Brandon Phillips on Twitter

[HammerDown]

I've been posting some twitpics that show BP interacting with fans and I thought I'd start a new thread to keep them organized. This guy has got to be the next Barry Larkin-type ambassador for the Reds. Sign him to a lifetime contract right now.

 

[JohnU]

I find it interesting that almost everybody who comes in contact with BP likes the guy. He's always smiling and having a good time with other players and umps. And still the assholes in St. Loser think he's the devil incarnate. I guess the trailer park just doesn't have enough meth labs.

 

[chico ruiz]

right u r mr. hammerdown. brandon is a good personality to have for the entire organization. what is even more fantastic? the reds, as a team, have a bunch of guys like that. well spoken guys with class and positive attitudes. there is no quit in this team. after getting swept by the pirates, and losing the final game of that series the way they did, they didn't fold or get too down. they pulled themselves up and swept the phillies. it's a team with a tremendous amount of character. the mid-70's reds were great. some pundits rank them as one of the best teams of all-time. but, the integrity and resolve exhibited by this modern reds team, in some ways, is unmatched.

 

[chico ruiz]

john. is that really the direction you want to take? why? no one here prompted that response. i thought this was the forum to avoid that. i really really enjoy 99.9% of your postings. i'm simply saying, that was unnecessary and unprovoked. more, it's exactly what we detest, and trying to avoid. please except this in the spirit it is intended.

yours,
68

 

[HammerDown]

 

[JohnU]

68 ... I quit three or four interesting discussions last year because of that fan base. I read published reports from Pittsburgh by paid journalists who advocated hitting BP in the head .... honestly, I bear no malice to humankind but there are some fan bases that put their worst foot forward, and it wrecks the experience. I honestly don't care to interact with those people. I was happy to leave the CBS boards because of it.

 

[chico ruiz]

right. then why start it on this board? - - - holes? trailer park? meth labs? those types (that i assume you are referring to) aren't here. i'm absolutely sure that you understand my point. i'm no board policeman. simply, why start, when it wasn't here to begin with? it is occasionally ok to admit when you are slightly off-base about something. what if a +casual cards fan visits and sees that post? please tell me you are at least vaguely aware of my meaning.

 

[JohnU]

Well, I apologize in advance to any casual Cards fan who sees this.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Cards fans can suck a dick. They need to go back to their trailer parks, do their meth and shut the hell up......oh wait you said don't insult Cardinals fans?


Why the hell not?

 

[eburg5000]

That comment hit my funny bone Tubbs. I almost fell out of my chair laughing so hard. Wasn't what I was expecting.
Cards fans spent a lot of time on the CBS Reds boards, but I expect they're were a lot of Reds fans over on the Cards board as well. That's how it all gets started. One fan goes to another board and mouths off and they come back and retaliate. The only thing is, the ones that never go to the other teams boards. Has to pay for it as well

 

[JohnU]

I need to clarify. I am not in a situation to start a forum war and any comments that suggested it perhaps missed the point. My point was, and remains, that Brandon Phillips is a genuinely popular and well-liked guy. I find the ongoing bullshit from the Cardinals announcers and media to be distasteful. They bring up the "fight" every single time the guy comes to bat and the revel when he makes an out. They fuel the ongoing childishness that is clearly unfair toward Phillips. And the original post points out how the guy interacts with the fans. And yet, there is a core of asshole Cardinals fans who can't get past their ongoing anger over something that happened 3 years ago -- mainly because their front-line media continues to make an issue of it.

 

[Tubbs1518]

There aren't many Cards fans here, only 1 or 2 that I can even think of and I can't ever remember them coming to the Reds board. Plus the only one I can remember is a really cool guy.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I come from a long line of mixed ancestry...so I am not thin skinned or take myself so seriously that I'm easily offended. People are people. The world us full of different ones, and we can't always be translated to understand intent... Sometimes the humor in the misfortune of others can be relief when there is nothing that can be repaired. I tend to joke those who joke, and be rude to those that are. Sports are traditionally a melting pot where teasing is accepted, and advised by everyone... Making everyone equal and equally open for a good natured ribbing. It shouldn't be taken offense to... Unless you are a meth head, and if that offended you, maybe you should give up the meth. I know lots of people with trailers, but not many of them trash, although they do exist. It's not about income, it's about lifestyle, you know? Much like trash attracts rodents, trash talk attracts those you wish to avoid. I do defend myself though... I know all the words.

 

[HammerDown]

There are literally dozens more!!!

 

[HammerDown]

 

[JohnU]

BP is pretty good at self-promotion but he also understands the value of the fans. I think a lot of players do but remain skeptical of what might be expected of them if they get too close. Players have wives, kids, girlfriends, parents, homes ... just like real people do ... and the fans are very unpredictable. It only takes one stalker.

I recall getting one autograph -- ever -- from Johnny Bench, who told me he didn't mind signing since I was on the field with a press pass. He said he could control the autographs on the field and wished he could trust the fans to be the same way if he signed in the seats. But he couldn't.

BP is a unique player, for sure.

 

[WvuDieHard]

I think BP is the face of the organization right now because of how he treats the fans. His defensive wizardry sure helps sell tickets and leading the NL in RBI's helps as well. Unfortunately, sometimes BP is misunderstood by the opponents fans but Reds fans know that he plays with a passion in a game that needs more people just like him. Sometimes the game of baseball can get a little boring to the average fan or occasional attendee but BP has a knack for adding flair and excitement to the game. Folks, this game needs that flair and excitement. I remember when Mark "The Bird" Fydrich used to talk to the baseball and I would tune in just to see that. I thought that dude was nuts. Maybe he was but he brought something to the game at a time when the game needed it. BP is no Birdman but his style and smile fill the seats and turn on the TV sets in a similar way.

 

[JohnU]

The only fans who don't like Phillips are WLB retardos.

Some idiot sportswriter in Pittsburgh tried to start something last year when he told the Pirates they ought to throw at BP to get even with Cutch being bonked. BP wasn't even playing (was injured) IN the series -- but never mind.

Then some Pirate guy later plunked Phillips, who knew all about the sportswriter's crap ... and told the pitcher it was racist. The pitcher whined on about how he was so painfully *hurt* that he had been called a racist ... like, yeah ... then why throw at the only black guy on the team, who wasn't even in the game?

That appears to be over now.

I don't think other fan bases have a problem with Phillips.

 

[chico ruiz]

fans around the league love bp, with the exception of a few within the nl central. why drudge that stuff up again? it's ridiculous, petty, and probably had nothing to do with ethnicity. it got heated. some things were said that neither of them wish they had said. it's over and in the past. leave it there.

 

[WvuDieHard]

I remember that incident last year with the Pirates. It was Jared Hughes acting like an azzhole prancing around like he was gonna beat somebody's ass. What a punk.