I’ve consistently supported Trea Turner during this awful season. I’m left holding a ton of worthless frozen concentrated orange juice for God’s sake:

The “Fuck You Tour” is currently postponed. No refunds:

Every time he comes up to bat I want him to hit a bomb so I can tell people, “I told you so.” I’m pissed off, confused, and angry like everyone else that we have a $300 million black hole both in the lineup and infield. But now people want to treat him with kid gloves by giving him a standing ovation all weekend. Even as a Trea Turner guy I think this ovation bit stinks:

But what if it works? Well what if it has the same outcome like Pat Burrell’s did back in 2003? Do we just keep giving him a standing ovation? When does it stop? What if he goes 0 for 4 tonight? Is it our fault?

I’m not saying boo Trea Turner. It’s just that the standing O feels artificial. We can’t manufacture an Alec Bohm moment:

Life doesn’t work like that.

I think this is also rooted in insecurity from a fanbase that shouts, “No one likes us we don’t care!” while caring more than anyone. The standing O gives us something to point at next time the national media wants to label us bad fans because one person poured popcorn on Russell Westbrook. 

Be honest with yourselves, too. You’re turning to the standing O because you’ve run out of ideas to get him going. Breaking News: you can’t. He’s gotta figure it out himself with the support of his teammates and the organization around him. And he will. He works too fucking hard not to. According to Todd Zolecki at MLB.com, Trea went right to the cage after the game, came back to answer reporter questions, and then went right back into the cage until midnight. How did that fare? He went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. And it wasn’t because a patch of Phillies fans down in Miami were heckling him. Right now his swing mechanics are dog shit. He’s swinging at the first pitch 37% of the time, the highest in his career, and getting into 0-2 holes quick. He’s chasing more than he did in the first eight years of his career. He’s got no eye for the ball right now and pitchers know they can throw him junk outside the zone when they get ahead and he’ll swing. It’s not because Johnny Boombats didn’t stand up and support him behind the third base dugout. 

“Well Kyle, at least the team will know we’re behind them if we give him a standing O!”

If someone on this team doesn’t know the city is behind them they’re either deaf or didn’t watch the MLB playoffs last year. You don’t think this team knows the city has their back? 60% of the roster just witnessed a ballpark in October give teams four hours of hell.

If you’re looking to do something that actually makes an impact donate to Trea’s preferred charity, the V Foundation for Cancer Research, like Phillies fans already are.