After 2006 ended in a disappointing way I was actually hoping there would be less people coming to the park. While I’m very happy we won the WS there is a downside. Gone were the days where you and your friends could show up, get some tickets (anywhere) and take a few extra seats to yourself. You didn’t need season tickets to ensure you could see the games you wanted. The people who were at the park were there to watch some baseball and the few that weren’t wouldn’t get in your way.
Despite what looked to be a promising 2007 season we all know that it has actually fallen apart but the popularity of going to the park in the South Side has continued even into the “dog days of summer”. I know Brooks Boyer and team have been working hard to still draw crowds despite an under .500 season and a big letdown in 2006….but can we have a night that teaches these bandwagon yahoos how to act at a Major League game? I appreciate the hard work done by Brooks and co. but a lot of people that come in don’t care about the game. It’s not as bad as that place up north but sometimes I’m afraid it’s going to turn into it.
FIRST AND FOREMOST DO NOT DO THE WAVE!! This is not college football. It’s bad enough that the jumbo-tron flashes commands for the crowd to cheer at random times but why do people feel compelled to start the wave?! Why? If you aren’t interested in watching the game, go home. These are professionals working their craft. They get paid MILLONS of dollars to do what they do and some people actually want to watch them. It’s so distracting for fans who are there to watch, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be playing and have people doing the wave…blatantly telling you they aren’t interested in what you are doing. It’s disrespectful and annoying.
The worst night for this was just this past Thursday. We had just come off sweeping “De-troliet” and had beaten Cleveland in 13 innings with a walk-off by Juan Uribe the night before (after two HRs by JD and AJ that tied the game on two separate occasions—really exciting stuff!!) DET and CLE are at the top of our division, if we were going to make up any ground and salvage anything of this season this was the time to do it and we were off to a good start. The offense was picking up and supporting the starters, the bullpen was clicking, Bobby Jenks was nearing both an AL record and two Major League records and I was feeling pretty good about the team again.
As I crossed under the 35th Street viaduct I saw an abnormally high number of teenage girls, bouncing around, all with over-sized bows on the tops of their heads. Cheerleaders.
Some in their uniforms others in matching school shirts and shorts and others with Sox shirts (but there was no mistaking they were cheerleaders too— the bows are a dead giveaway).
I was there last year when they all convened on the South Side and apart from a little more chatter in the stands I don’t remember it being that bad so I had no reason to think any differently for that night.
Although my seats are right behind home plate the view can be blocked if people are walking around when they aren’t supposed to be as there is actually a landing in front of my seats (between stair sections). I am at the top of the first set of stairs. Anytime anyone gets up and walks around I can’t see (nor can a good handful of other people). It’s not bad during games that have fans actually interested in the game and/or people who understand baseball etiquette (or etiquette at any sporting event for that matter.) If you don’t know when you aren’t supposed to be walking around during a game use some common sense, if the batter is in the batter’s box and the pitcher is ready to throw it’s probably not the right time to be walking around—it’s amazing to me how many clueless people there are, they probably don’t even know there is a time to leave your seat and a time to sit tight. (Due to this problem I am on a waiting list to move my seats.) Just because you aren’t interested in really watching the game doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t either. There are 30- 40K people there, I’m pretty sure you could find a handful of interested parties.
Some of the wandering around is for an even worse reason. It’s due to people who can’t figure out where they are sitting. Hmmm, let’s see, everyone needs a ticket to get in. Every ticket has a section number, a row number and even a seat number. To make it even easier once you get inside there are easy-to-read signs that tell you which section is which, what row is where and each seat is numbered. These ballpark planners are geniuses as they took it a step further in that all the numbers are consecutive. Section 110 is next to section 111, row 8 is behind row 7 and even the seats follow the normal numerical progression and, again, every single seat in every single row is marked with its number. You would think they idiot proofed it. Unfortunately LOTS of people prove them wrong every game. I can’t tell you how many at-bats I miss due to wandering, clueless morons who don’t know where to sit.
The United Center and many other hockey arenas hold guests from walking around at inappropriate times, why can’t it be done at the ballpark?
Anyway, back to Thursday night with the cheerleaders. As a reminder we were playing the top team in our division. We had just come off sweeping the Tigers (which I believe knocked them out of first) and we beat CLE the night before with a walk-off HR in the 13th. Buehrle started the night by striking out Grady Sizemore but then walked Casey Blake. There was a base hit by Martinez, Garko flew out to Fields and then a 6-4 play got Martinez at second. We were up and down 1, 2, 3 but Buehrle returned the favor by sending them down 1, 2, 3 the next two innings. Sox scored two in the second thanks to base bits by Uribe and Richar and one more in the third. Buehrle started to fall apart in the 4th and so did sections 528, 529 and 530.
The cheerleaders in 529 and 530 seemed to be fine. I noticed their coaches were making sure their girls were kept in line as needed before the game and because I didn’t notice them once the game started I’m going to say things were good. At this point the biggest problem was on the field. Section 528, however, went from mildly annoying to the point of me going to Customer Relations. I think they were from Lincoln Way but I can’t say for sure. At some point they got out of their seats and began SCREAMING “1, 2, 3” with an accompanied “woooOOOOOoooo” while trying to get the wave going. They had some takers to their left (more cheerleaders and bandwagon fans) but the other side (529, 530 and even the rest of their own section) was not interested. It quickly escalated from being annoying to extremely obnoxious and distracting. If you’ve ever heard the Adam Sandler cheerleader sketch it was a lot like that except these girls didn’t eventually get it. They just kept going, each time more obnoxious than the last.
As a former cheerleader (of 12 years) I can tell you that it is a cheerleader’s responsibility to have respect for the game, the athletes and the crowd. I’m not sure these girls could spell responsibility much less give a definition of respect. You are not to take away from the game; you should know when you are welcome and when you are not. You should know when to cheer and when to shut up.
When I was cheering in high school there were certain sections we didn’t bother. We knew the players’ parents weren’t that interested in watching us so we stayed away. We usually stuck to the student section or the band. For those sections in between it wasn’t that hard to tell if people want you around or not. If you can’t tell from their faces the lack of participation should be a big clue.
Cheers are only to be done during an adequate break in play. There was none of this happening Thursday, just an incessant 1, 2, 3 wwooooOOOOoooo (don’t forget, they weren’t in their seats, they were running up and down the aisle). When people wouldn’t participate they were yelling at the crowd, not really something real cheerleaders should be doing.
We thought they finally gave up for good at one point as they all ran down the stairs at one time. Those not interested in their cries for attention clapped and cheered as we all thought they were going away.
Instead they brought the big bowed airhead party train to our section and stood right in front people (on the landing and staggered down the stairs) completely blocking not only my view but also the view of a lot of other people around me. As they ran up the stairs I told them, “NO!” I told them to sit down, that we were watching the game, etc. (as did other people around me) but they did not care. I really think they should find a pole to dance around since they seem to be in such desperate need of being the mindless center of attention. They make for horrible cheerleaders. I’d like to see them meet the girls in “Wildcats”. “U-G-L-Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly!”
I pushed them out of the way and went down to Customer Relations. I really wanted to push them down the stairs or off the upper deck but I took all that I had in me and refrained.
Things calmed down after that but I was “lucky” enough to have the ringleader’s parents sitting nearby. They look over at me and the other season ticket holders in my row and asked if we were season ticket holders. We said yes. They then have the nerve to tell us that next year when we “look on the calendar and see that it’s spirit night, don’t come”. EXCUSE ME?! I pay thousands of dollars to sit in those seats to watch these games. I don’t make a lot of money and sacrifice a lot of things so that I am able to afford these tickets and some &#@*(&$# are going to tell me I shouldn’t come because their stupid daughter and her friends don’t know how to behave and haven’t the slightest clue what cheerleading is about??!!
I told them they should teach their daughter how to act in public and to have respect for people around her and the game. No response.
I can’t believe the nerve but I guess it’s to be expected. If the idiot parents don’t understand or care then how would their kids understand? Sad but true. I’m also left wondering where their coach was at this point. I can’t imagine a school sending a bunch of students to represent the district and not sending an adult who would provide adequate supervision.
Next year I hope whoever it is doling out the tickets can put them all together in sections separate from the rest of us like they do for the day camps because one bad apple has definitely spoiled the whole bunch for me.