Oh, Those KC Fans!

Don't Be Our Guest

By now we've all seen and had a chance to react to Robinson Cano's less-than-hospitable reception at this year's Home Run Derby.  I'm a Yankee fan and thought it was mostly pretty funny.  After a while I thought it was a bit over the top, but Cano certainly didn't help matters by not hitting any homers.  That, of course, led the fans to boo (or cheer) even louder.  But Cano is a big boy and can take it, and fans are entitled to do what they please.  Besides, for once, actual home town fans were in the building. (Yes, yes, this was only the Home Run Derby -- the All-Star Game seats would be filled with rich, indifferent men, corporate sponsors and stars from FOX shows.)

So while fallout has been mixed, from "it's no big deal" to the hand-wringing commissioner, the fans doing all the booing have mostly been given a pass.  I suppose if hosting the All-Star Game is the biggest thing to happen to your franchise in nearly 30 years, you get a little testy over the Home Run Derby.

Here is the irony, though: let's say a Royals player had been HR Derby Captain and failed to pick a Yankee for the Derby held in Yankee Stadium.  If he then suffered the same fate, we would never hear the end of how awful New York fans are. Meanwhile, KC fans are just folksy, and root for the home team. Again, I'm not terribly bothered by "Cano-gate", but it's a serious double-standard here, one to which Yankee fans would be unfairly held.

Speaking of which, let's see what happens next year in CitiField.  (Of course, Mets' fans can't complain too loudly, seeing as how the Mets don't actually have any guys who can hit home runs on their team...)