Cannon Firing Line
Miserable
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

Sadly, we’ve had many occasions to discuss and write about the increasingly disturbing number of incidents involving overzealous sports fans. Even more sadly, there’s no end in sight.

We’ll put aside the nitwits who think they’re part of the show each time the gates are opened; the drunks and psychopaths whose reality has them on the roster of “their” team.

Somehow, we’ll exclude them for the purpose of this column.

Instead, we’ll focus on the mentality that allows a Boston fan to take a shot at Gary Sheffield, Allen Iverson being hit by a quarter as he sat on the bench, Jason Giambi being washed by a beer thrown at an A’s game and, most recently, the situation in Cincinnati involving former Reds reliever Danny Graves.

Perhaps you can refer our sports culture to a mental health expert so we can find out what’s going on with us.

Graves was a longtime pitcher for the Reds designated for assignment shortly after an incident where he flipped off a fan. His performance has fallen off, but the incident greased the skids for Cincinnati to whack him.

Graves has expressed regret, but also raised a few questions, none of which are particularly new but which nonetheless need to be part of the discussion.

One school of thought believes once you buy a ticket, as a fan you can basically do anything. That borders on insane, but we acknowledge the mentality, even if it tolerates anarchy.

From accounts of the Graves incident, that’s what happened when a fan reached over from the fancy seats far enough into the dugout that Graves couldn’t avoid the F-bombs coming his way.

Knowing he’s the bad guy, Graves says, “I’m the one that shot the bird, I’m the one that gets buried on the radio and I’m the one that’s out of a job. That guy’s got a job still.”And while he won’t confirm reports the fan also used a racial slur (Graves is half-Vietnamese), Graves told the Cincinnati Post, “Whether you’re a garbage man or you’re a professional athlete and somebody talks down to you like that, don’t you feel it’s right to stand up for yourself? Maybe I did it the wrong way, I don’t know, but if I was walking down the street, he wouldn’t tell me that. Just because he bought a ticket doesn’t mean that he can say that to me. Tell me I suck, tell me I don’t belong here, whatever. Just don’t verbally assault me like that.”

The guy is okay with most of it but feels it’s time to respond “when somebody leans over the dugout and gets in my face and cusses to me like a dog.”

Is he asking too much?

We’re not even getting into the other incidents above, all of which point out it will be necessary in time for sports leagues to enforce the lines between fans and fields by tossing everyone – yes, even that little innocent that falls onto the field trying to catch a foul ball – to preserve it.

But what about us? If you’re at a game and some giraffe goes off, is that cool by you? Do you want your kids hearing that? Is that the example of a fan you want Little Billy to practice? Does that make your clients feel comfortable when you take them to a game?

Hell no. So, when you find that psychiatrist to explain where the breakdown has happened and why athletes are fair game, let me know.

Because I need to ask why we even go to the games if we’re so miserable.

"Ellis Cannon's Sportsline Pittsburgh" airs weeknights, 6-8 p.m. on FM NewsTalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 on KDKA-TV.