Boo-Birds

This article in today's News Journal [out of Wilmington, DE] cracked me up and was too good to not share. Author Kevin Noonan is kind of the resident DE sports guru who's very familiar with how Philly Phans think and act. He should be... cuz he is one. So without further ado...

This is a city that is as well known for its boo-birds as it is for the Liberty Bell. It's a dubious distinction of which many sports fans around here are proud.

But even though it seems as if we boo everybody, not all booing is equal. We tailor it to each individual situation, and sometimes to each individual.

There's the boo of frustration, which happens when Pat Burrell strikes out with the bases loaded.

There's the boo of anger, which Jimmy Rollins has been hearing the last few days.

There's the boo of bitterness, which is directed at players like former Phils Billy Wagner and Scott Rolen.

And then there's the boo of respect, the kind Manny Ramirez heard on Friday night during the Phillies' 8-1 victory over his Los Angeles Dodgers.

Larry Bird used to hear it, and so did Magic Johnson and Lawrence Taylor and Emmitt Smith and Mario Lemieux. They were athletes the Philly fans hated, but also admired. They were athletes the Philly fans booed with all their leather-lunged might, but those same fans would have been thrilled to cheer for them if they had worn the home uniform.

Ramirez fits into that category. Some people might not like his king-sized ego. Some might not like his choice of hair style. But everybody loves the way he swings a bat and brings energy to a lineup.

Back to me. I LOVE the fact that there are indeed different types of boos. Seriously. And for some reason... we really DO take pride in it. Such a funny thing.

A fellow reader added this comment: "Nice try, Noonan...but you're flat wrong. David Wright gets the boo of respect. Manny Rameriz gets booed because he's a <>."

I actually agree with the reader more than Noonan in this case. My respect for Manny is waning, as I've previously discussed.

I'd give the boo of bitterness to Wagner and Rolen as noted, as well as J.D. Drew.

The boo of admiration would go to a lot of players... but specifically I'd have to think of guys like Wright, Holliday, Beltran, Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz, both Chipper and Andruw, and prolly some other guys, too. But the boo of admiration is reserved mainly for guys who're on rival teams like the Mets or Braves. Gotta include Holliday in there, too, b/c of the NL run last year.

Anyway... love the article. Love the News Journal. Love Noonan. Love booing. Love the Phils.