Cubs crying, 'Boo who?'

[awefullspellare]

Cubs crying, 'Boo who?'
July 28, 2005
BY MIKE KILEY Staff Reporter

Derrek Lee has heard MVP chants all season from appreciative Cubs fans. But the slugging first baseman didn't like what he heard from the fans who rained abuse on former teammate LaTroy Hawkins during the three-game series with the San Francisco Giants this week at Wrigley Field.

''It was a little classless,'' Lee said Wednesday of the treatment embattled reliever Hawkins received when he entered Tuesday night's 3-2 Giants victory in the eighth inning. ''If you want to boo him when he comes in, fine. But chanting 'Hawkins [stinks]' for the whole inning is out of line. It's OK to boo someone, but chanting that on and on is overboard.''

Manager Dusty Baker agreed. He wants those Cubs fans to know they aren't helping the organization's chances of signing prized free agents. Baker said Wednesday that the harsh treatment by fans of players such as Hawkins, who was traded by the Cubs on May 28, and recently demoted outfielder Corey Patterson have opposing players coming to him asking whether Chicago is too rugged of an environment to enjoy playing in.

''It's not making it any easier,'' Baker said. ''Guys want to come here now. For years, because of the day games and other things, they didn't. But guys now are asking me if it's like this all the time here.

''They watch the games on TV, and they come up to me wondering what's it like. I'm not tampering or anything, but I get asked this all the time from players on other clubs that might want to play for us. This kind of thing is going to make it tougher.''

Rest of Article Here

I'm glad to hear some people coming out against this. If they want to boo a little bit that's fine, but it was getting a little out of control. I felt really bad for Hawkins because he grew up a Cubs fan aparently and to have to go through that at Wrigley must have been really hard for him.

[Providence A's]

I don't know, I'm conflicted. Part of me says as long as they weren't throwing stuff at him or something, then he has to deal with it (he's a professional athlete that fans pay to see). But at the same time it does seem a bit unnecessary

[rockin500]

i will boo a player, and i make no bones about it. however, too many people were getting personal, and thats what the players were having problems with. the guys dont mind the booing so much, its just the bitterness of some fans who went overboard into the personal zone.

[Tedc]

Astros fans are BOOing Carlos Beltran for everything he does in our series with the Mets at Minute Maid Park. I don't think there is anything wrong or classless about it. Just imagine if this were in the '30s when it was practically men only in the stands with the women at home and the kids looking through fences.

Baseball has always been about fan reaction (positive and negative) and without it the game would cease to exist. This is not a tennis match.

[awefullspellare]

i will boo a player, and i make no bones about it. however, too many people were getting personal, and thats what the players were having problems with. the guys dont mind the booing so much, its just the bitterness of some fans who went overboard into the personal zone.

I won't really boo too much at games. During Millard North's State Baseball Tourney we didn't boo, but instead chanted the oppposing pitcher's name and that worked really well (wether or not they actually heard us, who knows). I'll agree with you on the booing Latroy was wrong though. They mostly were booing because he sucked while he was here. I'm not sure he deserved it.

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

That was pretty classless. I understand if you boo players who are a$$holes, cheaters or whatever. LaTroy gave his best at something he was forced into and something he's not good at. He was a good teammate and a good person (he didn't flip his finger at the fans when he received the unwelcomed booing like Todd Hundley). And plus, many Cubs fans booed him when he was blowing saves for the opponents. I wonder if they want us to lose or something?