gerners. While driving Drillers Ubaldo Jimenez and Juan Morillo to the Texas League All-Star Game in Little Rock in 2006, the two pitchers worked on their English by singing Jackson's songs.

During the 2007 World Series, Jimenez called the Gerners an hour before he started Game 2 for the Colorado Rockies at Boston. Kellie Gerner's father had died two days earlier.

"He told us he was dedicating the game to my father," Kellie Gerner said.

Last year, former Drillers reliever Jim Miller called the Gerners when he was called up to the majors for the first time with Baltimore.

"He pulled out his cell phone and sent us a picture of his jersey hanging for the first time in a major league clubhouse," Eric Gerner said.

The Gerners have known each other virtually their entire lives. Eric Gerner's father was the doctor who delivered Kellie Gerner at her birth. They have regularly attended Drillers games since 1983.

Eric and Kellie Gerner celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on Saturday at the same place where they've spent many anniversaries — Drillers Stadium, watching the Drillers.

Barry Lewis 581-8393
barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

COMMENTS

Add your comment

Show: Most Recent Comment First

1 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Report Comment

M_Conners, Tulsa (6/30/2009 3:42:48 PM)

Sounds like these people love Driller baseball. Pretty cool.

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.