Saturday, April 29, 2006
Hero's Welcome v. Traitor's Lynching
With our first visit from the MFY quickly approaching, there has been some fringe discussion/disagreement over how our former fan favorite ought to be received. In case you've been riding out the winter on a deserted tropical island and upon returning just now to civilization have made reb sox your first stop to catch up on the news (ha hah) I should "inform" you that Johnny Damon has crossed enemy lines and is manning center field and leading off this year for the New York Skankees. On Monday he will walk onto the hallowed grass of Fenway Park wearing a gray uniform... And an arachnid* on his head. There will be a reaction from the crowd, and whatever it is will surely be spun into drama on Sportscenter.
Some claim "the world is watching" as if our "honor" is somehow at stake in this matter. It has been suggested that a negative reception would indicate a lack of appreciation for Damon's service while in a Red Sox uniform... That the only way for Red Sox Nation to PROVE we appreciate what he has done for us in the last four years is to cheer. Some of my readers have gone to great lengths to support this position, which I can only commend, but must repectfully disagree.
Others fume about Johnny's two-faced behavior and plan to exact revenge. The WEEI-caller types are out there stocking up on batteries as we speak, some even having their balls removed so as to have a place to hide them getting into the park. Those who advocate the ovation are calling them out, trying to plead with them to have mercy... And show some class. Nice try, but I have a feeling this is a lost cause. These aren't exactly the types to go online and make an educated decision on the matter... Some of them might check the DooDoo page (damn, it's hard to find a link to that thing on a decent blog these days... Wonder why?), so I guess there is some hope, but many will assume the "big" dog's being sarcastic, since he hardly ever has anything nice to say about our players. Hell, most of these drunk object-hurlers probably can't read anyway.
The problem with being in the crowd is that you're rather limited to what you can express. Not too much beyond "boo" and "yay" comes across effectively. The standing ovation given to Mariano Rivera last year may be the most complex message ever expressed in unison by an audience of this size. In the case of Johnny Damon, there is no simple way to demonstrate the mixed feelings held by most fans. "Johnny Damon is dead." Jere's mom sums it up quite nicely here, and if I were director of the "welcome back, Johnny" show, I would call for absolute silence. "Pin drop", as WCSG suggested. Let's all have a moment of silence to commemorate a hero who is now dead to us. (Click to sign the petition; thanks to the good witch for the heads-up) The worst kind of acknowledgement, you know, is none at all. Of course that's just a fantasy... 'twould be impossible to keep all of Fenway quiet without an army of people passing out flyers and screaming out on megaphones beforehand, and this itself is far more attention than the situation warrants. (er, actually even this post, along with the hundreds of other pieces written on the subject, is already WAAAY overboard.)
I don't understand why Red Sox fans are expected to show their loyalty when he didn't. Johnny followed the money, and we follow the laundry. That's just the way it is. I will cheer him, sure, when he strikes out, crashes into the outfield wall (as long as he doesn't make the catch), pops up, gets caught stealing, or grounds into a double play. Maybe he will get his standing ovation - someday when he shows up in another uniform, or even plainclothes. Even as a yankee he just might get a decent reception if he shows up to watch a playoff game once his team's been booted. To expect one now, however, is laughable- pure folly. If this is what you hope for, you are merely setting yourself up for disappointment. If you think a standing ovation is even a possibility, you might want to pinch yourself 'cause you are livin' in a dreamworld.
Johnny's not the sharpest tool out there, but even he knows what to expect on Monday night. He's seen enough players come and go to know the drill. If he wanted a standing ovation he would have gone to another - ANY other - team. He's enjoyed a lot of love from Boston in the past, and I'm sure it'll sting at first, but I think he knows not to take it personally. He's the type of guy who will just roll with the punches and learn to love it from the other side - he'll listen to his new buddy Jeter, who says "if I'm not booed the loudest at Fenway, I'm not having a good year." By the end of the season, those boos will make him beam, so don't feel sorry for him; the passion that drives our reaction is what made him love playing here in the first place.
*description, I believe coined by Jere, of the intertwining letters on the hats of the MFY.
Some claim "the world is watching" as if our "honor" is somehow at stake in this matter. It has been suggested that a negative reception would indicate a lack of appreciation for Damon's service while in a Red Sox uniform... That the only way for Red Sox Nation to PROVE we appreciate what he has done for us in the last four years is to cheer. Some of my readers have gone to great lengths to support this position, which I can only commend, but must repectfully disagree.
Others fume about Johnny's two-faced behavior and plan to exact revenge. The WEEI-caller types are out there stocking up on batteries as we speak, some even having their balls removed so as to have a place to hide them getting into the park. Those who advocate the ovation are calling them out, trying to plead with them to have mercy... And show some class. Nice try, but I have a feeling this is a lost cause. These aren't exactly the types to go online and make an educated decision on the matter... Some of them might check the DooDoo page (damn, it's hard to find a link to that thing on a decent blog these days... Wonder why?), so I guess there is some hope, but many will assume the "big" dog's being sarcastic, since he hardly ever has anything nice to say about our players. Hell, most of these drunk object-hurlers probably can't read anyway.
The problem with being in the crowd is that you're rather limited to what you can express. Not too much beyond "boo" and "yay" comes across effectively. The standing ovation given to Mariano Rivera last year may be the most complex message ever expressed in unison by an audience of this size. In the case of Johnny Damon, there is no simple way to demonstrate the mixed feelings held by most fans. "Johnny Damon is dead." Jere's mom sums it up quite nicely here, and if I were director of the "welcome back, Johnny" show, I would call for absolute silence. "Pin drop", as WCSG suggested. Let's all have a moment of silence to commemorate a hero who is now dead to us. (Click to sign the petition; thanks to the good witch for the heads-up) The worst kind of acknowledgement, you know, is none at all. Of course that's just a fantasy... 'twould be impossible to keep all of Fenway quiet without an army of people passing out flyers and screaming out on megaphones beforehand, and this itself is far more attention than the situation warrants. (er, actually even this post, along with the hundreds of other pieces written on the subject, is already WAAAY overboard.)
I don't understand why Red Sox fans are expected to show their loyalty when he didn't. Johnny followed the money, and we follow the laundry. That's just the way it is. I will cheer him, sure, when he strikes out, crashes into the outfield wall (as long as he doesn't make the catch), pops up, gets caught stealing, or grounds into a double play. Maybe he will get his standing ovation - someday when he shows up in another uniform, or even plainclothes. Even as a yankee he just might get a decent reception if he shows up to watch a playoff game once his team's been booted. To expect one now, however, is laughable- pure folly. If this is what you hope for, you are merely setting yourself up for disappointment. If you think a standing ovation is even a possibility, you might want to pinch yourself 'cause you are livin' in a dreamworld.
Johnny's not the sharpest tool out there, but even he knows what to expect on Monday night. He's seen enough players come and go to know the drill. If he wanted a standing ovation he would have gone to another - ANY other - team. He's enjoyed a lot of love from Boston in the past, and I'm sure it'll sting at first, but I think he knows not to take it personally. He's the type of guy who will just roll with the punches and learn to love it from the other side - he'll listen to his new buddy Jeter, who says "if I'm not booed the loudest at Fenway, I'm not having a good year." By the end of the season, those boos will make him beam, so don't feel sorry for him; the passion that drives our reaction is what made him love playing here in the first place.
*description, I believe coined by Jere, of the intertwining letters on the hats of the MFY.
# posted by Rebecca @ 11:27 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
i agree with you. i think pin drop would be the ideal but since that's impractical, i see nothing wrong with booing.
# posted by 
: 1:03 PM
: 1:03 PM
Booing is healthy for you. Gets the heart going. Hiya Reb. Havent seen you over at my blog much anymore. Sad.
The fact that anyone would cheer to try to impress other people is ridiculous. And they're getting fooled. It's like the big yankee-lovin' bully saying to you on the playground that you should go and give the teacher an apple, and then when you do it, he and all his friends laugh at you for being a teacher's pet and you realize you've been had. For Red Sox fans to even think of doing anything positive for someone who tore their hearts out is unthinkable to me.
And it was my dad who came up with the arachnid.
And it was my dad who came up with the arachnid.
I won't be at the game, but if I were, I would just do nothing when JD came up. I would not boo him out of respect for his contributions to the Sox while he was here, but I would not clap for him either since he is now playing for the enemy. I think the 'moment of silence for the hero who is now dead to us' sums it up just right. Johnny has gone over to the dark side.
# posted by : 9:51 AM
: 9:51 AM
The silent treatment won't work unless you add something visual to it. Like everyone holding up a big solid black or white piece of cardboard that covers their faces.
And I also just feel like there may come a time later in the year where every Red Sox fan will say "And to think, I had a chance to boo and scream at that asshole but I missed my chance."
And I also just feel like there may come a time later in the year where every Red Sox fan will say "And to think, I had a chance to boo and scream at that asshole but I missed my chance."
From the Boston Herald: "Yet another reason to hate Johnny Damon: He was spotted driving around the Apple yesterday morning in a giant white SUV with the license plate Empire 18. What an Idiot."
Boo this fucker, pleeease.
Boo this fucker, pleeease.
Win the games. Pleeease. Isn't that most important aspect of this game we love? This is baseball, not a popularity contest. But if I were to be there, I'd be booing, and then lapse into stony silence each at bat thereafter.
Why doesn't anyone think of this: How stupid would you feel if you give him a big stanging O, and then he hits a home run? That would be the classic "joke's on us," as Johnny then high fives with A-Rod, Sheffield, Jeter, his buddy Giambi, and all those other pukes. Hey, why don't we all just become yankee fans, and we can all celebrate together?!
Since silence is impractical, I would rather see him booed than cheered. He certainly does not deserve to be cheered as a member of the MFY. Plus booing would be equivalent to giving the finger to BDD and everybody else in the media trying to tell people what to do.
Bottom line just win the damn game.
Bottom line just win the damn game.
# posted by : 11:52 AM
: 11:52 AM
Yes...we did, too. And the rest is just soap opera stupid stuff when it comes down to it. And we'll win tonight, through any drops from the sky, and with a rested Cap. Tek.
Even all the way down here we heard about t-shirts that say something like:
Looked like Jesus
Throws like Mary
Loyal like Judas
Post a Comment
Looked like Jesus
Throws like Mary
Loyal like Judas
<< Home
