Bob Boone admits son Aaron has always been his favorite

WASHINGTON (Sportsman's Daily Wire Service) -- Former major league catcher, manage, and current Washington Nationals vice president of player development Bob Boone announced to stunned reporters Monday that his son Aaron is his favorite child -- move that literally flies in the face of the common parenting standard of never choosing among offspring.

"Aaron has always been my favorite and always will be," said Boone speaking of the 35-year-old Nationals infielder and brother of former major leaguer Bret. "Quite frankly, Bret's been a profound disappointment to me, and I think he knows that."

Boone then added with a chuckle, "If he didn't, he does now."

Unlike Archie Manning who stays unbiased, Bob Boone is all about Aaron. (Getty Images)

Though Bret's career numbers overall are better than Aaron's, their father points to the intangibles that make his choice quite clear. "First, there's the dramatic home run Aaron hit for the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. He married a stone cold fox (Laura Cover, a former Playboy Playmate), and he always picked up his room."

Bret, 39, who earlier this year announced his retirement, spoke with reporters outside his home. "I know what you all want," said Bret. "You want some underlying message in a metaphor-filled diatribe. Well, you're not going to get it. I'm not going to stand here and give my dad or you people the satisfaction. No passive-aggressive cry for help. No stomping of the feet or clenching of fists. Because that's what you want isn't it? Isn't it?"

"He's such an ass!" Aaron Boone said after learning of his brother's comments. "It's just like Bret. Typical. So typical. Are we so different from any other highly paid, privileged family with major leaguers in three generations?"

Xuan Boone, the Boones' adopted 33-year-old Vietnamese son who owns a string of massage parlors in the San Diego area, says he harbors no hard feelings toward his father or either of his brothers. "I love them all," said Xuan. "And if they ever want to use our services, I'd be more than happy to get them half off."

The display of dysfunctional behavior in the normally reserved and well-adjusted Boone family may be a surprise to many, but not to sports psychologist Ralph Tart.

"If you break it down, it's rather simple," said Tart. "You have a family with a rich baseball heritage which dates back to the major league debut of Ray Boone in 1948. As the patriarch of the Boone family, you had a quiet man who played for 13 seasons, made two All-Star appearances, and raised a family. All seemed normal, and it was. But then Bob came along and had no choice but to at least match his father's accomplishments. He surpassed him in some ways. There may have been some dysfunction at this point. But by the time Bob's two sons came along, the desire to outdo one another became a disease. It's quite classic really. I'm surprised Bret hasn't hit Aaron over the head with a gin bottle. Let's all pray a fourth Boone generation doesn't make it to the majors."

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