The reactions are coming in from my first article on the Milwaukee welcome Ryan Braun got in his first at-bat. Read my initial post titled WHY DID RYAN BRAUN GET A STANDING OVATION? Then read the fan react: BACKING RYAN BRAUN: A BREWERS FAN'S TAKE.
I am neither surprised by nor critical of their reactions. This is America – we have the right to cheer for whom we want, freedom of speech and all that. I will be the last person to say that you cannot cheer for your heroes.
I sympathize with Brewers fans. Their record was 41-56 when Braun was suspended, and they went 33-32 afterwards. Losing is no fun, and when baseball suspends your best hitter for the rest of the season, it can be demoralizing. When he returned, I could see where the fans take encouragement that this season is going to be better than the last that they would have something about which to cheer. My criticisms on the topic stem from my love for the game. I was always taught that nothing you accomplish through cheating is really an accomplishment. Which is why I was baffled by the ovation given to Ryan Braun. I understand a welcome back cheer, not a standing ovation.
I realize that Yankees will be in the same situation on Opening Day next year. Alex Rodriguez is serving a season-long suspension over the same incident. The investigation into Alex Rodriguez has been going on for a lot longer, and Yankee fans have been split on their opinion of him. At the Stadium, some fans have booed and some have cheered. Nevertheless, there are no unanimous ovations for a guy who may have tarnished the image of the Yankees and the image of baseball as a sport.
It reminds of a game I went to years ago, Armando Benitez’ first game as a Yankee. He came in to the game and was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos. I was on the booing side, because I remembered what he did. He famously hit Tino Martinez in the back with a fastball in 1998, clearing both benches in a famous brawl between the Orioles and the Yankees. That kind of thug behavior did not belong in an organization with our legacy, and at least some of the fans understood the difference between right and wrong.
This is what I love about Yankee fans. It is not about winning at any cost. It is about playing with honor and winning with integrity. It is about a team and a sport that I can point my kids to, showing them what hard work, honorable competition, and fair play looks like. I am just glad I am not alone.
--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row
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