October 3, 2007
Exactly what does 'boo' mean?
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
What a great finish to baseball's regular season.
The Mets collapsed and the Phillies took advantage. The Rockies qualified with a
win Monday night in the 13th inning. The Yankees came from way back in late May
to win a wild card and almost overtake the Red Sox. The playoffs, that start this
week, should be something, And, of course, having the Phillies involved will make
it even more exciting to local sports fans.
But there is one part of all this that has always been puzzling.
Why do fans boo?
When sports editor Brian Cunniff heard that question, the native Philadelphian
quickly said, "You obviously never lived in South Philly".
Fans from Philly are known around the country for the amount of booing they do
and the many situations in which they employ it. A lot of them are proud of that
image. And they are, by no means, the only ones.
Right in the middle of one of the most exciting final baseball weekends in a long
time, fans were booing. They should be energized about their team and excited
about their playoff possibilities. Yet, when Adam Eaton came off the mound on
Saturday, they booed him loudly. Did he pitch well? Not really. But, without
Eaton's 10 wins this year, Phillies fans would be using those rally towels to dry
their hands in the guest bathroom.
The fans were also selective in their booing. They did not shower them down on
Ryan Howard when his two bad plays at first base changed the game.
Less than 24 hours later, Tom Glavine got the same treatment in Shea Stadium.
This is a future Hall of Famer whose 13-8 record was the best on the Mets' staff.
It gets you wondering. What is a fan's purpose in booing?
Does it mean they are upset and frustrated, so they decided to make an animal-like
sound? Is it because they believe the person they are booing is a bad person?
Does any serious baseball fan really believe that Adam Eaton, Tom Glavine, Mitch
Williams - even Bill Buckner - didn't want to make the right pitch or pick up
that ground ball? They just made a mistake, or a couple mistakes. They probably
felt worse than any of the fans.
Fans frequently boo players from visiting teams. That decision usually has a
reverse effect. With the possible exception of Burt Hooton, most players thrive
on hearing the boos on the road and shutting them up with a big play.
This has been a great season for Phillies fans and there may be more to come.
Lets hope they keep waving their towels, cheering like mad and having such a great
time that they forget to boo.
---------------------------------------------------
One final word about the Phillies.
The team's longtime vice president of public relations, Larry Shenk, will retire
after this season. His first year was 1964, which was a season of disappointment
for the Phillies. It is great that he is going out with a championship team.
Larry Shenk is one of the true professionals in his field. He joins Paul Owens
and Harry Kalas as the three finest individuals I've ever met in the Phillies
organization.
We wish him nothing but the best.
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