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September 06, 2006
And You Thought N.Y. Was The Only Place With Fan Booing Issues....
From The Taunton Gazette -
Kevin Youkilis has never been booed at Fenway Park, and even if had, he probably wouldn't have been able to distinguish the boos from the chants of "Yook!"
Still, it irks the popular Red Sox first baseman to no end how some of his teammates get treated by Fenway fans. In fact, Youkilis might be bothered by the boos more than the boo-bird targets themselves, and he blames much of the fans' venom on Boston's wildly-popular sports talk radio station, WEEI.
"The way (fans) treat some people is just wrong," Youkilis said prior to Tuesday night's game with the White Sox. "If you're going to be a loyal fan, be a loyal fan through thick and thin.There are some great fans out there, but there are some fans that I really, honestly believe, they listen to WEEI and that's their final opinion. I honestly think WEEI is what some people believe is what their (own) opinions are. Being a true fan is sticking by your (players) when they're struggling, not booing him when he's coming into a 2-2 game in the eighth inning."
The Red Sox, of course, are no longer in first place. Entering Tuesday night's action, they were nine games behind the Yankees in the A.L. East and six games out of the wild-card race. Still, the fans continue to show up to cheer players like David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Youkilis - and boo certain players, as well.
"I'd rather have no one at the field than people booing me all day," Youkilis insisted.
Of course, fans' booing means they care, which is certainly better than apathy, right?
"Do they really care?" Youkilis asks rhetorically. "They care about the team, but when they boo a specific individual, do they really care about that person? No. If you boo somebody, it's like you despise them."
Hey, didn't they used to boo Ted Williams in Boston?
Get used to it Yook.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at September 6, 2006 03:55 PM
Comments
Holy crap...I hadn't been reading the comments here lately.
Steve, dooooood...you started a blog and it remained professional then all of a sudden the circus came crashing through. What happened? I think you need a strong hand. :) Keep up the good work..
Posted by: Garcia ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 6, 2006 06:36 PM
To be honest, I actually think that it is harder to play in Boston than it is to play in New York. The booing behavior is about the same, but the difference I think is in the fans. The fans in Boston seem to have an unhealthy obsession with the personal lives of the players. That doesn't happen in New York. In New York, if you perform on the field, everything is usually okay.
Also, the provincial media in Boston seems to have a streak of negativity that just doesn't exist in New York.
Posted by: jonm at September 7, 2006 08:02 AM
Besides Coco Crisp, who else are they booing?
Sometimes it's funny to think that there's a media outlet that actually stokes the fires against certain Red Sox. Because from where I'm sitting, everyone else is pro-Boston (NY Times, Daily News, ESPN, etc.)
Posted by: MJ at September 7, 2006 09:36 AM