What kind of fan are YOU?

Because of family commitments, I missed most of tonight’s game.  (A game which, as of this writing, is only in the 7th inning.)

As luck would have it, I started watching when Mike Timlin was brought in – the 6th inning.  The score was 4-2 Phillies.  Bartolo Colon nor our offense had impressed anyone.  When my man Mike left the game in the sixth inning with two outs, he had given up four runs.

Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows how I feel about Mike Timlin.  The moment Tito took him out, my cell phone was abuzz with text messages and my inbox starting filling with emails.  All about how much Mike “sucks”.  (Save for the message from my friend Cindy who, happens to be one of the handful who gets me.  Thanks, Cindy!)

Now answer me this…you’re a friend of mine, or you’re just a Red Sox fan, so what kind of pleasure do you get rubbing in the fact that a player you KNOW I support and is on YOUR team is doing badly?

I will always support Mike Timlin.  He’s had a couple of three (in a row) terrible outings. He’s certainly not the pitcher he was in 2005 and there is every reason to believe that his ‘age’ could be catching up with his pitching arm.  On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that he’s injured, or sick or a number of other things that could also contribute to his not pitching well.  The idea that Red Sox fans are taking pleasure out of sticking it to me that Timlin is struggling as of late boggles the mind.  At least it boggles my mind.  If you’re my friend, are you happy that one of ‘my guys’ is doing poorly?  If you’re just a Red Sox fan, does it please you that a guy on your team is struggling?  What compels people to send emails that say “How can you support a guy who fucking sucks so much?” or “I told you YOUR MAN WAS TOAST!”?

I mean, seriously, what the hell are you people thinking?

I will never be the person who roots solely for the guy who makes the All-Star team.  Hell, half the time the guys I root for don’t even make the major-league teams.  I’m not ashamed of this and it isn’t something that’s going to change.  SO take your nasty attitude and negativity and push it somewhere else.

And if you’re a friend of mine and I got one of these messages from you tonight – shame on you.  You should be trying to build your friends up, not knock them down.  If there’s anyone out there who thinks I’m blind enough to not see that Timlin is struggling…well, then you really don’t know me that well.

My rant is over.  The game is still on and there’s a good chance the Sox will lose.  I couldn’t care less right now.  People rubbing it in about Timlin have ensured that.

Just know that your attempts to pull me away from the players I support only pulls me closer to them.

Eat it assholes.