Since we're all weighing in with our opinion on "Curtain-Gate" this morning, complete with another pirate blog transmission on OTMB by the Final Score boys, here's my take: How does it feel, Mets fans, to be slapped in the face right back? Stings a little, doesn't it?
After weeks of ridiculing and booing their own team, now fans are supposed to be annoyed that Carlos Delgado didn't acknowledge their cheers for a curtain call? I'm sure he probably felt like climbing the dugout steps and giving everyone the Jack McDowell salute.
And with all due respect to the Final Score duo, the fans are not Delgado's bosses: that would be the Wilpons, the family that signs his jumbo-sized checks. Whether or not the fans like him, Delgado gets his $16 million either way, and it's manager Willie Randolph who decides if he plays or not. Fans have as much impact on Delgado's life as the Mayor of Juneau (Alaska, spelled differently than the movie).
I also don't buy the whole "peace offering" thing, that the fans were extending an olive branch to the first baseman they love to hate. The shelf life on this love affair will be shorter than a Britney Spears marriage.
Anyway, the Final Score did a great job posting video from yesterday, and as for their day jobs, Anthony Rieber chronicled Curtain-Gate here and Jim Baumbach says "no he didn't!" in his column today.
On an unrelated note, I took a page from Best's playbook and stuck a Spears photo on this entry. You know how difficult it is to find an appropriate shot of her for a family-friendly newspaper (or web site)? It must take Best hours to track down the photos for his blog.
Comments (19)
David, you are so right on the DelGado curtain call 'issue'. I gave him a standing 'O' in my family room when he refused to come out for the call. I am a life long, 162 game a year Met fan who is becoming disgusted with my fellow "fans", .
I agree. People have been getting on Delgado all season, and if the goes 0 for 4 tonight, they'll be booing him again, curtain call or not. It may have been nice if he did it, but that's his decision.
Remember when Britney used to be hot? Yeah, those were the days.
Anyway...I danced around my dorm room celebrating the second home run and just stood clapping for the next few minutes. He needed a day like this and I loved the emphatic dance with Reyes.
There's a great photo of him sticking his tongue out after the first home run. He needed a day like yesterday, and I hope he can build off of that for the next few games.
So when Delgado (or any player) snubs the media you guys get all up in arms, but when he snubs the fans it's 'Good for him'? Interesting.
Jon ... If a guy doesn't want to talk to reporters, fine with me. That's his prerogative. The big loser when that happens is the fans who want to hear or read what he has to say about a particular play or event.
Seriously it would have taken 10 seconds out of Delgado's life to make the curtain call and then this whole stupid story would have never existed. Sure he made the right call for him personally, but if he would have indulged the fans we could be talking about Delgado's big day instead of his snubbing the fans. Now this will continue to be a story and an issue throughout the year. Every good game or bad. Every time he is booed or cheered the media will bring it up. 10 seconds that's it and this would have been a complete non-issue.
The guy makes 14 million a year. Take a bow for Christs sakes, no matter how bad the fans are to you.
He is the one who told Beltran to get out of the dugout and do it two years ago.
The guy blows. FIRE OMAR for all the crotchity old men on this team with their nagging injuries, bloated salaries, and poor attitudes.
Not to mention they are CHOKERS !
As the #1 Delgado basher here I can say that I would not boo him, but the fans have the right too. During his struggles last year (and he was awful) do you remember when the fans gave him one of the most heart warming standing ovations ever after he repeatedly failed to come through with runners in scoring position.
We the fans, yes the one's who pay for these overpirced tickets during this down economy, pay these guys salaries. The only way to express our frustration when a guy is struggling on the field is too boo. It's not like we can bench him. I don't like to boo, but I don't disparage those who do it either. And, as an athlete, Delgado should view it as a challenge to do better, not as a reason to turn his back on us Mets fans who have stuck by him for a long time now. IMO you are dead wrong on this one David.
But when a guy doesn't talk to the media, we always hear about via a negative article written about it. I agree with Delgado not coming out. He was booed to shreds all day until that point. Even if he came out for the call, he`d get booed after his next ground out in the next game. Heck, Schoewenweis was booed in his first apprearence after getting Utley to ground into that double play. Oh well, it'll keep Mike and the Doggy occupied for awhile. Keep up the good work on this blog.
Anonymous...it was Julio Franco who prodded Beltran to make his curtain call two years ago.
I was at yesterday's game, and while a quick wave from Delgado would have been nice, the fact that he didn't is no big deal, and should not be such a big issue the day after.
Delgado's season has been horrible both in the field and at the plate. It was great to see him bust out yesterday, but in the big scheme of things, yesterday's HRs are meaningless if they're not followed by more consistent offensive and defensive production from now on. Why should he celebrate one good game out of 20? Again, an acknowledgement of the fans would have been nice, but it wasn't necessary.
What's funny to me is do fans ever think that it may help a player come out of a slump by cheering them on when come up? I mean, a little encouragement might help and it might be a better time to do it than to wait for the guy to hit 2 home runs. How about when he has a bases loaded, 2-out situation and has a 12 pitch at-bat, but ends up getting out. The guy is working just as hard to get a hit then as when he hit those 2 home runs.
On a side note, while everyone has been all over Delgado this season Reyes & Beltran have been getting off easy considering they are batting .237 & .224 respectively. Reyes has been especially disheartening with his .272 OBP and only 5 walks!!!
Do you think ESPN is going to do a one hour special about snubbing the fans?
Does anyone remember last year when Delgado was struggling and struggling and the fans at Shea gave him a standing ovation to help encourage him? He was cheered most of last year until late when it became apparent that he wasn't going to hit. The fans have been pretty supportive of him but after the way they played down the stretch last year fans have lost their patience. It's understandable when for over a year he has come up time and again in a big situation only to fail and kill the rally. Yesterday was nice but is he going to continue to fall short in these big spots? I hope not, but if he does and the boos continue to reign down on him--when he makes little league gaffes in the field and pulls the ball into the shift for a inning ending DP--he might regret not taking that curtain call when he had the chance.
To me, an important aspect to consider is the fact that the guy is being truthful when he says that he has only come out for 2 curtain calls in his career, when he accomplished something significant (i.e. when he hit his 400th HR). So from that perspective, he was not sticking it to the fans.
This is the biggest BS story of the season... What, we get up in arms when Reyes does his schtick after hitting a HR, saying how he pumps other teams up... Now we have a no nonsense guy that is not going to go out for a curtain call after a HR when his team is already up by 2, we are bashing him as well?
And get a grip, people. These people might be millionaires, but they are human beings, too. No one likes being booed mercilessly. Of course Delgado has been horrible. So has Heilman... But have you stopped to consider that these two players are key to the Mets this year, and by destroying their confidence we are actually hurting the team's long term prospects???
So what are fans supposed to just cheer mindlessly?
Baumbach is an idiot. this is a non issue, so he didn't take a curtain call. only sportswriters care
however, for the price the Met fans are paying to go to the game, they have the right to boo. Delgado gets paid to hit, and until yesterday, he wasn't close to earning his money - not even rookie contract money. they only highly paid player in the bigs worse than him this year is Andrew Jones, and it's close. I'm a doctor, if i did my job as poorly as Delgado this year (or Beltran, Castillo,etc) i'd be in jail. if i went to the games and Delgado booted another ball or weakly grounded out to end a rally, i'd be letting him know as well.
that said, he's under no obligation to come out for a curtain call either
No, fans are not supposed to cheer mindlessly.. And no one is saying this team has given any of us many things to cheer about pretty much since July last year....
But neither are fans supposed to act like village idiots and boo when someone grounds out to first in the first inning of an April game...
I'm impressed, Dave. At least of of you media guys got the Delgado non-issue right.
After going to Shea a few times this year I find that alot of the so called Mets fans at these games are nothing but bandwagon trash that do nothing but get drunk and try to start fights with people. It has become embarassing, and almost like going to a game in Phillithy. The diehard Mets fan knows the right time to cheer and the right time to boo and most of all are respectful at these games. Some of these other clowns are nothing but dirt.