I know there are several problems with this. I know that, as a rule, New York sports fans would rather dress up as Bryce Harper or Jalen Hurts for Halloween than do anything that Philadelphia fans do. I know that, as a rule, New York fans only boo when warranted, would prefer not to boo, but see it as a rite of passage to boo underperforming athletes. And those athletes, generally, understand, too.
And I am the last person who will tell you what to do if you pay good money to go to a game — assuming you keep it civil. You want to boo your lungs out? You paid for the privilege. Just don’t throw anything. Just keep it PG, especially if there’s kids around. But you want to boo? Hell yes. Boo away.
OK.
All of that said …
It’s kind of hard to just blow off what happened in Philadelphia this summer. In early August, Trea Turner, the Phillies’ big-money offseason signing, was struggling badly. He was sitting at .237 for the season on the night of Aug. 4. He’d been booed endlessly as his average plummeted, famously mentioning one night that even his mother was booing him. Turner, a pro’s pro, accepted the bile and was a stand-up guy most every night. But he couldn’t get out of his own way.
It was the night before when Jack Fritz, a producer for talk-radio station WIP, posted this on social media: “Postgame interview was a tough watch, he’s in the cages until midnight. A standing O on Friday would go a long way IMO.”
The immediate reaction was as you’d expect. Asking a Philadelphian not to boo at poor play is like asking a terrier not to bark at a squirrel. The idea of giving a millionaire athlete a pass? I mean, the folks there hate this when we keep bringing it up but … they once booed Santa Claus at Veterans Stadium!
But a funny thing happened.
When Turner came to bat for the first time against the Royals at Citizens Bank Park the next night, the 42,326 fans stood up and gave him a length standing ovation. Turner got a hit that night. He started a 10-game hitting streak that lifted his average to .252. From that moment till the end of the season, Turner hit .337 with an OPS of 1.057, then was terrific in the playoffs.
Now, can we credit the standing O for all of that? Turner certainly appreciated it. His mother cried when she saw it, so she apparently stopped booing, too. By October, Turner could’ve been elected to the city council.
Put it this way:
It certainly didn’t hurt.
Which begs the question:
Might it be time for Jets fans to ignore the inevitable three-and-outs that will litter the first quarter Monday night against the Chargers, and make a point to stand as one for Zach Wilson’s first series of the second quarter and give him a long standing O?
Might it be time for Knicks fans night to start chanting “Ju-lius Ran-dle!!!” Monday night when the Knicks host the Clippers? Things started badly on opening night when the Garden gave a warmer reception to Evan Fournier than it did to Julius, and the fact he’s shooting blanks so far this season hasn’t helped. Hey, it’s nothing a well-timed standing O can’t fix, right?
I thought it was a little disconcerting last year in Cleveland when the Knicks were putting the finishing touches on the Cavaliers, and late in the fourth quarter the fans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse offered a warm round of applause. I thought it was downright offensive when the crowd in Oklahoma City gave the Thunder a standing ovation, and a long one, after the starters were pulled minutes before the end of an elimination game.
That’s way, way, waaaaaaay on the other extreme of this. After all, no amount of any kind of reaction will change an outcome that has already been decided.
Still … it’s hard to argue what happened in Philly. A hundred times out of a hundred in the past, Turner would’ve had to hit himself out of the nest of the boo birds. Just not this time. The Phillies fans tried a little tenderness. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to emulate around here.
Though I’m not going to hold my breath.
Vac’s Whacks
The New York York State Baseball Hall of Fame will induct its new class next week, and there are two names I’m happiest to see: Todd Zeile, one of the genuine clubhouse good guys I’ve ever encountered, and Mike Pienkos, longtime coach at Chaminade High, who hasn’t just been a fantastic baseball coach for decades but actually managed to make freshman earth science back in the day interesting and enjoyable.
“Saturday Night Live” has been hot-and-cold for years, but Nate Bargatze last week delivered one of the best episodes in a long time. For me, it’s Bargatze and John Mulaney who are my go-to stand-ups these days.
We said goodbye this week to Jack Orbine, father-in-law to both YES’ Jack Curry and our old Postie mate Ian O’Connor, who wasn’t just a gentleman’s gentleman but a damn fine baseball and basketball player in his day. It was a privilege to be his friend.
I suspect that somewhere, Al Davis and George Steinbrenner — great friends who also shared a birthday, the Fourth of July — have had a few things to say about how their sons are running the Raiders and the Yankees.
Whack Back at Vac
Matt Deakin: While acknowledging there is a lot wrong with the Giants, my question is whether offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is part of the solution or part of the problem.
Vac: I lean toward solution. It wasn’t just Brian Daboll who helped Daniel Jones land that big contract last year.
Jake McNicholas: I had Dominican Nuns. I had Franciscan Brothers. I had USMC Drill Instructors. It didn’t bother me. But I always thought Bobby Knight was a coward and a punk.
Vac: The most amazing part of Knight is that for a guy who demanded absolute discipline from his players, he had precious little of it himself.
@DavidMPaine: My take on Brian Daboll last week is the opposite of everyone else’s. It was a masterful bit of coaching. Managed to not throw and take any risks with a practice squad QB and still managed to put the team in a clear position to win. Unheard of.
@MikeVacc: I watched Syracuse allow a backup quarterback to throw all game Friday night, and he was picked four times. If Daboll would’ve gone in THAT direction would people have been happier?
Robert Feuerstein: Sat in the pouring rain watching Jets-Giants, which was basically like a high school football game. On the way out took a peek to confirm the final score. Jets 13, Giants 10. Yup, the snoreboard never lies.
Vac: I had to print this letter lest I shamefully steal “snoreboard” somewhere down the line.
