I shot this at CitiField back on April 4. Lugo was fabulous with the fans (pretty much the only player to be so) that entire weekend.

I need to rant.  I hope it is obvious that I’m not directing this toward most people (at least not most people I know) but to that loud, obnoxious, (I hope) minority that always seems to get heard above everyone else.

I am embarrassed to be part associate with a fan base that boos their own players.  I know other fans do it too.  Doesn’t make it right.  Doesn’t make me hate it any less.

There is nothing worse, to me, than showing your ignorance or arrogance by booing someone you’re supposed to be rooting for.  Don’t tell me that you do it to show your displeasure with the manager for continuing to play someone who maybe needs to sit.  Don’t tell me you think it helps the player you’re booing to play better (it doesn’t).  And don’t tell me that you’re booing him because he makes a  lot of money and deserves to be booed if he doesn’t perform well.  How well would YOU do YOUR job if every time you had a bad day or made a mistake there was an idiot in your ear booing you?

Idiots.  That what you all are, those of you who booed Julio Lugo yesterday.  Funny, I didn’t hear any boos for the pitcher who gave up 10 hits in just over four innings.  The guy who gave up 8 runs – all of them EARNED – in a game the Sox lost by nine runs.  A guy who many had pegged to be this year’s Cy Young winner who couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning.  Where were Jon Lester’s boos?

I get it.  You can’t boo Lester.  He’s a superstar.  He battled cancer and won.  He pitched the final game of the 2007 World Series.  He gives bunnies and puppies to sick children and he puts out forest fires by spitting on them.  I get it.  Lester’s a kid who we put up on a pedestal and worship, regardless of his performance and Lugo is a veteran who makes too much money and doesn’t produce enough to your liking.

There was only one error on the Sox side yesterday and Jeff Bailey made it.  Sure there were balls that looked like Lugo could have (or should have to some of you) reached.  And maybe he should have.  But most people conveniently forget that Lugo was genuinely hurt.  Most people also seem to believe that the Red Sox aren’t playing him every day just because they think Nick Green is legitimately better than him (instead of the more logical fact that they brought him back because they needed another infielder and he’s not 100% so they’re bringing him along slowly).

In a game where Boston had 10 hits and 5 runs, Lugo had two hits (including a home run).  In the nine games he’s played in he’s had 10 hits, 2 walks and a .357 average (with one fielding error).  There definitely have been a couple of hits that could have/should have been ruled as errors but if any other player (including Nick Green) had that happen, it’d be excused.  Lugo, who has a true excuse (again, his mobility is obviously not 100% just coming off of an injury and being given limited playing time) gets crucified.  It’s embarrassing and makes Red Sox fans look ignorant.  You can’t brag about being the smartest fans in baseball if you think booing a player who is having struggles is productive.

And I really don’t want to hear about your rights as a fan who pays to get into the games, thus helping to pay his salary.  Julio Lugo is part of this team.  If you choose to spend your money to support this team, you’re choosing to support them all.   And if there are players you find you just can’t support, fine, I can certainly understand that, but there’s no need to be a jackass just because you got a ticket into Fenway.

Does it come as a surprise to anyone that Lugo has feelings and your booing really doesn’t do anything but bum him out?

“It’s always good to have them on your side,” Lugo said. “There’s no one – there’s no one in any sport – that can tell you it doesn’t bother them if fans boo. If there’s somebody that says that, it’s [expletive]. It bothers them. It [expletive] bothers me.

“There’s nothing you can do. They’ve got a right to do it. But also people need to understand we’re not perfect. We’re human beings. That’s why we’re here. If not, I would have wings. I’d be beside God right now. I’d be an angel. But I’m not an angel. I’m a human being that lives right here.”

Jeez, he’s human. Go figure.

They all are.  Jon Lester too.  He’s no angel either – although many try to make him out to be.  He’s human with as many failings as the next person.  And some of those failings were on display yesterday yet no one in the park felt the need to point them out to him.

I’m not advocating booing Jon Lester.  I’m asking for people to realize that just because you think Lugo is everything that’s wrong with this team and just because you think the sun shines out of Lester’s behind, you aren’t necessarily looking at either player with unbiased glasses.

I hate being at the park and hearing one of our guys get booed.  It’s an embarrassment.  Coupled with the fact that all it really seems to do for the players is make them feel worse than they already do about their performance, what’s the point?

This entitled crap some of the fans have been radiating lately really needs to stop.  I have a radical idea.  Let’s try cheering for Lugo.  Giving him support during a stretch where he seems to need it.   How about acting like fans instead of CHB?

26 Comments for “You’re the kind that’s never satisfied”

1. Brenken Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 10:14 am

   I totally agree, Cyn, about booing the players wearing a Sox uniform.
   I might boo them from my couch but I would never boo one of my own players at the park.

2. Tru Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 10:28 am

   In a beat down like yesterday, the tendency is to always find a scapegoat… there has to be some player to point at and say, he’s the culprit. I understand players boot a ball, don’t throw to their spots, strike out and on and on and on. What I don’t get, never got, is the thought of getting on management for playing that player who is the object of so much derision. These fans actually hope the player fails, as a means of justifying their positions and feelings. What a waste of energy.

   As far as Julio goes, it’s to the point where I read from fans that other team members hate him. He wasn’t congratulated in the dugout after his solo home run yesterday. Wow!

   If there was no hope of the player contributing, why would they send him out there? Anybody for a glass of David Ortiz?

   It’s a damned good thing that other, smarter people are running the baseball club, otherwise if left to the fans, they’d be needing lawyers to defend against charges of public lynching.

3. KellyO Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am

   I wish very much that Francona and the front office had given Lugo a longer rehab assignment in Pawtucket. He looks good at the plate, but he seems to be missing a step in the field. Even in his last game with the PawSox Hoard and Hyder noted that he’d been thrown out on what would normally have been an infield single for him, and hadn’t reached a ball that he’d ordinarily handle. Which makes perfect sense: he’d last played for the Red Sox on July 11 of last year, and I’d assume that post-injury it would take time to get not merely fitness but sharpness back. I suppose the Sox decided the team was best served if Lugo made it the rest of the way in his recovery playing for the big club, putting in the time now so that he’s at full strength and speed in late May and June, before we can think about getting Lowrie back. But if they’ve underestimated the fans’ willingness to turn on him, they’re digging him a hole he may not get out of.

   And I agree with his own assessment of the ground balls yesterday. He missed one. But the others were base hits, and it’s pre-existing bias that led to his being booed.

4. Josh Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 11:19 am

   Fans boo Lugo, and justly so, because he’s TERRIBLE!! It’s not like he’s had a bad 2-week stretch and that he’ll finally break out of it. He’s been incredibly awful for 2 years, both offensively and defensively. Add in the fact that he’s raked in $18 million with $18 million more due to him. Plus, his whole attitude in Spring Training (”I’m going to be the shortstop — you don’t lose your job to injury — it’s my job”) was terrible. He is one player that is definitely boo-worthy.

5. shelley1005 Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 11:27 am

   I don’t like Lugo and I am honest enough to admit that it is 90% personal, 10% professional. I would like him to do well as long as we have him since it only helps the Sox, but I do look forward to the day he is no longer on the team. Baseball wise, I get frustrated with him in the field and I personally would rather see Green or Lowrie in the starting spot.

   Having said that, I do not condone anyone anytime booing their own. It’s one of the things I loathe about those Yankee fans. It’s not acceptable. Ever. It’s scumbag behavior. I can dream of Green or Lowrie being the starter, but a boo for Lugo will never come out of my mouth. It’s low brow and classless.

6. Tru Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 11:40 am

   Kelly, we probably could say the same about Lowell, no? Recently, we saw the guy trying to stretch a hit into a double, get tagged out by a mile, and our own announcers talked about how he’s still not at 100%, but marveled at how well he’s healed from his injury. They said at 100%, he has the double. The Sox started him, even though an argument can be made that he’s still not all the way back.

   I have no real indications, or insight, but right now, knowing these players are still working their way back from injury, there’s possibly a higher reliance on the bats for the moment, as well as pitching. There’s always this constant see-saw between good pitching/defense and offense, and in this case, the defense is not as efficient.

   So, Lowell and Lugo have their bats, but legging it out on the pads, quick to the ball on hard hot shots? Lester getting hard hit yesterday exposed this weakness, IMO. Hopefully as time goes on, it is eliminated, as each guy gets fully back.

   But the point in general Cyn makes IMO, stands.

7. Cyn Donnelly Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am

   //Add in the fact that he’s raked in $18 million with $18 million more due to him. Plus, his whole attitude in Spring Training (”I’m going to be the shortstop — you don’t lose your job to injury — it’s my job”) was terrible.//

   I don’t buy into the “He makes so much money he has to be a superstar” attitude. But as far as HIS attitude at ST? He never insulted any of his teammates. He didn’t say anything, in my opinion, that was out of line or showed a bad attitude.

   I will never argue that Lugo is some All Star shortstop for the Sox and should be left to make as many errors or fail at the plate as many times as he wants.

   But he is NOT the only (nor main) reason that this team loses games. Given what our starting pitching has (or, really, hasn’t) done, he isn’t even on the top 3 list of reasons for the losses the Red Sox have endured.

8. DeathOpie Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

   He should not have been booed, but he does need to sit. His range is Jeteresque right now, minus the intangibles.

9. fc Says:
   May 10th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

   I thought he seemed arrogant and entitled at ST way beyond his ability to back it up with his performance, and his defense is weak at best and has been game changing, in a bad way. (I also acknowledge that his offense has been a nice surprise, albeit in a small sample size.) But the boos yesterday made me cringe. I would like to think that Sox fans do not stoop to that level.

   After the frustrations of the previous innings, the loudest boos came when he stepped into the box before hitting that home run. The HR got a strangely awkward round of cheers – or maybe I just felt awkward about it, and the boo-ers felt no conflict. Hypocrites. Talk about feeling arrogant and entitled!

10. KellyO Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    //Kelly, we probably could say the same about Lowell, no?//

    Oh, absolutely. But I think that lost step is a little less obvious at 3B than SS, and I don’t think we had as many options to cover 3B (I’m really not in favor of Youk spending much time there). I don’t think Lowell would have been helped by time in Pawtucket. I DO think Lugo would have been sharper after 14 games instead of 4.

11. KellyO Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 12:59 pm

    I also think that confidence can come off as arrogance out of context. I can’t think of a time this spring that I saw Lugo that I would have said he seemed arrogant. And this is not just because Cyn and I watched him scrounge up an extra bin of bubble gum so he could keep throwing pieces to the fans at Citi!

12. shelley1005 Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    I don’t think Lugo was arrogant in ST. I may not think he should be the starting shortstop, but Lugo sure should think so. He came into camp with the a confident attitude that the spot would be his. I don’t judge him for that. I still dislike him, but I applaud him for that. What was he supposed to do? Walk into camp and just give his glove to Lowrie?

13. Kayla Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    Agreed. I was at the game yesterday, and the fans in my section were brutal… here was this one guy in particular waited unitl it was quiet and then yelled profanities at Lugo specifically. I for one was offended (I was evwn in an alcohol free section!), and feel that those who can’t support the team should have to give their tickets to those who do.

14. Tex19 Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    ::backs up Cyn::

    and Fans…If you want to boo someone….boo the idiot who was texting his girlfriend while “driving” the T.

15. james23 Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    I would never boo a player, but Lugo will kill this team at short if he doesn’t gain range quickly. Even lugo admits he should have had the double play ball.

16. becks Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    So long as it’s a team sport, no one player can be “blamed” for a loss. Sorry, I just don’t buy it.

17. ecl1958 Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    As a long-time Lugo supporter, I am delighted to see this post. I share your sentiments as well as your frustration. I live far away so haven’t been at the ballpark to hear the boos, but in general I’m disgusted with and disturbed by the vitriol directed towards him. I browse the Web a lot and have seen both thinly veiled death threats and blatant hate speech. It hurts my heart to see this stuff — I can’t even imagine how it must make Julio and his family feel.

    I do think he was rushed back from Pawtucket too soon, I do think he’s got a ways to go before he’s functioning on all cylinders, and yes, at this point he’s a defensive liability (although I’m very pleased with the way his bat is working). I’m thinking this will improve as he gets more playing time and works off the rust. In the meantime, the fans need to cut him some slack and remember that he’s worked hard to come back from not one but two injuries as well as recently diagnosed lactose intolerance. That’s a lot to deal with all at once. It would make me so happy if the vitriol from the fans would cease. Of course, that may happen when pigs fly, but one can hope…

18. Susan Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    Hi Cyn, thanks for writing about Lugo. I totally agree with you. The guy is TRYING and he is doing his best.

    Speaking of being embarrassed, I went to the Yankees game when Ellsbury stole home. All I heard the whole freakin game was that “Yankees Suck” chant. It was so obnoxious, I wanted to slap the stupid, pink hat fans in front of me who had no CLUE about the game and just wanted to scream Yankees Suck all night.

    I think is great that so many new people are interested in the Red Sox because of their success, but I wish they would take some time to learn a little bit about baseball and have some class when they go to games.

    Booing home players and chanting Yankees Suck all night just gives ammunition to the rest of the baseball fans who can’t stand Red Sox Nation and say we are all loud, obnoxious morons.

19. Deb Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    Amen Cyn. Why would you boo your own team? If you want your team to win, you have to support the players who are on that team. If you want to let management know that you’re unhappy with their choices, send them a letter.

    I hate the “yankees suck” chant too. It sounds ignorant and obnoxious. Be more creative with the insults and put-downs please.

20. Cruiser Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    Cyn I’m very glad you wrote about this. Personally I don’t think it is right to boo players on the team you support. It doesn’t make any sense at all. It makes me very sad and I believe it reflects badly on Boston fans. I think we’re better than that. At least I always hope we are better than that.

21. Elaine Apthorp Says:
    May 11th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    I’[m with you, Cyn. Lugo drives me absolutely bananas, but when I’m at the ballpark I call out vigorous encouragement for the guy whenever he’s up to bat and applaud with desperate enthusiasm whenever he’s made a clean play in the field, in hopes the good vibes will give him some kind of positive momentum. I want him to be way better than he’s been–for his sake and for my beloved team’s. I don’t understand booing one’s own players, EVER, unless the player has done something morally appalling (I confess that if John Rocker ever pitched for the Sox, I’d boo his racist behind no matter how many batters he struck out, until or unless he made a public apology I could believe, and started behaving like he truly meant it). Julio Lugo is just a pro ballplayer trying to do his best. I get to be frustrated as heck with him and complain endlessly about what I wish he’d do better, but the man has a right to be treated with RESPECT, just like anybody else.

22. Justin Morneau Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am

    if this bothers you so much, lady, find another team to root for. do you these guys give a crap if you “boo’ them or “cheer” them-especially when they’re going to be gone for more money at the end of the year anyway. do you think teixeira gives a shit when they boo him at the stadium? or even bay, considering he won’t sign until he tests the waters? you don’t boo little league, but big league players, who get paid millions to perform and don’t mind taking all the accolades? nope. don’t mind that at all, and you’re a moron if you think they care about your embarrassment over them getting booed. grow up.

23. Brenken Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am

    Justin, if your boss booed you at work (if you have a job) would that help your productivity or make you more angry than you already are?
    Please don’t use the lame excuse that they make a lot of money.
    They are people and people do not respond positively to a lot of negativity.
    Looks like you may have already found another team to root for using the screen name of Justin Morneau.

24. rebecca Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    No matter how much I may not care for a player — or feel that a player is ineffective, I would never – ever – boo them.

    Classless. Truly.

25. Chris Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    Fans need to remember that Julio Lugo played great during the stretch run in September 2007 as well as in the 2007 ALDS, ALCS, and World Series. He was an important part of the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox.

26. Boston Dan Says:
    May 17th, 2009 at 6:42 am

    No Cyn, you don’t get it.

    You see, Cyn, when Julio fails to make simple throws, complete simple double plays or range to his left or right in order to snag a ground ball, than his actions quite often lead to runs being scored by the opponent. This is in fact, detrimental to the team that we root for. Do you understand that the point is to prevent the other team from scoring runs?

    There is no one more easily replaced in almost all of baseball than Julio Lugo. He is average at best and on his bad days, is below replacement level.

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