Father’s Day: A Dodger surprise for a lifelong fan from Oklahoma
By: Rowan Kavner
Tags: Dodgers, Fathers Day, Baseball, Community, MLB

Roger Gantz addresses the crowd for “It’s Time For Dodger Baseball” (Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Rowan Kavner

Oklahoma native Roger Gantz couldn’t actually see Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese and the Dodger players he revered in person, so he listened to Brooklyn games on the radio. From the 1950s through the 2010s, and from the team’s move from New York to California, the lifelong Dodger fan’s love for the club never faded.

Now 78 years old, Gantz still watches the Dodgers on television every chance he gets. But for Father’s Day, his kids wanted to give him a better view of the game — one he wouldn’t forget.

Randall and Ryan Gantz surprised their father with his first ever trip to Dodger Stadium to watch the Dodgers host the Cubs over Father’s Day weekend.

“He watches the Dodgers every night,” Randall said. “We’re just kind of talking amongst ourselves, why don’t we take him to a game? He’s 78 this year, will be 79 in September. He’s in good health, so we’re like, ‘Let’s get him out there. If we’re ever going to do it, we need to do it now.”

From left to right: Randall, Roger and Ryan Gantz (Courtesy of Randall Gantz)

Randall and his family members had discussed bringing Roger out for a game over the years in passing, but there would be obstacles. Roger, for instance, hadn’t been on a plane since basic training in the 60s, according to Randall.

“This is a big trip for him, for sure,” Randall said.

The immediate members of the Gantz family reside in Oklahoma, all within a couple hours of each other. Roger, who now lives in Stillwater, grew up working for a banking company for 31 years. Randall describes his father as blue collar. Even after his retirement, Roger continued working as a courier for a local bank, driving mail from Stillwater to Oklahoma City for 13 years.

“Work’s kind of been his thing,” Randall said. “He was a lifelong Dodger fan growing up in Western Oklahoma. He was a country boy.”

So, how does a “country boy” from Oklahoma gain an affinity for the Dodgers? By living in the “sweet spot” era of Dodger baseball — even if it meant defying family ties.

Gantz played little league baseball and began listening to the World Series in 1952. His parents and his brother were Yankees fans, but Gantz — whose favorite players were Snider, Reese and Campanella — would get his revenge when Brooklyn captured its championship in 1955.

“My dad was born in 1940, so that was between 13 to 19 years of age,” Randall said. “My uncle was a big Yankees fan, and they had a rivalry between the two of them. He loved Whitey Ford and Don Larson and Mickey Mantle.”

Roger was two years older than his brother, Ron, whose favorite team was a Yankee group that featured Oklahoma natives in Mantle and Bobby Murcer. The Gantzes grew up in the small town of Curtis, Oklahoma. Roger’s love for the game began at recess in grade school.

Roger and Ron Gantz in front of the empty lot where they played baseball (Courtesy of Randall Gantz)

“It was not hard to get a game of baseball going, and that’s where everything started,” Randall said. “The only source of outside entertainment they had was the radio. They had no television.”

When there wasn’t room for a full game of baseball, Roger and Ron still found a way to play. Next to their house was an empty lot featuring an embankment that went uphill, which they used as a backstop. They invented a game where hits of a certain distance would be classified as singles, doubles, triples and home runs.

All the while, they’d argue about who was better between Snider and Mantle.

“For whatever reason, my dad was just compelled to always be a Dodger fan and loved those players,” Randall said.

The Gantz family lived yards away from a railroad track, and Roger’s father worked on the Santa Fe Railroad, which took trains from Chicago to Los Angeles. Eventually, with the help of his kids, Roger would end up visiting the same location as that train’s destination.

“It’s a great moment in my life,” Roger said on Father’s Day. “At 78 years old, never been to Dodger Stadium. “It’s a great thrill for me.”

That thrill started long before the Dodgers finished off a 3–2 Father’s Day win. The surprise for Roger would continue soon after arriving at the stadium Sunday afternoon.

He was interviewed on DodgerVision, then got to go on the field with his sons for the national anthem. For decades, he’d heard the sounds of the crowd at Dodger Stadium. On Sunday, he got to serve as the stimulus for the crescendo of cheers, starting the day by addressing the fans with, “It’s Time For Dodger Baseball.”

The experience not only fulfilled every hope Roger had coming in. After 70 years of hearing his favorite team on the radio and watching the Dodgers on television, being at Dodger Stadium in person provided more than he could’ve ever imagined.

“It’s an awesome sight,” Roger said. “I watch it on TV all the time, but until you hear and see the crowd and the awesome stadium…I’ve been blown away by it all.”