Read the excerpt from "The Legacy of Billy Mason." "I told you I should have stayed home!" Billy protested plaintively. "I'm missing the first game of the playoffs, and my team really needs me!"

"I understand—" began his father.

"No, you don't understand," said Billy, "because you never cared about anything like I care about baseball, not in your whole life."

In the context of the story, the excerpt is ironic because Billy's father

is actually a very good baseball player.
named his son after a baseball player.
stayed away from the playoffs.
is more concerned about the family's vacation.