Reds fans=fair weather fans?

[OnBaseMachine]

Reds fans embarrassed the hell out of me today. Adam Dunn misplays a couple of wind blown balls... and a good majority of fans booed him? That's embarrassing, and it's a shame that our best player continues to be underrated by his home fans.

When he dropped that flyball in the first inning, you could hear some boos. Then he hits a sac fly and homerun and of course the fans want to cheer. But then comes trouble in the sixth inning. Dunn misplays a couple of balls that were caught up in a heavy wind, and that is when the boo birds came out in full force. From that point on, whenever Dunn touched the ball the fans would give him a bronx cheer for catching it.
Now, I know Dunn had a rough day in the field, but that doesn't make it okay to boo your best player. I can remember back when Cincinnati Reds fans were considered the most knowledgeable fans in baseball. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Outside of this board you just don't find those knowledgeable Reds fans anymore.

I highly doubt anyone on this board participated in the booing, but I just wanted to bring it up and see if ticked anyone else off that our best player was being booed for a couple mistakes.

[reds44]

The Opening Day crowd isn't exactly the wisest baseball crowd around.

[Falls City Beer]

Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine

Reds fans embarrassed the hell out of me today. Adam Dunn misplays a couple of wind blown balls... and a good majority of fans booed him? That's embarrassing, and it's a shame that our best player continues to be underrated by his home fans.

When he dropped that flyball in the first inning, you could hear some boos. Then he hits a sac fly and homerun and of course the fans want to cheer. But then comes trouble in the sixth inning. Dunn misplays a couple of balls that were caught up in a heavy wind, and that is when the boo birds came out in full force. From that point on, whenever Dunn touched the ball the fans would give him a bronx cheer for catching it.

Now, I know Dunn had a rough day in the field, but that doesn't make it okay to boo your best player. I can remember back when Cincinnati Reds fans were considered the most knowledgeable fans in baseball. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Outside of this board you just don't find those knowledgeable Reds fans anymore.

I highly doubt anyone on this board participated in the booing, but I just wanted to bring it up and see if ticked anyone else off that our best player was being booed for a couple mistakes.

Yeah, made me mad as hell. But I must admit, I was booing the pitching in the quiet of my office.

[fisch11]

Hard to guage with Opening Day, but I know of people that go to OD that don't ever go to other baseball games. I would like to think that is more likely the reason for the Bronx Cheers than just 5 straight losing seasons w/ Nati fans.

[Johnny Footstool]

What were they supposed to do? Cheer his sloppy play?

I agree that the booing for his strikeout was silly -- the result of frustration at the entire team's performance. But when he misplays 3 fairly easy pop-ups, he deserves to be booed.

[Newport Red]

I thought it was pretty funny that in the 7th inning, the stands looked as empty as a Reds/Milwaukee game in September.

[tbball10]

Fair weather fans? When has the weather been good in the last 10 years for Reds' fans. And Dunn (it's debatable whether he's our best player) deserved to be booed. Those plays have to be made by a major league left fielder, especially one who is making as much money as he is. Now he did some very good things at the plate and also made a very good catch in the field. But he cost us 3 runs in the 1st inning on a ball he should have caught, and multiple runs later in the game by not breaking well on another fly ball. Those plays were a big part of why we lost the game today.

[TOBTTReds]

First, the second mis-played ball was terrible. He broke back then kind of jogged in thinking Lopez had it, then not til literally the last second he did about two strides of sprint and missed it. It was the effort that made me mad. On the third misplay I was cracking up in my living room. He was terrible out there today. What hurt it too is that the Cubs OF'ers were making great plays with the exception of one ball by J. Jones. It was one of the worst single game fielding days I've ever seen (and the last catch in the 8th I think it was, was about a centimeter from popping out!) and I used to watch a lot of Manny Ramiraz in his Cleveland days. He was literally pathetic out there today. I do believe it was the wind on the last play against the wall, but the other two he should have made plays on.

[Heath]

Its part of the Spring rite of passage in Cincinnati. It's the event of the year sometimes and it's a great place to be 'seen'.

The die-hards are the ones that will be there Thursday evening on the first night game of the year.

[Reds1]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

What were they supposed to do? Cheer his sloppy play?

I agree that the booing for his strikeout was silly -- the result of frustration at the entire team's performance. But when he misplays 3 fairly easy pop-ups, he deserves to be booed.

Wait a minute! These weren't 3 "can of corn" "fairly easy pop flys out there. He also made a great play when Lopez got in his way and on a drop he fired it in on a rope to home that kept the runner at 3rd. The wind was the worst ever - as said by Griffey Jr. and the worst wind I"ve seen in the 50 or so games I've been. The 1st ball was not easy and certainly none of them were easy. Yes, he should and could have caught all 3, but they were not EASY plays. You don't boo your star. You can be upset, but to openly boo him at home was poor taste IMO.

He got a sac fly and a HR. No boos went on there.

[tbball10]

Originally Posted by AvesIce51

First, the second mis-played ball was terrible. He broke back then kind of jogged in thinking Lopez had it, then not til literally the last second he did about two strides of sprint and missed it. It was the effort that made me mad. On the third misplay I was cracking up in my living room. He was terrible out there today. What hurt it too is that the Cubs OF'ers were making great plays with the exception of one ball by J. Jones. It was one of the worst single game fielding days I've ever seen (and the last catch in the 8th I think it was, was about a centimeter from popping out!) and I used to watch a lot of Manny Ramiraz in his Cleveland days. He was literally pathetic out there today. I do believe it was the wind on the last play against the wall, but the other two he should have made plays on.

Exactly!!!!! It was the effort on the second mis-played ball, which is the same lackadaisicle effort that Dunn gives too often IMO.

[OnBaseMachine]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

What were they supposed to do? Cheer his sloppy play?

I agree that the booing for his strikeout was silly -- the result of frustration at the entire team's performance. But when he misplays 3 fairly easy pop-ups, he deserves to be booed.

Those were not easy plays. I was at the game and saw how hard the wind was blowing. As Matt Murton said, the wind was blowing against his back...making it hard for him to stand still, and at the same time, the wind was blowing out of the park. It was a swirling wind. The first ball in the first inning Dunn should have caught, the second and third were greatly affected by the wind.

[OnBaseMachine]

Originally Posted by tbball10

Exactly!!!!! It was the effort on the second mis-played ball, which is the same lackadaisicle effort that Dunn gives too often IMO.

It wasn't lackadaisicle. You try to play leftfield in 35 mph swirling wind and then come back and tell me how you like it.

[reds44]

Dunn is going to make alot more runs then he costs us. Honestly, he probably cost us somewhere in the vacinty of 8 runs today, but it just wasn't his day in the field. He is a bad fielder, but he isn't that bad.

As for the lack of effort, somehow I don't think you can bat and eye and oops here is 40 homers and 100 rbi's. It just doesn't work that way.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Newport Red

I thought it was pretty funny that in the 7th inning, the stands looked as empty as a Reds/Milwaukee game in September.

No doubt the weather contributed to this but I think this is something the new front office needs to be concerned with. Yes, the front office paid some bills today, but Opening Day is more an event to be seen at rather than an event for the diehard baseball fan. Yet, it is these "fickle" fans that need to be won over to keep them coming back to the ballpark. The Reds did not do that today. We can criticize the fans as much as we want, but they are the ones who pay most of the bills and set the payroll, not us. Losing so many so easily is a cause for concern and another hurdle for the new administration to clear.