At a little past 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning, March 25, the 2008 Major League Baseball season officially kicked off when the Oakland A's hosted the Boston Red Sox at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. This marks another spring through summer of the streets of Boston being flooded by Red Sox hats, shirts, bumper stickers, and any other possible place a Red Sox logo can be placed. Normally, I would not have a problem with any city having their sports fans wear team paraphernalia, however Boston has recently be turned into a city full of bandwagon fans parading around in their atrocious pink hats and shirts.
I can somewhat stand the pink attire, but what I can't stand in any way is "Red Sox Nation." Red Sox Nation has nearly ruined my love of baseball and the Red Sox. There are several different reason why I hate the "Nation" and I'll explain the main grievances that I have with it.
#1. NESN - For those who live in the New England area and watch sports, you are probably familiar with NESN, or the New England Sports Network. Every Red Sox game not broadcast nationally (either on Fox on Saturdays and/or ESPN on Sundays) is broad casted on NESN. I know NESN isn't really part of Red Sox Nation, but they do feed into it. NESN is by far one of the worst experiences a true baseball fan can have watching a game, whether you are a Sox fan or not. Aside from the horrible camera work and production, which will show replays while a pitch is being thrown, is the fact that they are always looking for the worst examples of fans to show on television. NESN makes watching anything between pitches impossible as they are always searching for fans with stupid facepaint or holding a ridiculous sign that serves no other purpose but to obstruct the view of actual fans sitting behind them.
#2. With NESN comes reason number 2, Jerry Remy. - Jerry Remy is one of the worst color commentators on the planet when it comes to baseball. The only one worse is Tim McCarver, but he is a different issue for a different day. Jerry Remy has the uncanny ability to make a tie game in the bottom of the 9th at Fenway park against the Yankees seem less important than a new couch that his wife bought 2 months ago. No commentator pays less attention and contributes nothing to the telecast more than Jerry Remy. Don't bother asking him what he thinks of Oakland's bullpen because he doesn't follow any team outside of Boston. Instead, he is too busy looking for some of those stupid sign with terrible pictures of him drawn on them or talking about his career home run totals. The "President of Red Sox Nation" is exactly that, nothing more than a glorified fan.
#3. The "Fans" - By far, the worst part of "Red Sox Nation" is anyone over the age of 5 who was not a fan before 2003. Since 2003, it became the cool thing in Boston to become a Red Sox fan, which has somehow developed globally as well. The members of Red Sox Nation, also referred to as the "pink hats" are the people who show up to Fenway Park with signs that read "Came down from Maine to see my first Red Sox Game!" and do nothing more than ruin the fun for people around them with their constant babbling about how they love Jacoby Ellsbury (who, so far, is overrated, but again, another topic for another day). These people are the reason why die hard, lifelong fans like myself can't go to a game without having to shell out more money than I pay for tuition. These people are the reason why every other baseball fan around the world hates us.
If I see another "Jerry Remy for Prez" sign, I may have to move to Dodgerville.
I could rant for much longer, but I will stop here and allow you to leave feedback. Whether you agree, disagree, love, or hate my points I want to hear what baseball fans think.
I can somewhat stand the pink attire, but what I can't stand in any way is "Red Sox Nation." Red Sox Nation has nearly ruined my love of baseball and the Red Sox. There are several different reason why I hate the "Nation" and I'll explain the main grievances that I have with it.
#1. NESN - For those who live in the New England area and watch sports, you are probably familiar with NESN, or the New England Sports Network. Every Red Sox game not broadcast nationally (either on Fox on Saturdays and/or ESPN on Sundays) is broad casted on NESN. I know NESN isn't really part of Red Sox Nation, but they do feed into it. NESN is by far one of the worst experiences a true baseball fan can have watching a game, whether you are a Sox fan or not. Aside from the horrible camera work and production, which will show replays while a pitch is being thrown, is the fact that they are always looking for the worst examples of fans to show on television. NESN makes watching anything between pitches impossible as they are always searching for fans with stupid facepaint or holding a ridiculous sign that serves no other purpose but to obstruct the view of actual fans sitting behind them.
#2. With NESN comes reason number 2, Jerry Remy. - Jerry Remy is one of the worst color commentators on the planet when it comes to baseball. The only one worse is Tim McCarver, but he is a different issue for a different day. Jerry Remy has the uncanny ability to make a tie game in the bottom of the 9th at Fenway park against the Yankees seem less important than a new couch that his wife bought 2 months ago. No commentator pays less attention and contributes nothing to the telecast more than Jerry Remy. Don't bother asking him what he thinks of Oakland's bullpen because he doesn't follow any team outside of Boston. Instead, he is too busy looking for some of those stupid sign with terrible pictures of him drawn on them or talking about his career home run totals. The "President of Red Sox Nation" is exactly that, nothing more than a glorified fan.
#3. The "Fans" - By far, the worst part of "Red Sox Nation" is anyone over the age of 5 who was not a fan before 2003. Since 2003, it became the cool thing in Boston to become a Red Sox fan, which has somehow developed globally as well. The members of Red Sox Nation, also referred to as the "pink hats" are the people who show up to Fenway Park with signs that read "Came down from Maine to see my first Red Sox Game!" and do nothing more than ruin the fun for people around them with their constant babbling about how they love Jacoby Ellsbury (who, so far, is overrated, but again, another topic for another day). These people are the reason why die hard, lifelong fans like myself can't go to a game without having to shell out more money than I pay for tuition. These people are the reason why every other baseball fan around the world hates us.
If I see another "Jerry Remy for Prez" sign, I may have to move to Dodgerville.
I could rant for much longer, but I will stop here and allow you to leave feedback. Whether you agree, disagree, love, or hate my points I want to hear what baseball fans think.
14 comments:
I hate the bandwagon jumpers as much as anyone, but is Jerry Remy really worse than Joe Morgan? The worst thing is, a few years ago, Remy was good. It's like since they won in '04 he has become a shill instead of a commentator. Oh well, at least Orsillo is good. And I guess we have to wait and see if the new Tina Cervacio is any good. Thats all I've got......for now.
I completely agree. I am so sick of all the bandwagon fans taking all the tickets to the good games and creating a reputation of annoying red sox fans rubbing their new found superiority in other people's faces. This is why all other cities, not only New York fans, hate us.
At least Joe Morgan talks baseball, as repetitive and obvious as it may be.
I'm glad you added the Leary and Clarke thing, I was rolling on the floor laughing when that happened live. Why do the networks keep cancelling Lenny Clarke's sitcoms?
The bandwagon fans are horrible, although it has brought a much better looking female component to the games...now if I could only afford to go to them.
Remy has become so painfully bad. He's actually better when he does the national broadcasts because they don't let him try to sell his, and NESN's, soul the entire broadcast.
NESEN is a glorified cable access channel, but what do youe expect for something that the Bruins are a aprt of?
I agree with everything you mentioned and I know there are plenty more things about "red sox nation" to complain about. I'm just glad I'm not the only Bostonian that feels this way
Okay NESN is not NEARLY as bad as you make it out to be. Remy is a clown who had a joke of a major league career and he completely buys into his own image, but Orsillo is a legit play-by-play man. I'd rather watch NESN and see 1000 replays than listen to Joe Buck sell Fox's new reality shows between pitches.
Selling reality shows between pitches? Sounds an awful lot like "Sox Appeal" on NESN. But I do agree that Don Orsillo is a great play by play person and deserves better than Remy
It's gotten so bad, my best friend and his wife have named their new boxer Remdawg. A real fan is like me who watched the entire game when the Sox lost to the Yanks 19-8 in game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. The Sox are turning into what the Yankees used to be. Everyone bought hats and shirts just cause they were winning. You're only a Sox fan if you like them even when they're loosing.
I find Remy very annoying and am sick of his self-promoting , Orsillo is good..I would watch the game on tv without sound and listen to the radio but there is a delay that is almost as annoying as Remy.
I'm actually clapping! I couldn't agree more with EVERYTHING you've said! I especially loved the part about Jerry Remy, he makes John Madden seem like JFK! He's gotten to me so much that at times i will mute the tv and turn on am radio so i don't have to hear him babbling about his hotel, or his new suit, or nascar, or question the manager for innings on end....it seems he talks about everything BUT baseball! God forbid he actually calls the game! There was actually a point where nesn had to put something up on the screen to let the fans know that it was indeed a red sox game that he was calling (or lack of) He needs to go, like 5 years ago!!!
I'm actually clapping! I couldn't agree more with EVERYTHING you've said! I especially loved the part about Jerry Remy, he makes John Madden seem like JFK! He's gotten to me so much that at times i will mute the tv and turn on am radio so i don't have to hear him babbling about his hotel, or his new suit, or nascar, or question the manager for innings on end....it seems he talks about everything BUT baseball! God forbid he actually calls the game! There was actually a point where nesn had to put something up on the screen to let the fans know that it was indeed a red sox game that he was calling (or lack of) He needs to go, like 5 years ago!!!
I must say, the thing about the fans that started after 2003 it totally true, but other than that, everything is totally rediculous. People that don't like jerry remy obviously don't have even the tiniest sense of humor. REMY ROCKS
Remy hasn't done his homework since high school. The other team's left fielder is "the left fielder". Please fire him already!
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