When Good Boos Go Bad

Admit it...it's fun to boo.

It's certainly cathartic isn't it? I mean, who has more inner angst to let loose with than New Yorkers. It's a stressful city, and the least its patrons ask for is an honest effort from their sports heroes who they pay good money to watch perform. Especially from their sports heroes who make $12 million dollars a season.

But is it too early in the season to boo Carlos Beltran? Sure Beltran's 2005 season, while not a complete disaster, fell well short of expectations of someone who inked the contract that he inked. And there are many who think that Beltran got himself a free pass last season, from fans and media alike. So, in the true spirit of making up for lost time, Met fans booed Beltran with gusto after his 0 for 3 became 0 for 4. Benefit of the doubt, which served as Carlos Beltran's guardian angel in 2005, has flown away. You're on your own now, Carlos.

But therein lies a bigger question. Would a player who's constantly booed be better served with a little TLC from fans? I guess that it depends on who the player is. Some players love being booed and thrive off of it...Barry Bonds is one who comes to mind. But there are very few who can take boos, especially home boos, and turn it into a positive. Judging on the awful series Beltran had in Houston last season, where boos replaced breathing, I don't think he's that type. Besides, New York fans generally will not choose supportive cheering over booing when their target isn't going well. Cheering regardless of production is something seen 'round these parts as small market with a touch of backwater. Such behavior isn't seen as sophisticated enough for New York fans...and I say that in response to a reader who mentioned that he thought Mets fans were more sophisticated than to boo in response to an 0 for 4 on opening day. My response to that is that I get the feeling that Met fans almost equate booing to sophistication...proof that they're paying attention.

Now I'm not about to blast anyone for booing (considering I once booed my mother for putting too much salt on the meatloaf, that would seem a tad hypocritical for me, and take that from a guy who was once booed at Shea Stadium), but one night after Beltran felt the wrath of New York's craziest came proof that the TLC method can work.

Consider the case of New York Rangers goalie Kevin Weekes. He became a Ranger initially with the role of starting goaltender. But as is often the case, another goalie catches fire, starts a love affair with the fans, and Weekes is not only banished to the background, but somehow held to a higher standard than starter Henrik Lundqvist as Weekes has been the one target of whatever angst Ranger fans have left. When Weekes started a recent home game against Buffalo, his first home game in about six weeks, he was pulled after two periods of not being able to stop a dump truck in favor of Lundqvist who shut the door and saved the game. But tonight against the Flyers, the kind of team Ranger fans think Weekes has been facing too much, there was no safety net as Lundqvist was out with a hip flexor. To the fans' dismay, it was Weekes or nothing.

The recipe for disaster simmered as Weekes gave up two big rebounds leading to Flyer goals to give up the lead. The predictable moaning and groaning (along with the booing) commenced, along with the derisive cheer for each Weekes save, no matter how easy. But then something strange happened...as Weekes heated up...a sprawling save against Joni Pitkanen...a breakaway save against Sami Kapanen...he won the fans over. Sure Weekes had to earn his cheers tonight, but to hear not only cheers, but sustained cheers and even a chant of "Weeeeeeeeeeeekes" or two, this was something a bit different. This was the New York fan in a Florence Nightingale moment. This was the New York fan saying "hey, we're going to need you...we're behind you. Let's keep this going." And you could tell that the fans' support buoyed Weekes, who only gave up one inconsequential shootout goal the rest of the way as the Rangers clinched their first playoff berth in eight seasons...who would have thought that a long awaited playoff berth would be clinched on the back of Kevin Weekes. Being at the game tonight, I'm not sure I've been part of a moment quite like that. The fans didn't have to get behind Weekes in quite the manner they did, but Weekes earned it, and the New York fan responded with...gasp...a little TLC.

In terms of Beltran, everybody has to make their own decision on a day to day basis on whether to boo or not. Here's the bottom line to me, and it's something to consider: Just as one can have high standards on certain things, as a Met fan I have some high standards when it comes to booing. The Mets have had so many players come through here that truly deserve boos, that it takes a little more than struggling by itself to get me to boo. I guess that's why I've always (well, mostly) defended Braden Looper. Looper struggled in year two, but I put Armando Benitez in a higher class of boo, for not only blowing saves, but for being a big baby about it. At least Looper was injured last season and tried to keep it to himself...the anti-baby. So I'll boo Benitez, not Looper. I'll boo Kaz Matsui...but really, his only crime is being scouted as more than what he was. Find me those scouts, and I'll boo them louder and longer. Roger Cedeno? Yeah, his second stint with the Mets was garbage, but he had a pretty damn good first stint, which is more than you could say for Bobby Bonilla, who had two stints littered with threats and earplugs and ace high straights. And don't get me started on Robby Alomar.

Beltran? Well as of now, his only crime is making a lot of money. Hey who doesn't make a lot of money in this sport? The expectations are high this season so Beltran should expect to hear it if he doesn't commence pounding the baseball and stealing bases at a Hendersonian rate immediately. And he would deserve to hear it. I just wonder if some April showers of love would bring some May flowers...or perhaps some October roses as well.