| Matthew McQueeny. 11th June, 2005 - 4:28 pm
 There is something that has been tearing at me every time I watch the New York Mets. I single out the Mets because it is something I have not seen done as bad across the MLB scene (Philadelphia is actually up there too). What am I talking about? Booing. It is a powerful tool when used towards the most heinous offenses on the baseball field. Offenses that should only be tied to perceived lacks of effort. New York Met fans seem to believe that they can use the boo for anything. And frankly It is classless and mirrors them more than the product on the field.
You always hear all this garbage about New York fans being the most knowledgeable and the best in the game. New York does have the most dense, concentrated amount of people in a small space and 24-hour talk radio, message boards, and national enquires disguised as newspapers. What It leads to is the over-analysis of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Mets have lost the past couple of years, so people jump on them, but now it is a new regime. But you hear the same derisive, sarcastic vitriol when something god forbid goes wrong, as if in a 162-game marathon there will not be a trip-up here or there. The fans have got to get over themselves. There is excitement now. Embrace it and grow with the mistakes. Watch as this team, with the tools allowed by the third highest payroll, grows together. Watch Pedro and Beltran coupled with farm products Wright and Reyes. It is true that the primes of the two groups, mostly Pedro and the youngsters, might not intersect at the same time. Pedro might be on the downswing of his prime as Wright and Reyes move towards the pinnacle of their careers. But still, Minaya has a new sense of vitality back at Shea. Unfortunately, the fans are not willing to wait, which is the saddest part. Those who are not willing to wait end up with the situation that is going on in the Bronx. No joy in the process of winning because you have an all-star team out on the field, a team supposed to win. There is no room for excitement with not one underdog on the team.
This takes us back to the booing. What does booing accomplish, especially when It is done incessantly? Again, lack of effort, boo to your heart?s content. But to boo the by-product of competition, the process of a player getting the better of another, is plain stupid. Competition is not your team always winning and getting the better of the adversary all the time. It is the give and take, the getting knocked down and coming back, and the rising from the proverbial ashes. Plus, there is the fact that booing all the time makes the boos lose their effect. The law of diminishing returns. So, boo when there is a lack of effort or an error of indifference, but do not boo young players whose mistakes are the learning tools for their future. And do not boo the seven out ten times that even the best players fail. Great New York fans should know better. We will be paid back for our patience in time. |
