Yeah, I Heard the Boos…

Did a Red Bird hear the boo birds? Yes. How ‘bout the
emcee of the AZ Cardinals Fan Fest event? Did that guy
get booed? Yes again.

How do I know? Because I heard the former and I happen to
be the latter.

While roaming the stadium with a wireless microphone as
the designated MC-dude, I was assigned to the opposite
sideline away from the rest of the media. Meaning, instead
of standing a football field away from the fans, I was
actually positioned a few yards away from the stands.

Thus, at the very least, I can confirm that the last two
plays of the practice session resulted in boos. Kevin
Kolb threw an interception. And got booed. Kolb then
had a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. And got
booed again.

Thing is, are we talking to the degree that Roger Goodell
got booed at the 2011 NFL Draft? Uh, no. Not even
close. First off, I’d say that perhaps 15% of the 15,000
fans still remained. And of the 15% of the 15,000 left,
I’d say that maybe 15% of those fans voiced their
displeasure.

But make no mistake, the boos were audible. And
memorable — at least to me. Because moments before the
fans focused on Kolb, a few fans warmed up by unloading on
the MC-guy (affable and hard-working?), even taking the
name Paulie Pigskin in vain (not cool).

Thing is, here’s the question: were the fans booing the
guy on the jumbotron and the PA system or were they
booing (gulp) yours truly? Likewise, were the fans
booing the INT and the batted pass or the QB pulling the
trigger? Personal or professional?

Either way, boo birds are almost always birds of prey.
For example, if you drop a pass, you hear it — period.
DBs get booed. Ball boys. Heck, even Fitz himself got
catcalled last night for failing to hold onto a (bad)
pass. From the sideline, I’ve even heard Big Red get
booed. No joke. And you certainly can’t boo the team
mascot…uh, right? Wrong.

To this day, my exterminator swears that Matt Leinart
was/is the long-term answer for Kurt Warner. See,
competition begets partisanship. Fans take sides. Kolb
vs. Skelton is just starting. And we better get used to
it.

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