(Sports Illustrated)
There has been a bit of debate on Twitter lately in terms of whether fans should boo their own players or not, so we thought that we’d here at MMO would weigh in on the debate.
What side are you on? The “to boo” side or the “not to boo” side?
My mantra has always been to never boo the team you root for.
I read an anecdote once from a fellow Mets fan, that talked about him and his dad at Shea Stadium when he was a kid, when a struggling player stepped up to the plate and got booed. The father explained to the son that these guys get booed enough on the road and shouldn’t have to get booed by their home crowd as well. For whatever reason that always stuck with me.
No matter how angry or disappointed I am, I try not to boo the Mets. I know these guys aren’t struggling on purpose and I’m going to support them when they’re good, I’m going to trudge with them through the bad times too.
As a lifelong Mets fan, I’d be lying If I said that I’ve never boo-ed certain players before. Lets face it, we haven’t had much to cheer for the last two decades, and most of what we’ve seen outside of s select few players, have probably warranted some boo’s and groans.
But, let’s make something clear, it’s very different to boo someone in July then it is after FIVE GAMES. I was just as frustrated as anyone else with how the first week of the season went, but this is not a crazy 60 game sprint of a season, it’s a real 162 game schedule and fans need to remember this is marathon once again. New York is the toughest market to play in because of how passionate we are as fans, but maybe lets give the season a month to unfold before the boo’s starting raining down?
The only time I’d ever boo a player on my favorite team is if that player demonstrated a clear lack of hustle. If a player does not succeed, as long as he is doing his best and giving an honest effort, I have no problem with that. Playing any sport professionally is hard, and something I certainly could never do. So, I respect the mere fact that they’re out there.
However, if there’s a lack of effort-I can’t say that I have not boo’ed under those circumstances. It’s rare, but it happens. There’s nothing worse than seeing a bad outcome for your team that could have been avoided through hustle. As Tim McCarver used to say, it’s not asking a lot to ask a player to run hard for 90 feet, four times per game. That’s all it takes. If I see that, I’ll never even consider a boo.
I generally never boo any of our players. Do I lose my shit and explode after a loss? Of course I do, who doesn’t. But I consider that an act of passion in the heat of the moment. Two very different things. There have been some players I’ve booed over the years for not being a team player or making the team look bad. I booed Pat Zachry when he threw a tantrum and broke his foot kicking the dugout step. I booed Vince Coleman when he threw a cherry bomb at fans. I booed Bret Saberhagen for spraying bleach at reporters. I booed K-Rod for punching his father-in-law in the face. I booed Rickey Henderson and Bobby Bonilla for playing cards while we were losing in the NLCS. I booed Oliver Perez for refusing to go to minors. Those are the kinds of things that will cause me to boo a player.
I understand both sides of this debate, I really do. You want to support your players… but being frustrated is part of being a fan and being emotionally invested in a team (especially in the case of being a Mets fan). I would be lying if I said that I have never or will never boo a player. Do I boo my own players as much as I boo players from other teams or umps? Of course not. But I have still done it. We love this team, we invest in this team, we want them to succeed (especially when we know that they can), and we get frustrated.
