Tired of Walkoff Celebrations

[traderumor]

Grumpy old fart alert:

So I'm watching Prince Fielder strut around the field after a lucky carom off the stands allows the game winning run to score from first. The rest of the team joins him, they're screaming and jumping like they just won game 7 of the World Series. It is then I realized that I have grown weary of these "walkoff win," made for TV celebrations. Another byproduct of the highlight reel generation, for sure. Too much of a good thing makes the thing trivial. The walkoff celebrations are now trivial. Take the cameras off and my guess is they would go away. Let them go the way of the high 5.

While I'm here, I also could do without the college adapted victory line after each game.

Disclaimer: It could be entirely possible that it was watching a very fat man that makes a mockery of the term "professional athlete" that turned my stomach. I don't like Prince Fielder, so that bias may be creeping in here ;)

[oneupper]

Easy solution: make "non-chalant" fashionable. Someone email Brandon Phillips or Orlando Cabrera with the idea that behaving like "we do this everyday" on walkoffs is cool.

It will catch on. (keep fingers crossed).

[TheNext44]

I don't mind them if they are spontaneous, and that Brewer one was pretty spontaneous. They were losing in the ninth at home, and came back to win it with a close play at the plate. That's a pretty good reason to get excited.

But yeah, for the most part, team celebrations are getting tiresome. Many seem to be more about rubbing it in the face of the opponent than celebrating a good win.

[Joseph]

The line doesn't bother me. Hell I'd like to see them go back to shaking hands with the other team like little league.

The walk off is a little played out though. I mean its 162 games, you're gonna win in the bottom of the 9th a half dozen or so times just by luck.

[_Sir_Charles_]

In general, they've gotten tiresome...I agree. But the only one that's actually annoyed me (besides the ones involving injuries) is that Fielder one when all his teammates fell down as he stomped the plate. Sure, it was initially funny because it was unexpected...but in hindsight it was a real slap in the face at the opposing team. I would've expected Fielder to get plunked his next AB. And it's not like they were in first place or anything.

[mth123]

Easy solution: make "non-chalant" fashionable. Someone email Brandon Phillips or Orlando Cabrera with the idea that behaving like "we do this everyday" on walkoffs is cool.

It will catch on. (keep fingers crossed).

"Act like you've been there before son." Those days are gone in a "show me the money" world.

[BCubb2003]

It was pretty much the Reds who invented the walk-off celebration, wasn't it, with Sean Casey's "bounce"? But it seems that Prince Fielder and the Brewers have made it into a production.

[traderumor]

It was pretty much the Reds who invented the walk-off celebration, wasn't it, with Sean Casey's "bounce"? But it seems that Prince Fielder and the Brewers have made it into a production.Well, the current version of the Brewers do remind me a lot of the Casey, et al Reds. Poorly constructed roster, some mashers, no pitching, a shaky/poor bullpen, fans getting excited about prospects more than the team on the field, and occasional offense induced dramatic comebacks.

[traderumor]

Food for thought: Why isn't everyone jumping up and down, sprinting out of the dugout doing Santo heel clicks, slapping the closer on the head, and mobbing each other after a bases loaded two out jam ends the game?

[Tony Cloninger]

From one soon to be or becoming....grumpy old man to another...... This Bud's for you.

[Always Red]

"Act like you've been there before son."

Straight from the mouth of another curmudgeon, Paul Brown.


From one soon to be or becoming....grumpy old man to another...... This Bud's for you.


Count me in as a member of the Grumpy Old Man Club. :beerme:

[Tornon]

Food for thought: Why isn't everyone jumping up and down, sprinting out of the dugout doing Santo heel clicks, slapping the closer on the head, and mobbing each other after a bases loaded two out jam ends the game?

If a team hits a walk-off hit, they are expected to celebrate. If a team went and just high-fived each other after a normal win, the media would be all over them about the team showing no emotion and not really caring about their win (because everybody else in that situation would have celebrated)

In the case of the bases loaded jam, they aren't expected to celebrate. I'm guessing after one a team could start jumping up and down and possibly start a trend, but would we want that?

My guess is the only way to get rid of the celebrations is to have them banned by baseball, because I doubt there will just be a pioneer team to stop doing them

[Unassisted]

Why would Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight care to show any Brewers' highlights if it wasn't for this? It's a small market team that's not a threat to win its division. The more time they spend showing those highlights, the less remains to hype whatever the teams on the large coastal markets are doing.

If you want to think even more cynically, consider this. Maybe Prince Fielder's agent put him up to this, to raise his client's profile during the last year of his contract? Could there be a better way to get fans in the big markets clamoring to have this oversized, lovable slugger do his thing for their team? His agent can point to that Sportscenter hype and clamoring to start a bidding war.

[Cedric]

Why would Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight care to show any Brewers' highlights if it wasn't for this? It's a small market team that's not a threat to win its division. The more time they spend showing those highlights, the less remains to hype whatever the teams on the large coastal markets are doing.

If you want to think even more cynically, consider this. Maybe Prince Fielder's agent put him up to this, to raise his client's profile during the last year of his contract? Could there be a better way to get fans in the big markets clamoring to have this oversized, lovable slugger do his thing for their team? His agent can point to that Sportscenter hype and clamoring to start a bidding war.
Prince Fielder's agent put him up to what? He is almost exactly like every other player after a walk of. I'm actually in the minority here. I think it's cool that these guys care so much about a win when they are ten games out.

[Phhhl]

I have given this some thought in the past and I suspect Major League Baseball has encouraged the players to do this to try and create an atmosphere of excitement about the game and enhance the "fan experience". Most walk offs are truly exciting and the celebration comes naturally. But, I think we have all seen a last place team in mid August win a ballgame on a bases loaded walk, and the entire bench empties, the "hop" rears it's ugly head, fireworks go off and you would have thought the team in question just won a championship. It just screams fraud, and yet it always happens. The NFL rules committee has a reputation as a stodgy, grim body whose sole purpose in life is to take as much fun out of the game as possible. And so, I think baseball likes the idea of having an alternative to that. The victory celebration.

Fielder annoys me too, btw.

[Homer Bailey]

Getting a game winning hit in a major league baseball game has to be one of the biggest thrills in a baseball players career, no matter what the situation. Let them do what they want, in my opinion.

[westofyou]

If it wins the game it's not an issue as far as I can see. It's not like the posturing dance a lineman will have after a sack, which is JUST a play in the game, a thread in the blanket.

It must be ok with the other team (save the famous Fielder flop) otherwise you'd see retaliation, do it in the middle of game an I bet you'll see a different reaction.

But hey, it's a different era, guys who play weren't raised watching Ozzie and Harriet and being raised by emotionally button downed guys like Robert Young. This is the age of reality tv and the need for everyone to have a spotlight shined on them and them only.

[IslandRed]

It's no different than a kicker booting one through as time runs off the clock. Mobbing ensues.

Well, there is one difference -- they only play football once a week. Because baseball is played daily, we can get tired of seeing those celebrations every day. But I guarantee you the players don't get tired of them. And when we're at GABP for a walk-off Reds win, that particular instance doesn't seem to bother us either.

[nate]

The rare, walk-off baseball celebration pales in comparison to football celebrations for stopping the running back at the line of scrimmage a dozen times a game.

Plus, I find it hard to believe it's "new" to celebrate such a thrilling occasion.

I bet you guys have really green grass!

:cool:

[remdog]

You can add the 'shaving cream pie in the face' routine during the post-game interview as well, as far as I'm concerned.

Rem

[Big Klu]

Food for thought: Why isn't everyone jumping up and down, sprinting out of the dugout doing Santo heel clicks, slapping the closer on the head, and mobbing each other after a bases loaded two out jam ends the game?

This may be in bad taste, but hey--he's a Cub, so I don't care.

Ron Santo isn't doing too many Santo heel clicks nowadays, either.

[jojo]

If a team hits a walk-off hit, they are expected to celebrate. If a team went and just high-fived each other after a normal win, the media would be all over them about the team showing no emotion and not really caring about their win (because everybody else in that situation would have celebrated)

In the case of the bases loaded jam, they aren't expected to celebrate. I'm guessing after one a team could start jumping up and down and possibly start a trend, but would we want that?

My guess is the only way to get rid of the celebrations is to have them banned by baseball, because I doubt there will just be a pioneer team to stop doing them

Isn't the psychology of the two scenarios alot different though? The walk off seems more empowering and joyous as victory was snatched from the clutches of defeat while the save is more of a "whew, we narrowly escaped that one!"...

[Always Red]

This may be in bad taste, but hey--he's a Cub, so I don't care.

Ron Santo isn't doing too many Santo heel clicks nowadays, either.

This is how I prefer to remember Santo, circa 1969:

http://www.santoforhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/black-cat.gif

[Big Klu]

This is how I prefer to remember Santo, circa 1969:

http://www.santoforhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/black-cat.gif

Awesome picture! (And one that doesn't nearly enough exposure, what with the goat and Steve Bartman.)

[Tony Cloninger]

I do not expect....Stoic handshakes that you would see ion the 50's and 60's....where guys barely looked at each other while giving meek embraces....but it always goes too much to the other way. Besides...don't you want the opposition to think you are so cool and collected, almost robotic....that you intimidate them with your coolness?

[cincinnati chili]

Prince Fielder's agent put him up to what? He is almost exactly like every other player after a walk of. I'm actually in the minority here. I think it's cool that these guys care so much about a win when they are ten games out.

I'm not sure you're in the minority. I hate emotion being legislated out of sports. I'm so glad that I could care less about college football, because they've taken it to the extreme of removing points from the scoreboard for excessive celebration. I'm worried that this will be the next step for the constipated geriatrics running baseball:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/hurricanes/the-miami-rule-barring-taunting-in-college-football-828798.html

[HeatherC1212]

I guess I'm in the minority in that walk off celebrations don't bother me too much. I agree that some of them get a little crazy sometimes but most of them are just the team being excited that they won the game. I always love when the Reds win a game on a walk off. I have a fantastic picture from Jay's first year as a Red after he hit his walk off (and 1st big league) HR against the Braves. He's heading towards home in his HR trot and the guys are right there ready to celebrate with him. :) It can be fun to have a walk off but yeah, some of the celebrations are a little over the top. I originally thought the Fielder bounce with his teammates falling over was kind of funny but now I'm over it after seeing it too many times. The Orioles have had a horrific season overall but they've won two games this week in walk off fashion and instead of some over the top celebrating, they just ran out to whoever got the game winning hit and just slapped some high fives and gave out some hugs. They weren't going bonkers or anything. They were just happy that they won the game and considering that they haven't had many times to celebrate wins this year (they haven't even broken the 40 win mark yet :eek: ), it was nice to see the team have something to celebrate for once. Walk offs can be really fun but I agree that the over the top celebrating needs to go.