July 9, 2007
It's All-Star Time
We have to admit to becoming positively stoked about all the All-Star Festivities these days, especially as tonight is the big Home Run Derby. Local sports talk radio is all over it, ESPN is here, Fox has been promoting the hell out of it, and Jay-Z is even throwing a party for it (and hey, Hovah, if you happen to be reading this and want to help hype it by having an on-the-spot reporter, just drop us a line). And we're not the only ones excited-- reports say that the All-Star Game is bringing the city big bucks.
Of course, it wouldn't be any sort of baseball event in the city without it becoming, at some point, not about the Giants or about the ballpark or baseball, but about Barry. First there was the controversy about him suddenly being elected into the All-Star Game after a fishy wave of votes at the last minute got him the selection. To add fuel to all the conspiracy fires, there's a story out there on the internet about some hi-tech company that pulled some high-tech wizardry to help Barry with the votes.
But it's not the selection of Barry to the game that's causing the controversy (face it, Barry has to be there), it's his decision to not do Home Run Derby. The decision brought the ire of Peter Magowan who criticized Barry for dropping out, a pretty significant thing because in fourteen years of being the man who pays Barry's checks, Magowan has done nothing but put his hands over his ears and shriek "I can't hear you" whenever told that Barry has done something wrong. We also have no official word on this, but when listening to Gary Radnich this morning, he said that at the behest of Major League Baseball, the Giants have taken down all the Barry related stuff in the ballpark: the signs, the numbers, maybe even the rubber chickens. Don't want that cognitive dissonance out there of making it look like you're celebrating somebody who you don't really want to celebrate even though you probably have to celebrate them.
And speaking of cognitive dissonance, we leave you with this note-- according to Deadspin, Cardinals fans booed Barry throughout yesterday's drubbing, and then booed the Giants when Barry was taken out. We would like to point out that if there are any fans out there who be considered all pot-like in calling a kettle black, it would be Cardinals fans.
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i have to agree with pete. the fans that put him into the game over soriano at the last minute certainly wanted to see him in the derby. shame on you barry.
Upper deck seats cost $100 for the derby! What a rip-off!
The prospects & celeb game had premium field club seats for just $125, and I was there (and on TV)!
I tagged a few pictures of Saturday's game on flickr for sfist, but it has not showed up on the tag search yet. But here, look: http://flickr.com/photos/agentakit/
I don't know, from a baseball perspective it makes perfect sense for Barry to sit it out; and from a Barry-being-Barry perspective it does too.
First, the dude's 43(?) years old. That's old. Have you ever tried to rip 25 balls straight 400 feet? It's not easy, and it's not easy on your body. Especially if you're old. Dudes don't go to the All-Star Game looking to get injured... and Barry's got a record to pursue. I bet he's just hedging his likelihood of injury and is looking to take it easy over the break.
Second, this way everybody will be talking about Barry without him having to be there to choke it all down. People will be talking about how he's not there, versus people talking exclusively about how "controversial" he is and how he "took steroids."
People who hate Barry are friggin' racists, by the way.
I was at the derby - I think it was BETTER without Barry. More about baseball, less about one dude.
I think any booing of Barry has more to do with his attitude towards the fans over anything else.
McGwire may have been a roided up freak just the same as Barry may be a roided up freak, but at least Big Mac was willing to play the nice guy when the cameras were on and appreciate that the fans existed and that millions of dollars kinda sorta makes you obligated to the fans that contribute to your paycheck. Same goes for Jason Giambi who by all accounts and his own admission was plenty juiced. However, again since he was generally seen as a nice guy who appreciated the fans... the negative things aren't necessarily as bad.
Most people don't see the same sort of fan service from Barry, and so everything negative about him is amplified. Justified or not, he's said plenty of pretty crappy things over the years and all the attitude about "it's a job" and not caring about baseball for baseball blah blah blah just wastes anything good most people can say about him. Giants fans are and always will be apologists for him, but the rest of the country has no incentive to like a guy who by all accounts doesn't like them.
He may be the best baseball player of all time (perhaps debatable, but I think it's justified if anyone wants to claim it) but he's been a pretty shitty person to most people who follow the game. Boos are appropriate to someone who disrespects the game as much as he has I think.