Thursday, June 26, 2008

Booing the home team

I have not been blogging much about baseball, and especially not about the Padres, whose season has been miserable (with the exception of some bright spots like Adrian Gonzalez). Suddenly, however, there has been a lot of chatter about the booing that ensued after Trevor Hoffman gave up back to back dingers on Tuesday.

The Sacrifice Bunt notes all the players' reactions, and comes down hard on Bud Black for blaming the entire city. Left Coast Bias says we need to respect Trevor for everything he's done for us in the past. An article in the San Diego Union-Tribune asks, "Think Philly or Boston fans would sit by and watch their baseball team play .410 ball and not boo?"

I wouldn't boo Trevor Hoffman, but I do think a crappy team needs to have a thicker skin. Fans that boo in Philadelphia are "colorful" and players expect it, while fans that boo in San Diego are called whiners, and players can't handle it.

It does raise an interesting question. Do fans owe anything to players? I've really enjoyed watching Trevor Hoffman over the years and have a reservoir of good will, so don't feel like booing even if he has a bad outing. Yet I don't feel that I am somehow required not to do so.

2 comments:

Anonymous,  9:54 PM  

Personally, I think booing is for players who are not playing hard. That's clearly not the case here.

The man is having a rough patch. And it may just be that he is washed up.

The one to boo is the manager who keeps putting him out there--when Black has to go get him during another 9th inning meltdown would be the opportune time. On the other hand, 'Hell's Bells" is about all Padres fans have to root for, and it is still a pretty good show. But all too often now, the bell tolls for the Padres.

Trevor is 1-5 with 5 HRs allowed already and an ERA approaching 5.

Ouch.

Greg Weeks 8:28 AM  

The Trevor era is coming to an end. For the time being, however, I'd like to see his current Value Over Replacement Player. His ERA is inflated because of a few very bad outings, but his WHIP is good, as is his BB/K ratio.

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