Youkilis: Stop Making It So Easy To Boo, and We'll Stop Booing.

I'm going to preface this post by saying that I don't boo Red Sox players. I might have made an exception once or twice for Julio Lugo, but I don't think I did (just don't want to be a liar in case I don't remember an episode of booing). In general, if I don't like a player and choose not to cheer for them, they get silence from me. The only time you will hear me boo at Fenway is when a player I truly dislike ON ANOTHER TEAM is playing. I also do not boo any players away from Fenway, as I find it in bad taste to go to another team's park and be obnoxious. It's like going to a friend's house for dinner, kicking your feet up on the table and belching. You just don't do it... or rather, I don't. I obviously cannot speak for everyone, as I know there are plenty of people who have no problem booing their own team. I will continue my preface by saying I don't know what Fenway sounded like at the start of the game yesterday because I was at work. I didn't see the game, and I obviously did not hear it.

That being said, I am kindly requesting that Kevin Youkilis give it a rest. He apparently was shocked that Dice was being booed yesterday (the link is to the audio of Kevin complaining). From WEEI:

“One thing that was a little shocking was before the game he got booed,”
Youkilis said. “It’s funny how he came off the field, everyone was cheering.
It’s kind of foot-in-the-mouth right there but it’s good how he responded to
that, too.”

This is not the first time Kevin has complained about the fans, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time. It honestly and truly annoys me, because really, as a group, we've been unbelievably supportive of the slow start of this superstar lineup. For as long as Youkilis has been a member of the Red Sox, he's gotten nothing but support from the fans and (at least from my perspective) he seems to respond to that by complaining about those people who support him. This is how it works for a lot of people, Kevin.... you play badly, we boo you. You play well, we cheer for you. Only in pro sports can someone fail miserably at their job for two weeks and have the gall to complain that people are voicing their frustrations.

Every time I start to think, "Hmm, maybe I'm being too critical of Youk," he seems to go on a rant and remind me why I don't like him. I'm not sorry that Red Sox fans are rabid and intensely competitive, Youkilis. I'm also not sorry that some of the fans choose to boo. I paid $150 dollars for three tickets to go see a game a few Saturdays ago, and you know what the Sox did? They lost miserably. MIS-ER-AB-LY. No, I didn't boo, and I still stood and cheered and supported them... but do you have any idea how long it takes me to earn $150 dollars? Pardon the fans for feeling like they're getting ripped off. It must be nice to be a whiney millionaire.

I'm done complaining about Youkilis. I think I'm also done cheering for him. He doesn't appreciate the support anyway, so why give it to him?

Oh, and one more thing...

Hey Kevin Youkilis.... seriously, shut your ugly mouth.

You don't know how good you have it in Boston. Why don't you try playing for a team like Seattle right now? They're not winning, they're last in their division, and no one cares about them. I bet you would be happy there, wouldn't you.

I read on Dirt Dogs a few minutes ago that Youk was bitching about the silence at Fenway on Sunday. Do you know why it was silent, Youk? Because you and your band of merry men weren't DOING ANYTHING! After Paps blew the save, the life got sucked out of the park. Literally, you could feel it. Everyone fell back into their seats and just stared. Had any of you guys bothered to take a few pitches, and maybe not ground into double plays, the place would have erupted. But you didn't, so what do you expect? You really believe fans are going to scream out of their minds for THIRTEEN innings after having to sit through a rain delay? You're crazy. You try it sometimes. Try sitting in those uncomfortable seats at Fenway, getting periodically rained on, watching your team basically do nothing for thirteen innings. You try cheering the whole time. You're lucky you even have people cheering for you.

So how's that for negativity, you little crybaby?

Over at Redsoxchick.com, I found another instance of Youk bitching. I had read this before but I needed somewhere to link it to.

"Boston is lucky right now,” said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. “We just hope finally one day the fans will realize how special it is. There should be such a positive overtone in this city, because there’s so much going on. We still see on a daily basis, there’s a lot of negative. It just doesn’t make sense. You need to realize how lucky you are to have championship teams and teams that compete and go to the playoffs.
“I think the fans need to realize that there’s no more suffering in Boston. If they want to see some suffering, they should go to Cincinnati and watch my Bengals."

We cheer all the time. We (and by "we' I'm talking about the average Red Sox fan) support the team even when we can tell you're not trying that hard. When Julio Lugo was in that vicious slump last year, what did the fans do? They cheered for him! (Ok, not everyone did. I don't like him whether or not he's hitting). Youk and the rest of the players get treated like GODS in this town, and because of that, we expect more from our players than maybe some other cities do.

Maybe you should actually look around the park when you come up to bat. You see all those people? They're chanting "Yooooooooouk!" because they're supporting you. You see all of those signs professing their love for the Red Sox? Yeah, they're from people who are there to support you. For God's sake, the hundreds and thousands (and millions) of people who show up to the parade to celebrate with you guys when you won? What on Earth do you think those people are doing? They're supporting you! But maybe you don't deserve it.

I'm not a perfect fan. I sit silently for Lugo's AB's. When JD Drew came to town, he got the same silent treatment. Now that he's shown me he can be an important part of this team, I give him the same enthusiasm I give everyone else. I do not boo any players during game time. You have to support your team. Or you sit there and shut up. Booing is not appropriate. But don't victimize yourself by claiming every Red Sox/Boston fan is negative and we need to appreciate how good we have it. Screw you. It's obvious Youk has no idea how passionate the Boston fans typically are. Either that or he doesn't care. Maybe we'll let the Astros take you home with them, and see how you like their fanbase.

There's enough Boston-sports-fan bashing going on around the globe without you contributing to it. Where the hell is this negativity that you have such a problem with? I want to know. And if you can't provide an answer, then I suggest you STFU and play, and we'll keep cheering you on (whether or not you deserve the support) Ok?