I know this blog is usually about the Mets and when they drop the ball on something or have black jerseys on for 90 percent of the games they play.
Having said this, I really need to get this off my chest right away. I am neither an old fogey or a young buck. Â I am going to be 34 this month. Â I have never got the whole point of tagging(graffiti).
The Mets realized they did not give their fans the things to make Citi Field to be feel like it was the home of the New York Mets. Â So, they corrected it in the offseason and made the ballpark look great.
From the Mets Museum to the pictures in the walkways. Even the painted stairwells being painted blue and orange. This leads me to one of my points.
As I was walking down one of the stairwells with Shannon, I saw someone’s need to feel validated.  A graffiti “tag” on the freshly painted wall. And no it wasn’t Doc Gooden.
I mean seriously after all the complaining we did as Mets fans to get the Wilpons to make Citi Field feel like our Mets home, someone does this?
It is just awful.
The disrespect people have in this city for other people’s and public properties is unbelievable.
As a Mets fan and as a New Yorker, I want to apologize to the Mets organization for this troglodyte’s need to feel validated.
My second point is will fans please learn how to boo and jeer correctly?
People were booing ball ones. They were booing strike ones. This is just not Mets fans either. I remember growing up we booed “villains” on other teams. We booed the headhunters in hockey. We booed the guys who said something against our team or our city. We didn’t boo when somebody took strike one.
People were booing Mejia during his first appearance in a Major League game. Did he do well? No. But there was no need to boo him. Great way to make sure his confidence doesn’t get shaky people. I think I might boo the really loud obnoxious woman sitting behind me tonight next week because of her lame comments and her booing. “BOO….You suck…You call that heckling? Your a bum!!! They should get rid of you!! Maybe send you down to hecklers triple A…Booooo” .
I really do not remember this being as bad as this when I was a kid and a teenager. Maybe I am getting older and cranky. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
Agreed, the fans are starting to wear on me. the constant negativity. Sure, Maine didn’t pitch well and his fastball speed was suspect, but we shouldn’tbe calling for his retirement on game 2. There were plenty of good signs last night and instead of booing they should’ve been applauding THREE Major League debuts. Whether or not we care about Mejia’s development, he’s here now and the best possible thing would be for him to be lights out.
Booing in-counts is silly. If it’s a horrible horrible call, boo the ump, sure, or boo the appeal to third, or the pick off, but booing the pitch selection? no thanks. It’s about the result, not how you get there.
I would agree with the comments about booing and getting on our own players. I am not an old guy either, and I can see the rise as well. This seems to be something that is growing and growing. And this is not limited to the Mets. I have seen this with other teams as well.
I would much prefer to see fans be supportive of team members who may be having a rough go of it, but alas, that’s not the norm. I think one reason for this may be the nature of the business, and our short attention span society.
With free agency, and the number of trades, contract buyouts, etc, the player/fan relationship has eroded. When you know you are stuck with a payer for a few years you are going to support him, because you have no choice. Now, it’s such a transient business, and if you don’t produce today you are gone tomorrow.
This doesn’t mean it’s right, and I would much rather leave the booing for the few people on other teams that may really deserve it.
Hey, welcome to the world of spoiled millionaires working for spoiled millionaires, under performing and being overpaid. Most of us live in a world where you have to be successful at your job to get paid well for it (and sometimes not even then).
In turn, you get fans who feel they are entitled to quality (which I can’t argue much with). If you are paying for a Porsche and you find out you got a Dodge with a Porsche body and price tag, wouldn’t you be a little upset too?
Pay these guys normal salaries, charge reasonable ticket and food prices and you’ll likely see a great change in attitude. There is a reason minor league baseball in this area has been successful and doesn’t have the same problems.
yea i am growing tired of this fan base…i have to thank shannon for giving the intelligent fans an avenue to discuss our thoughts on the team and organization in a civil manner.
The booing has become such a growing trend at the stadium that I am afraid it has gotten so bad it will never stop. I understand bad performances deserve jeers but what I saw on opening day was ridiculous and what goon writes in this post is even worse.
Bpalm, thanks – I am pleased that (so far) the conversation has been civilized and everyone refrains from cursing. I haven’t had to reject more than a few comments since moving to the new site, and everyone contributes to the discussion. Very enjoyable, for example today’s discussion of behavior.
The other thing is, you kill the beer sales, you kill 95% of this behavior. They wouldn’t do that though because it would cost them too much money.
Not to say that people shouldn’t be able to drink responsibly, but when you have to control the actions of an entire group of people, it’s easier to do so when they’re sober.
And the graffiti is ridiculous.
ban that guy.
Don’t blame the beer. It’s a poor excuse. People do what they do because they’re idiots, not because they’re drunk. And they’d get drunk anyway, in the parking lot before hand.
Don’t take away my ability to enjoy a couple of beers at a game because it’s easier to control.
The booing is ridiculous, my guess is the tagging is the work of some over privalaged, s-bag, probably wearing his black New Era fitted cap sideways, with the sticker still on, who drove home in the new Land Rover daddy bought him for his 18th birthday. A public caning is my suggested punishment.
On Opening Day, I was embarrassed, Ollie P and J Man both received louder boos than anyone on the Marlins. Last night, booing Mejia because he gave up a few hits in his first appearance. Unreal, will it take a 10 game win streak to stop this nonsense? My row at the game took matters into our own hands, if someone boo’d, we all (10 of us) stood up and boo’d that person. Try it, it’s effective and fun!
As for last night, a win would have been nice, but the team showed that they are not going to mail it in when they’re down late in the game. Lots of quality at bats got them back into it. New year, new team, Let’s Go Mets!!
Mike, et al – I’ve talked about the booing being, and although I was at Opening Day, I missed the introductions so I miseed the rounds of boos for the strength and fitness coaches. Really people, the strength coach?
All last year everyone booed Castillo because of one error. The guy batted .302 and besides one glaring mistake, played a good second base. I’ve decided when I’m there, section 429 where our package seats are, is going to be Castillo City. Every time Castillo did something well on Opening Day, I chanted “Caaaastilloooooo, Caaaaaaastillooooo.” I think it will catch on 🙂
I am not a boo-er, never have been, not even for the other side. I’ve always found it simply obnoxious. I like cheering for my team, not wasting energy on the other side. I’m not above an “Oh, come on!” or something when things aren’t going well in a game.
Over the last few years, as the Mets – team and organization – began their backslide, I did not object at first to the boos, as I thought it was fans voicing their displeasure at the direction the overpaid and under-performing team was headed. But, as it continued, it’s just reached the heights of ridiculousness. I won’t generalize, but I certainly noticed a lot of undue nonsense Monday (though I have to say I found the booing of the medical staff funny). Sober or not, I don’t consider the obnoxious boo-ers – and those who scream obscenities around kids (unforgivable) – ‘fans’, they just seem to revel in being offensive, to make their friends laugh or think that everyone around them might find their in-game ‘commentary’ amusing. We don’t.
It has gotten worse and I think even after a 10-game winning streak, the first walk Ollie gives up, he’d hear from the ‘fans’. Unfortunately, I just can’t see it turning around. And that’s not just sad, it’s pathetic.
@Scott- if people are upset at underachieving millionaires why still go to the games just to boo. By buying that ticket your funding the teams to pay the players the huge salaries. Instead of buying the tickets and giving the teams the money to pay for these hefty salaries stay home and watch it on tv. If your not buying tickets, food, and souvenirs then the team will realize they have a problem. I don’t know if it was me I wouldn’t pay money for something that annoys me.
As for the beer sales, the people who were booing and being the most obnoxious weren’t even drinking. They were that one “friend” we have had in our lives at one time or another who thought they were funny or clever, meanwhile everyone just looks at them and shake their heads.
Hey, I hear ya. I’ve stopped going for the most part. My 15 game plan is likely to be one or two games that I pick up for $5 bucks a piece.
Then again I’ve also realized that I’m not the general public and I speak with my wallet. There are many things in this country from upper levels of government down to the lowest levels of society that could be fixed or a stand could be made if people used their brains, the Mets being no different.
As for booing the pitchers…well, aside from Santana, we have the quality of a minor league pitching staff. Do they deserve booing? If they were in the minors where most of them should be, they probably wouldn’t get booed.
I would argue though that alcohol contributes to a lot of the problems at baseball games or sporting events.
Why is it that the Cyclones don’t have these problems but the Mets do?
When you go to a cyclones game your going to see a team of single A players. Your watching theses guys trying to figure out the next Mets stars. You also going to go take a walk and go ride the cyclone and grab some real Nathan’s hot dogs down the block. You are expecting to see Single A players mess up also so your expectations are higher. When Ollie Perez and Manuel were booed on opening day was that the beer doing that? That was during introductions. I can also site a lot of other examples of people just being obnoxious that has nothing to do with sports, but I want to keep away from that. I really stand by my title of this post as a whole though.
I remember when the stadium was being built and I felt such excitement as its progressed. Then at a game at Shea in the final season I took a good look at some of the fans. Vile, foul mouth, trashy, no respect to property, yelling & screaming curses, drunk and not anyone you want near your kids. Then I thought these same kind of fans will be going to this new stadium and show the same disrespect to their fellow fans and their team as they did at Shea and that made me a combination of sad and disgusted. I realized you can change the stadium for the better, but you can’t change some fans for the better.
I was with my father-in-law opening day and we were pretty shocked at the level of booing. The Trainers & S&C coaches were funny but Ollie & others were ridiculous.
We had a jackass behind us the entire game who was as obnoxious as can be. 2 beers at a time laughing like a moron and his wife who could barely walk by the end of the game tried to start a fight with my father-in-law over his Apple giveaway saying it was her husbands. We just kind of laughed it off and walked away. This experience was absolutely for the beer.
I won’t say stop beer sales but they need to find a better way to limit people from drinking too much.
There are still a lot of families who go and a lot of great people at games so lets not generalize everyone at the games. There are a select few and there seem to be some in each section who make it uncomfortable for others.
Maybe the Mets should make an A-hole section where all these morons can have a battle royale with each other and the rest of the fans who care about the game and team can enjoy themselves.
The drunk culture is problematic. I know first-hand the Mets take alcohol consumption very seriously. As someone else pointed out, you can’t stop someone from having 16 beers on the way to the game. I was able to have a beer last night without vandalizing the place or yelling obscenities. What about the lady who yelled all night and had our section rolling our eyes. She wasn’t drunk, but she did take away from our enjoyment…however I can argue that who am I to say she shouldn’t root for her team the way she wants – it’s not like she was cursing, she just didn’t like that Jenrry threw ball one.
I also saw the graffiti tag while going down the stairwell…..people can be real a**holes…most likely it wasn’t a real Mets fan that did that, at least I hope not.
The graffiti was very disappointing. Just knucklehead behavior.
I think the ill behavior, or our own fan base, is a for more important issue, to and for the “Blue Cap Army,” than the piping on uniforms, hybrid caps, and the color of outfield walls. Step up Shannon (we’re calling you “out”).
What would we, the fans, suggest to begin to change the culture? And let’s leave out having the Wilpons sell, firing Omar and Jerky Manuel, changing the roster, or winning more games, as those we can’t control.
I’ll start by suggesting that people should report the trouble makers to security more frequently.
Mike I agree with you. Fan behavior is an issue.
I try to provide suggestions and solutions. For example, I think replacing the black with a blue jersey could be a financial gain.
I don’t have a solution for fan behavior. I welcome guest posts. Let’s solve it together.
Would a “no knuckleheads” section work? Who gets to decide what a knucklehead is?
Again, it’s not the beer that make the jackass/wife act like that. They were already like that and just choose to drink too much and exasperate it.
Maybe security should be a little quicker to crack down on the belligerantly drunk. I hestiate to comment on the cursing/screaming type stuff as I don’t think of it any differently than other language but I understand people with families may feel differently.
I don’t know if fans reporting the behavior is the answer, you’d likely get too many false alarms.
When the Phillies fans come up here when they’re winning, they’re not drunk when they come up here with the intention of being jerks. They may do so, but they were going to be jerks anyway,but you can’t keep those people out either.
One thing I’ve noticed, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed it, is that the late night ESPN Sunday night starts always seem the worst for fights. Is it beacuse it’s later in the evening? dark? less families do to the late start?
As a father it’s awful when there is a fan cursing. Believe me I drop my share of f-bombs when with my pals but it’s all situational. Screaming it in a crowd just is jerky.
Later in the evening on a weekend = 1 full day of pre game drinking plus alcohol at the games. There is a correlation whether you want to see that or not. It doesn’t explain all of it, but it does explain a good portion of it.
Let’s use the BCA. Why not try some impossible polls on acceptability of specific fan behaviors?
Good discussion. As a father of 2 little girls (4 & 1/ 1/2) who takes them to a number of games the idiot fans are a primary concern. I am happy to report that the level of truly inappropriate behavior is far less at Citi than at Citizen’s Bank or @ the Mesladowlands although the % of idiots at all 3 is thankfully pretty low. Now the low level @ Citi may be helped by the fact I pay for a pricier seat but I doubt it, jerks are jerks and finances have little to do with it. Personally while I like a “knuklehead” section I’d prefer add’l no-alcohol sections in better seats. Why only down the line in the promenade? Actually do they still have the no-alcohol section @ Citi?
I also try and take my kids to day games only. Night games ESPECIALLY the big Sunday night games bring out the worst in people
I work in the film business and when we are shooting on location people love to come up and barge right into a conversation and ask what we are filming. Its happened a ton of times when I have seen crew members getting a serious talking to about their job performance. I always wanted just to follow someone back to their job and sit by their desk and go…What are you working on? Really? How late are you going to be here for? How long is it going to take?, especially when they are talking to their boss.
I would love to see that happen to some sports fans too. Go to Bill the Booers House when can’t find his house keys…BOOOOOOO!!!!…Or if he runs out of OJ as hes pouring the juice..Booooo!!!…Best yet if he’s playing softball in a bar league and picks up the wrong bat…..Booo!!!
I always laughed at the no-alcohol sections, mainly because they’re completely unenforcable. But I guess if a person equates going to a game with getting smashing drunk, they’ll probably not buy that ticket. Still, it’s not like the ‘alcohol’ section 20 feet to your right is out of hearing range.
I feel like we’re crossing into a “parenting” discussion with the “It’s the beers fault!” here, but what I’m trying to say that I don’t believe in blaming the tool or situation. I don’t think it’s fair to punish the 99% of people that have 1, or 3 (or even 10) beers ‘responsibly’ at a game and don’t cause any problems.
I don’t think anybody is saying ‘it’s (only) the beer’s fault,’ but rather that it can significantly add to the problem. And, considering your statement, I’d find it ironic that every one goes through security at the game, but 99.99% of the people aren’t going to be any sort of problem.
@Ceetar I like Blaming the tool (meaning the obnoxious fan) and not the beer. I still say a lot of it is the person and not beer. Tons of people who are tools on the street everyday who act the same way as the do at the game when sober. I feel its just who the person is and not because of booze.