As The Traitor Prepares for His Return, A Debate On His Reception
(Note: A post by Cousin Dan, brother of Cousin Tonks, follows this piece by A.F.O.M.G.)
Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass's back at you with a full post for the first time in a week. Feels like a lot longer than that though, and at the risk of sounding sentimental, I had begun to miss my blogging duties here at the site.
So regular readers know that the Glass pretty much keeps his eye on the Mets when it comes to his posts.
Yes, I hate the Yankees. Yes, I believe in The Curse. But ultimately, I like to talk Mets here on the site.
Not today. Given the off-day yesterday, the biggest news in Mets-land, other than Tsuyoshi Shinjo potentially pursuing a career in nude modeling, is that it looks like Brian Bannister will avoid the DL.
That sound you just heard? That’s the collective sigh of relief emanating from all fans of the orange and blue.
An injury to any starting pitcher not named Victor Zambrano would be a disaster. Luckily though, it looks like Bannister will miss a start or two at the worst. Thank god.
Needless to say, however, the title of this post has nothing to do with BB. Before reading on,
1. Click on this piece's headline above
2. Go to the right of the page that pops up,
3. Click on the link that reads "What will be reaction to Damon?"
and then you can watch a 3-minute discussion between writers for The Boston Globe.
In it, three unidentified journalists debate what kind of reception the fans at Fenway Park will offer Johnny Damon when he is announced as the first batter of the Red Sox-Yankees game Monday night.
To my great surprise, the writers ultimately agreed that cheers and applause would drown out any boos, at least in Damon’s first at-bat.
“I’m saying the minute he steps to the plate, 35,000 people get up and do this [starts applauding],” one of the journalists says.
The consensus reached by the group is that though there will be some "nitwits,” "morons," and “jerks” who show up for no reason other than to boo the former Sox icon, the majority of fans will be so appreciative of the championship that Damon helped bring to Beantown that they will cheer his name, for one more at-bat at least.
I for one just can't see it happening, and if it does, I would be disappointed with Red Sox fans.
I think it's helpful to put yourself in the shoes of Red Sox fan, and in the spirit of the book I'm reading, Philip Roth's “The Plot Against America,” indulge me please in a little counterfactual that I think might be instructive.
I look at it this way. Let's go back to 1999. The Mets lose a heartbreaking series to the Braves in 6 games after leaving it all on the field, let down only by Armando Benitez and Kenny Rogers.
John Rocker proceeds to shit on the Mets, the city of New York, and every minority group on the planet.
The Mets import a hungry for a long-term contract Mike Hampton and make the playoffs as the Wild Card team, finishing one game out of first behind the hated Braves.
The two teams meet in the NLCS and it's a classic duel. Again the Mets fall behind 3-0, but this time, they've got some of that patented Mets magic spiriting them along, and behind a monster series from the Monster, the Mets pull off an unprecedented comeback and win the series 4-3.
The Mets ride the bat of Mike Piazza for four more games and go on to sweep the Seattle Mariners, the American League's best team, and celebrate their first championship in 14 years.
2001 comes and goes with the usual Mets-Braves animosity, but there is no October drama as both teams fall flat in their respective divisional series’.
During the season, Piazza, in his walk year, declares that he could never sign with Atlanta given all he and the two teams have been through.
Then the offseason comes. After 4 great seasons in New York, Piazza, the fan favorite and the face of the team, spurns the Mets and signs with the Braves for absolutely no reason other than a fatter paycheck.
Could I even conceive of cheering for Piazza in this alternate reality? Nope, couldn't happen. His first time up at Shea in a Braves uniform I'd boo the shit out of him, and I'd hope to high heaven that my fellow 55,000 fans would do the same.
Is it the classy move? No. But this isn't about class. It's about telling a formerly beloved player know that no matter how many zeroes on that check you sign, you can't put a price on loyalty. You can't put a price on devotion.
And as far as I can tell, these are the things that beleaguered fans of any team, but especially a team like the Red Sox, whose fans were abused for so long, care about.
We want our icons to feel like we feel, to live and die with every pitch, to conquer our enemies with one mighty swing of the bat, and to revel in victories over the hated rivals.
Just as it is unthinkable for a Red Sox fan to become a Yankees fan, or a Mets fan to become a Braves fan, so too do we wish it were unthinkable for a Red Sox player to become a Yankee, or a Met to become a Brave.
When Damon signed with the Yankees, he shat on the idea that baseball for these guys is the same good vs. evil, all-consuming struggle that it is for the fans in Boston or Queens.
''I don't want them to hate me,” Damon was quoted in USA Today. “I don't want them to think I'm a traitor. We have enough hatred in the world without this."
Sorry, Johnny, I’m not buying it. In a world where so much seems fucked up, you like to be able to count on certain things, baseball teams and favorite players among them.
But Johnny Damon disabused us of that.
He shat on the idea that loyalty to team, to state, to fans is worth anything close to dollars and cents.
He shat on every 10-year-old kid out there who idolized him, idolized the Sox, and hated the Yankees.
And he shat on at least one 23-year-old blogger and another now-24-year-old blogger.
So for all that, I hope the good fans at Fenway Park have enough sense to give Damon the reception he deserves, Boston Globe writers be damned.
I don't have Damon's kind of bank, but for my money, a serenade of boos is the only reception fit for a traitor.
- A.F.O.M.G.
PS.. Happy birthday, Sip. 24. Hell of a show.
PPS.. For the article on Shinjo's bold career move, check here.
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/face/news/20060428p2g00m0dm009000c.html
Thanks for the heads up, Sepa. Sorry, Nails, he beat you to the punch by 4 minutes.
Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass's back at you with a full post for the first time in a week. Feels like a lot longer than that though, and at the risk of sounding sentimental, I had begun to miss my blogging duties here at the site.
So regular readers know that the Glass pretty much keeps his eye on the Mets when it comes to his posts.
Yes, I hate the Yankees. Yes, I believe in The Curse. But ultimately, I like to talk Mets here on the site.
Not today. Given the off-day yesterday, the biggest news in Mets-land, other than Tsuyoshi Shinjo potentially pursuing a career in nude modeling, is that it looks like Brian Bannister will avoid the DL.
That sound you just heard? That’s the collective sigh of relief emanating from all fans of the orange and blue.
An injury to any starting pitcher not named Victor Zambrano would be a disaster. Luckily though, it looks like Bannister will miss a start or two at the worst. Thank god.
Needless to say, however, the title of this post has nothing to do with BB. Before reading on,
1. Click on this piece's headline above
2. Go to the right of the page that pops up,
3. Click on the link that reads "What will be reaction to Damon?"
and then you can watch a 3-minute discussion between writers for The Boston Globe.
In it, three unidentified journalists debate what kind of reception the fans at Fenway Park will offer Johnny Damon when he is announced as the first batter of the Red Sox-Yankees game Monday night.
To my great surprise, the writers ultimately agreed that cheers and applause would drown out any boos, at least in Damon’s first at-bat.
“I’m saying the minute he steps to the plate, 35,000 people get up and do this [starts applauding],” one of the journalists says.
The consensus reached by the group is that though there will be some "nitwits,” "morons," and “jerks” who show up for no reason other than to boo the former Sox icon, the majority of fans will be so appreciative of the championship that Damon helped bring to Beantown that they will cheer his name, for one more at-bat at least.I for one just can't see it happening, and if it does, I would be disappointed with Red Sox fans.
I think it's helpful to put yourself in the shoes of Red Sox fan, and in the spirit of the book I'm reading, Philip Roth's “The Plot Against America,” indulge me please in a little counterfactual that I think might be instructive.
I look at it this way. Let's go back to 1999. The Mets lose a heartbreaking series to the Braves in 6 games after leaving it all on the field, let down only by Armando Benitez and Kenny Rogers.
John Rocker proceeds to shit on the Mets, the city of New York, and every minority group on the planet.
The Mets import a hungry for a long-term contract Mike Hampton and make the playoffs as the Wild Card team, finishing one game out of first behind the hated Braves.
The two teams meet in the NLCS and it's a classic duel. Again the Mets fall behind 3-0, but this time, they've got some of that patented Mets magic spiriting them along, and behind a monster series from the Monster, the Mets pull off an unprecedented comeback and win the series 4-3.
The Mets ride the bat of Mike Piazza for four more games and go on to sweep the Seattle Mariners, the American League's best team, and celebrate their first championship in 14 years.
2001 comes and goes with the usual Mets-Braves animosity, but there is no October drama as both teams fall flat in their respective divisional series’.
During the season, Piazza, in his walk year, declares that he could never sign with Atlanta given all he and the two teams have been through.
Then the offseason comes. After 4 great seasons in New York, Piazza, the fan favorite and the face of the team, spurns the Mets and signs with the Braves for absolutely no reason other than a fatter paycheck.Could I even conceive of cheering for Piazza in this alternate reality? Nope, couldn't happen. His first time up at Shea in a Braves uniform I'd boo the shit out of him, and I'd hope to high heaven that my fellow 55,000 fans would do the same.
Is it the classy move? No. But this isn't about class. It's about telling a formerly beloved player know that no matter how many zeroes on that check you sign, you can't put a price on loyalty. You can't put a price on devotion.
And as far as I can tell, these are the things that beleaguered fans of any team, but especially a team like the Red Sox, whose fans were abused for so long, care about.
We want our icons to feel like we feel, to live and die with every pitch, to conquer our enemies with one mighty swing of the bat, and to revel in victories over the hated rivals.
Just as it is unthinkable for a Red Sox fan to become a Yankees fan, or a Mets fan to become a Braves fan, so too do we wish it were unthinkable for a Red Sox player to become a Yankee, or a Met to become a Brave.
When Damon signed with the Yankees, he shat on the idea that baseball for these guys is the same good vs. evil, all-consuming struggle that it is for the fans in Boston or Queens.
''I don't want them to hate me,” Damon was quoted in USA Today. “I don't want them to think I'm a traitor. We have enough hatred in the world without this."
Sorry, Johnny, I’m not buying it. In a world where so much seems fucked up, you like to be able to count on certain things, baseball teams and favorite players among them.
But Johnny Damon disabused us of that.
He shat on the idea that loyalty to team, to state, to fans is worth anything close to dollars and cents.
He shat on every 10-year-old kid out there who idolized him, idolized the Sox, and hated the Yankees.
And he shat on at least one 23-year-old blogger and another now-24-year-old blogger.
So for all that, I hope the good fans at Fenway Park have enough sense to give Damon the reception he deserves, Boston Globe writers be damned.
I don't have Damon's kind of bank, but for my money, a serenade of boos is the only reception fit for a traitor.
- A.F.O.M.G.
PS.. Happy birthday, Sip. 24. Hell of a show.
PPS.. For the article on Shinjo's bold career move, check here.
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/face/news/20060428p2g00m0dm009000c.html
Thanks for the heads up, Sepa. Sorry, Nails, he beat you to the punch by 4 minutes.
posted by A Friend of Mr. Glass' at 11:57 AM
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