I talked to a couple people Wednesday about the supposed booing of Trevor Hoffman when the Padres closer walked off the field the previous night after giving up a pair of home runs to Twins batters. With the TV coverage heading to a commercial, their response was that they didn't actually hear any booing. However, reporters and players at Petco most definitely did notice it.
My reaction is simple. Sure, Hoffman is a San Diego icon and has done much for Padres fans and the community at large over the years. But to say he's off-limits for booing is just off-base.
Major leage baseball is not the game it was back when I was growing up, when you'd pay 5 bucks and it was nice if your team won and a "shame" if you lost, but no big deal. Baseball is a high stakes sport now when you go to Petco Park and pay $27 for the right to sit in right field. When I go downtown and pay $45 to watch a baseball game within the infield, I want to see the Padres score runs, I want to see Jake Peavy shut down the opposition, I want to cheer to "Hell's Bells" and I want to see Hoffman end the contest by making someone look foolish with his changeup. If I don't get what I want, I have a right to boo.
Plus, I think that most of the people who booed Hoffman have cheered him numerous times in the past and really don't suddenly hate the guy. He threw two bad pitches and got rocked. You get rocked, you get booed. Tonight's another night.
---
Steve Fisher has finally landed a legitimate big man in Illinois transfer Brian Carlwell. He's listed at 6-11 and 245 pounds, something the Aztecs have lacked in the post almost since Fisher arrived. He has to sit out next season, darn it, but could give SDSU quite a front line when paired up with Billy White and Tim Shelton.
While he was highly regarded coming out of high school, Illinois people seemed to consider him a project and a quick scan of an Illini fan site didn't show any anguish at his departure.
No comments:
Post a Comment