but it was very isolated and I don't even recall what was said. It's too bad to hear how idiots sully the game these days. "Soriano sucks!" is pretty standard for an opposing ballplayer though. However - the stuff about Fukudome, the racial slurs, and the daughter comment are absolutely inexcusable. This is why I spend more to sit in box seats...but there's no guarantee there won't be idiots nearby there too.

and during the Cubs batting practice I was in the right field bleachers and there was some 50 year old man in a Dimaggio jersey yelling at Fukudome and his translator. I didn't hear all of it, but it went mostly along the lines of calling him a janitor, and being generally demeaning to Japanese people, even though there was a Japanese couple standing right next to him. I felt like telling him what a disgusting person he is.

Other than that I had a really good time, despite the outcome of the game. The food and beer was pretty good. I sat along the first base line and it seemed like the people around me were well behaved.

My girlfriend (who is an Astros fan) and I are considering going up on Thursday to the Stros/Phillies afternoon game. We live in Washington and have been watching the hockey team there the Capitals the whole season and are looking at going to the playoff game that night. I'm guessing that the fans there might be even more confrontational.

I think that heckling is an integral part of sports. It can provide a good medium for interaction between fan and player and can be entertaining. I don't have problems with fans yelling "You Suck" or like comments on a player's performance or abilities, but anytime those comments become personal, include sexual, racial, or cultural insults, or involve off-the-field topics, then they are inappropriate.

I usually find myself embarrassed for the person making those comments. For every person who laughs, there are a dozen people who think he is an imbecile. There aren't that many places that you can take your kids for a good family experience without someone like this mucking it all up. It's up to fans to take that atmosphere back. The majority of fans think just like you, that these kinds of comments are repulsive, ignorant and uncalled for. These are the fans that have to report this kind of behavior to security and when security fails to act then take the next step and report it to management. When these chuckleheads are consistently getting escorted out fo the park, it will send a message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.

Hammer,
I too was at the game. The only difference is that I moved from Chicago to philly 25 years ago and understand what to expect. Everything you said is accurate. Believe it or not, your last comment about going to an Eagles game is also accurate. I go the the phillies/cubs series every year with my son. We wear full Cubs gear and do so proudly. I would never ever considering wearing Bears gear to an Eagles game. Last year the Bears played philly here and I had several invites. My response: "NO THANK YOU! I will watch the game in the comfort of my home, with my Bears jersey on and be able to root for my team". Unfortunately after 25 years I have become somewhat immune to the behavior here. Those comments you heard are inexcusable and those people should be thrown out!!! The better the seat you get, the more upscale the people around you. That is a sad thing to say but I have noticed a difference before. We sat 3 rows behind the Cubs dugout and that is where you need to be. The crowd was approx. 20% Cubs fans there so there is much less harrasement. Its a sad state of affairs in this country that we have so many losers. What bothers me more than anything, and I have said this a thousand times to philly fans: If a philly fan goes to Chicago to see a game, they are treated with respect and always enjoy themselves. That my friends is the difference in the level of CLASS between the two cities.

I forgot to mention 2 things:
1) I have been a BCB reader for 2 years now and that was my first post. This site is the best and I really love it!
2) I must mention that Citizens Bank Park is a great stadium! Despite the many losers, the majority of fans are good people...quality/knowledgeable baseball fans. It is about 1 in 50 aholes and MLB should really come down on these people to protect the integrity of the game!!!! We are not football and baseball should be of the highest level. On a positive note, the atmospher yesterday was awesome. Playoff baseball in April! This was because of the passion of the philly fan as well as the number of Cub fans there. Lou unloaded the bullpen and used his entire bench. A coach was thrown out! Homers, back and forth. Great game to be at all around! Lets just get ride of the losers and inappropriate behavior in baseball!

I was born in Chicago and moved to the Philadelphia area when I was 12. It was really hard to get used to (ignore) the hard core negative attitude of the sports fans. It's evident even at little league games. As far as the Eagles and Flyers are concerned- DO NOT wear opponents gear to the games. There are many things to love about Philly, just not the fan culture........ and you should see what passes for pizza!

We were at the game Saturday night and saw this circus. People in full costume as Star Wars characters (stormtroopers, sand people, Darth Vader, Boba Fett) coming out on the field to have a lightsaber duel with the Phanatic, and then coming back out to dance to "YMCA" on top of the dugouts. I hope to God there was a reasonable explanation for this and that they don't just do this at every game. I can't fathom what the connection between Philadelphia and Star Wars could be.

I'm the father of a three-year old who has already been to Wrigley twice, multiple college football games, and numerous college baseball games. As an avid sports fan, I hope that he picks up this interest as well, so I take him to as many games as possible hoping he'll pick up the bug with his Dad. However, I have to admit, every time I take him to a game (especially a pro-game) I'm leary about who we will be sitting by. I know "family only" sections are growing in popularity but its a shame that it has come to this. Pre-kids, I drank more than my fair share at games with buddies, but there was still a certain level of decorum that we maintained. I'm not sure what happenned to that...maybe this behavior has alwasy existed and we've been able to enjoy our sporting events anyway. Here is to hoping the games are enjoyable for everyone for years to come, so my little guy (pictured) can enjoy them with his kids as much as I have aleady enjoyed taking him.

I remember working at Best Buy when I was in high school, and one of the managers told me that for every good experience, a customer would tell a friend one out of ten times. For a bad one, however, a customer would spread her experience to six or seven times out of ten. I think it is safe to say that this wasn't a scientific study, but the general reasoning seems sound to me: It is easier to complain than it is to praise.

Although there are differences in general geography, sport, or crowd, for the most part, I feel like this has gotten out of control just about everywhere. Anyone read the Sports Illustrated article about college basketball fan harassment about a month or so ago? It was quite telling. I can't find it right now on si.com, I'll keep looking.

Wrigley gets harped on for a crowd that is generally a "fun place" to hang out, be seen, get together for groups and parties, etc., but not for hardcore baseball fans (please see http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/30-wrigley-field/). We here at BCB wouldn't agree with that generalization, would we?

I remember being an undergraduate at Wisconsin and reading in the student newspapers about families from Ohio State complaining that students threw beer on them, swore at their children, etc. A few later, however, other Buckeye fans wrote in to share how Badgers were some of the most behaved, well-versed fans they have ever met in the Big Ten. Go figure.

It is much easier to rip on your favorite (or least) player, we can simply Google him and find his wife's name, rap sheet, or other information. Part of me feels like the best solution for this is to ignore the heckler - isn't that what he wants, anyway? At the same time, racial slurs or the like need to be properly addressed. I am fortunate that I do not have children yet; I am not sure how I would respond to a day at the ballpark followed up by drunk men swearing at a guy on the field.

Dan

I've lived here in Philly for almost 2 years now. (Transplant from NC-you wouldn't imagine what its like to be a southerner here). Philly is one of the dirtiest, poorest, roughest large cities in the US. If you think South Philly looked bad, stay away from North, West, or Southwest Philly- they're worse.

As regards to the racist themes from fans, I had alot of the same experience at Friday nite and Sunday afternoons games, particularly toward Latin players on the Cubs, but toward Dome as well. I thought about posting something regarding this after Fri nite, but decided to keep it to myself. Sunday wasn't quite as bad, and I had some Cub fans in my vicinity and there were 6-8 Phils fans in my row who were extremely nice the whole time. The worst thing about all of this experience with the Philly obnoxious fans is that its pretty consistent with alot of interactions with people in the city here overall. The hostility toward "outsiders" and people who are different is something I thought I was leaving when I left the rural south. Not the case. On the other hand, I've also met some really great folks here.

In the future, (like this October!) if the Cubs play here anyone is brave enough to come back out to Phiily for baseball) we should network and have a BCB contingent sitting together

Can we now assume this is a cultural problem, fueled by so many things, I cannot even explain them all here?
Bad fans are everywhere. Good fans are everywhere. Like the umpires, you can assume they did a decent job if they are almost invisible. Good fans will not be written up in posts such as this one.

But bad fans stick out and cause problems. Usually, the problems are alcohol or security related. But that's another story....

Isnt there a mini-courthouse where the Eagles play? i beleive its because the have so many incidents.