The Marlins gave out 15,000 vuvuzelas this past weekend during their series with Tampa Bay. Dan Uggla was one of many players who wore ear plugs. He was clearly not a fan of the promotion. Here's how he responded: “This isn’t soccer. I know the World Cup is going on, but this is baseball. That was the worst handout or giveaway I’ve ever been a part of in baseball.”
Cody Ross called them "awful." And manager Fredi Gonzalez had a mix-up with home plate umpire Lance Barkdale, perhaps the result of the buzzing cacophony.
When Gonzalez went out to make changes before the ninth inning he intended to place Brian Barden in the ninth spot in the batting order. But Barksdale somehow got it wrong, leading to an out instead of a lead-off walk.
"It's an embarrassing thing and it's an unfortunate thing," Gonzalez said. "But whether we won the game or lost the game because of that, I don't think so."And here's what the crew chief had to say.
Crew chief Tom Hallion:" It was the most uncomfortable baseball game I've been a part of in a long time because of that. Whether that had anything to do with it, I don't know, but it could have. When's the last time you heard something like that at a baseball game? Never. You don't see this kind of stuff at baseball games."Here's an idea of what it sounded like.
I watched a good bit of that game on TV down here. At least it's just a constant hum with the soccer games. The Marlins fans were using them to chant along to the organ music. Very annoying.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a swarm of locusts devouring a field of crops.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind the vuvuzelas as much during the soccer games. They'd drive me nuts at a baseball game. No way it catches on. Too much of a backlash.
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