For those of you that don’t know WV23, check out this blog here. He found this interesting tidbit from Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd.
When asked about how important it was to get off to a hot start, Byrd answered like this.
“It’s huge,” Byrd said. “It’s hard starting off slow. I’m trying to get some hits out of the way before we get to Chicago — before I get booed.”
Wow. He knows he’s going to get booed. Shouldn’t the number one reason you want to get off to a hot start is to maybe help your team? Or maybe to make sure all that hard work pays off? No, it’s to not get booed in your own home park.
Why in the hell is it nicknamed the Friendly Confines?
Isn’t it a little strange to you that a hitter is already predicting he’s going to get booed at his own home park?
I just love Cubs fans sometimes. Even the new guys are already skeptical. I blame Ryan Theriot.
I think he was being funny, of course he wants to help the team first.
Honestly i have mixed feelings about booing of our own players and i’ll explain why.
Like you, I believe that you cheer or boo the name on the front- not on the back. This is why i have only booed players twice- Corey Patterson and Neifi Perez. In years past the Cubs and their players could lose, make errors, not try and consistently suck without fans booing.
Fans today actually pay attention and are emotionally involved in the team. When they see consistent bad play by a player they boo him. Is this fair? probably not. Does race play a role? Probably true. Is it the defining factor? Not a chance. Marlon, like Bradley and Jones before him is being paid to be a run producer. They were all brought in to hit after Lee and Ramirez. Jones to his credit did a fantastic job in 2006, and did a mediocre job in 2007. Bradley failed miserably hitting just over .200 with runners in scoring position and watching his slg% drop nearly 175 points from his previous year. If Marlon produces he wont get booed. If he plays like soriano or bradley of 2009 he will get booed.
The happy-go-lucky cubs fan is dead and buried. Fans today are tired of the losers, of excuses and the bullshit in between. They are paying attention and demanding a winner.
* I must note that by Fan i denote someone who is at the field supporting their team. Not the guys who are there to drink, not the guy who is there to yell racist shit at players, and certainly not the douchebags who dont look up from their blackberrys. Im talking about emotional investment*
And I blame Mike Fontenot. And his other half of the Cajun Disconnection.