Rick and Tammy Mercer's youngest child, Jordy, pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Feb. 24.
By Blake Jackson
TALOGA (MCT) –When their youngest child Jordy left tiny Taloga to play baseball at Oklahoma State three years ago, Rick and Tammy Mercer began to feel the pangs of empty nest syndrome.
Daughter Randi had already moved on to pursue a nursing career and now their boy was off to chase his dreams on the diamond.
To help cope with the loss, Tammy purchased “Madi,” a miniature Yorkshire terrier barely the size of a baseball glove.
Rick bought a 42-foot motor home.
Today, the nest travels with the Mercer family. But it’s rarely empty.
In three years, Rick and Tammy have become the unlikely king and queen of OSU baseball tailgating. And everyone is invited to the castle.
“It never feels like we’re away from home because we have everything we need right here,” Rick Mercer said. “And there’s always someone around to share this with. It’s like a big family.”
The Mercers had always traveled to watch their son play baseball. Long before OU coach Sunny Golloway nicknamed Jordy “Sooner Killer,” the family made killer cross-country jaunts in support of his 80-game club league schedule.
Taloga to Pueblo, Colo., to Little Rock, Ark., to Houston and back again.
Their old RV functioned mainly as a bedroom on wheels. Camaraderie with other proud parents proved hard to come by.
But when Jordy enrolled at Oklahoma State — and the Mercers splurged on their new ride — everything changed. During Game 1 of the 2006 Bedlam series, Rick and Tammy befriended fellow Cowboy fan Jack Douma.
“We were sitting outside (the motor home) and noticed the guy next to us had this huge cooker,” Tammy Mercer said. “We went over to talk to him and he offered us some homemade ice cream. That sort of started everything.”
From that point on, the Mercers and Doumas made a pact.
Douma would do the cooking and Rick and Tammy would provide the drinks and facilities.
During Bedlam in Bricktown last weekend, the Mercers hosted more than 200 Cowboy and Sooner fans at their motor home, which boasts a flat-screen, high definition TV with satellite, a walk-in shower and a near full-sized refrigerator.
They served bratwurst, beer and burgers as a main course — and homemade ice cream for dessert.
The crowd grew so large that Rick rented a port-a-potty to set up outside the truck.
After the Pokes’ Game 3 loss to Oklahoma, Jordy brought some college friends and teammates over to meet and greet the fans.
“Wow, I didn’t know your mom and dad could throw a party like that,” one commented.
Bedlam is always the busiest weekend for the Mercers and their motor home. But it gets plenty of use the rest of the year.
Rick and Tammy have driven to almost every regular season game in Jordy’s career. They’ve traveled thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars on gasoline.
On a good day, Rick says, the RV gets eight or nine miles to the gallon. On a bad day, it’s five or six.
The fuel tank holds 100 gallons. Meanwhile, diesel prices hover somewhere near $4.50.
“It’s not cheap, but it’s totally worth it,” said Rick, who sold his seismic exploration drilling company last year and currently describes himself as a full-time farmer. “I don’t know how people sit at home when their kids are playing sports.”
Jordy’s cousin Chad Speer — the self-proclaimed biggest fan of OSU’s do-it-all shortstop — has traveled with the Mercers since this year’s Texas A&M series.
“When (Rick and Tammy) roll into Stillwater, it’s a pretty big deal,” Speer said. “It’s a big deal in Taloga, too. And on the road, we’ve met a lot of really neat people.”
Rick recalls one such encounter while returning home from a series at Baylor this spring.
The Mercers were filling up with diesel when a gentleman in a dually pickup truck pulled up at the pump beside them.
As Rick filled the tank, he noticed the man glancing around at his RV. The longer Rick pumped, the longer the man gazed.
“It sure takes a lot of diesel,” the stranger said.
Rick Mercer paused, smiled, and then replied.
“Getting tickets to a college baseball game — $25. Filling up your RV — $300. Watching your son play baseball in the Big 12 — priceless.”
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