Sporting Goons

There is nothing I love more than going to a baseball game. I love the sights and the smells. Even after all the games I have been to in my life I still get that same feeling walking into a park that I used to get as a ten year old boy. I know people will argue with me and have different opinions but, baseball is the greatest game ever invented.

I love more than anything managing along with the action on the field in my head. What pitch should the pitcher throw on a 2-2 count to a left handed fastball hitter who is looking inside? Where should the second baseman play a right handed pull hitter? Should the Cubs pinch hit for the pitcher in the 6^th inning of a tie game? There are so many little decisions like that throughout a nine inning contest. And trust me, as much as I like watching baseball on television you don’t get the same feel of the action like you do in the stands. My wife makes fun of me when I keep score, but in what other sport can you do that?

Anyway, I digress. I of course love no ballpark as much as I love Wrigley Field. I know Sox fans in particular love to knock it but, they are being dishonest with themselves if they are baseball fans and can’t find the beauty of Wrigley. I get not liking the Cubs, but not liking Wrigley is ludicrous. As much as I love Wrigley I still like to visit other parks as well. Every year for I don’t know how long now, I have made it a point to visit at least one new park a year. My goal of course is to hit every park in the majors.

And while I do enjoy seeing the park, tasting the food, and enjoying the game, dealing with fans is becoming less and less fun. I know I am going to sound like an angry old man here but I don’t care. Civility has long been a dying trait among our society. And there is no better place to see the lack of it then at a major league baseball game.

Now, when I wear a Cubs hat to an opposing team’s ballpark, I expect to get some good natured ribbing. I don’t mind that, as long as it is in good fun. But, the taunts and jeers have become hateful and that I just will never understand. No ballpark in America gets more fans from opposing teams then Wrigley. I have stated numerous times that as long as you are not being a jackass in rooting for your team I have no problem if you want to support your club on the road. When these people go home I want them to tell their friends and neighbors that they had a positive experience at Wrigley so, I will go out of my way to be cordial. A couple of weeks ago, I sat next to a fan who came in from Colorado and I wound up shooting the shit with him for almost the entire game.

However, the unruly behavior is becoming more and more commonplace. This isn’t about one teams fan base in particular because there are assholes among every team’s fans. So, I don’t want this to seem like I am picking on one group of spectators. I have seen this behavior at my own ballpark and it infuriates me when it happens.

From a personal perspective, the Cubs and Sox games are no doubt about it, the worst of the worst. Sure, wearing a Cub hat in Milwaukee now equates to taking your own life into your hands. But, the Cubs, Sox thing just brings out the worst in the feeble minded. It is like your life is so devoid of success that you have to glom onto your favorite baseball team to justify your existence. I will never understand the hatred of another person just because of what sporting team he or she roots for.

This all got serious on opening day in Los Angeles. Two Dodger fans brutally attacked a man wearing a Giants jersey and now that man lies in a coma and his prognosis is not good. Senseless is not a good enough adjective to describe this. I always tell my wife when the barbs start flying that it’s just a baseball game and it is all in good fun as long as no one gets hurt. But lately I have been looking over my shoulder for that one guy who is enjoying his first beer and can’t control his drunkenness.

My hope is that what took place in LA would serve as a wakeup call and fans would start behaving themselves, but we all know that is not going to happen. I still love traveling to other ballparks and the thuggish behavior of a few is not going to stop me from enjoying something that I love.

I guess really, going to a sporting event is just a microcosm of society as a whole. Everyone is angry about something. You can’t disagree with someone anymore you have to hate anyone who would happen to have a different opinion then you. I don’t know why we are all so mad, as living in America we sure have a lot better than most other people on this planet. I don’t have all the answers but little things like being civil to other people and showing them most basic of elements of respect might be a good place to start.