 05/25/2002 6:28 pm ET
Boobirds emerge for Mo, Alomar
Slumping stars feel wrath of New York fans
By Kevin Czerwinski / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- The love affair between Mo Vaughn and the New York fans was
immediate and intense. The big man and the Big Apple seemed perfect for
each other. Every time the slugger was introduced at Shea Stadium,
the response was always positive.
Roberto Alomar had enjoyed the same treatment. New York fans welcomed
the future Hall-of-Famer with open arms, showering Alomar with the same
kind of affection reserved for the likes of Vaughn and Mike Piazza.
It wasn't until Saturday, though, that the pair completed their initial
run through the emotional gauntlet provided by the crowd in Queens.
During New York's 6-5 loss to Florida, both Alomar and Vaughn were booed
for the first time as Mets at Shea. The honeymoon, after nearly two
months, appeared to be coming to an end.
Neither Vaughn nor Alomar seemed surprised by the crowd's reaction. The
big first baseman continues to struggle at the plate - his .228 average
is 70 points below his career average - while the 12-time All-Star
second baseman has yet to display the consistency that has been a trademark
through his career. His .253 average is 53 points below his career
mark. Both had ineffective outings on Saturday with Vaughn going hitless in
four at-bats and Alomar committing what proved to be a costly error.
Mo Vaughn
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"You play like that, that's what you're going to get," Vaughn said.
"That's to be expected. You're hitting what, .220. What do you expect to
get here? It's New York City. That's the way it goes. It's the bottom
line.
"I think the fans want to see good play. It doesn't matter who it is --
offense, defense, pitching, whatever. It's not the person but the
situation. It can get more difficult. I can continue to not play well. If
you play well, you'll keep people off you. If you don't that's what you
deserve."
Alomar felt the wrath of the crowd in the seventh. He committed a
fielding error, booting a Luis Castillo grounder in a manner not becoming of
a 10-time Gold Glove winner. The error allowed the tying run to score.
The go-ahead run scored on Edgardo Alfonzo's throwing error one batter
later.
"I just missed it," Alomar said. "I have no excuses. It's frustrating
because I should have caught the ball. There are no excuses; it should
have been the third out. I just missed it. It's as simple as that. I
thought I had my glove down and the ball hit my shoe."
Roberto Alomar
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When Alomar came to the plate in the bottom half of the seventh, the
crowd reaction was again unfavorable. The boos quickly turned to cheers,
though, when he singled to shallow center. Vaughn, who popped out to
the catcher and was booed afterwards in the fifth, followed with a pop up
to third. More boos ensued as the ball settled into Mike Lowell's mitt.
The situation didn't improve by the ninth inning. Alomar popped up with
the tying run on first for the second out of the inning Vaughn then
struck out on a check swing to end the game as the tying run remained on
first base, bringing the afternoon to a close.
"I'm going to get out of this," Vaughn said. "I'm not going anywhere.
I'm not afraid of the situation. I played in a hostile environment in
Boston so I know that's what you get. That's what you deserve to get.
"I'm not running away, though. There's work to be done. There are a lot
of things to be corrected. What you get, though, is what you deserve to
get. You don't play well, that's what you deserve."
When Alomar was struggling earlier in the season, he said he noticed
that the fans at Shea were not booing him. Considering the negative
early-April reaction Jason Giambi was receiving in The Bronx, he seemed a
bit surprised but appreciative of the patience displayed by the fans.
Then again, the fans in New York booed Mike Piazza during his first month
or so with the Mets back in 1998.
"I understand that if you don't play well, you're going to get booed,"
Alomar said. "I'm trying to do the best I can and play the game of
baseball. I just have to continue to play and not let them get to me. It's
part of the game. I've been booed before.
"When you don't play the way you are capable of playing, you should be
booed. It's part of the game. Hopefully we'll have a better game
tomorrow."
Kevin Czerwinski covers the Mets for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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