Cheering for an injured player who comes out of a game is widely considered proper sports etiquette, even if that player is a member of the opposing team.
But in the Big Apple, sometimes even injured players from the home team are subjected to the vengeful wrath of frustrated fans who can't contain their 'boos'.
New York Mets reliever Jon Rauch clearly agrees, as he chided the fans at Citi Field who booed Jason Bay following a concussion-inducing dive by the Canadian slugger on June 15.
Rauch went on a three-tweet rank from his official Twitter handle @jrauch60, tweeting "Very disappointed with the fans who booed Jason Bay as he came off the field. This is a serious injury that affects his livelihood and his well being. He plays his heart out every time he takes the field. It's very unfortunate that he's had to deal with multiple concussions and other injuries - we all have him and his family in our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery."
Rauch had to know New York was a tough town coming here over the offseason, but this was perhaps his first taste of just how brutal the fans can be.
Rauch watched helpfully as Bay wobbled off the field to a flurry of jeers from the heated Citi Field fan base.
Bay, who was clearly wobbly on his feet while walking off the field, has been the source of Mets' fans frustration for two-and-a-half years, as he's shaping up to be the worst free-agent signing in New York Mets history.
After a solid eight-year career split between the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, Bay lost his touch immediately after joining the New York Mets.
He tallied just 22 homers in 240 games played for the Mets, less than half as many as he hit with the Boston Red Sox in 40 fewer games.
To make matters worse, he's been forced to miss dozens of games due to injury, including bouts with flu-like symptoms and two concussions that were the result of painful collisions with outfield walls.
To be fair, not every fan was booing him when he was pulled from the game on June 15. There were pockets of cheers, and sprinkles of boos.
It pains me to say it as a New York sports fan, but only locally and perhaps in Philadelphia, do you see fans booing injured athletes as they are leaving games.
In the "City of Brotherly Love," Philadelphia Eagles fans once cheered when Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was seriously injured. In 2012, they also heckled Washington Nationals slugger Jayson Werth after an injury.
Bad sportsmanship is one thing, but booing an injured athlete is just plain classless. In my view, New York Mets fans weren't booing Bay for a lack of hustle. In the heat of the moment, frustrations got the best of them and they booed him for his constant lack of production.
As for Rauch, he was clearly correct in his assessment, but it's not really his place to step in to scold fans for their actions. No matter what, one single player can't take on an entire group of fans and expect to win. For a player, the best thing to do is to just ignore it.
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Mets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
