Monday, October 13, 2008

Dodging abuse

Decided to take in an NLCS game Sunday evening.  Thought I'd see a great battle between two worthy opponents.  Instead I saw a one-sided onslaught that sent the losers running for cover.

And I'm not talking about the game on the field.  The anger, violence and hatred that permeated the stands cast a despicable shadow over anything for which Dodgers fans might feel pride.  If it was my team, I'd be embarrassed.

I wore a blue hat and blue shirt to the game though I didn't have much rooting interest for either side.  [[Disclaimer: if I had to pick a side, I'd like to see the Dodgers win because I've got family that used to live in Brooklyn in the Brooklyn Dodgers days, so why not.]]  I figured the blue would allow me to blend in.  I didn't really factor in the fact that the friend I went with was wearing his Phillies gear.  I figured it'd be no big deal though.  Sure, the Dodgers fans would probably boo him or taunt him, but how bad could it really get?

Little did I know.

Other than the "F*** the Phillies" chants that echoed in Chavez Ravine, things really got ugly when a Dodgers fan across the aisle started to run his mouth to the Phillies fan to my left.  The Phillies fan, to his credit, ignored the guy and just stared straight ahead, which only made the guy more intent to get a reaction out of him.  He started taking his rally towel and flicking it at him and threatening to pour his beer on the guy.  The Phillies fan got up, found an usher, and asked the usher to get the guy to stop.

When the usher confronted the fan, he became an angelic boy scout, cordially shaking the usher's hand and trying to explain how it was "all a misunderstanding."  The usher allowed the Dodgers fan to remain in his seat, and once the usher left the section, things really escalated.  The taunts of "help I need an usher" began to pick up.  Each time a Phillies fan walked up the aisle to the concourse, they were bored and forced to dodge an onslaught of peanuts catapulted toward them.

The Dodgers fan next to me, a nice guy who himself was repulsed by the actions of his fellow Dodgers fans, told us, "That guy does not represent Dodgers fans.  That guy represents drunk ass assholes.  Do not get the two confused."

If only the assholes weren't an overwhelming majority.

The boiling point occurred late in the game when two young ladies wearing red Phillies shirts tried to get their picture taken at Dodger Stadium.  While one fan held the camera, the girls positioned themselves against the rail in the front row, posing for a great snapshot with historic Dodger Stadium as the backdrop.  Dodgers fans decided booing would not suffice and a few men stood up and blocked the photographer from taking the picture.  The girls at first laughed it off, assuming the men would eventually let them get their photo.  No luck.

Dodgers fans began cursing out the women for apparently trying to show them for by taking a picture of themselves wearing Phillies gear in Dodger Stadium - yeah, it makes perfect sense.  *rolling eyes*

The photo incident erupted into a shouting match between rows of inebriated Dodgers fans and two petite women wearing red.  After cries of "Why doesn't somebody do something?" from the family sitting near us, ushers eventually came in to eject the offending Dodgers fans.

At first, the masses assumed the Phillies fans would be ejected and began chanting "na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye."  When they realized that fellow Dodgers fans were being kicked out, they began booing.  You'll even see in this video at the end of the clip one Dodger fan shares some choice words with the ushers and gets himself ejected for mouthing off.


When the seventh inning stretch hit, the nice guy next to me told me not to worry as most of the fans would be leaving soon.  He said that the fans stay to sing and leave.  "There's a whole generation of kids that think the game ends when you sing.  They don't find out til they're ten.  Like 'What? Baseball goes nine innings?'"

We stood for the seventh inning stretch and a singer took the field to sing God Bless America.  Just before she started to sing, the Dodgers fans around us once again started a "F*** the Phillies" chant which bled into the first verse of God Bless America.  Maybe it's because these specific fans behind us don't feel as close to this country because they didn't appear to be from here, and that's their prerogative, but don't start chating "F*** the Phillies" during God Bless America.  I had had enough and turned around to tell these fans to shut up for this song.  

While a few Dodgers fans next to me gave me looks of approval and thanks for attempting to put a stop to the foul-mouth chants during the song, the fans who had been yelling "F*** the Phillies" glared at me as if I'd told them the Dodger Dog tasted like crap.  It's not like they were chanting this during Take Me Out To The Ball Game.  It was God Bless America.  Can the bitching and taunting not wait 30 seconds?

To cap the night off, as we exited the stadium, a local TV reporter interviewed my friend the Phillies fan, during which time some Dodgers fans stole his hat and doused it with beer.  It's all on tape too.  Should make for exciting B-roll for KCAL 9.  

Walking through the parking lot after the game, Dodgers fans jeered my friend for the beating that LA put on Philadelphia in the game.  My friend said nothing more than, "we're still up, 2-1," and this pack of fans became irate, threatening to "throw down" with us if we didn't get moving.

I've been to Dodger Stadium before.  I've had fun there before.  But that night has left a severe scar on how I view Dodger Stadium and Dodgers fans.  You always hear about Raiders fans at the black hole, or Philadelphia fans booing Santa, or college football rivalries that provide tense moments.  But I could have enjoyed my life as a sports fan blissfully unaware of how utterly classless, thoughtless, and gutless some of the Dodgers fans act.

My optimistic side would love to believe that I was merely seeing the exception, not the rule.  Sadly, the majority of fans on Sunday were exceptionally unruly.

If you're a Dodgers fan and saw any of this behavior, please tell me I'm wrong that this is the majority.  I do want to believe that, but there was no evidence supporting that claim on Sunday.  I'd like to believe fans - not just Dodgers fans, but sports fans in general - are capable of a mutual respect to grant fans of opposing teams.  When you can't feel safe wearing your teams colors in an opposing stadium, something has got to change.

53 comments:

David F. said...

Thanks for the link to my blog Josh. I swore never to go back to that hellhole of a stadium after that night, but now that we are one win away from eliminating those assholes I might just go back to rub in the win.

That being said, even that doyger fan sitting next to you was an ass...when he was sitting next to me he made sure to scream in my ear every time the crowd got a lame chant going. Dodger fans are the worst fans in baseball, plain and simple. For my take on the evening, check this out:

http://somewhatopinionated.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

My friend sent me a text message saying "I've never feared for my life like I did tonight", and that's coming from a guy who regularly wears Phillies gear into Shea Stadium. Philly fans get such a bad rap, but it sounds to me like LA fans are worse.

Brett Schiller (Sage) said...

Yo Josh,
Link off of the700level.com to see your post and I enjoyed it despite what you guys went through.

I love how Phillies fans get the bad wrap even though booing Santa happened in 1962 (my dad was 4 btw) yet in that time Dodgers fans had to be told by Lasorda over the PA to stop throwing stuff on the field or they had to forfeit a game (in '98/99 i believe)

Phillies fans are loud to their players and opposing teams fans but if the other fan is of a good nature you don't see a problem (unlike rowdy Mets fans where fights break out). Plus the majority of us know what the hell is going on in the game, you can't say that for Dodgers fans.

Anonymous said...

Does KirkGibson88 not prove exactly what this article was stating in a way?

Anonymous said...

I'm truly sorry that your experience at Chavez Ravine was a bad one and ruined by drunk assholes. I am a dodger fan and NEVER sit in the cheap seats for the same reason. It's a shame but the truth is that many of the bandwagon assholes outnumber the rest of us. When I do get a chance to sit next to an opposing fan, I and the group that I usually go with go out of our way to make them feel welcome. If you ever decide to come back to the ravine, I would suggest that you try sitting in a lower level area. I am Mexican-American and proud of it but when I see those assholes screaming chants when there are little kids and families around it makes me want to apologize to everyone at the game.

Anonymous said...

BTW, I hate Shane Victorino and he is the only one that is exempt from my "play-nice" baseball policy.

Kirkgibson88- You are not helping..

GoPhils said...

Bluelou yea thats why Victorino tryed to make amends after the asshole pitcher "Ninja" went head hunting but hot since he doesnt speak english he though it was some sort of threat Shane Victorino was the one bieng nice my play nice policy stop with ramirez who was the one who got all hot headed

GoPhils said...

By the way phils are going to the world series dodgers dont have a chance

Josh said...

The whole purpose of being a fan in sports is for the vicarious thrills of seeing your team succeed. Earlier this season, I attended a Cowboys/Eagles game in Dallas, and while the Eagles fans in Texas Stadium were - well, for lack of a better word - Eagles fans, there was no beer-dumping, peanut throwing, or abuse. Sure there was an occasional anti-Eagles chant, but I think "Eagles suck" was about as harsh as it got.

I appreciate everyone's comments on the issue. If anything comes from this, I hope the next time you're at a sporting event supporting your home team and you encounter opposing fans, you don't have to buy them a beer, you don't have to make a new friend, and you don't even have to make eye contact with them. But don't make such a poor representation of your franchise that it becomes overly off-putting. The only reason we're not talking about Raiders fans here is because of how poor they're playing.

@bluelou
Good to know there are some decent fans out there. I know this post is a representation of the bad apples, but at the same time, you know things are bad when I begin feeling sorry for Philadelphia fans.

@kirkgibson88
case & point

@david
It's like I told you at the game, the ultimate revenge has always been and forever will be the bright bulbs of the scoreboard.

Josh said...

fyi, the last time I went to Dodger Stadium, the tone of the evening was much different:

Now walk it off

Take me out to the (beach-)ball game

And in the interest of not necessarily fairness, but irony, here's a brief post on a look at sports fans from Philadelphia (posted May '07).

Anonymous said...

nice work, josh, and thanks again for making sure I got to my care safely after the game. it's sad that it had to come to that honestly.

-Mike (MPR529)

Anonymous said...

Josh,

I agree with you 100%. As a 40+ year Dodger Fan, the thug element has really gotten to be a drag. (I thot this ended when the Faders left town). Ushers should be given tasers and truncheons (and the power to use them) on this pocho scumbag element. I can't even take my son to a game anymore - how friggin' pathetic is that? These posers are NOT Dodger fans - they're gang-scum Raider fans with LA tatoos. By the way, lots of F-bombs and cheap beer doesn't make you tough, Ese. That's right - spell it out like it is. These are underprivileged and low class people - the same types we saw looting stores during the riots. The same bunch that leaves their trash behind at the beach. The same people who think prison tats and baggy pants make a statement. Selfish, angry and pissed off that they are so not empowered in their pathetic lives.

I am, and always will be, but 90% of the fans make me want to puke. As a native Angelino, I have that right.

Anonymous said...

Philly fans always get a bad wrap, but we let things go pretty quickly. I know that we boo the other side, and yes, we do have that occasional asshole that makes the entire city look bad, but COME ON!

I can't wait for the Phils to clinch this series and shut those asshole Dodgers fans, coaches AND players up!

Anonymous said...

Jeez! Am I glad I picked San Fran to see an away Phillies game. I wore a Schmidt jersey, and even the one fan who razzed me at least said I had a good jersey on. Thos fans were busting on Bonds and Gallaragos, and I was in the cheapy-cheap bleacher seats. Civilized crowd, no cursing, no throwing things, nothing. Dodgers fans do sound like degenerate football fans. Maybe they need an in-stadium jail there instead of in Philly. Way to show some class L.A.!

Berg said...

it's because Dodgers fans arrive at the 3rd inning and leave by the 7th...this was too late for them. Us phillies fans get a bad rep, but you know what? We also have been cheering and booing through over 10,000 losses. Most Dodgers fans just found out they have a team in LA.

Amanda said...

Wow. Sorry you and your friend had a rough experience.

Phillies fans ALWAYS get ripped, but truth is it happens EVERYWHERE, and here is an example of it.

Anonymous said...

I'm just confused about why anyone would hate Shane Victorino. He's a young talented guy who plays the game the right way, with a lot of energy. Unless of course you're just being salty because he continues to get clutch hit after clutch hit against your team. That's acceptable.

Anonymous said...

>>>I'm just confused about why anyone would hate Shane Victorino.

We don't hate him per se... .He's a Dodger killer (as witnessed last night). I have nothing but respect (even though it rankles me when he comes up.)

Now Barry Bonds? Ugh.

Signed,
40 year Dodger Fan

Anonymous said...

i'm a season ticket holder at citizens bank park, and the only fans that show up regularly are mets fans, most are okay - in fact some have even bought me beers, but some can be unbearably rude... (i'm totally not counting my ages between 19 - 22 when i was a total jackass at the games...), to see the fact that LA has unruly drunkards actually makes me feel better about that 3 yr span of my life but, come on, there has to be limits, and i know about them because i got tossed from a game for havin mets fans feed me keg beer after the 7th (they also smoked a joint with me and we only got kicked out because one of them started pissin behind the bleachers in ashburn alley). To all the blue fans on my blogs: HAH

Seth "Whiggity" Wallace said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Seth "Whiggity" Wallace said...

Great blog for sure. Coming from a Giants fan living in LA, and going to at least 3,4 Doyer Giants games a year in Hell-A I can tell you how horrible the fans are. Oh well, Doyer fans are easily ammused. I love knowing more then them about their own team. Usually I will drop a little knowledge on them, they feel dumb, and leave me alone.

Anonymous said...

>>>> Oh well, Doyer fans are easily ammused. I love knowing more then them about their own team. Usually I will drop a little knowledge on them, they feel dumb, and leave me alone.

Remedial English would help here. Drop a little "dumb" elsewhere, thanks.

Anonymous said...

I've been a Dodgers fan since I was a child and the way LA fans acted on Sunday are lowbrow and bushleague! Yes I said it! I've been rooting for the Dodgers for over 25 years and the element is just horrible at Chavez Ravine. And for the most part, its mostly the low class, the uneducated, or ex cons/Raiders fans that normally start arguments, fights and the taunting. I enjoy going to Dodger Stadium to watch the game, shout an occasional "opposing teams sucks" and have a good time! Now its just how long before a Dodger fan gets kicked out by Security or LAPD. Oh well, what can you do?

Dodgers win in 7!

Anonymous said...

Kirkgibson88, you are probably as retarded as the fans in the video...You team stinks...better luck next year with your half asian/half latin american team. Now you why the Dodger players don't live in that gang zone.

Anonymous said...

I'm from Philly and spent a year out in LA. The fans in LA are by far the biggest front runners I have ever seen in my life. The idiot's who were giving the Phillies fans a hard time probably have no idea who most of the players on the Dogers are except for Manny, and they probably didn't even follow until they made the playoffs. The one thing about Philly fans is that they love their teams, which is evident by the hard time the players get as well. I wonder what those same idiots had to say last night, when we hit two homeruns in the eight to win it. Although, since it was in the eight inning they were probably gone by then.

Anonymous said...

You couldn't be more right. I went to the Dodgers/Cubs game last week as a Cubs fan and it was the same thing (and I was in the field level. I couldn't walk 10 feet without people taunting me and getting in my face.

I'm actually a Mets fan (my friend is a Cubs fan, so I go to Cubs games with him and he comes to Mets games with me). I HATE the Phillies, but my experience was so lousy that I actually find myself rooting for the Phillies in this series. The thought of those degenerates cheering any more than they already have pisses me off.

I've been to Phillies games as a Mets fan and can't even recall any trash talk directed at me (it was directed at the players). I don't know if it's the playoffs that bring it out of them, but they made Phillies fans look downright civilized.

Anonymous said...

Please don't lump all Dodger fans into this mess. I'm sick to my stomach at the behavior I witnessed at the game last night (Game 4).

Some of us are die-hard fans and we love our team every bit as much (win or lose) as the next fan.

We got beat last night, plain and simple. Well, our bullpen stunk but.... that's another topic.

*sigh*

KaraV said...

I, sadly, was there Sunday night as a Phillies fan. My seats were in the visitor's family's section, predominantly Phillies wives and mothers and offspring. The taunting was vicious and personal, culminating in a 60 something season ticket holder in head-to- toe Dodgers regalia standing up and shouting "we're going to kick your wives f-ing asses in the f-ing parking lot after the game!" Stunned silence ensued. An usher escorted the wife beater out but in a few minutes the baseball terrorist was back in his seat. As a philly girl, I do not have a soft shell at sporting events, but I have NEVER seen anything like it. I go to 6 or 7 games during the regular season, happily rooting for the hometown team. I will never go back to Dodger stadium.

KaraV said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dan said...

I live in Philadelphia and having been to dozens of games over the past few years at Citizens Bank Park, I have never seen visiting fan abuse even approaching the levels described here. Philly fans get a bad wrap, but it's due mostly to the perpetuation of stories by people who have never even visited the stadiums. People who actually attend the games generally have a much different view of the city and fans afterward.
And, for the record, Philadelphia has some of the most knowledgeable and respectful fans in the country. After beating the Phillies in the 1993 World Series with his walk-off home run, Joe Carter was the undisputed public enemy #1 in the city. But after collecting his 2000th career hit in Philadelphia in 1997, guess what happened. He received a standing ovation from the entire crowd of Phillies fans in attendance. Even Carter appreciated the significance of that enent: "They're great fans. When they acknowledge you, even though you are the opposition, it shows they're really into baseball."

Anonymous said...

It used be to that LA fans "didn't care", or "too quite because they are either celebs or just talking on their cellphone". So some Dodger fans get going at a game, basically how filthy fans have been all their life and now all of a sudden is a major catastrophy. East coast loser fans, especially Filthadelphia scumbags never cease to amaze me. Pot meet Kettle.

Anonymous said...

josh,

I was at Dodger Stadium two summers ago for a game when they played the marlins (little did i know the dodgers were actually playing the phillies the next day but i was flying back to jersey then!) and sat all the way up top, and i am thankful i didn't have an experience like you. those so-called dodger fans are absurd...even though it was a meaningless game i was at, the people around me were either dancing in their seats the whole time like fools trying to get attention or banging on whatever instrument they had the entire game annoying the hell out of the people who actually wanted to enjoy the game in front of them. in the 9th inning, some idiot ran onto the field and security couldn't even catch him right away. he ran around right field pretty much in circles because security got him, and what do you know, some moron thought it was hilarious and did the same thing. this was only a few minutes after the first guy came out and again, security didn't even catch him right away! the fact that there wasn't enough security to let the first guy on, and the the second moron was able to get on the field was crazy. me being a philly sports fan and hearing all the crap about how awful we are, i'm sick of it. philadelphia sports teams and their fans never get any respect and it is absolutely ridiculous, but what you had to deal with was even more ridiculous. my mouth dropped more and more as i kept reading your blog, i was in disbelief. you will NEVER see fools like that at phillies game. yeah we get in your face sometimes, and yes there are people who are a little extreme but never to the degree that you witnessed...it is such a shame. i can't wait until cole hamels shuts down the dodgers tomorrow night. hope you dodger "fans" enjoyed manny while he was here because he will most likely not be there after tomorrow, have fun watching him on another team next year!

Anonymous said...

Dodger fans just have to realize that 1. Myers was not throwing at Manny. Why would he want to put Manny on base? 2. As Phllies fans we may taunt some other teams fans (yes, we can be bad), but we would never taunt women who are fans from another team. People have to realize that it takes guts to wear your home team jersey to an out of town stadium, but to push somebody to the point of a bit of fear, that is a shame. Thank you for showing this blog. This just goes to shwo that there can be "bad fans" no matter where you go. Not just in Philly. GO PHILS!!!

Anonymous said...

Pot meet world series, Kettle meet late october vacation. Filthadelphia meet a dictionary (quiet/quite).

Anonymous said...

Oh boo hoo. I have been to Philly a million times and have seen a million jackasses chanting FUCK THE METS and other choice words at Mets fans. Have you ever sat in the upper deck of Citizens Bank park? It's pretty much the toilet bowl of Philadelphia. Search youtube.com for evidence of that. Philly fans are just as big of jerkoffs as anyone else, quit crying.

Anonymous said...

I was at the game. I was sitting near the "wife beater" that TrixyBell mentioned. He shouted that he wanted to know which one was the pitchers wife so he could kick her ass. Not only was it the dumbest taunt I have ever heard, he was sitting amongst the Phillies Friends and Family section. He and several of his drunk buddies spent most of the game looking away from the field taunting Phillies fans. I guess they thought the game was over.

I wonder if they were facing the field when Matt Stairs ended their hopes on Monday night? I'm going to the game tonight. I can't wait to watch the fair weather Dodgers fans crying in their beers when the Phillies take the series. I'll be wearing my Phillies hat proudly, but I will assume that some mongrel will try to kick my ass for no reason on the way to the car. Good Times.

Anonymous said...

I linked to your post on a similar post of mine (http://www.evanbrownmusic.com/2008/10/bloodthirsty-dodgers-fans/). Looks like we had similar sentiments about the fans! Go Phillies!!

Anonymous said...

Here's your recourse

This season, the Dodgers launched a hotline, (323) 224-2611, that fans can call during games to report abusive conduct, as well as e-mail service for suggestions ( fanfeedback@dodgers.com).

Anonymous said...

Article in today's Los Angeles Times couldn't be more timely. I guess my email to T.J. Simers yesterday did not fall on deaf ears (or at least the problem is on the radar).

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-sp-fans15-2008oct15,0,4925676.story

--- 40 Year Dodger Fan

Anonymous said...

Here is teh deal for those who were not at the and may be misunderstanding this post. I am from Philadelphia and went out to LA to see the game and visits friends. I have been to hundreds of games all over the country and experienced rowdy fans and a few tangles here and there. The point is this, THE GAMES IN LA WERE SCRAY. I have been to many games, and the only situation you really have to be weary of is a few drunk idiots starting a fight. The worst thing that can happen is a drunk fight, a few punches thrown and then security will break it up. Not at those games I just experienced. I, as well as others had guys throwing me gang signs and threatening my life (meanwhile I did not say one thing). There was no logic with these people. The guys in front of us were completely turned around yelling in my face and security did not do a thing. Again, any other stadium I would have done something, but here there was not reasoning amongst the crowd. I am not saying it was the entire crowd, but close to 90% of the upper deck.

I did have one mexican american come up to me at the end of the 7the and apologize to us. He told us to be safe we should leave midway through the 8th. I talked to him logically for an inning and left.
For those of you who are comparing LA to any other city with "knuckleheads", believe me, this was not like any other game. I thought if a fight went down, it was not going to end with a simple black eye or two

Anonymous said...

So, not only do we have to worry about head-hunters like your fabulous pitcher, but head-hunters in the stands now too?

And did anyone else miss the fact that Victorino only said "Aim for the ribs, I don't care, just not my head!"? And even though this confrontation was between SHANE VICTORINO and THE PITCHER, your little cocky "all-star" Ramierez (who *might* want to run next time instead of staying watching his "homerun") had to run to try and fight. You want to fight, play hockey. This is baseball.

Anonymous said...

I actually saw the news when your buddy was being interviewed... And I said - even Philly fans wouldn't be stupid enough to try to mess with someone ON CAMERA... that's beyond ignorant and solidified how moronic dodger fans really are.

They show up during oh about the 3rd inning, and leave by the 7th. That makes sense right?

Anonymous said...

josh,

there are many points that i agree with but you are (what C&R would call) the "pussification of America". you are the kind of person that gives out trophies to every kid in little league. away games are supposed to be HOSTILE environments. philly PHANS are proud of the fact that we are the worst fans in the country. in your sensible, well thought out ramblings, you forgot to mention the guy who hit jimmy johnson in the face with a snow ball and the people who stopped a baseball game by throwing batteries at JD drew. this may a little extreme, but these guys still tell that story to this day and are proud. cheering for your team is more about pride than anything else. if my team wins, i win. if my team losses, i lose. if i cant say that i'm better than a patriots fan, then why don't i root for the patriots. i am more appalled at the fact that you "stole" a seat from a serious dodger fan (not somebody whose grandparents grew up in brooklyn); somebody who would stand up and cheer there team on to victory, or give them hell if they lost. i guess there aren't that many real dodger fans since they couldn't sell out game 5 of the NCLS. i could not help but take shots at the losing team (and their fans) because my team won. GO PHILS!

Anonymous said...

To choklitthunder46 - Man, that is some muddled f@#$in' logic....

Congrats Phils, you were the better team.

--- 40 Year Dodger Fan

Josh said...

@ choklitthunder46
Congrats on your Phillies winning. I appreciate your comments, but I think you're missing my point. You should absolutely be proud to be a rabid fan. You should be proud when your team wins. You should be proud when you think of a witty comeback or retort to shout at the opposing team or opposing fans. But pride for throwing batteries? Now, you're starting to sound like the stereotypical Philadelphia sports fan - and that's not a compliment.

You're not talking to a bandwagon jumper here. I often criticize bandwagon jumpers. You're talking to a guy who grew up watching the Dallas Mavericks win 11 and 13 games in consecutive seasons. You're talking to a guy who hoped the Cowboys would win under Dave Campo. You're talking to a guy who actually goes to Texas Rangers games.

And on the note that I "stole" a seat from a "true" Dodgers fan, I paid half price for a $65 seat because I wanted to see a team I follow (you'll find the Dodgers logo on the mast head of this blog) and because first and foremost I am a sports fan. Ask my friends who are Phillies fans that I went to the game with if I was standing up and cheering for the Dodgers? I was.

But even if the Dodgers weren't the team playing. If it was Phillies and Padres and I lived in San Diego, I would have gone. If there is a pro sporting event going on near me, I want to see it. Ideally, I want to see my favorite teams - ideally Texas-based teams, but I love going to see any sporting event.

I'm not saying away games shouldn't be a hostile environment. They absolutely should be. Just not for the fans.

Anonymous said...

This blog entry hit me close to home. My boyfriend and I are Giants fans and we have learned to deal with the bulls**t that those crazy Dodgers fans always dish out. At one friday night game at ATT&T Park, a group of Dodgers fans threw two whole cups of beer at me because I politely asked them to move out of my seats. One of them even had the nerve to say, "Well if these are your seats, let me see your tickets!" They eventually got thrown out of the stadium by the 4th inning, and while they were being escorted out by the police they even had the audacity to say, "I'll be waiting to kill you outside, bitch." I still can't believe I stayed the entire game with my hair soaking wet in 60 degree weather. Yup...those Dodgers fans are sooooo classy.

Ohms said...

Philly fans always get accused of being the worst fans in sports, mainly because their misdeeds keep getting talking about while other fans' misdeeds do not. But the truth is, as your experience illustrates, that this happens everywhere. Makes me feel even better that the Dodgers were so convincingly spanked. Just sayin'.

Brett Schiller (Sage) said...

@ Josh
In response to your post on the Kevin Kolb booing by way of Donovon McNabb. I wanted to explain the story behind McNabb's boos.

A morning talk show host on 610WIP Angelo Cataldi had gotten into his head that he wanted Ricky Williams over Donovan McNabb with the 2nd pick (not bad as most of his problems were emotional, he's one of the few top 3 RB picks to show that talent, but the other side of him prevented that from happening). Anyway he worked himself into a lather as the draft approached as it looked more and more certain that McNabb would be the choice. At that time it was about 75%/25% in favor of McNabb because we had NO quarterback. Anyway, Cataldi recruited 30 guys, now known as the "Dirty 30" to this day to boo if the QB was taken. He was and they booed. I just state this to say, like more of the people here, there is an idiot element in all sports fans, it just so happens this was RECRUITED for this very purpose (btw Cataldi is still on the show and chided for it until this day as well, admitting he was wrong). and it went down that way

As for Kolb, nothing bad to say about the kid himself, the reaction was more about the fact that the Eagles had ONE offensive weapon in BWest and very good quarterback. So who do they draft, another quarterback! They failed to get a S to replace Dawkins (Merriweather was picked 24 by the patriots) they didn't get a WR (Gonzalez and Meachem there) or a TE (Olsen or Zach miller) and they basically created a QB controversy because "why did they pick a QB with McNabb there" was the debate until the preseason. Oh and the Eagles haven't drafted very well over the last few years, with the only real excellent class being 2002 (Sheppard, Brown, Michael Lewis, Westbrook, and Raheem Brock (cut)) and maybe 2008 (Trevor Laws, DeSean Jackson, Quentin Demps contributing)

Anonymous said...

Dish out the cash for field level tickets next time chumpzilla and you'll be fine. Then you can quit whining. I know the Armada probably doesn't pay you enough to get any decent tix though... Does the Armada even exist anymore??? Another thing is, you were that guy, The guy with the Blue hat and Blue shirt, but hates the Blue team? Kinda pathetic you are that scared.Pretty much devalues your baseball opinion right there.

Josh said...

The Long Beach Armada is getting ready for its 5th anniversary season here in Long Beach. Former Dodger catcher and 1981 World Series Co-MVP Steve Yeager is our manager. Come out to a game sometime. Season starts May '09!
www.LongBeachArmada.com

Now when did I say I hated the "blue team"?

Anonymous said...

I am a long time Dodger fan and was at Game 3. This was the first time I have ever sat in the notorious pavilion seats in the outfield and was very ashamed at how some drunken fans were starting fights, throwing peanuts and yanking off Philly fans caps. Normally, I sit in the field level or loge seats and have NEVER witnessed this type of abuse, aside from the normal razzing back and forth. On the other hand, many of the Philly fans came into the pavilion pumping their fists and talking smack from the get go. We had the unfortunate luck of having two Philly females screeching at the top of their lungs for "Jayyyysoooon....., Shannnnne, wooooo-hoooo, we lovvve youuuuuuuu!etc...." They were so loud and obnoxious and there was no reasoning with them to get them to sit down and shut up that a few Dodger fans "be-friended" them and kept them occupied. The nastiest thing said to them was when the score was 7-1, when another Dodger fan told them to give it a rest. There was a nice young man in a Victorino jersey sitting directly in front of me who was very respectful and paid no attention to the drunken comments coming from behind him. Aside from some incoming peanuts, he was generally left alone.
The "abuse" happens at every stadium and it's unfair to paint all Dodger fans with such a broad brush. As a 5'5" female, I was pushed by burly SF Giant fans at Candlestick, called a B and challenged to a fight in the parking lot by a drunken trashy chick just because the Dodgers won the game. Not all Dodger fans are hooligans and not all fans "come late and leave early". I for one, have been a fan for over 25 years and make it a practice of getting to the stadium at least an hour early and never leave before the final pitch no matter what the score is. For those Philly fans who came and endured abuse for no reason, I feel I can speak for most Dodger fans and say that we are embarrassed by the idiots who make the rest of us look bad. For those Philly fans who acted like jerks (and there were quite a few), you can't expect to act like cocky fools and not have people get irritated and angry. Don't start crap and then go online crying about it.

John said...

All i have to say is that if you don't want to get hassled as much, you can't sit in either of the pavilions or the top deck, and if you can not even in the reserved deck. Unfortunately this is where all the vagrants sit because thats all they can afford. I am a true blue fan, and experience this everytime I go. I either ignore or end up backing up the "other side." All that being said, if you truly don't want to be hassled, don't wear Giant's colors and don't go during the playoffs. Otherwise it is pretty tame.

Scott J Bishop said...

Well blogged my friend. That place is out of control. 2011 Opening Day for the Dodgers is just a complete disgrace!

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