Correcting people you overhear at the ballpark

[InsomniacInkRoss]

Does anyone do this? How rude is it? What is proper etiquette?

 

I have heard people behind me asking each other what the WHIP or OPS was, which I felt wasn't a problem for me to answer when neither knew.

 

I have this year heard someone in front of me telling his buddy how Gabe Kapler was the big time center fielder we signed in the off season that was really going to help us, I left that one alone

 

At a Yankees game in the bleachers, a drunk was heckling the Yankees pen, yelling "hey 42, you suck!" to which my friend Andy said, "Hey, that's Mariano Rivera, no he doesn't" which I thought was hilarius

[RU Rah Rah]

It's a fine line. If there's general puzzlement and you can clear it up succinctly (as you seem to have done with the WHIP issue), then I think it's great. You're just being friendly.

 

However. . . I've been to a couple of ballgames where a person behind me has more or less invited himself to offer an ongoing critique of my conversation. As in, not just jumping in to resolve a factual question/dispute, but wanting to argue pretty much everything, in order to prove he was some kind of baseball savant. That's less cool.

[Fatter than Joey]

The only time I ever say anything is when someone is confused as to what happened on the field, like a pitching change, or a double switch -- things like that.

 

But if 2 people are talking about whether Ned Yost sucks or not, I mind my own business.

[bcf5575]

it seems like everytime I go to a game there is a loud mouth behind me that talks a lot (and loud!) and doesnt have any clue what he is talking about. usually the stuff is so stupid that you don't even know where to start to correct them. I usually just tune them out...

[TheBwaz]

I'm a scorekeeping nerd, so I will correct folks if they are wrong about something in the game (what a guy did last time up, number of walks, so on). I'll also follow the trend here and chip in if somebody is having a hard time with a stat. For example, when they started putting OPS on the ribbon boards, a lot of folks didn't know what it was. "Garsh, that is a big number, he must be good, its in the 700s."

 

As for interjecting myself on the relative worth/value of players and coaches, I tend not to if that is my first interaction with somebody. If we had shot the breeze earlier in the game I my join in. Once I talk to people I get a pretty good sense of the sobriety/sanity and whether or not a discussion will be fun or just turn into "Ned Yost sucks!" "No he doesn't!"

[pretendastronaut]

I agree with the general tone so far, that I'll answer questions people have, but stay away from opinion stuff normally.

 

On Opening Day, I did tell the guy a couple of rows in front of me to stop trying to start the wave why we were batting. That was more out of frustration of it being the first game and that problem already arising.

[Tbadder]

This can be a tough call. Sometimes I'll stick my nose in if the conversation is:

 

a) close by, and

b) humorous or friendly

 

I rarely try to correct others as my growing senility has led to all sorts of problems.

[tomwopat]

If some people are understandably confused, and there's no chance of damaging someone's ego, I'll chime in. If that turns out to be it, great, if it leads to an ongoing conversation during the game, even better.

 

But under no circumstances am I going to engage the guy who goes to one game per year but knows everything about baseball, or the two annihilated drunken dudes behind me in the loud, drunken, confused discussion about why Tony Gwynn Jr. isn't playing.

 

Of course if it's a Cubs fan it's another matter...

[JonnyLungs]

I corrected a gentleman out at spring training when he was talking about how Tadahito Iguchi won a World Series with Colorado last year, when it was Kaz Matsui. He simply mixed up Japanese second basemen.

 

Another time when we were playing the Cubs, the Cubs shortstop made a pretty decent play and a Cubs fan behind me yelled out, "Way to go DeRosa! That's why we signed you!" At that point I pointed out that DeRosa in fact played second base.

 

I'll usually just point out factual stuff, not opinionated stuff.

[Menotti80]

I corrected a gentleman out at spring training when he was talking about how Tadahito Iguchi won a World Series with Colorado last year, when it was Kaz Matsui. He simply mixed up Japanese second basemen.

Did you also correct him by saying Colorado didn't win the series last year, but Boston did? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[JonnyLungs]

I corrected a gentleman out at spring training when he was talking about how Tadahito Iguchi won a World Series with Colorado last year, when it was Kaz Matsui. He simply mixed up Japanese second basemen.

Did you also correct him by saying Colorado didn't win the series last year, but Boston did? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

That was just me mis-speaking here http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Being corrected in a thread about correcting people.....

 

[RightFieldCoder]

I corrected someone behind me when they were debating who was in the hitter's circle getting ready to pitch hit. They debated between Hardy and Dillon. They seemed to have a good general understanding of the Brewers. I informed them that it was Gabe Kapler and they were thankful for the information.

 

Another night the opposing pitcher kept throwing over to first where Kendall was. A loudmouth behind kept yelling at the pitcher saying, "He's a catcher. He can't run let alone steal second. Stop throwing over there." I did my best to ignore him.

[bacon06]

I once heard someone say that a backwards K means striking out a left handed hitter.

 

I prefer not to correct things I overhear that are wrong and instead opt to simply have fun at that person's expense with my buddies. After all, ignorance is bliss.

[Raw Biz]

Yeah I usually don't say anything to people, I just like to listen how dumb some of their opinions really are. Not even on sports related things, just conversation in general. When I went to the Admirals game a few months ago when the Goo Goo Dolls had their concert beforehand I heard a guy next to me say "This is Black Balloon, my favorite song of theirs" about 30 seconds into the song. Well it wasn't Black Balloon and it didn't sound anything like it. I just laughed.

[TooLiveBrew]

This is a great topic for discussion. I know I cringe when I hear people 'explaining' things using their baseball 'knowledge' at ballgames. That said, I also don't chime in unless asked//question goes unanswered//question relates to play(s) on field. But, oh! do I want to turn around and explain why a BA 6 games into the season isn't the kind of thing to get all excited about!

[Big Reed]

How many times do brewerfan posters correc t m y mistakes in my posts or try to alert me to my typing mistakes? perhaps i don't wan t t o be corrected! wh y can't you jus t remain quiet and not correct me? i hate OBp and don't wan t people to tel l me it's the basebal l stat of the new milenium! wh y can't yo u treat me like you woud treat a stupid fa n in person? wh y d o yo u fee l more compelled and brave r t o correc t a poster tha n a perso n face t o face?

 

People are a lot ruder on the internet - especially when it comes to stats.

 

 

just a thought for further discussion.

[patrickgpe]

its easier to be rude on the internet because there is no face to face interaction. in general though at the park, i keep to myself. i have had people ask me something, which ill do my best to answer, but if someone in completely wrong, i don't feel its my place to correct them.

[Sixto1979]

A few years ago at the park, there was a passed ball by the opposing catcher. The guy behind me, about 30 seconds after they put Passed Ball up on the scoreboard, said "when are they going to put the error up there, on that passed ball?" I turned around and pointed out to him that a passed ball is not an error, its a different category of miscue. He argued back that passed ball is just what they call an error by the catcher on a pitch, and that they need to put an error up on the board also. I told him he was incorrect and he argued back angrily that I didn't know what I was talking about. Then a couple of other fans chimed in that I was indeed correct, and the dude lost his temper and stormed out of his seat to the exit never to be seen again.

[TooLiveBrew]

Plus, we kinda come to this forum to discuss baseball, as opposed to the discussing being a peripheral part of the experience like it is when you're at the ballpark.

[tristarscoop]

My favorite of the "don't know what they're talking abouts" is the guy who's trying to impress the girl. He's invariably wrong and she has no clue and is usually not at all interested. The best of these being "Look at that shift they have on" when everyone was in their normal spots. When a large shift was on later in the game, he had nothing to say. Sometimes it's hard not to laugh right out loud.

 

I'm usually keeping score at the game and therefore am usually asked by people around me for details. This I don't mind. Also, if there's people behind me who are trying to find an answer to something and between the two of them can't decide who's right, I might chime in and give the answer.

[logan82]

I will never discuss an opinion with anybody unless they ask, and usually if we disagree I will let the conversation drop. I will however explain things to people(just a little and as unobtrusively as possible) if I overhear them talking about something that isn't an opinion. I usually give them a little time to figure things out themselves first. A year or two ago I heard somebody ask their friend what the numbers they put up on the scoreboard meant. 6-4-3, I waited a bit and told them they were the positions on the field SS-2B-1B. I also heard some people talking about what a backwards "K" meant. Strikeout looking and I showed them the front page of the score book I had since they looked skeptical.

[Big Reed]

I kind of go both ways. I'm a real jerk and interupt a lot of other people's conversations. But I hate it when stats nerds and baseball enclycopledias interupt my stories.

[Fatter than Joey]

How many times do brewerfan posters correc t m y mistakes in my posts or try to alert me to my typing mistakes?

 

People go to the park to watch a game, people come to a forum to discuss things. I don't think people are deliberately being rude to point out your typing, a lot of times your posts can be pretty hard to read.

 

Then a couple of other fans chimed in that I was indeed correct, and the dude lost his temper and stormed out of his seat to the exit never to be seen again.

 

I took my brother to a game once, and we were sitting by this guy who was complaining about EVERYTHING. --- The ushers were too old, the groundscrew were too fat, the roof opened incorrectly, etc. -- All of this was prior to the game starting. So this dude has registered about 50 complaints before the star spangled banner. The Brewers had some local grade school choir to sing the national anthem -- and afterwards this guy says "Those kids sounded flat". My brother turned around and said "clearly the kids were sharp", -- he shut up for a second and then on the first pitch the Brewers gave up a triple, and he yelled "GAME OVER" and walked out.

 

Best. Complainer. Ever.

[Glennron]

I usually try to ignore the annoying people who proclaim the game over before the 5th inning, but sometimes it's really hard. Last year I was at a game with my brother and there was a man in his 50s with a couple guys who I'm guessing were his sons, about 30 or so. The Brewers blew a lead in either the 6th or 7th and were only down 2 and he said the game was over. He then repeated it a couple more times that inning. Then when the Brewers didn't score in the next inning he said it again, and wouldn't shut up about it. Finally my brother turned around and said "Then why are you still here?" and he shut up, yet didn't leave the game til after it actually ended.

[Oldcity]

I kind of go both ways. I'm a real jerk and interupt a lot of other people's conversations. But I hate it when stats nerds and baseball enclycopledias interupt my stories.

Is this supposed to be a dig? I don't get it...