October 3, 2007

Exactly what does 'boo' mean?

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist


What a great finish to baseball's regular season.

The Mets collapsed and the Phillies took advantage. The Rockies qualified with a win Monday night in the 13th inning. The Yankees came from way back in late May to win a wild card and almost overtake the Red Sox. The playoffs, that start this week, should be something, And, of course, having the Phillies involved will make it even more exciting to local sports fans.

But there is one part of all this that has always been puzzling.

Why do fans boo?

When sports editor Brian Cunniff heard that question, the native Philadelphian quickly said, "You obviously never lived in South Philly".

Fans from Philly are known around the country for the amount of booing they do and the many situations in which they employ it. A lot of them are proud of that image. And they are, by no means, the only ones.

Right in the middle of one of the most exciting final baseball weekends in a long time, fans were booing. They should be energized about their team and excited about their playoff possibilities. Yet, when Adam Eaton came off the mound on Saturday, they booed him loudly. Did he pitch well? Not really. But, without Eaton's 10 wins this year, Phillies fans would be using those rally towels to dry their hands in the guest bathroom.

The fans were also selective in their booing. They did not shower them down on Ryan Howard when his two bad plays at first base changed the game.

Less than 24 hours later, Tom Glavine got the same treatment in Shea Stadium. This is a future Hall of Famer whose 13-8 record was the best on the Mets' staff.

It gets you wondering. What is a fan's purpose in booing?

Does it mean they are upset and frustrated, so they decided to make an animal-like sound? Is it because they believe the person they are booing is a bad person?

Does any serious baseball fan really believe that Adam Eaton, Tom Glavine, Mitch Williams - even Bill Buckner - didn't want to make the right pitch or pick up that ground ball? They just made a mistake, or a couple mistakes. They probably felt worse than any of the fans.

Fans frequently boo players from visiting teams. That decision usually has a reverse effect. With the possible exception of Burt Hooton, most players thrive on hearing the boos on the road and shutting them up with a big play.

This has been a great season for Phillies fans and there may be more to come. Lets hope they keep waving their towels, cheering like mad and having such a great time that they forget to boo.

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One final word about the Phillies.

The team's longtime vice president of public relations, Larry Shenk, will retire after this season. His first year was 1964, which was a season of disappointment for the Phillies. It is great that he is going out with a championship team.

Larry Shenk is one of the true professionals in his field. He joins Paul Owens and Harry Kalas as the three finest individuals I've ever met in the Phillies organization.

We wish him nothing but the best.



Read more of Tom Williams' columns