Dead Fish and Peripheral Cheerleaders

I’ll give those Marlins fans this much:  they’re a tenacious bunch! 

I just returned from the Florida portion of the Mets’ road trip, having attended all three games at Dolphin Stadium, and I can vouch for the fact that those fish-lovers are die-hards.  Many of them were there until the bitter end of each and every game and any infinitessimal bit of hopeful offense begat the sing-song chanting "IT’S not O- ver!"

But, as we all know, it was indeed over for the Marlins.

Thanks to a few SNY clips that I’ve seen thanks to fellow MLB Mets blogger Zoe, I can tell that the fish fry was just as much fun on the big screen as it was in person.

Besides the obvious great news of three more in the wins column and the good feeling only a sweep can bring, maybe the next best thing about the weekend was the return of El Duque.  How great was he on Friday night?

Although the wins were great and there were some very special feel-good plays–Delgado’s two-home run Saturday comes to mind–I have to admit that the Mets made me nervous on many occasions this weekend with some sloppy playing that is uncharacteristic of them. 

Fortunately, it did not come back to haunt them.   Maybe it was those hungry, relentless Marlins fans, but it just kinda spooked me.  "C’mon guys," I wanted to say, "this is not your best effort here."  [Sounds like a parent, doesn’t it?!]

Maybe they were just distracted.

My husband pointed out that the Mermaids–the Marlins cheerleaders–do their "cheering", i.e., dancing, strutting, bumping-and-grinding–right in front of the visiting team dugout .  He speculated that this might be intentional, keeping the opposing team in such a constant state of arousal as to be unable to concentrate on the game.

Not being able to observe our guys in the dugout–our seats on Friday and Sunday were behind home plate and behind third base on Saturday–I couldn’t gauge the players’ reactions to the scantily clad Mermaids, but whatever their take on the proceedings, the box scores came out in their favor.

My family and I spent Memorial Day weekend with the Mets and Marlins at Dolphin Stadium two years ago and I first encountered the Mermaids at that time, so I was already acquainted with them.  I thought at the time, "There is no CHEERLEADING in BASEBALL!"  And time has not changed my opinion.

I am not saying this because I am a woman nor because I think it is a sexist display nor because I don’t like men including my husband ogling these chicks while I am trying to enjoy a sporting event. 

Number one, using sex to sell sports works.  Period.  Not I nor anyone else is going to be able to stop that.  Why even put up a fight?

Secondly, my husband is, thankfully, not the type to ogle women…in front of me or otherwise. So that’s really a non-issue for me.  It’s nice, I must tell you.

But, for heaven’s sake, if the Marlins want to have cheerleaders for the team, why don’t they utilize them AS cheerleaders for the TEAM?!  In conjunction with the game?! 

All these girls do, it seems, is stand around forlornly,waiting for someone, anyone, who would like to have their photo taken with one or two of them for a souvenir to take home (It’s kind of pathetic, actually.) and do dance routines prior to the game and in between innings.  I think the Marlins’ website also mentions them showing up at some fund-raising events or something.

But as far as the actual games themselves, the Mermaids do not participate in any appreciable way nor make any contribution toward stirring up the crowd in reaction to the game itself. 

They do not stir up the crowd prior to the game or during exciting offensive moments.  They do not lead chants or cheers.  They do not lead cheers after homeruns.  They do not cheer when the line-up is announced or when the team runs on to the field. 

They seem to have absolutely NOTHING to do with the Marlins ballteam itself other than having its logo emblazened in glitter across their chests, printed on their thigh-high boots, and embroidered on their skimpy halter tops. 

I daresay you could take one of these gals aside and she wouldn’t be able to give you the evening’s line-up. 

        I say, sweep out those useless mermaids with all the dead fish!!