Really? More stupid fans?
In case you haven’t heard, an idiot in Boston took a swipe at Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield as he was fielding a ball into the right-field corner, and another moron dumped a beer on him during a game Thursday night at Fenway Park.
Sheffield said he was struck in the face by fan Chris House, then pushed him away and threw the ball back into the infield. He then turned back to House but restrained himself as a Fenway Park security guard got in between the two men.
The sports world hasn’t moved far past the Detroit/Indiana melee that had players jumping into the stands and fans pouring onto the court.
Fans just don’t seem to understand that they aren’t part of the game.
Buying a ticket doesn’t give a fan the right to have any effect on the outcome of a game.
So fans: Buy a ticket, shove down a sausage dog, chug a beer, boo, cheer — and keep your ass in the stands.
Don’t get a high-and-mighty complex because you think you pay the athlete’s salary and that gives you the right to say and do what you want to them.
A fan can still yell about someone’s mama (though it isn’t very tasteful), tell them how much they stink and how they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat.
Just stay out of the way of the game.
Trust me, I bet Cub fan Steve Bartman (who almost had to go into the witness protection program) wishes he had never stuck his glove in front of Moises Alou in foul ground during that fateful October night in the 2003 playoffs.
I mean, what’s going to happen next?
I can see it now … in Boston.
“Jorge Posada chases a pop-up toward the stands and, oh! He catches a clothesline from a fan and now has a hot dog stuffed down his throat and peanut shells tossed on him.”
Or how about this … in New York.
“Manny Ramirez runs back for a fly ball to deep left and, oh! A bucket of popcorn is dumped on his head, and he is being whipped by Yankee fans with red rope licorice.”
Now that might be a little extreme, but you get the point.
But what (or who) is to blame for this incident? I’ve heard every excuse from alcohol sales to the proximity of seats to the field.
There is only one thing to blame in these incidents — the fan.
The Red Sox did a great job of disciplining the fans in this ordeal by revoking House’s season tickets and prohibiting the fan that dumped beer on Sheffield from buying tickets for the rest of the season.
I also would like to applaud the quick reaction of that security guard. It could’ve gotten ugly.
My only hope now is that crowd I.Q. increases, and fans understand they pay to watch a game — not to become part of it.

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