Toronto Blue Jays' Aaron Hill falls to the ground after fouling a ball off his foot during fifth-inning interleague baseball action against the Philadelphia Phillies in Toronto on Sunday.Darren Calabrese
That was embarrassing, Toronto Blue Jays fans.
Aaron Hill hit two home runs Sunday, in the process establishing a club record for HRs by a second baseman - he's hit 19 in 358 plate appearances this season, bettering Roberto Alomar's record of 17 in 683 plate appearances in 1993 - and while he received the usual round of applause that is an act that demanded a curtain call.
Any place but Toronto, it seems.
Look: I'll never rag on people who won't spend money to come out to the ballpark. Fans don't cause attendance trouble; they reflect poor or unimaginative decisions by teams. Everybody makes value judgments every day about spending money, now more than ever. So I'll never shake my head and wonder where the fans are.
But I don't get this - you'll go to the Rogers Centre and cheer your ass off for a free piece of pizza. You'll boo Vernon Wells and Alex Rios at the drop of a hat (OK, you're right. I get that … but you won't boo John McDonald for an egregious base-running error?) Then you see history, stand up for a few seconds and then plunk your ass back down. Frankly? The Rogers Centre owes Aaron Hill a lengthy ovation tonight. You should have been stuffing and texting All-Star votes for him like crazy but it's too late now. Make him step out of the batter's box and doff his helmet. This guy is a special player having a special year. Hell, pretend the Maple Leafs have just successfully killed off a penalty if you can't figure out how to do it ...