Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Red Sox fans are not known for being the kindest bunch in the nation. Words like disrespectful, loud, and obnoxious are used more often to describe Boston fans than ones like classy and welcoming. Having played in the A.L. East since 2008, Rays outfielder Luke Scott has become quite familiar with Red Sox fans and the way they act at Fenway Park. From the way he makes it sound, it’s worse than many thought.
“Just their arrogance,” Scott said during an interview with MLB.com. “The fans come in and they take over the city. They’re ruthless. They’re vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like (the last game of last season) happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis–classiest fans in the game. You do well, there’s no vulgarity. You know what? You don’t wish them bad.”
That sounds about right. Scott is a guy who has never been known to shy away from speaking his mind, so the fact that he feels so strongly about it should surprise no one. Boston is a massive media market. The stuff Red Sox fans have seen in the paper and on ESPN for the past several decades has placed a permanent chip on their shoulder. A lot of what Scott said is accurate, but that goes for Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and any other big-market team as well.
Take it from one who knows. Going to a Red Sox game is another excuse to get hammered for half the people in attendance. I once witnessed a bunch of 20-something-year-olds make their way to the first row behind the bullpen at the end of a game just to verbally assault Jonathan Papelbon — one of their own players. Some cursing was mixed in and let’s just say Pap wasn’t happy. Maybe I was one of those 20-something-year-olds. Maybe I wasn’t.
Fist pound to Hardball Talk
