Nick Piccone
Sometimes professional athletes think they’re a lot more important than they actually are. This is one of those times.
Officially retiring from Major League Baseball by writing an ego-driven, pompous, self-congratulatory article on a career well-done, former Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt felt necessary to take a shot at Philadelphia on his way into permanent pasture.
Hang on, I know what you’re thinking: Jeremy, do you have any idea how dangerous it is to insult the entire city of Philadelphia?! And yes, I know. I know all too well.
So first, let me be clear. Philly is a great sports town, with passionate fans and a palpable energy. The problem, though, is that the city, more than any other I’ve played in, seems to condone and almost revel in its fans crossing the line. Nowhere else in this country—again, based on my experience as a 14-year major leaguer and the conversations I’ve had with other players—is the opposition treated in such a repeatedly vile and borderline threatening manner.
We are out here to play a game, and even though we are paid handsomely to do so, professional athletes should not be subject to vulgarity, personal attacks or epithets. Sadly, in Philadelphia, this kind of fan conduct is far too typical. The irony is, while Phillies fans succeed in making many players dread traveling there, they also (not surprisingly) impact the decision-making process of those same players in free agency.
Sure, it’s great to play for a rabid fan base, but after experiencing firsthand how powerful that fervor can be when it is channeling extreme negativity, it really makes you think twice about where all that collective anger comes from, and whether you want to subject yourself and your family to that all the time.
Cool story, bro. Now tell me places like San Francisco, where you spent most of your MLB career, don’t have fans that murder people outside of their stadium. 49ers fans are among the worst people on the planet. But, go ahead, continue to tell me how drunk fans telling you you suck and hurl insults toward you are any worse than fans in other cities, much less Philadelphia.
In fact, when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, nobody was shot, stabbed, or assaulted.
Not only is Affeldt’s article insufferable, but in the beginning of the piece he boasted about his 0.86 ERA in the playoffs and how it’s only comparable to Mariano Rivera and Cardinals great Harry Brecheen. Mr. Affeldt conveniently left out that his career ERA was 3.97. Not to mention in the American League, the guy had a 4.77 ERA in five years. But, go ahead. Boast about an ERA that
He then listed one of his reasons he won’t miss playing as the random drug tests. Because that’s so inconvenient.
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This is great, though. It really shows that there’s still a home-field advantage and you can still get into the opposition’s head today. That’s what sports are all about and they’ve always been about. Affeldt sounds like a crybaby douche. Are those even a thing? They are now.