I really don't care about the pink hats. I rememeber when we were there that Lu didn't want one, she went green

I know it's mostly (entirely?) women who wear them, but it seems like there's two trains of thought going on in this article. Gillin is using "pink hats" the way I would, to represent a certain type of Red Sox fan--though God knows they exist for pretty much every team--who jumps on the bandwagon when the getting is good, is largely ignorant of the game and pretty much lessens the experience for anyone who has been following the team for more longer than since the 2005 season.

Magner, on the other hand, seems to be taking "pink hats" to mean female fans, full stop. I think that's dumb, because there's obviously intelligent, passionate female fans. Not as many as males, for a whole host of reasons, but they unquestionably exist and I don't think anyone begrudges them the fan experience.

Seems to me that what actually irritates people is a set of behaviors--e.g. talking on the cell phone, lack of attention to the game--rather than one's choice of hat color. Of course, it's possible those behaviors have tighter correlation with pink hats than not, but wearers of pink hats certainly don't have a monopoly in that department. If you don't exhibit those obnoxious tendancies, I imagine you're unlikely to take as much crap for your pink hat.

“We were tired of all these stat-wielding bullies saying real fans don’t wear pink. Who decides what a real fan is anyway?” Magner asked. “Women represent half of the ballpark attendance today and are buying more merchandise every year.”

I was told there would be no math.

I know it's mostly (entirely?) women who wear them, but it seems like there's two trains of thought going on in this article. Gillin is using "pink hats" the way I would, to represent a certain type of Red Sox fan--though God knows they exist for pretty much every team--who jumps on the bandwagon when the getting is good, is largely ignorant of the game and pretty much lessens the experience for anyone who has been following the team for more longer than since the 2005 season.

That pretty much nails it. There's a whole lot more see-and-be-seen at Fenway then there used to be, and with a much stronger atmosphere that exudes "trendy bar with $100 cover where they happen to have a live baseball game as incidental entertainment."

It all comes with winning, though. Any truly healthy sports franchise is going to have fair-weather fans, any teams that wins long enough is going to get bandwagon front-runners (especially if there's an attractive narrative one can attach oneself to, whether it's the Red Sox Nation thing or the Green Bay/Lambeau mystique or the Cameron Crazies or whatever) and a possibly equal increase in the number of people who hate them - not to mention somewhat annoyed longtime fans.

I suppose I'd rather live in this reality than the one where I get "1918" taunts everywhere I go, but it's not without tradeoffs.

That pretty much nails it.

Yup, #2 is spot-on. My guess is that the "female fan" counterargument isn't a strawman so much as it is a misunderstanding. I'm sure there are die-hard, longtime female fans who like the pink hats and may be confused as to why they're having so much invective hurled their way.

My guess is that the "female fan" counterargument isn't a strawman so much as it is a misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding it may be, but until you start seeing men in pink hats, referring to fair-weather fans as "pink hats" is going to be a foolish decision.

Yup, #2 is spot-on. My guess is that the "female fan" counterargument isn't a strawman so much as it is a misunderstanding. I'm sure there are die-hard, longtime female fans who like the pink hats and may be confused as to why they're having so much invective hurled their way.

I know a woman who used to wear a pink Orioles hat. She didn't understand why I got annoyed. So, since she's really into art history, I got an image of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," photoshopped in a pair of sunglasses and a Steelers hat, got the image onto one of those CafePress t-shirts, and worse the t-shirt next time I saw her. Then she understood why I didn't like the pink hat.

A misunderstanding it may be, but until you start seeing men in pink hats, referring to fair-weather fans as "pink hats" is going to be a foolish decision.

I suppose it's fraught with peril, but seeing lots of pink hats does seem to symbolize something.

So, since she's really into art history, I got an image of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," photoshopped in a pair of sunglasses and a Steelers hat, got the image onto one of those CafePress t-shirts, and worse the t-shirt next time I saw her.

That's a lot of time and trouble just to make a point about millinery.

seeing lots of pink hats does seem to symbolize something

You end up learning more about the viewer of the hat than the wearer of the hat.

“Women... are buying more merchandise every year.”

Not to imply that there aren't women fans but this 'The more you buy, the bigger the fan' is what really annoys me. I'm happy with my one hat and my shirt but I guess Jimmy Fallon is a bigger fan than me because he has a Red Sox douvet.

It just so happens that I became the last Real Sports Fan ever, back in 1975. Anyone who became a fan after me is a johnny-come-lately, bandwagon-riding faker. (Yes, you.)

Pick one:

My first wife hated baseball and anything to do with baseball. Gave me a ration of you-know-what when I went to games, had a few cold ones, etc. She used to be some-what interested when we were dating. One of the many reasons we got divorced.

My second wife loves the game. Can't wait to go to the ballpark, throw back a few, and yell her lungs out. She owns and wears a pink hat to every game.

Dare I say anything?

You end up learning more about the viewer of the hat than the wearer of the hat.

Sports fandom seemed to be one of those places for guys to not have to worry about being in mixed company, and now that that's not anywhere near as true as it used to be, there's consternation.

Gave me a ration of you-know-what when I went to games, had a few cold ones, etc.

Does this happen on a regular basis to a lot of men? Yikes.

Bullies wield stats now? Strange new world.

I'm not hugely anti-pink hat, although the term does tend to act as an archetype of all the newer, casual fans we see a lot of at Fenway these days, fans who are there to drink and be seen. They are the natural outcome of having a successful and popular team, and it's a price I happily pay.

That being said, when I brought my wife to Fenway for the first time a couple of years ago, I forbade her from buying a pink hat and gave her a blue one to wear instead. A man has limits, you know. Of course, she wore a Bronson Arroyo player t-shirt, so maybe I only won half that battle.

What really annoys me is the dude quoted in the article who demands that fans wearing pink hats be banned from the park. That type of obnoxious superfandom is just as nauseating to me as the "fan" who comes to the park to get drunk and not pay attention to the game. Two sides of the same coin.

I'm a guy with a traditional navy B cap. I also have a classic red B cap with a blue bill. I also have an olive cap with a navy B. I'd like to get a khaki cap with a red B.

I have a circa 1980 painter's cap that has the nicknames -- Rooster, Steamer, Dewey, etc.

I have a red cap that says Dice-K on it.

WTF is wrong with a pink hat? Using "pink-hat" as a metaphor for bandwagonism is misogynistic or moronic, or both.

Gillin is using "pink hats" the way I would, to represent a certain type of Red Sox fan--though God knows they exist for pretty much every team--who jumps on the bandwagon when the getting is good, is largely ignorant of the game and pretty much lessens the experience for anyone who has been following the team for more longer than since the 2005 season.

What I really don't understand is how ON EARTH this "lessens the experience" for someone who's been following the team a bit longer. Seriously? That strikes me personally as... kind of weak.

I think the pink hats look hot on women, so I guess I'm pro-pink hat.

Maggie Magner, a lifelong Red Sox fan, started the web site GirlSoxNation.com specifically to quash the notion that women can’t be both sports-savvy and feminine.

Why can't you be feminine and wear red? Does she think that women who wear the team's actual colors aren't feminine?

Does she think that women who wear the team's actual colors aren't feminine?

Yarrrr, who's that a-rap-tap-tapping on my bridge?

So, I'm thinking out loud here, but what's wrong with frontrunners and bandwagon fans? I mean, I get kinda annoyed when people I know who alyways ignored sports suddenly jump in on the joy of a world series win, but that's just the cranky old man in me. Why shouldn't they join the party and celebrate with the "true" fans? Unless they're being really stupid, getting drunk & fighting at the games, etc, I say let 'em have their fun.

Oh, and I'm with Toby: the "pink hat" as a trope for lame/annoying fans is lazy and casually sexist.

what Cowboy Popup said.

Also: "You're with me, pink hat" -- not that I would ever use that line, but I like the imagery.

It just so happens that I became the last Real Sports Fan ever, back in 1975. Anyone who became a fan after me is a johnny-come-lately, bandwagon-riding faker. (Yes, you.)

Yes, it certainly is possible to be a Johnny (or Joanie) come-lately who is also a diehard fan, who will not abandon the team when it next has a disappointing season. Just because they started rooting sometime in the past 5 years or so doesn't mean they are all shallow trendfollowers who will drop the team the moment they fall below .500. This would apply to (but not be limited to) kids who only recently noticed the sport. I paid no attention to baseball at all until I was 14 years old, for example.

It just so happens that I became the last Real Sports Fan ever, back in 1975. Anyone who became a fan after me is a johnny-come-lately, bandwagon-riding faker. (Yes, you.)

So you're a real sports fan, eh?

Have you ever squirted ink on Mickey Mantle's new suit when he refused to give you his autograph?

Have you ever had your tires slashed because you wouldn't pay some guy to "watch" your car when you parked on the street before the game?

Have you ever run out on the field after the game to swipe the resin bag, or to bum a chin strap off a football player?

Have you ever fired a baseball through your television screen when your team blew a seven run lead with two outs and a runner on first in the ninth?

And have you ever thrown a fish at Ted Williams when he was standing in the batter's box?

I want to know if you're the real McCoy, or just another one of those pink tea sipping, pink hat wearing, pink tea partying poofs.

Sports fandom seemed to be one of those places for guys to not have to worry about being in mixed company, and now that that's not anywhere near as true as it used to be, there's consternation.

What's wrong with being in mixed company? I for one like women.

What I really don't understand is how ON EARTH this "lessens the experience" for someone who's been following the team a bit longer. Seriously? That strikes me personally as... kind of weak.

In terms of actually rooting for the team, it doesn't. If Yankee fandom suddenly consisted of me, and a billion fair weather fans, it wouldn't really bother me in the abstract. In practice, however, it's a balance. It's good for teams because it allows them to raise ticket prices, increase TV ratings, generate more revenue, etc.

But a lot of that it bad for (long-term) fans because it is harder to get tickets, the crowd at games is, as pointed out, more interested in getting their beers and being seen then actually rooting for the team. They're the ones who come to game and sit yapping on their cell phone, don't think anything of standing up (and blocking a view of the game) 38 times a game, and so on. That's what I mean by lessening the experience.

WTF is wrong with a pink hat? Using "pink-hat" as a metaphor for bandwagonism is misogynistic or moronic, or both.

Well, first off, it's not a metaphor, it's a metonymy. And I don't think it's misogynistic--though it's arguable moronic, like all metonymys--but you need something to avoid typing/saying a certain type of Red Sox fan--though God knows they exist for pretty much every team--who jumps on the bandwagon when the getting is good, is largely ignorant of the game and pretty much lessens the experience for anyone who has been following the team for more longer than since the 2005 season every time.

My gf not only buys bucketloads of merchandising at Miller Park (and incidentally hates pink hats) but she's also beating the crap out of the rest of us guys in our fantasy baseball league. I'm thinking she's a keeper.

I think the funny part is that I consider all the Gen-Xer's and middle-aged men who wear those god-awful pre-broken in hats to be fake fans as well. Seriously, if you aren't wearing a pristine New Era fitted, you really aren't worth my time.

I hate wearing any kind of hat. What kind of Red Sox fan does that make me?

A pink hat symbolizes a fan who is more interested in the fashion statement of being a fan then actually rooting for the team (by wearing the actual team colors).

I think the misogyny is mostly incidental; much of the "Pink Hat Nation" derision is directed at men. Pink just happens to be a color that no professional sports team uses.

What kind of Red Sox fan does that make me?

One secure with the state of their hairline.

I just don't understand the invective thrown at pink hat-wearing girls. This is, to me, not a little beside the point; somebody paid for that admission.

I have a circa 1980 painter's cap that has the nicknames -- Rooster, Steamer, Dewey, etc.

I had one of these too, maybe the same one. (I remember "Jim Ed" on there as well.) I dearly wish I had held onto it.

I think the funny part is that I consider all the Gen-Xer's and middle-aged men who wear those god-awful pre-broken in hats to be fake fans as well. Seriously, if you aren't wearing a pristine New Era fitted, you really aren't worth my time.

Anyone wearing a clean hat, pink or otherwise, is of suspect character.

The Red Sox and their "die hard fans" are getting exactly what they deserve. Once you jump the shark, there's no going back to the good old days.

The Red Sox and their "die hard fans" are getting exactly what they deserve. Once you jump the shark, there's no going back to the good old days.

Do you promise?*





* Actually, I never felt the pre-2004 days were any kind of rough ride, but I have gotten kind of attached to this World Series championship victory thing.

Anyone wearing a clean hat, pink or otherwise, is of suspect character.

Anyone wearing a dirty or wrinkled hat is a slob.

But a lot of that it bad for (long-term) fans because it is harder to get tickets, the crowd at games is, as pointed out, more interested in getting their beers and being seen then actually rooting for the team. They're the ones who come to game and sit yapping on their cell phone, don't think anything of standing up (and blocking a view of the game) 38 times a game, and so on. That's what I mean by lessening the experience.

These are good points, and while it's a problem at 55,000 seat Yankee Stadium, it's an even bigger problem at 39,000 seat Fenway Park. When there are no beer vendors, insufficient aisles, no elbow room for phone-accessing, and a stadium that has rarely had more than 5000 empty seats at any point in the past 20 years, the problem is just magnified.

My wife lurks here, plans our vacations around visits to various ballparks, wears a pink hat, and buys some type of merchandise from the local team whenever we go to a new park. And keeps score.

I never knew how bad I had it. I guess we'll have to have a talk about those pink hats.

Pink just happens to be a color that no professional sports team uses.

It also happens to be a hat color worn by approximately 0% of men who wear hats. Pink = women, plain and simple.

I'm not a huge fan of the baseball cap as fashion statement phenomenon. I'm a believer in wearing the official cap whenever possible. (People wanting both options are encouraged to check out the D-Backs.)

That being said, were I to find a Ranger cap in the appropriate shade of pink, I'd buy it and wear it myself. I'm secure enough in myself and my heterosexuality to wear a pink hat (to go with my pink T-shirt and pink Chuck Taylors).

I can honestly say that the visual is not nearly as disturbing now as it was a year (and 120 lbs.) ago.

Anyone wearing a dirty or wrinkled hat is a slob.

Find me a source of wool 59/50s, and we can talk. Until then, I'll keep mixing my dirty 59/50 into the rotation with my new BP hat.

A pink hat symbolizes a fan who is more interested in the fashion statement of being a fan then actually rooting for the team (by wearing the actual team colors).

This gets a little specious when a guy like, say, Timlin is shown on team videos wearing camo-themed Sox gear. Or when the team itself outfits itself in green.

I think the misogyny is mostly incidental; much of the "Pink Hat Nation" derision is directed at men. Pink just happens to be a color that no professional sports team uses.

I don't live in New England anymore, but I dunno -- why dub it "pink hats" then when it's only women who wear that color? Why not just call them the age-old "bandwagon fans" or "frontrunners"? Seems more likely that there's some misogyny hiding behind a broader phenomenon, unless those same people are equally vitriolic about other non-standard colors (like the Martelli guy the article quotes who wants to ban certain gear from the park -- is he the biggest idiot ever?).

All that said, RB in #2 pretty much nails the problem with the article itself.

I think the funny part is that I consider all the Gen-Xer's and middle-aged men who wear those god-awful pre-broken in hats to be fake fans as well. Seriously, if you aren't wearing a pristine New Era fitted, you really aren't worth my time.

I think anyone who deems anyone a fake fan solely on their choice of team cap is a fascist d-bag.

I am, exactly, 476.302% against any kind of off-color hat/jersey wearing. There is no point. You don't need to do it. I deeply wish MLB wouldn't license some of these monstrosities. There is noooo need for or anyone to rock the all-white Yankee hat, the pink Red Sox hat, the camo Reds hat.. any of it! One of the stupidest trends of my lifetime

Look, will everyone stop ######## about the ####### pink hats? Who the #### is anybody to tell someone else what they are supposed to wear when they watch a ballgame?

The next time you get bent out of shape because you don't find the type of team apparel some fan is wearing appealing to you, try to remember the money that is being spent on that stuff is being flipped into signing bonuses for otherwise unsignable draft picks, free agents and contract extensions.

Criminy. Life is too short for this crap.

Have you ever squirted ink on Mickey Mantle's new suit when he refused to give you his autograph?

Does at his funeral count? Haaaaaaa!

I had no idea people felt so strongly about hats.

I've got more issues with the idiots who sit in view of the TV camera and vacuously wave to their friends while on their cell phone.

That said, I'm a guy who has a pretty large ballcap collection, including a 1931 away cap, and a 1953 cap. This one is likely in my future.

I also love my fitted Homestead Grays cap.

And I'll give credit where credit is due. Jack Vincennes turned me on to those guys. You want a cap of almost any team ever? They've got it, and their customer service is excellent.

Reading this thread makes me want to run to the welcoming arms of the MSM. Well not quite. But yikes. Living in mom's basement indeed.

I never realized taking in a ballgame sitting next to a hot woman who enjoys the game (but also thinks pink hats are cute)was such a bad thing.

What I really don't understand is how ON EARTH this "lessens the experience" for someone who's been following the team a bit longer. Seriously? That strikes me personally as... kind of weak.

It has been mentioned before, but it has to be repeated. A significant portion of fans at games have little interest in watching the game in a way and a degree that detracts from others watching the game. Constantly getting up for concessions and a odd fascination with the wave. The last game I was at, people were running up an down the aisle screaming "1-2-3 WAVE" while David Aarsdma was doing his best his best to blow a six-run lead.

EDIT: Got the relief pitcher wrong.

In fairness to the people waiving on their cell phones, a lot of times their friends call them and say "I SEE YOU ON THE TV!!!!!!"

My phone blew up when I sat behind home plate at RFK two years ago.

I think the misogyny is mostly incidental; much of the "Pink Hat Nation" derision is directed at men. Pink just happens to be a color that no professional sports team uses.

No, pink doesn't "just happen" to be the one color not used by professional sports teams. It's not used specifically because of it's strong association with femininity.

Constantly getting up for concessions and a odd fascination with the wave. The last game I was at, people were running up an down the aisle screaming "1-2-3 WAVE" while Craig Hansen was doing his best his best to blow a six-run lead.

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990. I don't think that's a pink hat/bandwagon fan thing at all. It's annoying, but there are a disturbing number of actual Sox fans who will do the wave, and even possibly look forward to it.

I don't live in New England anymore, but I dunno -- why dub it "pink hats" then when it's only women who wear that color?

I don't personally use the term, but I've always seen "Pink Hat Nation" used to describe the entirety of bandwagon fandom. Pink Hats are an identifiably recent phenomenom (the explosion of pink hats, that is), "Pink Hat Nation" has a nice ring to it, and it appears the term has arisen organically and independently among multiple fanbases.

Personally, I think calling someone part of "Red Sox Nation" is a slur enough in itself.

I never realized taking in a ballgame sitting next to a hot woman who enjoys the game (but also thinks pink hats are cute)was such a bad thing.

Yeah, way to totally miss the point.

re: 53

I've found that to be true at many sports events though. Its not just exclusive to baseball or particular to one team in baseball. I agree though, the wave is a personal pet peeve of mine. I've been at college football games where the fans did the wave during a close game in the fourth quarter.

Ugh.

I am, exactly, 476.302% against any kind of off-color hat/jersey wearing. There is no point. You don't need to do it. I deeply wish MLB wouldn't license some of these monstrosities. There is noooo need for or anyone to rock the all-white Yankee hat, the pink Red Sox hat, the camo Reds hat.. any of it! One of the stupidest trends of my lifetime]

I have a hat in this style, (without the lining on the brim) and there is nothing wrong with it. Tonight I will be wearing the regulation yankee hat, but I will wear this hat if the mood strikes me.

I also have a khaki Yankee visor which I wear golfing.

There have been many, many stupider trends than this.

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990.

Before then, IIRC. People were doing it at the Cell the other night when I was there. It's my least favorite fan experience.

In fairness to the people waiving on their cell phones, a lot of times their friends call them and say "I SEE YOU ON THE TV!!!!!!"

My phone blew up when I sat behind home plate at RFK two years ago.

Turn it off, or don't wave. Waving to the camera is infantile, attention seeking moronic behavior. I also don't like the nimrods who are jumping around behind live reporters on local news either.

Reading this thread makes me want to run to the welcoming arms of the MSM. Well not quite. But yikes. Living in mom's basement indeed.

I never realized taking in a ballgame sitting next to a hot woman who enjoys the game (but also thinks pink hats are cute)was such a bad thing.

Exactly. My girlfriend is extremely hot. Yet she's twice as appealing as that wearing a cute pink hat and sharing the baseball experience with me. What's not to like?

The one you linked isn't what I am talking about.
I'm talking about the ones that are white everywhere (brim, bill, logo, everywhere).

http://i2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/421/656/76/white_hat_good.jpg

What's worse than the wave is people who stand up for seemingly no reason at all. They aren't going to the can. They aren't seeking concessions. They aren't leaping to their feet because of an exciting play. They simply, seemingly at random, stand up and idle at their seats.

Sit down, you numbskulls.

Turn it off, or don't wave. Waving to the camera is infantile, attention seeking moronic behavior. I also don't like the nimrods who are jumping around behind live reporters on local news either.

There was a really horrible version of this during the College World Series. Kyle Peterson was talking to the dad of a Fresno player about what it was like a couple years ago when his wife/the kid's mom was dying of cancer during the season and how the kid homered in the last game he knew she would ever see... pretty intense stuff.
At any rate, some d-bag in the row behind was on his phone and talking to whoever on the other end about "can you see me? huh? yeahh!!", ect


Before then, IIRC. People were doing it at the Cell the other night when I was there. It's my least favorite fan experience.

Agreed. I hate the wave when it takes place during game action. Watch the game people!... or at least allow me to

I did not wave, but I can't turn it off, in case work was calling.

Cell Phones are a reality in this era. All one can do is be polite about it.

The one you linked isn't what I am talking about.
I'm talking about the ones that are white everywhere (brim, bill, logo, everywhere).

http://i2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/421/656/76/white_hat_good.jpg

someone gave me that hat as a gift, but I almost never wear it.

Exactly. My girlfriend is extremely hot. Yet she's twice as appealing as that wearing a cute pink hat and sharing the baseball experience with me. What's not to like?

Jesus, did either of you actually read the thread? No one is talking about cute girls who want to "share the baseball experience," whether pink-hatted or no. Hell, find me a cute girl who likes the Yankees and we can pretty much set a date.

People are talking about, to quote from some of the many posts here: fans "who jump on the bandwagon when the getting is good, are largely ignorant of the game and pretty much lessen the experience for anyone who has been following the team for longer," the types who practic "a set of behaviors--e.g. talking on the cell phone, lack of attention to the game," and the "see-and-be-seen at Fenway...with a much stronger atmosphere that exudes 'trendy bar with $100 cover where they happen to have a live baseball game as incidental entertainment.'"

re: 58

I intend no hostility. My viewpoint on this is a little skewed by a recent experience at Camden. While there I was:

1. Caught in between a confrontation between a Sox fan and an O's fan regarding "bandwagon fans".

2. Told by an O's fan "welcome to Fenway south" and pushed.

3. Heard more than one comment directed towards my wife regarding, yes, the pink hat.

Likely makes it a more sensitive subject than is warranted to me. I agree with your point in #2. I realize the Pink hat thing is intended as a castigation towards bandwagon fans, but it does come across, at least to me, as a little misogynistic as well.

Cell Phones are a reality in this era. All one can do is be polite about it.

The cellular telephone is a blight.

I digress, but this seems like an appropriate place to mention my wife's lament that there are no "Red Sox Girl: Enough Said" t-shirts available in girls' or women's sizes, only in juniors'.

I work with someone who sits on the toilet and has conversations on his cell phone. You'll be in there and hear, "Yeah, and I was saying to -- hold on --" *grunt* *grunt* *splash* "-- yeah, I was saying to him that..."

I digress, but this seems like an appropriate place to mention my wife's lament that there are no "Red Sox Girl: Enough Said" t-shirts available in girls' or women's sizes, only in juniors'.

Sounds like she needs to develop an eating disorder.

I have to say that, as a Royals fan, I'm happy to see someone wearing KC stuff no matter if it's pink, camo or blue. Lose 100 games a year and it suddenly becomes much easier to get seats and you start seeing far fewer pink caps.
But you still get people with cell phones waving to folks at home. That never goes away.

if it is a metonym ... and I suppose it is being used as one, though I think it's a poor use ... what would be a better term? metrosoxuals? trophy moths? fanbeciles?

The cellular telephone is a blight.

Indeed. I don't own one. At this late date, there's probably a decent chance I never will. People who say they have to have them on at games in case work calls are also, I presume, carrying their switched-on laptops as well.

Personally, I wouldn't want such a job.

what would be a better term? metrosoxuals? trophy moths? fanbeciles?

I like metrosoxuals, although that one might be a little obsecure to catch on. How about "The Class of '05"?

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990.

Nah, I go to at least a dozen Indians games a year and see the wave break out every time, makes me want to go all Shawn Chacon on the crowd.

Biggest pet peeve is when people can't wait til the end of the inning to go to or from the bathroom.

Biggest pet peeve is when people can't wait til the end of the inning to go to or from the bathroom.

Sometimes Nature can't wait for the side to be retired.

In fairness to the people waiving on their cell phones

Like Brian Cashman or Kevin Towers.

Sometimes Nature can't wait for the side to be retired.

It's called a Foley catheter.

Palermo does use pink:

http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/home/index.jsp

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990.

It's from what I can tell a not unheard of occurrence at Camden Yards at both "Fenway South" games and other games.

What's worse than the wave is people who stand up for seemingly no reason at all. They aren't going to the can. They aren't seeking concessions. They aren't leaping to their feet because of an exciting play. They simply, seemingly at random, stand up and idle at their seats.

Spoken like a non-hemorrhoid-sufferer.

Spoken like a non-hemorrhoid-sufferer.

Bring your donut and shut yer yap.

It's dead almost everywhere else,

Still happens in San Diego quite often.

Ok, I guess fans elsewhere are as stupid as the ones in the bleachers at Fenway. I really thought it was dead everywhere else, and wish it was dead at Fenway.

The Wave is so notable and silly at Fenway because it gets so thin in the Monster seats. A few really loud and determined people sitting up there should be able to act as a nice breakwater.

The chicks at Angel games are hot. One doesn't even notice what they are wearing, though it ain't much.

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990.

Sickeningly alive and well at both Oakland and San Francisco games. It's rare that I see an A's game without a wave. The other day they were doing it during an A's rally.

On the main topic, I'll try not to speak for anyone but myself -- as nauseating as the version of RSN we're bludgeoned with by the MSM has become, it really did used to mean something to me. And there was a comfort in knowing that when I went to away games (or even games the Red Sox weren't involved in) and saw other fans in Sox gear, we shared an experience that we both held to be very important. That's no longer the case. More often than not, when I see someone wearing a Sox cap in an airport and hail them as I always have, I get a blank look or an ugly stare. The kinship between "real" fans (however you call them) has pretty much evaporated. Maybe it's different in New England?

It's not the pink hat itself that bothers me about it. While the lack of rigidity with which other fans adhere to classic baseball tradition is a slight annoyance, it's not anything I lose sleep over. It's not, for me, even that these fans' existence make going to games less enjoyable (though the constant standing, yapping, waving, "wave"ing and general ignorance all fall under the category of 'slight annoyance' as well). It's that they lessen the overall shared experience of being a fan.

Baseball fans who are less fervent than me are fair-weather bandwagoneers. Baseball fans who are more fervent than me are obsessive geeks.

I am the greatest.

Have you ever had the pleasure of sitting in the row in front of two couples where the men and women pair off, followed by nine innings of the womens' incessant chatter about everything on the planet except the ball game being played out in front of us?

There is a stadium seating dynamic in which every word of a conversation, even when spoken in a normal tone of voice, is directed right into the back of the skull of the person sitting in the next row. I'm aware of this and try not to annoy the guys in front of me too much (or talk about their girlfriends).

When you get somebody sitting behind you who never shuts up -- or worse, considers themselves the next Dane Cook, man, it can be a long evening.

Generally, I subscribe to the maxim that Hell is other people.

Have you ever fired a baseball through your television screen when your team blew a seven run lead with two outs and a runner on first in the ninth?

...and then lost in 13 innings in the second game of that doubleheader.

Brutal.

When you get somebody sitting behind you who never shuts up -- or worse, considers themselves the next Dane Cook, man, it can be a long evening.

The only thing worse than that would be sitting behind the actual Dane Cook.

I think the funny part is that I consider all the Gen-Xer's and middle-aged men who wear those god-awful pre-broken in hats to be fake fans as well. Seriously, if you aren't wearing a pristine New Era fitted, you really aren't worth my time.

I suggested this on SOSH and got flamed for it. 59/50s are the only way to go. Besides, there's a feeling of accomplishment when you break in a 59/50 to the point you could stick it in your back pocket.

Seconded on the complaints over the change from wool. I need to buy another one quick.

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990. I don't think that's a pink hat/bandwagon fan thing at all. It's annoying, but there are a disturbing number of actual Sox fans who will do the wave, and even possibly look forward to it.

I just got back from a Jay Buckley tour (highly recommended). At every park (Baltimore, Boston, DC, Philly, and both NY parks) the wave was done. And every game except one in DC and the Mets/M's was a 1-run game. Say what you want about the Chads and Trixies at Wrigley but the wave is pretty much non-existant here.

When you get somebody sitting behind you who never shuts up -- or worse, considers themselves the next Dane Cook, man, it can be a long evening.

For instance the guy behind me at Wrigley a few weeks ago who said he doesn't know why the Yankees ever traded Soriano. Yeah, who wants that A-Rod guy. There was also a guy in Pittsburgh who claimed he had never seen a worse left fielder than Jason Bay. Apparently he hadn't seen the guy that played just down the Ohio river. Perhaps that was why some drunks threatened to kill him in the parking lot after the game. Finally there were the drunk chicks discussing the intoxicating effects of different pain-killers earlier this season.

I approve of the pink hat fans. They allow me to feel smug and superior.

On the main topic, I'll try not to speak for anyone but myself -- as nauseating as the version of RSN we're bludgeoned with by the MSM has become, it really did used to mean something to me. And there was a comfort in knowing that when I went to away games (or even games the Red Sox weren't involved in) and saw other fans in Sox gear, we shared an experience that we both held to be very important. That's no longer the case. More often than not, when I see someone wearing a Sox cap in an airport and hail them as I always have, I get a blank look or an ugly stare. The kinship between "real" fans (however you call them) has pretty much evaporated. Maybe it's different in New England?


I think this sums it up.

The wave, though, is a Boston thing. It's dead almost everywhere else, but the wave has been going strong at Sox games since at least 1990.

Sadly, people are still doing the wave at Blue Jays games to this date.
It was big back in the hey-day Jays days (1985-1995), but it still around now in the later (losing) innings.

Thankfully, my family will not partake in such shenannigans, and my father often mutters under his breath (in his best senior-citizen-esque grumble) "Pay attention to the damn game."