We are a town without pity, and we often wear it as a badge of honor. We like to croon: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”
But the boobirds who swooped down on Jason Bay when his head concussed against the left-field wall Friday night at the end of a play where he sacrificed his body to make a $66 million play is a sad reminder that, sometimes, there are too many among us who deserve pity. Bay was placed on the seven-day disabled list yesterday.
It was only a small minority, certainly, but it is disgraceful behavior that someone, anyone, would cheer the departure of a staggered, disoriented player who has not given their Mets, 4-1 losers to the Reds last night, any bang for their exorbitant bucks.
Shame on you. And you know who you are.
Professional sports is a results-oriented business, but it doesn’t mean that any fan should channel his inner Lombardi at those moments when Compassion Isn’t Everything, But It Is The Only Thing.
“It was disappointing last night what happened when he came off the field,” Josh Thole said. “This guy works harder than anybody, and to get the response when a guy is hurt when he comes off the field is disappointing more than anything.
“Because nobody has any idea other than the 25 guys in here and the coaching staff what this guy goes through on a daily basis. He’s a really good player … he mans left field better than I’ve ever seen. … And it was unfortunate that it happened at this time ‘cause he was getting hot.”
Thole was behind the plate Friday night when Bay, assisted by Terry Collins and trainer Ray Ramirez, walked by groggily and disappeared into the dugout, and into a foggy future. He was horrified by what he heard and saw.
“Personally, to hear people, to watch fans saying, ‘Get off the field. … Thank goodness.’ Like, off the field? This guy’s hurt. I mean, you kidding me? That’s disappointing.”
It’s infuriating. It’s classless.
“I was watching him walk into the dugout, and watch people like … taunting clapping him … that’s discouraging to me,” Thole said.
Thole (three concussions, knows the frightening aftereffects that Bay, resting at home with his second concussion in two years, must again endure.
Bay’s decline in New York has been mystifying to everyone. But to his teammates, to his manager, he is no $66 million bust. Because through it all — the first concussion, the fractured rib, the flu, this — he has been a man. It is a sad thing to all those who recognize how humbling the game can be having to watch a former All-Star try desperately to unlock the key to success, and fail time and time again.
Go ahead and boo a bum, we’ve had plenty of them here.
Go ahead and boo Jonathan Niese for yielding a three-run home run to Jay Bruce in the first inning. Go ahead and boo the Flushing Slumber Co. coming up smaller than Mini-Me in the clutch against Homer Bailey.
Don’t boo a concussed Jason Bay.
“That seemed to be a little bit classless in my opinion,” R.A. Dickey said. “That’s a pretty significant injury if it’s his second concussion. That was unfortunate that people responded that way.”
Jon Rauch on Twitter: “Very disappointed with the fans who booed Jason Bay as he came off the field. This is a serious injury that affects his livelihood and his well-being. He plays his heart out every time he takes the field.”
Whatever torment Bay has felt in New York, he has suffered it in silence.
“I think that’s one of the reasons we admire him — is that is that hadn’t come easy for him at all here in New York,” Dickey said. “But, he punches the clock every day … you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell if he’s batting .350 or batting .180. The people away from the clubhouse don’t get to see that part of it.”
David Wright: “It’s obviously tough when you sign a big deal and you kinda come in and you’re supposed to kind of help turn the offense around … and you just see how much he cares … you want to see good things happen to good people.”
Look in the mirror if you booed Jason Bay.
“You’re talking about, from what I saw, a very very small minority of the crowd booing,” Wright said.
One is too many.