When the 2004 season started, I thought the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry would claim a life. I was thinking mostly in terms of heart attacks. Now I'm leaning toward a violent altercation.
Hopefully, it won't happen this weekend, as John Kerry's favorite slugger, "Manny Ortez," and the rest of the unlovable losers take their final trip to the Bronx — at least for the regular season.
I've long thought the deterioration of fan behavior is threatening the enjoyment of live sporting events. We don't need stadiums filled with Ward and June Cleavers, but I'm sick of the liquorheads who make our home parks their vulgar playgrounds. We should remember the big hits and big strikeouts, not the big plate of nachos dumped on someone's head. Funny when written here. Dreadfully embarrassing and downright dangerous in real life.
I've seen opposing fans' caps stolen right off their heads and flung from the upper deck. I've seen caps burned in the bleachers. I've witnessed countless ugly fights and acts of mob cowardice, from the throwing of food at fans (from 10 rows back) to the I-didn't-see-anything attitude of those seated around them. I've seen opposing fans challenge anyone to step to them and "go." Someone always does. Then they both go ... to jail.
At Yankee Stadium, beer sales are prohibited in the bleachers, home to some of the most "passionate" fans. What does it say about their passion when their money is no good at the beer counter? (It says here it sucks. Yes, more than the Red Sox, you suck ... at living.) I asked a New York cop once when was the last time he was summoned to a physical altercation in which one party wasn't drunk. He told me he'd never seen a fight where both weren't drunk. A Baltimore police sergeant reiterated the same last weekend.
This crap doesn't happen only in New York. I was verbally harassed, many times, for wearing a Giants jersey in New Orleans, and a Yankees jersey in Chicago and Baltimore. I was spoken to first each time. I was screamed at, ordered, (threatened?) to go back to New York by a drunken assclown in a Chicago bar. I was wearing a fucking shirt! I've been told to not even think about wearing Yankees apparel to Fenway. That's not the baseball I know. All of a sudden there's a dress code, with potential dangers if not abided by? Like I would stand for that.
When I was a student at Syracuse University, I used to look forward to home football games against big schools. That meant a chance to drink and chat with thousands of fans from Texas and Virginia and Florida, starting with happy hour on Friday. And come Saturday, we'd head to our respective seats and yell our asses off. There were no fights, no risks based on what you wore. It was a fucking football game, for god's sake.
A lot has been made about Monday's fracas at Oakland, where Rangers reliever Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands and broke the nose of a wife of the man who'd been heckling him. Clearly, control isn't Frankie's strong point. She didn't deserve what happened. Maybe the guy didn't either. Some fans do. The fans in Cleveland who heckled David Wells about his deceased mother did. The Cubs fan who tried to steal catcher Chad Kreuter's cap did. The Indians fan, of all people, who mocked Albert Belle's treatment for alcohol addiction did.
The worst ever: the Arizona State student body, who, in 1984, who chanted "PLO" two days after Arizona freshman Steve Kerr's father was murdered in Lebanon. Kerr scored 20 points in the first half and went on to become an NBA champion. I can only imagine what became of those cretins who turned a son's grief into gamesmanship.
Fans often chastise players for not recognizing their status as role models. But fans are role models, too. A difference in income is not an excuse to act like an asshole. If you want to go out and continue the honored tradition of Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Don Mattingly, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Dwight Evans, then see if you can sit through nine innings without acting like a jerk.
That being said, it would be nice if there were no on-field altercations between the Yanks and Sox, as well. Game 3 of last year's ALCS was embarrassing (thanks, Pedro and Manny!). July's fight between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek was embarrassing (enough blame to go around). As we head toward October and the stakes rise, this rage, this hate, might be reaching unsafe levels. And I'm not kidding.
I don't care if your team made it to Game 7 of the 1946 World Series, after 28 years of not winning a title, and you lost in Game 7. I don't care if you returned 21 years after that and lost in Game 7. Or eight years after that and lost in Game 7. Or 11 years after that and, yep, lost in Game 7. I don't care if you lost in Game 7 in last year's ALCS and got punk'd with the signing of A-Rod soon thereafter. Act like an adult.
Today's Sports Links:
• Chair-Throwing Not Fans' Fault — Salon's King Kaufman's thoughtful essay on why we're painting with too-broad strokes when placing blame on fans for what Frank Francisco did.
• Classless Fans Ruin it for Everyone Else — Radio personality J.T. the Brick writes, "Several fans called my show in outrage this week because they feel that they can't take their kids to games anymore because of the foul language that permeates around them."
• Moon Shines Among All-Time QBs — SI.com' Duane B. Cross makes a case for the CFL legend and NFL superstar as the greatest quarterback in football history. My pick, without hesitation: Joe Montana. You have to look for chinks in that armor. And ya know what? Whatever flaw you come up with, show me how it affected his teams one iota.
• Dr. Z.'s NFL Power Rankings — Every site has power rankings, but Zimmermann's are always the best. Z's moves the Cowboys up from 25 to 12, despite a loss, based on Vinny's solid showing. I still say they suck. He's got the Giants at 31, second-worst in the league. Hey Texans, we'll kick your ass! (I think.)
• Gammons: Free-Agent Market Projections for 2005 — Carl Pavano and Pedro Martinez will be the best pitchers available. And as a Yanks fan, it's a tough decision: we'll take both!
• Cupid's Arrow Strikes Sports Bars — An ESPN.com Page 3 piece on where to meet sports-minded chicks. Duh, at sports-related venues. It follows what I always say, "Do what you do and eventually you'll find someone with like interests." Which is why I never understood why the supermarket is a great place to meet women. What are you going to have in common with them, turnips?
• 25 College Hoops Games to See — Manhattan vs. N.C. State is on the list, but not UConn-Syracuse. Thought a matchup of the last two national champions might be interesting. I guess not as much as those Jaspers!
• Rob Neyer Hates One Day at Fenway — The baseball writer bashes Steve Kettmann's book, then gets caught in a tangled web of Amazon.com reviews.
• Carmen Electra's Naked Women's Wrestling League — As long as the Fabulous Moolah ain't involved, I'm all for it. (Speaking of, I really should do an entire post on Moolah one of these days. How's Monday sound?)
• All-Vitale Teams From ESPN Era — Dickie V. looks back at 25 years of yelling and kissing ACC ass. There is one friggin' Syracuse guy on the list, Pearl Washington as an All-Thomas Edison Point Guard (innovator and creator). Derrick Coleman, second all-time in rebounds, isn't an All-Windex Glass Eater. But he's got one helluva rap sheet.
Very interesting story on a man who bought out all of right field at Dodger Stadium for two of the last three games of the season, in the hopes of getting Barry Bonds' 700th home run. Now it appears Bonds' milestone shot will come much sooner.
He's been selling the seats for a huge profit over the $3.50 each the Dodgers charged him as part of a group ticket sale.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1882812
Posted by Paul Katcher at September 17, 2004 2:30 AM