Empathizing with an Enemy
Back in my cynical days, I proposed the theory that 75% of our population consists of idiots and assholes. Occasionally, I waiver back and forth on this, depending on my mood. I will say this: if you need any evidence of the above theory, just observe the crowd at a Major League Baseball game.
I sincerely hope this doesn’t come off as an elitist rant. I’m a normal American male, just like you, pal. I’m middle class by every definition. I Support Our Troops. I’m on medication when I probably shouldn’t be. I own an iPod, on which you will find mostly illegitimately-acquired material. I like sushi and CSI. I enjoy sniffing my neighbors underwear when no one else is in the laundry room. I enjoy writing existentialist poems using my blood as ink, and mailing them to ex-girlfriends. I…well, you get the point. I’m just like you.
Last night, the folks at Yankee Stadium were mercilessly booing A-Rod. Granted, he grounded into a double play at the worst possible time, and struck out to end the game, but the heckling was building up to a crescendo long before these events occurred. A-Rod, with his 160 OPS+ and his MVP caliber numbers, was the most hated person on the field last night. Jon Papelbon could run onto the field wearing George Steinbrenner’s drool bucket as a hat and a tee shirt with the words “Rivera Sucks”, and he’d be less of a pariah in The Bronx than A-Rod. Why does Rodriguez get this treatment from the fans? Is it a jealousy factor, where Joe Fan simply cannot stand seeing a guy with zero college education raking in over $30 million a year? Is it because A-Rod did the unspeakable, and (gasp) violated the sanctity of marriage? Or, could it be his lack of Derek Jeter-esque fist pumps and inspirational quotes about ghosts in Monument Park? The fact that he simply doesn’t “know how to win”?
Look, A-Rod has a RC/9 of 8.6 which is just about what you get if you combine Derek Jeter and Robbie Cano’s 2008 numbers. The man who is often criticized for his lack of clutch hits is hitting .294/.370/.513 in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. Simply put, New York would be fighting with Baltimore for last place if they had someone like Scott Brosious instead of A-Rod. Yet, he bears the brunt of the agony from troglodytes at the Stadium, while Derek Jeter receives a paycheck just as vulgar, hits like a glorified #9 guy, and displays the infield range of a giant sequoia.
This incident might have involved Yankee fans specifically, but my rant is not just about the tank-top wearing denizens of the Tri-State Area. No, this is about a culture which also exists in places like Philadelphia, Chicago, and yes…Boston. I’ve blasted the same type of fan attitude towards the likes of Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mo Vaughn before them, and Wade Boggs before him. Why is it in our nature to criticize the best and brightest players, all the while ignoring the underperforming dead weight which is the true reason for the team’s lack of success?
Well said, as usual.