Ticket-gate is gaining traction as a mainstream media story now, and I love it that the Washington Post mentioned my blogging buddy The Nationals Enquirer in the second paragraph. Recognize!
I do have a pretty big question about the closing quote from the Phils' Jayson Werth:
During pregame introductions at Nationals Park Monday, Phillies fans booed Nationals staff and players and chanted "Sucks!" after the public announcer bellowed each name.
"That was impressive," Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth said. "It felt like all of right field was only Phillies fans. This kind of started to be our home away from home a little bit."
OK, some background before my question. As much as I hate to admit this, I really like a lot of the Phillies because, well, they're really good. REALLY good. Werth is one of my favorites. I'd pay an arm and a leg to have him in right field for the Nats.
If he was speaking of the general turnout of Phils fans and all, I'm fine with that. It is impressive.
If he was speaking specifically of the "sucks" chants during introductions and calling that impressive, I'm not fine with that and I'll lose a little respect for him. That's not impressive. That's juvenile trash.
I'd really like to know.
Let me add, 90 minutes after my original post: My fear is Werth was talking about the "sucks" chants because Adam is not the type to intentionally write something out of context. If Werth was indeed talking about the fan turnout in general, I don't want my post to come off as a knock on Adam. Proper context is important, always, but you write a zillion stories over the course of a spring and a season and sometimes, well, sometimes it doesn't happen.
Update at 4:30 p.m.: Adam added this explanation at the end of his current NJ:
One very quick clarification: In the story I wrote for today's paper, I ended with a quote from Werth. A few people wondered if he was talking about the fans jeering Nationals or about the crowd in general. Werth was talking about the crowd in general, and it is obvious how it could be misconstrued that he was talking specifically about the jeering. It was unintentional, but I should have been more careful with the quote and the context.
Me again - never for a minute thought it would be intentional. Another reason why I love Adam. Things happen. He owns up.
Congrats, too, to my man Chico for winning an APSE award as noted in that Nationals Journal.
10 comments:
Perhaps Fanhouse can contact the Phillies for clarification
Hmmm. Not a bad idea. Or perhaps Adam can simply explain since he talked to him.
My guess is Werth was referring to all the Philly fans there in general. Lets be honest, the Nats are going one further than Susan O'Malley by not just hyping up the teams coming, but also inviting their fans. Nats fans should be begging for a do-over with the ownership and management group in charge.
As an aside though, Werth has never been known as one of the classiest, friendliest guys in baseball.
This ain't going to make you feel any better.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2010/04/the_only_obvious_thing_about.html#more
This is the way its going to be until the ownership's priority is to get good.
In a sense the Lerners are no different than Dan Snyder. Who cares who is cheering for who as long as someone is filling the seats.
It's sad, but I don't understand the sturm and drang over this. The Nats have had scores of visiting NL East fans invading D.C. since the team came back. What was different about yesterday?
George T. - I wasn't there on Monday (thank goodness), but I was there for Opening Day last year. Yeah, there were a lot of Phillies fans in the stadium for Opening Day 2009, but NOTHING like what was described this time around. I could even hear the Phillies fans chanting on the radio broadcast.
The whole day was a big, fat FAIL, from the 30K in Phillies fans, to the bad pitching, to no offense, to our jerk President pulling on his White Sox hat before the first pitch. Just when you thought this team couldn't get any lower after last season's multiple debacles they manage to lower the bar ever further.
The sad part is, I have pairs of tickets for 17 games in my season ticket package and coupons for 10 more pairs beyond that and suddenly I'm not looking forward to being at the park so often.
When I read that, it didn't even occur to me he meant the "...SUCKS" chanting; I took "that" to refer to his fans showing up in DC in numbers. But you have a point. I don't imagine he's dumb enough to cop to it, though. At least, I would hope not.
Sofa - I suspect (and hope) you are right but the placement of the quote right after the description of the lovely chant does indeed raise the question.
Just updated the Post, Adam offered an explanation on Nationals Journal. Werth was speaking about the crowd in general, not the jeering.
Speaking of the MSM getting in on it ...
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Phillies-fan-invasion-was-orchestrated-by-th;_ylt=AieRbjbvWGLwOkobTAiR1RIRvLYF?urn=mlb,232653
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