An ugly incident occurred last night at Wrigley Field, when a full beverage was dropped on the head of Philadelphia Phillies’ centerfielder Shane Victorino as he made a catch in the fifth inning.
As a Cubs fan who was in attendance, but not in the bleachers, I stood up and booed when this occurred, as did many people sitting around me. True Cubs fans know this is unacceptable, despicable, and not the least bit funny.
Bleacher Bums, as they are called, have a reputation of being loud and obnoxious, and rightfully so. Anyone who would pay $50 (face value) to sit on a bench with no back for a full game, plus the two hours before the game to get good seats is a bit nutty. Trust me, I’ve done it multiple times.
But make no mistake, the fans who sit in the bleachers are great Cubs fans, throwing visiting home run balls back, riding opposing outfielders for a misplay, and most importantly, never leaving Carlos Lee alone.
That’s why it’s upsetting as a Cubs fan when one guy, who likely had too much to drink, goes and ruins it for everyone.
So for those of you thinking or saying things like: “I hope other fans get back at the Cubs” or “The Cubs should be penalized by MLB“, need to just slow down for a minute. It’s a natural and acceptable reaction to be angry, but direct the anger towards the one stupid moron, not an entire fan base and organization.
Even though they apparently ejected the wrong fan, Cubs Security was over there in a flash to take care of the situation. The Chicago PD is apparently conducting a manhunt for the offender, and plans to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella apologized after the game, saying: “That shouldn’t happen, it’s not good sportsmanship. … We apologize to Victorino and the Phillies for that.”
And if you had interviewed the majority of fans like me, well, you’d have this article as my response. So, to the rest of the MLB teams and their fans, please don’t group true Blue Cubs fans like me with the few select individuals who do dumb stuff like this. We really are better than that.
Blogged To The Rest Of MLB: Don’t Group All Cubs Fans With One Drunken Idiot: – http://tinyurl.com/nm3h7r #cubiclegm
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, …who does actually strive to do the deed;…if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
At least Sox have the marbles to go toe-to-toe.