Updated Post: August 29, 2021, 9:12 p.m.
Sandy Alderson sent out a statement regarding the players’ feelings and reactions toward booing. The team president said the gestures some players made, including the “thumbs down” when celebrating hits, “are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
He continued: “The players and the organization are equally frustrated, but fans at Citi Field have every right to express their own disappointment. Booing is every fan’s right.”
You can read the full statement here.
Original Post: August 29, 2021, 7:52 p.m.
It’s war!
Well, that might be a bit strong, but several Mets players, tired of the booing from the Mets faithful, have decided to fight back. In an unusual display of disdain by players against their own fanbase, several prominent Mets have decided to take matters into their own hands.
Or thumbs if you’d rather.
Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor, Kevin Pillar, and undoubtedly others have decided to flash a thumbs down to fans at Citi Field when they have some success. Why the apparent battle against loyal fans? “To let [the fans] know when we don’t get success we’re going to get booed, so they are going to get booed when we have success,” said the apparent leader of the movement, Mr. Báez.
"They've got to be better," Javier Báez said of the Mets' fan base.
His full comments on the team deciding to "boo" back at fans: pic.twitter.com/EgoMXhzZcD
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 29, 2021
“They’ve got to be better,” Javier Báez said of the Mets’ fan base. This comment, made in the post-game press conference after a Mets win against the Washington Nationals, was uttered in an environment that has seen the Mets plummet nearly a dozen games in the standings. Where they recently led the N.L. East by four games, the Mets now trail the first-place Atlanta Braves by seven and a half. They are a poor 8-19 in August and have many thinking of 2022 and beyond.
Some of the players are not ready to let fans forget 2021.
The display of unhappiness sent researchers to the history books to find similar occurrences:
“The only thing I can think of that compares to this was Jack McDowell flipping off booing Yankees fans in the Bronx in 1995. But that was a one-off, heat-of-the-moment thing. Also: McDowell was gone about 15 seconds after the season ended”. This is from Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.
Báez added further:
“We’re not machines, we’re going to struggle. … It just feels bad when I strikeout and I get booed. … We’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”
The Mets are certainly not machines and have had their share of struggles. But this near-unprecedented display by some of them is likely going to ignite a fierce war of words between fans and some of the players. Please stay tuned for MMO as there will be an OpEd about this topic on Monday and coverage throughout the day as needed.
