Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Rude Royals fans rain on Robinson's parade


I didn’t think I’d see a worse display of sportsmanship and sour grapes than the St. Louis Post Dispatch putting an asterisk on its back page headline about Johan Santana’s no-hitter against the Cardinals. But the Kansas City Royals fans proved me wrong.

The non-stop abuse Royals fans heaped on Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees turned what should have been a positive, festive event into a nightmare for the Yankees second baseman that overshadowed what was truly a fun competition. I was astonished by the lack of class shown by the hometown fans.

I understand their disappointment over Billy Butler not making it on to the American League Home Run Derby team, but it’s not Cano’s fault that he was forced to choose his team before he knew who was going to be on the All-Star roster. If anything, their misplaced anger should have been directed at Major League Baseball. But there was no justification for the constant vitriol they directed at Cano. I was actually embarrassed for Royals fans, whose lack of hospitality proved them unworthy of hosting the All-Star game.

Cano claimed he wasn’t bothered by the sustained booing, attributing his poor performance in the Derby to a lack of sleep following Sunday night’s late marathon against the Red Sox. But it seemed that he was somewhat unnerved by the vicious treatment. He’s a member of the Yankees so booing comes with the territory. But I’m sure he didn’t expect that kind of treatment at an event that is supposed to celebrate the game and be a fun display for the fans. And he sure didn’t deserve it.

I’ve never been to St. Louis or Kansas City before and I’ve always wanted to go, especially to St. Louis, which is known to be a great baseball town. But after their behavior over the last few months, I think I’ll spend my travel dollars elsewhere. 

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