The All-Star Game and all the hoo-ha surrounding it has come to our fair city and has now departed.
While I would not say I was consumed by the festivities of this week, I did stay tuned to the proceedings.
I spent a good part of a day at the DHL Fan-Fest at the Javits Center. While the lines were unbelievable, and I could not get anywhere NEAR a former All-Star, there were some interesting displays about the history of baseball, including women in baseball. (See my daughter, above. She’s in a league all of her own!)
I also sat down and watched Josh Hamilton’s dazzling “performance” in Round One of the Home Run Derby, and I suffered Jeanne Zelasko and the FOX network long enough to see some of the current and former players in the parade preceding the game.
Oh, and I did stay up until about the 12th inning or so last night for the game itself. David Wright was correct: many of us were asleep, but I’m still grateful he wasn’t sent to the mound by Clint Hurdle. We’ve got a pennant race to get serious about after all of this tomfoolery, David!
And what tomfoolery it was. The Yankee fans really did themselves proud for this occasion.
At Fan-Fest I observed rather rude and selfish behavior and comments from Yankee fans. I wondered if they felt the need to “mark their territory”, figuring the All-Star Game had nothing to do with the Mets and their fans and I didn’t have a right to pay my money and attend like everybody else.
Moving on to the Home Run Derby, the churlish fans let it be known that they felt slighted by Giambi’s absence in the contest. Chants of “We want Ja– son!” filled the stadium. (Although Giambi was invited to participate in the Derby even though he was not selected to the team, he was far away in Las Vegas.)
Also at the Derby, the classy Yankee fans booed Chase Utley. What was THAT all about? I mean, I could maybe understand it (if not approve of it) had the Derby been at Shea in front of Mets fan who have been cursed with Mr. Utley’s deadly at-bats too many times to count. Obviously, Utley was incredulous about his reception as well:
But Bombers fans saved their very best Bronx Cheers for the various Red Sox players’ and Terry Francona’s entrance onto the field at the beginning of the game itself…never mind that those players and that manager were about to play for the American League All-Stars and that, presumably, those fans would like to see their League prevail.
I imagine ballplayers are used to being booed away from home–particularly within the infamous Yankee-Red Sox rivalry. However, I doubt team mascots are used such catcalls.
Perhaps motivated by frustration at not having their OWN mascot (that would NEVER happen on the hallowed grounds of THE CATHEDRAL or within the Yankees’ organization), these boorish fans made cute, cuddly, VOICELESS(!) mascots the target of their jeers before the Derby.
“Mr. Met sucks?”
Why don’t you pick on someone your own (head) size?!
So much for putting aside our differences and joining together for a little fun and amicable good sport.
Makes ya REAL proud to be a New Yorker, huh? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Perfect Pitch 