Are Phillies Fans Causing the Crumbling of Western Civilization? Billy Wagner Says Yes!

Just in case you didn't believe us about Phillies/Mets being one of baseball's hot new rivalries, consider what happened on Friday night when Phillies fans affirmed the stereotype of the "bad fan". Philly faithful cheered Jose Reyes' apparent injury when his head went into Chase Utley's knee on a slide ... only to boo when Reyes shook it off. Billy Wagner, who played in Philly once upon a time and is never afraid of having an opinion, of course had one when it came to this:

"It's really sad when humanity comes to the point where somebody getting hurt, it's fun to watch," Wagner said. "It's sad when that happens. Nobody wants anybody to get hurt. I don't want Jimmy Rollins getting hurt. I don't want Pat Burrell to get hurt. I don't want none of these guys. I want to compete against these guys because they're the best, and you want to beat the best. You don't want excuses. When you see Reyes laying there - it's a tough shot, a clean play - and the fans cheering that he's hurt, that just goes and shows you volumes about where our society is headed."

Asked if fan behavior in baseball had worsened since his career began with Houston in 1995, Wagner added: "Not really, because this is about the only place I've ever seen somebody get cheered when they get hurt. (Shoot), they boo Santa Claus. What's it tell you? They've taken it to a whole new level when you're cheering for somebody to be hurt."

Well, it's not exactly a "whole new" level. Remember Billy, Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irvin lay motionless on the field and was carried off and immobilized, so it's nothing new. Wagner does have a point, but fret not, Philly fans ... Wagner hasn't been too crazy about Mets fans either this season.

(By the way, in case you still don't believe us about this rivalry, during Saturday's game, fans of both teams got into a brawl in the right field stands which was so huge, it stopped the game briefly with two outs in the ninth inning. The good news is that this fight was described as a "You Tube Moment". The bad news is that the fight isn't on You Tube ... yet.)

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 20)

4-21-2008 @ 12:13AM

joel said...

Phillie fans have no class. I know I can't speak for all of them, but a small minority are a bunch of clueless thugs!

4-21-2008 @ 12:33AM

Big Daddy said...

I keep hearing this line about how Eagle fans booed Michael Irvin when he laid on the turf of the gone (but not forgotten) Veteran's Stadium.

It's time to clear some of the air on this, While Birds fans detested Michael Irvin, it was not his injury that had fans booing, it was Deion Sanders' dancing around like he was performing some sort of Native American rain dance that caused the boos.

4-21-2008 @ 9:45PM

amber` said...

u know thats bull "phillie fans have no class" i wsa at saturdays game and mets fane are horrible i have never seen ne thing like them in m life..

4-21-2008 @ 12:30AM

GTJ26 said...

not classless thugs. just die hard fans. dont talk smack on philly fans just cause we are the most intimidating.

Chaz said...

Do what I do,shut down all TV sports. The news is all I need.These whining ass players today got to me so I pointed the remote at them,and POOF,gone.

4-21-2008 @ 1:27AM

hogg16 said...

Philly fans are a bunch of idiots. When is the last time your city won anything?

4-21-2008 @ 12:35AM

Santawas40+yearsago said...

Joel, you won't speak for all Phillies fans, yet you start your comment with "Phillie fans have no class." Sounds like a generalization to me.

The Santa thing is older than Billy and needs to go away. It was in the 60s and happened at an Eagles game. Using this whenever something negative happens is right up there with accusing all bloggers of living in their mothers' basements.

All that said, shoulda been you, Billy.

4-21-2008 @ 12:34AM

bill said...

listen people, philadelphia defines what home field advantage means. it is called passion, if you cannot hack it then go play for the mets like billy wagner did. by the way billy, how was it golfing in october last year? you giant loser.

4-21-2008 @ 12:48AM

sharon said...

the fans did not boo when reyes got hurt, and cheered when he got up. the fans started booing when the training staff was taking an eternity to evaluate whether he could stay in the game or not. I'm tired of phila. fans always getting a bum rap. ask mario lemieux how philly fans treated him on his first day back playing hockey after cancer treatment, ask jim tome how fans treated him when he came back to phila last year and came up to bat as an opposing teams player, ask alan iverson how the fans treated him when denver came to town this year.also, name one stadium in america where fights don,t break out between drunken idiots, not fans. maybe billy wagner was too busy thinking how great he is that he didn't realize that reyes went down to silence, and got up to cheers about ten minutes before the boos began!!!

4-21-2008 @ 1:01AM

Tom Jackson said...

I think our passion is what get's us into trouble with Players who play against or for Philly we boo good and bad plays at times so what we love our sports in this town and we will not change for anyone.

4-21-2008 @ 12:54AM

digg said...

Philly fans are hoping opposing teams players get hurt because it increases their chance to win. You'd do the same if you had to wait 20+ years for your team to win a championship. Philly teams don't win championships so their fans take it out on everything and anything they can. It's not "die hard", it's sad.

4-21-2008 @ 1:18AM

Frank said...

Yo Billy, you wanna walk thru South Philly you betta' be packin'

ktwiss89 said...

Its one thing to boo the other team and cheer for your team. Its another when your boo/cheering on the count of somebody getting hurt. If you have enough respect for your competitor you'd agree.

4-21-2008 @ 1:17AM

jch098 said...

Philadelphia PHans are the best there are in all of sports..we are die hard for every damn sports team and thats the way it should be. We not only let our players compete but we are competetive in the stands, as well. N screw Santa Claus I wasnt alive for that but its still funny to hear about. Being a philadelphia sports fan is where its at so back off.. Its great that we still have such passion for our teams not winning championships, atleast we dont quit on them..

4-21-2008 @ 1:21AM

pingo2 said...

There really are a lot of brain-dead neanderthals rooting for Philadelphia. Wagner is spot on about them being the dregs of society.
I remember the Eagles came to Miami about 5 years ago to play MNF and I have never seen so many fights in my life. They have zero class and think they can get away with it. You know people have no life when they want to get in fights with other fans and cheer for injuries while rooting for a bunch of athletes who don't know or care about them and are friends with the players from the other teams.

Jamws said...

The reason Eagle fans booed santa is because he was a replacement and was apparently drunk. Reyes was cheered after he got up as well.

4-23-2008 @ 3:35AM

sam said...

philly fans rock!! not everyone knows the true story of the santa story. back in the 60's at FRANKLIN FIELD where the Eagles played home games, it had snowed that day and the EAGLES had hired someone to come out during halftime and cheer up the crowd and ride across the field on sled. well he never showed up. so there just happened to be a guy in stands dressed up in the santa suit. the eagles brass saw him and asked him to ride the sled during halftime his suit was all messed up and muddy. the eagles were losing and were not happy so because of this they threw snowballs at this replacement santa.

now the funny thing is that about a few years ago at Giant Stadium in Giants vs Chargers game the giants fans threw ice bowls at the Chargers teams and even hit one of their coaches, but no one ever talks about that incident.

4-21-2008 @ 1:47AM

Fred said...

Philly fans are a bunch of dipshits who have no sense of sportsmanship, nor can they spell it. Second grade educated, neanderthal morons who wouldn't know sports talent if it bit them in ass. That's okay, we need someone to dig coal and clean toilets, and for that, Philly folks, and Pennsylvanians in general are perfectly suited for. Yuns. Pop. Idiots.

4-21-2008 @ 1:34AM

Sorry for the mistake. I meant Pawp. Soda to the rest of the free world. Pawp to inbred PA necks.

4-21-2008 @ 1:39AM

L said...

It has been said over an over by player and commentator alike - St. Louis has the best fans anywhere in the country. Yes, we get upset when our team doesn't score like we think they should -but we do not boo them nor do we boo our opponent. Have heard an ump booed on occassion -but hear that everywhere.