Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Open Letter Of Apology
It is with shame and regret that I write this letter of apology.
Although I can honestly say that to this very moment I have never thrown anything onto a baseball field, I can no longer say that I have never tried.
Last night, while sitting in the very raucous outfield stands beyond the left field foul pole at Network Associates Coliseum during the A's-Red Sox game, I got caught up in the moment of frustration that many folks in the stands were feeling. (Not that the A's are my team of choice; rather it was Vegas-related interests that caused me to feel ripped off by the umpires. Nevertheless, the reason doesn't matter.)
All I know is, I've been known for years in my circle of friends for ripping into bush league fans who do bush league things like launch various projectiles onto baseball fields in a fit of protest. I've never had anything but contempt for jerks who do this sort of thing. And certainly on this website I have never taken the side of anyone who does anything like this. But for a brief moment, I shared frustration with A's fans last night, and thought, for the briefest of moments, that taking an empty cup and hurling it over the rows of people sitting in front of me and onto the field of play was a harmless, fun way of protesting a bad call by an umpire. This constituted a complete abandonment of my senses.
It is, of course, not harmless, and in retrospect it is not in the spirit of fun either. I picked up a cup and attempted to throw it onto the field--it seemed to be a more effective way for a person to express his displeasure than by doing it vocally; individual insults and "what-the-F's" get lost in the din of a maddened, spitting, shrieking crowd--however, the cup was quite light and didn't make it that far. In fact, I nearly hit an usher and another man whom I believe was a cameraman with it. That fact alone sent me into an immediate state of embarrassment and gave me a harsh dose of reality. As innocent as the act seemed on the surface, there's a lot more underneath it that can lead to actual harm.
It was an incredibly bush league thing to do and for that I must say that I am sorry for my reprehensible actions. I apologize to the staff of Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland A's management, the other fans who just wanted to watch a game peacefully, the players on both the Red Sox and A's teams, and the umpires.
Not only that, but to discover that one of the two calls I (and we) were protesting, the ruling that Kotsay's attempted catch of a sinking line drive as a trap and not a catch, was correct, only makes our actions seem ever more childish and idiotic, and let us know we were not so enlightened in seats much more removed from the action than an umpire fifty feet away from the play. We as fans think we know everything sometimes. This time, we knew only half of everything on the field and nothing of how to act appropriately.
In addition to the stadium staff's efficinecy in cleaning up the mess we louts created, the ushers were instrumental in preventing what I believe could have been actual deaths in situations unrelated to the aforementioned; more than a couple of vociferous, belligerent, drunk-ass Red Sox fans were escorted out of the stands for their taunting of A's fans, and I believe this was done as a favor to those fans rather as punishment: Those ushers entered the various situations and defused them before the fray turned violent, which I had sensed would have happened with just a few more moments of taunting, anger, and alcohol entering the bloodstream.
So for their work, I commend them. They have a job to do, and this is the extreme portion of their job, and they did it well.
Anyway, having been jolted into shame by my actions, I can say that the best way to learn never to do something churlish is to do it once to experience the shame of having actually done it, so that you know never to do it again. It is a lesson I indeed knew beforehand but for the briefest of moments let slip away. It will never happen again.
Sincerely,
E.K.
Although I can honestly say that to this very moment I have never thrown anything onto a baseball field, I can no longer say that I have never tried.
Last night, while sitting in the very raucous outfield stands beyond the left field foul pole at Network Associates Coliseum during the A's-Red Sox game, I got caught up in the moment of frustration that many folks in the stands were feeling. (Not that the A's are my team of choice; rather it was Vegas-related interests that caused me to feel ripped off by the umpires. Nevertheless, the reason doesn't matter.)
All I know is, I've been known for years in my circle of friends for ripping into bush league fans who do bush league things like launch various projectiles onto baseball fields in a fit of protest. I've never had anything but contempt for jerks who do this sort of thing. And certainly on this website I have never taken the side of anyone who does anything like this. But for a brief moment, I shared frustration with A's fans last night, and thought, for the briefest of moments, that taking an empty cup and hurling it over the rows of people sitting in front of me and onto the field of play was a harmless, fun way of protesting a bad call by an umpire. This constituted a complete abandonment of my senses.
It is, of course, not harmless, and in retrospect it is not in the spirit of fun either. I picked up a cup and attempted to throw it onto the field--it seemed to be a more effective way for a person to express his displeasure than by doing it vocally; individual insults and "what-the-F's" get lost in the din of a maddened, spitting, shrieking crowd--however, the cup was quite light and didn't make it that far. In fact, I nearly hit an usher and another man whom I believe was a cameraman with it. That fact alone sent me into an immediate state of embarrassment and gave me a harsh dose of reality. As innocent as the act seemed on the surface, there's a lot more underneath it that can lead to actual harm.
It was an incredibly bush league thing to do and for that I must say that I am sorry for my reprehensible actions. I apologize to the staff of Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland A's management, the other fans who just wanted to watch a game peacefully, the players on both the Red Sox and A's teams, and the umpires.
Not only that, but to discover that one of the two calls I (and we) were protesting, the ruling that Kotsay's attempted catch of a sinking line drive as a trap and not a catch, was correct, only makes our actions seem ever more childish and idiotic, and let us know we were not so enlightened in seats much more removed from the action than an umpire fifty feet away from the play. We as fans think we know everything sometimes. This time, we knew only half of everything on the field and nothing of how to act appropriately.
In addition to the stadium staff's efficinecy in cleaning up the mess we louts created, the ushers were instrumental in preventing what I believe could have been actual deaths in situations unrelated to the aforementioned; more than a couple of vociferous, belligerent, drunk-ass Red Sox fans were escorted out of the stands for their taunting of A's fans, and I believe this was done as a favor to those fans rather as punishment: Those ushers entered the various situations and defused them before the fray turned violent, which I had sensed would have happened with just a few more moments of taunting, anger, and alcohol entering the bloodstream.
So for their work, I commend them. They have a job to do, and this is the extreme portion of their job, and they did it well.
Anyway, having been jolted into shame by my actions, I can say that the best way to learn never to do something churlish is to do it once to experience the shame of having actually done it, so that you know never to do it again. It is a lesson I indeed knew beforehand but for the briefest of moments let slip away. It will never happen again.
Sincerely,
E.K.
