Would you ever boo a Yankee?

[LouGehrig]

There is a big discussion about whether Yankees fans would boo a Yankee. I indicated that Ricky Henderson and Randy Keisler are two whom I would like to have booed, but I simply kept quiet.

Is there or has there been any Yankee that you WOULD boo?

[yankees23]

>There is a big discussion about whether Yankees fans would
>boo a Yankee. I indicated that Ricky Henderson and Randy
>Keisler are two whom I would like to have booed, but I
>simply kept quiet.
>
>Is there or has there been any Yankee that you WOULD boo?


I would have booed Jack McDowell if he flipped me off.

[The Mick]

I think most die-hard sports fans from rabid sports cities (with a history of winning) expect more. They want to embrace the players, but they feel the players have to earn it. Once a player has a good game and shows he is worthy to wear the uniform, the fans will accept him and the boos will turn to cheers. I also think a lot of fans feel that the big-money players should be worthy of their paychecks. They want to see the effort...

In sports, it isn't what you did, it's what you do. I'm experiencing something simular right now. My son is a 10 year old goaltender who plays in our 10 year olds house-league and has played on the 10-12 year old travel circuit. He just won the championship 3 weeks ago and also won the most outstanding effort award at the USA inline clinic.

He has a reputation and a lot of people were very happy to see him on their team at the start of the new season. However, yesterday (the first game with this new team) he played terribly and gave up 7 goals. He wasn't "in the game" and although he has the same coach and some of the same players, the new guys were not impressed. Now he has to start over and prove himself to a whole new group of people. It's all about work ethic and intensity. You can lose, that's fine, but you have to go down "kicking".

[yankees23]

Here's how I look at the whole booing thing...

There are times when I have no problems with it, and
there are times when I do. Yankee fans booing is not
a new concept. I tend to believe that certain players
however will hardly ever (IF ever) get booed by a home
town Yankee Stadium crowd. Players like Derek Jeter,
Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge
Posada, and in the old days Don Mattingly...and the
reason they don't get booed is because they are home
grown players. It's as if Yankee fans think of them
in some way as being "born" Yankees. When guys like
Tino and Giambi and Clemens etc. come in from other
teams, they have to prove themselves worthy of wearing
those pinstripes in the eyes of the Yankee fans. (I'm
amazed at how the NY fans have taken to Clemens, quite
honestly.) Other players who came from elsewhere had
an easier time making the transition...Strawberry
and Cone come to mind, because the average New York
sports fan was already familiar with them.

These boos that Giambi is hearing now will quickly
fade. He might just be the best all-around hitter
the Yankees have had since Mikey Mantle, and we
all know he will be productive (barring injury).
They are just waiting for that one moment...that
one time when he goes through the fire and comes
out on the other side unscathed. Then, they will
love him like any other great Yankee player.

[Redsoxh8ter]

There is a big discussion about whether Yankees fans would boo a Yankee. I indicated that Ricky Henderson and Randy Keisler are two whom I would like to have booed, but I simply kept quiet.

Is there or has there been any Yankee that you WOULD boo?
I would like to have Michael Kay be able to hear me boo him. He is such a jinx on the team. I cannot stand him, he has never played a day in his life!:evil

[TheKingofKings]

Would you ever boo Rodriguez ???

If I had said this at the beginning of the season , I would have been persecuted but know it's just a simple ritual that happened every game in the bronx just a few weeks ago .

[mikesty]

I would like to have Michael Kay be able to hear me boo him. He is such a jinx on the team. I cannot stand him, he has never played a day in his life!:evil

Congrats on answering a question posted over four years ago.

[soberdennis]

Congrats on answering a question posted over four years ago.
I almost have to laugh at how appropriate the question is today even though it was first posted four years ago.
I would never boo any Yankee no matter what.

[Mariano_Rivera]

I almost have to laugh at how appropriate the question is today even though it was first posted four years ago.
I would never boo any Yankee no matter what.
You're right about that, I thought this was a new thread until I saw The Mick's post and checked the date.

I would boo players for lack of hustle or behavior of the field (Barroid Bonds esque).

[Solair Wright]

I would boo at a Yankee if they did poorly. For example, A-Rod's many fielding errors caused by nervousness, pitchers pitching horribly, or somebody argues a called strikeout.

[starkeeper]

uh... YES

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

No never. Even if I would not like a player, like I did with Kevin Brown, I would not boo him (I am not a cow...:laugh ).

You want your team to win? Support all players.

[Mattingly]

I would like to have Michael Kay be able to hear me boo him. He is such a jinx on the team. I cannot stand him, he has never played a day in his life!:evil
Please, no more digging up of 4-year-old posts.

Thanks.

Closing.

[Mattingly]

After having spoken with my co-Mod XX, I've decided to re-open this thread, per its relevance.

Carry on. :)

[sandlot]

It's part of the game and there are times when it's appropriate, and times when it's not. It depends whether the booing is informed and called for. If a player deliberately ignores a sign and screws up (e.g., the famous Reggie "bunt" incident), then by all means the fans can let him know what they think the next time he comes up or takes the field. Ditto if someone ignores a base coach, as Giambi did today rounding third, predictably getting thrown out by a mile at home -- that's worth a good razz on the way to the dugout. Throwing to the wrong base, missing the cutoff, forgetting to cover the bag -- anything that falls under the category "bonehead" is fair game. If an opposing pitcher throws something high and tight that makes a home team player hit the dirt, that's worth a boo in support of the locals. Equally, if a home team pitcher hits an opposing player and it appears deliberate, that's worth a boo for unsportsmanlike conduct -- it's just not on. There are lots of examples. But booing somebody because he's in a slump, made a bad throw or two, gets paid more than you think he should be -- that's just negative and destructive. Save it for the umps.:)

[farmsystem]

I never got the full story of why Reggie Jackson was made to bunt. I mean it's Reggie Jackson, he's a power hitter. Anyway, I definitely would boo any player on the Yankees who didn't put out any effort. Certain players just aren't good baserunners like Posada and Giambi but that's different than a guy who doesn't run hard around the bases.

[Retire21]

I do. Every game. Love the Yankees. Hate A-fraud. Always have. He does not belong. HE IS NOT A YANKEE!

[DoubleX]

I do. Every game. Love the Yankees. Hate A-fraud. Always have. He does not belong. HE IS NOT A YANKEE!

I just don't get this mentality. Who does belong then? Jason Giambi? Randy Johnson? Gary Sheffield? Hideki Matsui? Mike Mussina? Johnny Damon? Jaret Wright? Kyle Farnsworth? Bobby Abreu? The team is just a menagerie of hired guns, and to me, A-Rod fits in perfectly. At least he, unlike most of the others, was acquired the old fashion way through trade. It's like Yankee fans and the New York media how this totally warped perspective of reality.

[LouGehrig]

After having spoken with my co-Mod XX, I've decided to re-open this thread, per its relevance.

Carry on. :)

Dear friend Mattingly,

Anytime you see that LouGehrig initiated a thread, you can be certain that there is no need to and no justification in even THINKING about closing it, regardless of how old it is.

How many 4 year old threads are as relevant today as they were then?

Thank you.

[LouGehrig]

I do. Every game. Love the Yankees. Hate A-fraud. Always have. He does not belong. HE IS NOT A YANKEE!

So if, by some miracle, he plays a significant role in helping us win the WS, do we throw back the championship because someone who "is not a Yankee" helped us win it?

I don't think so.

[Mattingly]

Dear friend Mattingly,

Anytime you see that LouGehrig initiated a thread, you can be certain that there is no need to and no justification in even THINKING about closing it, regardless of how old it is.

How many 4 year old threads are as relevant today as they were then?

Thank you.
I'm overall not a big fan of digging up old threads. Under CE, we've had quite a few dug up from the graves, some even by people whose existence here seemed to indicate they were solely interested in this.

Booing a Yankee seems relevant now, as Alex Rodriguez is (or at least was) getting the boo birds. He's been hitting well lately. Some nice hits yesterday. Hopefully, that period of Yankee fan infamy has ended, presuming they would actually like to see him hit, rather than countering this.

Still, I sometimes wonder, can't someone just create a new thread?

At the same time, Jeter (during his 0-for-32 slump at the beginning of last season) and Mo have both been unceremoniously booed by short-sighted Yankee fans of the "what have you done for me lately" variety. While many are ever-fixated upon the jewelry collection and parades, seemed to have forgotten just how much both of those individuals have done to earn both the fans' love and respect, as well as the rings they so fondly cherish.

May the boo birds be silenced ... for a *LONNNNNNNNNNNNNG* time! :D

[Mattingly]

I do. Every game. Love the Yankees. Hate A-fraud. Always have. He does not belong. HE IS NOT A YANKEE!
You call a superstar Yankee a fraud? That's what Red Sox fans do, as well as some Texas fans. What is fraudulent about him? He pretty much carried the Yanks last season, yet ESPN focuses upon his not coming up big at the end of games, that he only hit big in blowouts, while conveniently forgetting that he'd largely contributed to those blowouts.

What exactly is a Yankee, anyway? This sounds like the "True Yankee" thing, which I've never understood. Please explain.

Also, since we've had guys like Boston's Boggs and Clemens celebrating their championships as Yankees, as well as Oakland's Jackson & Hunter in the '70s, what exactly is a Yankee, anyway? What type of mannerism does he need to exude on or off the field, what does he need to do on the field in order to earn your confidence, that he's not doing right now?

[LouGehrig]

The term "true Yankee" is idiotic and has produced much confusion.

I think that what must be addressed is the difference between Yankees who were signed and/or came up through the minor leagues and those whose contracts were obtained either through trades or free agency.

The first big name to become a Yankee and become a booed Yankee was probably Roger.

The five consecutive World Champions consisted primarily of players signed by the Yankees.

Joe Collins, Jerry Coleman, Philip Francis, Bobby Brown, Mr. DiMaggio, Mr. Henrich, Henry Albert, Mr. Berra, and most of the pitching staff came up through the farm system.

Eddie Lopat's contract was obtained from the Sox, Gene Woodling from the Indians, and when help was needed, Johnny Mize and Johnny Hopp were added.

Yankees' fans didn't boo them. They were grateful to have them to help keep the streak going.

When Turley and Larsen arrived, they were occasionally booed when they got bombed, but they were generally accepted. Ralph Terry went back and forth to KC so often he got frequent train travel miles, but he was not booed.

Then we traded Henry Albert Bauer, Norm Siebern and others for Roger. In 1959, we finished third, 15 games out after having won four consecutive pennants and two World Championships from 1955-1958.

Roger was supposed to lead us to the World Championship again. He had a fine 1960 but whenever he failed, he was booed. Mickey, who had been booed unmercifully until 1956, and then again during a poor 1959 season (it was considered poor for Mickey in 1959. With the passage of time, it is rarely mentioned).

In 1960, Mickey had another sub-par season for him while Roger did well, but the fans cheered "OUR" Mickey and booed Roger, who came to us by way of Cleveland and Kansas City.

Roger really did play a significant role in the 1961 World Championship despite the fact that his "numbers" are horrible.

He hit .105, getting only 2 hits in 19 at bats. His OBA was .261. His SA was .316.

But statistics are limited, despite what many are led to believe, because with the 1961 Series tied at one game each, the Yankees were trailing the upstart Reds, 2-1 in the eighth inning of pivotal Game 3.

Johnny Blanchard tied the game with a pinch hit home run and then Roger won it with a home run in the ninth inning. It was a nice home run.

Today, in the era of free agency, trading Soriano for Rodriguez was supposed to bring us the World Championship. It has not YET occurred, and that is one reason Rodriguez is booed.

Of greater significance is that Jeter came up through the system. He was signed as a Yankee and is a Yankee.

Rodriguez was signed by the Mariners and came up through their system. We got him by way of Seattle, Texas, Boston, and Manny Ramirez.

Finally, in 2006, "extreme fanism" exist. What is "extreme fanism?" It is similar to one of Billy Joel's works. "Extreme fanism" is the fact that today, there is little fan loyalty to players (Jeter and Rivera are almost exeptions, but they too have been booed). Fans want their team to win. When a player does not produce in situations that would produce wins, the player is booed. A key hit immediately produces cheers.

Last night, when Rodriguez was at bat in a tie game with the bases loaded, the fans cheered for him to get a hit. They forgot the boos---until he failed to produce.

[malt-tones]

I have heard several Yankees booed, usually on the road.