| Jim's thoughts on Delgado's snub in a video Anthony shot. |
Here's Anthony's game story.
Here's Jim's column. Jim's take is that Delgado should have gone out and acknowledged the fans because they get to decide when a curtain call is appropriate. Sort of a "customer is always right" thing.
It's hard for us to debate this because I agree with Jim.
While we all want to turn our backs on people who are "phony nice" to us -- like the fans were to Delgado yesterday -- it's not a good idea to do it when the people can have influence over your life.
Like it or not, Delgado has to deal with those fans for the rest of the season before his Mets career ends. Had he poked his head out of the dugout for a nano-second, this would not have been an issue. The fans would have gotten what they wanted and the newspaper, radio, TV and Internet folks wouldn't have anything to debate.
Are the fans phony jerks? Yes, a lot of them. But they also pay the freight. Let's put it this way: If your jerk-of-a-boss extended his or her hand to you, would you slap it away? Not if you wanted to keep in his or her good graces. I know the fans-as-bosses comparison is a bit off -- Delgado's boss is Fred Wilpon -- but fans are the customers. Would you slap away the hand of a customer?
For those of you who feel this should not be an issue, you have the right to feel that way and express your opinion. I'm sure many journalists feel it isn't an issue, but usually those are the ones who haven't bought a ticket and sat in the stands in 20 years.
Just don't be naive and think it's just a Newsday thing:
-- Steve Somers was talking about it right after the game on WFAN
-- The New York Times, Daily News and Post all wrote about it.
-- Mike Francesa talked about it on his Ch. 4 show.
-- I bet Mike and the Mad Dog and Michael Kay both lead off with it today.
-- A popular formerly independent Mets blogger downplayed it, but that makes sense since he's now cashin' checks from the team's network.
Other Newsday scribes have also given their two cents today:
-- Tanned and rested Newsday baseball columnist Ken Davidoff weighed in on his blog.
-- Neil Best mentioned our mentioning it on his blog. It is sort of a media story.
-- Newsday Mets beat writer David Lennon posted a dissenting viewpoint on his blog.
I'll give the next-to-last word to someone from Brooklyn who was in the stands yesterday and commented on Jim's column:
I was at the game, and I definitely felt snubbed when Delgado didn't come out of the dugout. You hit it spot-on -- we the fans were happy for him, were saying so, and he said: no thanks. Not a smart move.
And the last word from a commenter from Washington, D.C.:
I wish Delgado had taken the call, but I don't blame him for not doing it. The fairweather fans who have been booing him mercilessly all seasons can't all of a sudden decide they love him b/c he hits two HRs in a game. Real fans wouldn't boo him in the first place.
What do you think?
Comments (17)
You are all crazy if you think Delgado had the right to take the curtain call. The guys is batting under .200 and should not be happy enough to take one. If he took the curtain call, then continues to struggle he would look like a fool. THere is another team on the field and that team would not think it too cool for a player slumping like Delgado to take a curtain call. Carlos did the right thing. Now the Mets need to put Mike Karp on the 40-Man and bring him up in July.
I agree with Mr. Lennon in spades, the growing whiney contingent of Met fans, which is not everyone, but a vocal minority, got exactly what they deserved yesterday, even if it was unintended by Delgado.
Somewhere, Gary Carter and his Sacrifice Fly Curtain Call are laughing at all of this...
Get over it already. When they have a 10 game lead in the standings, then they can 'curtain call', Reyes can dance, etc. Until then, PLAY BALL!
This is just systemic of your generation and how fickle you truly are that you boo struggle then applaud mediocracy. If the current bunch of Met fan even remotely knew about the game and the player they are suppose to be rooting for they would know that historicly in his career he struggles in April due to the cold weather.
I've been a Met fan longer than most of you were born so I feel I have a better right than most of you to speak on this issue. I've seen the heartbreak of my mom when the Dodgers and Giants packed up and left for the left coast leaving no National League baseball in the city of New York. I've been through the early years of the Mets when they were lovable losers. So what if it was the biggest collapse in baseball history. We aready hold the record for most loses in the regular season. So spare me.
Grow up Met fans. I applaud Delgado to have enough respect for the game to realize he hasn't done anything yet and its a long season.
Wow..journalists are calling out Cerrone..never woulda thought. Considering he is the only one that doesn't get paid by how many people buy his paper, or listen to his radio program. (Considering he still gets 1million hits/month in the Johan free offseason, I highly doubt one column will have a significant effect)
I for one live and die by the team, and I do think this is an overblown issue. There are many ways to look at it as such.
-I don't think he is necessarily out of his slump. Should he put together another 4-40 stretch, it would have looked foolish.
-Though he had a good day, Carlos is certainly not playing at a level which he would like. By coming out for a curtain call, its almost like he is accepting of his performance.
-A 3 run lead vs. The Braves is nothing to get comfortable with. Just refer to the 5th inning, where they scored 3 runs as evidence. No need to get them all angry.
-That win was a team effort. Yes, Delgado had a great day, but so did Casanova, as well as the Mets bullpen. I think team cohesion is very important, and with Delgado beginning to assume more of a leadership role, its important for him to act like Wright, and not make himself bigger than the team.
At the end of the day, I don't really care what he does, as long as the team wins the game. Thats all that matters. Of course all the media outlets are going to talk about it, because Gary and Ron made a very big deal about it on air. On an otherwise slow baseball day, its just another way to sell papers, or get listeners.
I agree with Carlos Delgado's decision not to take a curtain call.
Let him get back to his batting (potential) stats. Then let the fans call him out. Not before. He made the right choice, not the sports writers.
washed up is washed up, regardless of whether he pokes his head out of the dugout. it's going to be along year with delgado's occasional home run followed by one of his patented 4 for 54 stretches, and his unwillingness (or inability) to hustle for ground balls. pay the guy his $4 million buyout now...i can't watch another mo vaughn scenario play itself out over the next five months.
I don't disagree with Delgado. I was at the game and I cheered for a curtain call and was predictably dissapointed when he didn't come out. However, I understand his rationale. Delgado makes a great case by stating that the moment did not call for it and that he feels it was unecessary. If he gets hot and continues to hit like he did yesterday will anyone really care if he didn't take the curtain call? All that matters is winning and winning often. For sake of argument, should the Mets win the World Series are the back pages going to nit pick every time a Met didn't do the right thing by the fans? I highly doubt it; today's back page just continues to show Newsday's utter disdain for the Mets and for no apparent reason either. Leave Delgado alone, I cheered him every at bat yesterday as I have done all year, we need to back the team up and make Shea an uncomfortable experience for the away team, not the home team.
ARE you CRAZY, give the guy a breaak! He did the right thing by not taking a curtain call and fans should ease up on the guy. Fans make me laugh, I have never heard of a guy getting out of a slump by hearing boo's. Come on Met Fans we are better than that, Lets give our players a little love. You get a lot more with sugar than you do vinegar. Its easy to kick a guy when he's down what we need to do is try our best to pick these guys up. It would be a big difference if he was a dog and not hustling BUT thats not what Carlos is all about. MET FANS have CLASS so lets get behind our M E T S and start CHEERING for EVERYONE of them. Lets Go Mets
Hey Jim Baumbach! Are you running out of ideas for your articles? Sad! picking on Delgado like that. Why don't you put on the YES channel and look for someone else to pick on! I hear Posada is hurt! Maybe you should print an article about how poorly he is doing....
Delgado can do what he wants. However, I don't think he should expect a break from many Mets fans for a while.
There are things that you don't need to do, but it might just be smart (and the path of least resistance) to do them.
Ernie is right. You don't take curtain calls when you're hitting .200. And I don't think Delgado was snubbing the fans by not going out there. In his mind I'm sure he was embarrassed, and like he said himself, "not worthy of a curtain call."
From a fan's perspective that went to the game, I could see them being a little disappointed. But I was watching on TV saying "Carlos, do NOT go out there." He has a tremendous respect for the game and I thought a curtain call would have been inappropriate at that juncture. Real fans of baseball should understand that.
I feel Carlos Delgado did the right thing. He had a good day and contributed to his team winning the rubber game of the series. I am disgusted of the lack of class Met fans have been showing their players. Lets get behind them and cheer in good times and in bad. I feel curtain calls are for heroics and clutch situations. There was nothing clutch or heroic about his homeruns and he knew that. He also knows he is not playing to his potential right now. Why go out and take a curtain and then the next game go 0-fer and get booed. Us Met fans need to embrace our players. This generation needs to show more respect for the game. Oh and you too Jim Baumbach!
Maris didn't do curtain calls.
Mantle didn't do curtain calls.
Mays didn't do curtain calls.
Aaron didn't do curtain calls.
I wasn't around for the Babe, but I doubt that he did either, no matter how much he loved the cheers.
For real ballplayers, the showmanship is in how they play the game,
I'm with Delgado on this one ... and I hope this turns his season around and he gets many more opportunities to snub the fans.
I was embarrassed by fellow Mets fans' behavior over the weekend, concerning Carlos Delgado. They booed him unmercifully Saturday and Friday (and Braves' TV announcers had it exactly right when they said the fans were acting is if they hoped he would fail just for the chance of unloading on him), then want him to take a bow when he does well?
How two-faced and fickle!
I would only boo guys on my team if they're not trying. No one has probably felt worse about his off-year last year and his slow start than Carlos Delgado.
Mets' fans behavior reminds me of a group of petulant, bratty students I once taught. Yeah, they smiled in my face in class and told me they appreciated my help, yet when it was time to evaluate my performance at the end of the year, they ripped me a new one.
Luckily, Delgado is a classy man who didn't respond to the fans the way I dream of doing to those overprivileged students: A one-finger salute for their insincere praise.
True fans support and encourage their players and their teams through the good and bad times.
When the back page headline of Newsday refers to whether or not a player took a curtain call, all I can say is that is a really sad state of affairs.
I guess we also need to add to the "unwritten rules of baseball book" what the protocol is for taking a curtain call. When is it offensive to the pitcher, when will fans be upset if a player does or does not come out of the dugout, etc. This whole debate is just ridiculous.
I have a lot of respect for Delgato because, unlike most other athletes, he is willing to speak and act in ways that fans and the media might think are unpopular. I've heard enough of the "take it one game at a time" and "we have to give 110%" nonsense, which many athletes have perfected.