At the World Series, two unruly fans are a sign of the times – Andscape

The World Series is over. The Los Angeles Dodgers are world champions and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts – with two championships under his belt – is one step closer to long-overdue recognition as one of the greatest managers in baseball.

Last night, Roberts likely punched his ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But before we indulge in diversion and celebration, before we say goodbye to the baseball season, an incident occurred on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium that still sticks with me. And with a crucial presidential election coming next week, the incident in many ways highlighted the challenges we face as a nation.

Baseball is, after all, our treasured national pastime.

The image that still burns in my brain is that of two Yankees fans attacking the Dodgers' star right fielder Mookie Betts as he jumped to make a catch in foul territory. A fan grabbed Betts' glove and violently tried to pry the ball away. His accomplice slapped Betts' hand away as he tried to grab the ball.

As I watched repeated replays of these two hitters attacking the Dodgers' black superstar, I had a moment of clarity.

For months, I have tried to articulate the moment in history we find ourselves in and why it is so important – critical – that voters make the wise choice in next week's presidential election. We are at a time in history – and has been for some time – where the unthinkable has become the norm. The era reached its climax on January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol in Washington was attacked by a mob seeking to overturn the results of an election that voted out then-President Donald Trump.

Who would have thought this kind of mob violence could happen in our country, in our democracy? Looking back, the last four years have seen an escalation of inflammatory, divisive rhetoric and a climate in which incivility, incivility and blatant disregard for norms had become the norm.

What happened at Yankees Stadium earlier this week wasn't Jan. 6 – not close. But I had the same feeling of watching the unthinkable as the two spectators attacked Betts in front of everyone, with no apparent sense of shame.

I have seen many instances of fan interference where overzealous fans stuck out their gloves to make a catch. Once I saw worse. Twenty-two years ago, in September 2002, Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was attacked on the field by a father and son in the ninth inning of a game in Chicago. Gamboa suffered multiple cuts and a large bruise on his forehead.

What happened to Betts on Tuesday went beyond interference. One man tried to pry open Betts' glove and rip the ball out, while the other swatted away Betts' free hand as he tried to grab the ball. Betts was uninjured, the ball bounced out and the batter was also called out. Shortly after the incident, security arrived to escort the two men from the stadium.

There are some worse parts of the story.

The first incident occurred when the two thugs were being escorted out of the stadium by security guards. As they left, the couple were cheered, patted on the back and given words of encouragement. Instead of banning the two men from Yankees Stadium for life, the Yankees and MLB simply said they couldn't return for Game 5. That's a slap on the wrist.

The league released statements: “The safety of players, fans and stadium staff is the fundamental element of any event at Yankee Stadium and must not be compromised.”

The league said it has a zero-tolerance policy “toward the type of behavior exhibited last night.”

A one-game suspension was not enough.

After the attack on Gamboa, Royals outfielder Chuck Knoblauch called on MLB to take action to protect players. “It’s amazing that something like this has never happened before,” he said at the time. “But it is a fear among the players because it seems like the fans are becoming more and more hostile.”

Since the two men were wanted and willing to be interviewed, we then learn that it was anything but a spontaneous act, as the two men had planned to do something like this if the opportunity ever arose.

From their perspective and from those who cheered them on, the two men were simply doing their duty as fans.

After Tuesday's game, Betts downplayed the event and said he was more focused on winning Game 5 on Wednesday, which the Dodgers did. But too many were willing to explain away the attack on Betts as fans being fans.

Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo wasn't particularly bothered by the incident. “I saw it. It was perhaps one of the more extreme attempts to dislodge a ball,” he said. “But at the same time it’s kind of New York. I feel like that's what you expect out here. You can expect some unique things.

“In the end I didn’t feel like it was too serious. I think Mookie kind of shook it off too. That’s just kind of a passion, I think, that New Yorkers have.”

During an interview on Up & Adams Show Rob Gronkowski, a former All-Pro NFL tight end, said on FanDuel TV Wednesday that one of the fans involved in the attack on Betts was an acquaintance of his at the University of Arizona. Gronkowski said the fan who disturbed Betts was a member of the school's hockey team and said, “The entire hockey team was absolute lunatics.” It sounded like an apology. Gronkowski said: “He was all-in for his teams. He's all-in for the Yankees. That describes him perfectly, he just does whatever it takes to help his team.

“That's definitely unacceptable in the world of sports, but when you're that big of a fan, that's what fans do whenever they get the chance.”

The long and short of it is that baseball had an obligation to do more, and it failed.

With the World Series over and a presidential election looming, what happened to Betts on Tuesday will go down in history and soon be forgotten. But the episode, whether forgotten or not, was a microcosm of an atmosphere of violence and entitlement in which we find ourselves.

The World Series is over, but our deep-seated problems may just be beginning.