Has the clubhouse celebration shtick gotten a little too scripted?

[BMann]

I agree that the celebration was cool in 2012, since it had been umpteen years since we'd won more than we lost, much less made the playoffs. But this season, after leading the division for months, the wild-card berth is cool-but-disappointing. And now that they've switched to this one-game nonsense, I don't really feel like you're "in the playoffs" until you win that one game and move on to an actual series. Until this recent set-up, if you played one do-or-die game in October, it was to break a regular-season tie, and that's still what this WC game feels like to me: a one-game extension of the regular season. Win tomorrow in Toronto, then celebrate your butts off!

[CallMeBrooksie]

I think it's a bit much, but who am I to tell the guys who've played for the postseason together for six-plus months that they can't let loose for a half hour after they clinch a postseason birth?

Exactly how I feel.

I think all of us need to step back from our fan-perspective and realize that these celebrations are not for us. These guys just went through an extremely long and difficult journey together, and in the end they accomplished something, regardless of whether you feel it's enough or not as a fan.

[Ohfan67]

There was even Budweiser advertising stuck on the plastic covering the lockers. Incredibly scripted.

[oriole]

May as well celebrate considering they might be heading home Tues evening.

[MDtransplant757]

There was even Budweiser advertising stuck on the plastic covering the lockers. Incredibly scripted.

I think it's smart to sell advertising for that kind of stuff. Really corpatized and crappy, but it makes the league money

[24fps]

Champagne should be for something REALLY big. Hugs and handshakes and maybe some thank you's and lets go get ems...but i was almost embarrassed to watch those guys. AL EAST title ? You bet. ALCS? Definitely. But second wild card only means you get a chance to play with the real winners. Sorry, right now, in my (probably unpopular) opinion we didnt win anything at all.Yet.

Completely agree. The champagne is a little unconvincing at this stage.

[Bradysburns]

I dunno, but I think the clubhouse celebration scene has gotten a little tired and stale. It's almost like they spray the champaigne around because it's expected of them. The team I saw tonight looked to me more relieved than overjoyed, and frankly, more focused on who they'd play next and where than on celebrating their accomplishment. Which is fine for a team that has been there a couple of times in recent years.

By the way, I understand the goggles and the plastic sheeting, but it sure makes the whole thing seem a bit sterile.

I had the exact same feeling. It was almost like the guys were walking into a situation that was created for them, not by them. Although I fully approve of the cigars. They were probably really good ones too, given that the Cuban ban is over (for the most part), and this team has some pretty good connections to Latin America.

[InsideCoroner]

I also wondered if we might have up to four more "champagne rounds" if they advance all the way. I think my biggest issue was the prevelance of cameras, though. Let them celebrate. Show us a half-minute of it later. The cameras seemed to make the players too self-conscious. It felt like it should have been mostly "their" moment.

[Bradysburns]

Im happy we had reason to celebrate, but agree with Frobby & Roy. But what were the players sposed to do? Its all set up so they have to celebrate or look even worse by not participating, but it does have the feel of the everyone gets a trophy schtick. Save it for something more significant.

yep - they walked into something set up for them. they didn't have a choice. corporate america wanted them to celebrate in front of the advertising, so they did. i would have done the same. so if folks wanna disapprove of this celebration, take it up with MLB, because clearly they winged some deal with Bud on this.

I guess in the end, you would hope the individual team would decide, not MLB (I'm assuming). Because each team's situation is different. I wouldn't have minded us celebrating when we got back into the playoffs a few years ago - but that might have been winning the wild card. That's very different b/c you are advancing to the next round of the playoffs... but then again, these guys just made the playoffs, on their terms. I guess I'm ambivalent, ultimately.

[drumstik]

If these are the things we are complaining about....you know its good times in birdland

[SteveA]

I loved the "celebration" when the O's came back from losing the 2012 Division Series against the Yankees when fans lined up to meet them at the bus and the loud cheers for Buck took place.

In 1989 a few thousand of us met the O's at the airport after they came back from Toronto having just misses winning the division. Actually at the Amtrak station down the road from the airport, the team bus brought the players there to greet the fans. It was cold and rainy and miserable and we had been eliminated the day before but it was still a lot of fun.

[LordOfTheHodors]

"How about Kevin F________ Gausman!" - Tommy Hunter

I don't think that part was scripted.

lol right? i was watching the game on mlb.tv, and they muted the broadcast for approximately 2 minutes after that F-bomb haha. was the MASN broadcast the same?

[LordOfTheHodors]

As long as Tommy Hunter is in the locker room asking for two claps and a Ric Flair, I don't care if it's scripted or not.

haha, +1

[MDtransplant757]

lol right? i was watching the game on mlb.tv, and they muted the broadcast for approximately 2 minutes after that F-bomb haha. was the MASN broadcast the same?

Yep, it was.

[Aristotelian]

Should be some unwritten law that wild card teams dont get champagne.

Champagne for division winners. Gatorade and ice water only for Wild Card. It does seem like a celebration "format" that was cool when it started but it's gotten old. I would love for them to walk into the room with all the sheeting and just have a nice relaxed toast to a job well done.