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Under the circumstances, was it appropriate for Detroit Tigers fans to cheer so loudly after Jim Thome's 600th career home run?
Fans at Comerica Park gave Jim Thome a thunderous ovation last night when he hit his 600th career home run against the Tigers.
On the surface, that's the way it should be, considering the magnitude of the moment. I mean only eight players in major league history have hit 600 or more career home runs.
But it was a 3-run shot and turned a close 6-5 game into a bit of a rout. It one of two home runs Thome hit Tuesday. The other was a 2-run blast that broke a 3-3 tie.
The Tigers are in a pennant race. Those home runs were extremely damaging to their cause.
Should fans really have been cheering Thome so lustily under the circumstances?
Personally, I had no issue with it. To me, baseball lore trumps all.
Not all Tiger fans, who called my radio show after the game, saw it that way. Nor did my co-host Dennis Fithian.
Some were really upset and felt their fellow fans were dupes.
I'll concede they have a point - especially in regard to Thome, who has just destroyed the Tigers down through the years, and with their division rivals Cleveland, the White Sox and Minnesota. Thome has hit 65 home runs against the Tigers - more than any other club.
"But he is such a nice guy...." And it is true. Everybody likes Jim Thome. Yet, as far at the Tigers are concerned, he's been, figuratively anyway, a smiling assassin.
- Thomas Rawls has been performing very well in fall drills for Michigan, outplaying his three-star status coming out of Flint Northern. The Wolverines will likely get help in their running game from true freshman this season, and perhaps sooner than later, from Rawls and Justice Hayes, a four-star player from Grand Blanc.
- There are a lot of things to like about Michigan State, but nothing more than Kirk Cousins. There is a quality of leadership there that is rare. And he's been through virtually every situation to this point. State may have some issues on the offensive line and a tough schedule, but I still see the Spartans getting to nine wins primarily because of Cousins.
On the surface, that's the way it should be, considering the magnitude of the moment. I mean only eight players in major league history have hit 600 or more career home runs.
But it was a 3-run shot and turned a close 6-5 game into a bit of a rout. It one of two home runs Thome hit Tuesday. The other was a 2-run blast that broke a 3-3 tie.
The Tigers are in a pennant race. Those home runs were extremely damaging to their cause.
Should fans really have been cheering Thome so lustily under the circumstances?
Personally, I had no issue with it. To me, baseball lore trumps all.
Not all Tiger fans, who called my radio show after the game, saw it that way. Nor did my co-host Dennis Fithian.
Some were really upset and felt their fellow fans were dupes.
I'll concede they have a point - especially in regard to Thome, who has just destroyed the Tigers down through the years, and with their division rivals Cleveland, the White Sox and Minnesota. Thome has hit 65 home runs against the Tigers - more than any other club.
"But he is such a nice guy...." And it is true. Everybody likes Jim Thome. Yet, as far at the Tigers are concerned, he's been, figuratively anyway, a smiling assassin.
- Thomas Rawls has been performing very well in fall drills for Michigan, outplaying his three-star status coming out of Flint Northern. The Wolverines will likely get help in their running game from true freshman this season, and perhaps sooner than later, from Rawls and Justice Hayes, a four-star player from Grand Blanc.
- There are a lot of things to like about Michigan State, but nothing more than Kirk Cousins. There is a quality of leadership there that is rare. And he's been through virtually every situation to this point. State may have some issues on the offensive line and a tough schedule, but I still see the Spartans getting to nine wins primarily because of Cousins.
posted by Pat Caputo at
11:55 AM
5 Comments:
Sure it was. Being decent to a good person has nothing to do with wanting to beat the opposing teams butt.
That's the problem with today's win at all cost society. Sometimes being polite gets pushed to the side.
The applause was generous, but not "thunderous." I was there and thought it odd to react so positively to a dagger that was just sunk in the heart of the home team. But as the history of the moment dawned on me I was proud of the Detroit fans. At times I could wish them more concerned about the game than the "Wave" or the video donut race, but I thought the Thome thing showed that this is a baseball town in touch with the Game.
I'm glad I moved to your blog rather than just reading what was on the OP web page.
It was a joy and thrill to see such fine sportsmanship from Detroit fans as to cheer such a milestone.
Winning is never more important than character and this is a story, sorely needed, that shows some character for Detroit.
Of course they should cheer. How often do you get to see history made in person? Jim Thome is a great player. Under appreciated, apparently, since all he does is play the game the way it was meant to be played.
Quite frankly, there are a lot of times I have to turn your station off because of the ridiculous callers. It seems the most vocal are, in many cases, the least informed...
I didn't think the applause was thunderous either. And it was delayed a bit. It's not like people started celebrating wildly as soon as the ball left the yard.
The fans just realized that it was a historic milestone and showed a lot of class by giving him a standing ovation.
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