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The Brewers found a unique way to celebrate Prince Fielder's walkoff homer. |
 | By Drew Olson   Senior Editor Photography by Allen Fredrickson E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Drew Olson |
| Published Sept. 8, 2009 at 11:06 a.m. |
|
I'm still not sure how I feel about the Brewers' unique victory celebration following a 2-1 victory over San Francisco Sunday afternoon at Miller Park.
If you missed it, Prince Fielder swatted a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th inning, untucked his jersey around second base, then jumped on home plate with both feet as his teammates fell to the ground like bowling pins.
I have to admit, I laughed when I saw it. I think that type of fun is missing in a lot of sports. The Brewers haven't had a lot of fun since July 1. In fact, a lot of their games have been like a lengthy root canal procedure.
On the other hand ...
I remember the "sweep suits" debacle of a few years back. And, I'm aware that the Brewers' record has been less than stellar since they sprinted off the field after beating the Cardinals back in May.
The rest of the baseball world may not be pleased with that display. Start with the Giants, who won the first two games of the series, are in a pennant race. They couldn't have been happy. No doubt there are some players, coaches, managers and even some fans who think the Brewers' were a bit out of line with the celebration.
My friend Mike DiGiovanna, a longtime beat reporter for the Los Angeles Times, took a spin through the Angels clubhouse to get reaction.
"I guess it's a different game," Torii Hunter said. "It's all TV, acting, until someone gets hit with a pitch in the chin. I'm old-school. I could never do that.
"If I was a pitcher, I'd be (ticked) off," he said. "My mouth would be wide open. I'd be shocked. Baseball is not like the NFL, where you can celebrate in the end zone. You've got to keep your cool, play the game. You can't do that."
Hunter told DiGiovanna that his initial reaction was to laugh.
"I did think it was funny. It was very creative," Hunter said. "But it's a little strong for baseball, because you could have a 90-mph fastball coming at you the next day.
"If someone did that against us and we played them again, trust me, he'd get crushed, and we'd try to fight him."
Angels pitchers John Lackey and Joe Saunders also weighed in on the topic:
Lackey: "I didn't think a whole lot of it."
Saunders: "It was original. Fans like to see it. But as a player, it's a little over the top."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who has an "old school" reputation, told DiGiovanna that times have definitely changed.
"When guys started high-fiving at the plate, I know there were old-timers who took issue with that," Scioscia said. "When guys started huddling around the plate after a walk-off homer, it ruffled some feathers, so I don't know."
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25 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by sandstorm on Sept. 11, 2009 at 8:21 a.m. (report)
the brewers have been bad, not listless. if you can't tell the difference then you, sir, are the fool. and one game is not "akin" to a season. and it wasn't like the players were doing cartwheels as fireworks were being shot out of their butts. they all fell down. big deal. and you are right. if you didn't watch the game, you can't judge. it was a fantastic game and an intense finish. perfect capper.
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Posted by Broner on Sept. 10, 2009 at 4:09 p.m. (report)
Amen Dusty.
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Posted by Dusty_Bottoms on Sept. 10, 2009 at 2:46 p.m. (report)
It's just baseball. I've viewed it a few times now, and my opinion hasn't changed. It was moderately clever, but it looks, as I said, kind of dumb to me. I am not outraged. I don't believe they showed anybody up. I do not believe Prince or anybody else should be beaned with a fastball. Just struck me as kind of dumb given how bad the team is and how the season's turned out. At this point, I'd rather see them getting into bench-clearing brawls. Anything to show me that they still have some competitive fire left. A pre-choreographed home run celebration after several weeks of completely listless baseball did not say "competitive fire" to me. In fairness, I should add that I did not see the game and thus was not caught up in the emotion and drama of it. If I had, I may well have a very different opinion about this. And sandstorm, if you can't see the parallel between that and somebody celebrating excessively after a touchdown with their team way down, then you are a fool, sir. I didn't say it was the exact same thing, just that it "akin to" that -- one can draw similarities between the two events.
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Posted by sandstorm on Sept. 10, 2009 at 8:16 a.m. (report)
i did not say in a winning season they need to behave more "professionaly", as i felt there was nothing unprofessional about this in the 1st place. my point was in a winning season that would be called showboating, in a losing season it's simply "fun", a bit of sun on a cloudy day. that's all. broner, as you should know, context is everything. it seems you are arguing in a winning season this would be acceptable, as if they earned it, but in a losing season you think it looks foolish. i'm simply arguing the opposite.
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Posted by Broner on Sept. 9, 2009 at 3:55 p.m. (report)
Just so I'm clear: - In a bad season, overly exhuberant, choreographed celebrations are allowed because they're "fun". - In a good season, overly exhuberant, choreographed celebrations are not allowed because they should behave more professionally [sandstorm, please fill in correct answer if I'm wrong]. No else probably cares anymore at this point but just to clarify, I thought it was funny; I just think it was poor timing.
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