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By the way, for those that care, Carlos Delgado was cheered before his first at-bat last night.
…if you recall, there was ‘talk’ on local radio yesterday that fans would boo delgado because he refused a curtain call the night before – as if by doing so, he committed some sort of crime against humanity or something…
That said, he was booed after subsequent at bats – following an 0–for-5 night.
…look, i’m not in favor of booing…but, i mean, if any guy is going to actually be booed, it’s a guy hitting .194 who starts every day…what’s worse, he is hitting just .152 with runners on base…i’m not saying it’s right, but i understand…
I was at the game last night…he actually wasn’t booed after his last at-bat, i think bc he hit the ball hard just right at 2nd base. He did get booed after his 2nd or 3rd at-bat though when he could not come through in a big spot.
Thanks forthe tip. Sounding like boos on TV.
at that point there were only about 2,000 ppl left at the game…i’m sure if there were 50,000 there it would have sounded much worse
I think you also need to look at the situation. If he gets booed because he didn’t come through in a big spot, I think that is more directed at the team.
However, getting booed on your jog back to the dugout when you get up with one out and nobody on and you hit a fly ball to left field…those are bad boos.
Bottom line, he is getting booed and he deserves it. If he plays better, the boos will obviously stop.
I was watching on TV…
Did not sound like boos after his last at bat……so difference in opinion between Cerrone and myself….
I heard one guy with a loud boo, that was it….but most people seemed to actually be indifferent, cheering, or maybe there were a couple “ooohhhs” since he absolutely crushed that ball to the 2nd baseman….
And for the record, even the at bats where he didnt come through I thought he looked pretty damn good and had pretty solid at-bats overall….
He looked 10x better than DW up there last night (minus DWs last at bat)…..
Is this going to be a new regular feature of this blog? Who was booed? It can come after the “Around the Division” report and the Minor League report.
10 boos are a lot louder than 1,000 people sitting in silence because the Mets just squandered another opportunity. It’s easy to think everyone is booing. That said…
STOP BOOING YOUR OWN TEAM!
Anyone who boos the Mets is never again allowed to say “we” when referring to the Mets. “Yo, we picked up Johan!” No, not anymore. “They” picked up Johan. “You” booed him.
i agree with the first part of your comment completely bc i was at the first game johan pitched and no one around me booed when he was taken out but you still heard some…and also, referring to the boos…I am not one to boo my own team…but a guy like aaron heilman who literally can not get an out is someone who deserves to be booed…and i would not boo him before he comes into a game but if he continually can not get an out…I cannot get upset when ppl boo him.
He literally did get an out last night.
please…you know what i mean
Yeah I know. Sorry, it’s just a pet peeve. Also, it bugs me how everyone seems to be all over Heilman all the time. The guy’s been solid for the last 2 years pitching out of the bullpen even though he wanted (still wants?) to be a starter. He’s in a slump. Yes, He’s frustrating to watch. We remember when he fails far more vividly than when he succeeds. Yes. I’m just inclined to give him a little more slack than the average fan I suppose. I honestly believe that no one is taking it as hard as he is and that he WILL turn it around and be a major part of this team’s success this year.
hope your right…i honestly think this guy should work out his problems in the minors for a couple weeks and bring up wise…then we see where we’re at.
Sounds like a solid idea. I’d rather have him go down for a bit than expose Sosa to waivers or send down Joe Smith.
Are you kidding me… Heilman has been solid for us? he might run off a couple good games against the nats or pitspuke but when it counted in big spots he BLEW IT. He is damaged!!!
I’m just waiting for the moment that Heilman is fed up with it and flips the fans off. For that he should get booed.
But for now, he is being a class act about it. He is obviously a much better pitcher than he is showing right now. He needs to be handled delicately right now. If he gets the first two outs of an inning and the next guy gets a hit, Willie should yank him. He will still leave with a good feeling, rather than giving up a 2-run homer to the next guy. I think it’s more a confidence issue than anything with him right now.
Agreed perfectgame. Heilman has been solid if not spectacular setup man the past few years. There is no reason all to believe he won’t turn it around and return to his previous form.
Some shortsighted fans seem to want to just throw that all out the window just because he is slumping in April. A few boos here and there ok, but he absolutely doesn’t deserve the treatment he’s getting now.
Excellent point. I mean, yes, Delgado stinks right now, but the man obviously wants to bat .400, not a buck and change, so why drag him down further. Oh, I know because he makes $16 million, and I don’t. Yeah, that makes sense.
I’ll keep saying it: support your team or stay the F’ home!
Absolutely agree. If your not going to come out and support your team THROUGH GOOD AND BAD(very important lesson that alot of “fans” dont undertand) then stay home or sell your tickets to a fan THATS OVER LAST YEAR. They had a camra angle on heilman as he left the field and the majority of the front row before the dugout was booing the crap out of him. It just felt wrong. The guy would like nothing more than to do his work and get out but hes having a rough time. Dirty came in struggled and gave up a run but nobody booed when he left. I just dont see the point in booing. I understand fustration and anger for lack of execution, but rather then boo just stay silent and cheer for the next guy coming in to get out of that jam. If you dont have that type of mentality at the very least…then just stay home
I agree with all you guys. It really shows ignorance about the game of baseball when you boo your own guys off the field time and time again.
I was also sick to my stomach watching this game when Heilman was pulled. There is no call for that kind of treatment. He has been a good soldier, doing what he is told. He hasn’t made a big stink about starting, regardless of whether or not we feel he can do it. He hasn’t demanded a trade.
Why does it seem like we’ve had him under our control for like 25 years? Is this guy ever going to reach free agency? Haha. Poor Heilman.
I don’t get you sometimes, Matt. You say you’re sick of this topic (booing), yet it seems like you mention it in every other post to this site. I mean, it’s your site, so do what you want. But if you’re really that fed up with talking and hearing about it, stop giving it legs.
In this case, because it was talked about so much, noting the END result seemed relevant.
That’s all.
It is like concluding the story, to me.
Fair enough. I can appreciate closure.
Also, booing articles or no booing articles, this site helps me get through the loooong workday. So thanks.
Do you know how stupid it sounds that you can’t boo somebody for poor performance?…. if the guy who mows your lawn is constantly breaking your sprinkler heads which costs you money to fix, you’re going to give him a few chances, but at some point you cut your losses and fire him. Well Delgado constantly costing the Mets opportunities are effectively losing games for them.
Look I feel bad for the guy, but the sad realization is that his career is over. The fans realize it and I just feel pity for Delgado that he doesn’t. If he can prove me wrong, great, but look at his stats from 2005-2008, if that isn’t a career in serious decline, then I don’t know what is.
He’ll be great once in awhile, but a broken clock is right twice a day, but doesn’t mean its working.
Davy, we’re talking about baseball. Do you watch your landscaper on TV throughout the entire summer gardening every lawn in the neighborhood, cheering him on to landscape better than all the other landscapers? Let’s not start comparing apples and oranges, okay?
Baseball is a game. You’re supposed to boo the other team. Not your own. I’d hate to be the ump working your kid’s little league game.
“You’re supposed to boo the other team. Not your own”
exactly!
Your example is too extreme to properly illustrate your point. I for the most part agree with you – if a player doesn’t perform and the manager keeps on sending him out there, you have to let the organization know your displeasure. As a fan, you spend a lot of your personal money on going to games, buying merchandise, etc. In a way, every fan feels like the team owes them something. When you pay BMW prices you don’t expect a broken down Honda…and Delgado went from high performance to barely moving real fast. As a consumer you would go back to the store and say “what the hell did you sell me?” Unfortunately you can’t do that as a fan, so what other way can you express your emotion than booing? I think it’s logical.
Then to continue your example if that same storeowner says you bought it now its your problem what are you goint to do p*ss and moan because you got the losing end of the deal. No. Your going to make the best of it any way possible. Your going to try to fix that honda to the point of it running like it is a BMW or enough to sell it for another vehicle that is worth what you are paying. Thats the dilemma we face with delgado that we are stuck with him for one more year(i really doubt they will bring him back for 09) so what are we going to do boo him because he sucks. No. We gotta get behind him and encourage him to do better because at the end of the day its better for us that he does better. He is a part of the team that we all call ourselves fans of, why make him feel worse than what he already feels when he doesnt come through. Just dont see how booing will improve delgados game and help us win.
Just wondering, saying nobody booed delgado again but only cheered him before every at-bat. Do you realistically believe he will start hitting the ball better? because you seem to always say that booing makes him worse. So on the flipside cheering would make him better correct? because to me thats hilarious and your putting to much weight on the fans reactions to outcomes on games
The thing that will turn the Honda back into a BMW is a mechanic, not a car wash…
I hope that I didn’t confuse anyone with that line…lol
Look, my point is, I understand that booing him doesn’t help the situation, but is it really making it any worse? What I meant to say above is, fans can’t help his situation by not booing – that should be clear as day. The fans are ready to accept mediocrity at this point, of that I’m sure. He needs to start hitting SOMETHING – I’m sure he’ll be cheered if he hits at least .250, which is generally a pretty poor average. If not, he needs to go, and no one in the stands or radio or tv disagrees with that. Boos just remind everyone that we’re still watching, and still unhappy.
Why not its home. All im saying is booing the guy is not gonna help him get any better. He even said the booing hurts but he puts it aside and plays his game. We should be booing the opposition not our own people. Im just saying that cheering may help more than booing our own player thats all. Hell if you dont believe me, continue to boo and lets see how well that goes.
Bottom line is delgado is going to be our first baseman for 2008 period. They are not going to trade him or cut him so we have to make the best of it.
Look, I’m not saying that booing doesn’t make him feel bad, but it’s part of the game. I seriously doubt that cheering will provide him with more tools to make solid contact… I don’t think he should be booed every time he comes up – but if he fails miserably in a big spot (like a k, pop out, or dp) he deserves it. I would never blame him for hitting the ball hard and making an out…I can, however, blame him for failing to make contact in 70% of times he’s up with men on base…
“we have to make the best of it.”
Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya have to make the best of this situation. The fans don’t “have to” anything. That’s why WE can boo, and THEY can scratch their heads. I’m a huge fan, and certainly want the team to win no matter what, but I don’t “have to” live with a .190 5-spot hitter who is a below average fielder to boot. If Willie and Omar are ok with “having to” live with it, then they deserve my boos as well…louder than ever. I don’t think anyone will accept this kind of performance for an entire year…
Most frustrating thing about Delgado is his apparent (i.e. it appears to me) lack of changing or adjusting. Do you remember when Cal Ripken would be in a slump how many different stances he would take, including moving around in the box? Delgado still has the open stance, still plays right into the other team’s scouting and hits right into the shift. With 2 strikes he still swings for the fences, shorten up, make contact, hit up the middle, take something to left field once in a while, get the other team to shift to a more normal defense.
I don’t agree with all the booing, but I must say I don’t get why he doesn’t lay down a few bunts to keep defenses honest and show the fans that he’s putting the team first. The commentators always say “he’s not paid to bunt”, well he’s not paid to bat under 200 either…
I think he has been adjusting somewhat. HR to LC sunday, he hit a ball hard the other way last night, and a few fouls he clearly was going the other way. The smash into the shift was really just off from being up the middle.
Clearly on the decline, he could be done, but lets see where he is at the end of May. Lots of guys are off to slow starts this year, weather should be better on this west coast trip.
He doesn’t have to carry the team, just be solid and a threat.
“Now I’m not sayin he shoulda KILLED her…but I understand!!!”
–Chris Rock
didn’t see your comment…so, i’m not the only one that immediately thought of chris rock?
“you could leave a newborn baby in a restaurant – and they’d put him in the coat room”
Thank you, Chris Rock!
You deserve to boo if you want to I mean come on you’re paying so these guys can live in mansions and drive around Porsches. I do not agree with booing a player for having a bad game. However a player like Carlos Delgado who is probably the easiest out in baseball this year deserves to get boo’ed.
I’d like to think that some of the boos that rain down when Delgado whiffs are actually for Willie, not Carlos. Willie is really the one responsible for overplaying him — and to some extent Omar for not having a backup plan, though I’m confident Omar is at least aware there’s a problem that isn’t going to fix itself.
Just to add to the litany of ways Delgado is killing this team, there is also his baserunning. According to baseball prospectus, Delgado’s baserunning cost the Mets between 7 and 8 runs last year, compared to average. To put that in perspective, Jose Reyes’s baserunning benefited the Mets by between 7 and 8 runs last year. So, in other words, Delgado is as much of a drag on the basepaths as Jose Reyes is a spark. And yet Willie never pinch-runs for him late in games…
This is for the people that think not booing won’t help a player play better. A couple of years ago, there was a Starbucks commercial, that showed a dorky, mail clerk moping around the office. Then Glenn takes out a can of espresso and immediately becomes full of energy and confidence. The commercial even included the song from Rocky 3 (Survivor, Eye of the Tiger). The song would start playing every time he would open a can of the espresso and take a big swig of it. They even had the band follow (Glenn) all around the office playing music in the background to signify how motivating a can of espresso can be. Of course, once Glenn started drinking the espresso, he immediately started moving up the corporate ladder.
Now as cheesy as that commercial was, it definitely illustrates the power of positive reinforcement. Now can you imagine how motivated someone could be if he had 50,000 people cheering for you.