Nationals OF Jayson Werth Was Thinking of the Kids When He Didn’t Throw a Ball Into Phillies’ Stands

Jayson Werth is one heck of a guy.

In the 9th inning, some kids were in center field and wanted a baseball.  But Werth did not throw it to them.  His reasoning?  Some drunk guys.  David Murphy of the Daily News writes:

So in the ninth, when I got the ball, I was going to flip the ball to a group of kids. Behind the kids were all these unruly middle aged men, who, to me, appeared to be snarling. It was the ninth, who knows, I kinda got the sense that they were intoxicated, but maybe not. So I was going to flip it to the kids, but then I thought maybe I shouldn't, because of the people behind those innocent little children.

Oh, okay.

Werth explained in Murphy's report that earlier in the game he threw a ball into the stands, but a fan out there grabbed it out of the lap of the fan he threw it to, and threw the ball back onto play.  

He got a two-run single in the ninth inning and we get it: he still can do some things.  I'm not sure that Phillies fans are bitter that he left but that the reason he gave that he went to the Nationals was that they were ready to win.   Sure, they did this year, but when Werth signed, no one did, really.  I think Phillies fans would have respected Werth more if he had just said, "Yeah, the Nationals gave me the best deal.  Their drafting of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg could be really exciting someday". 

But Werth didn't, so the Phillies fans are ready to rip on him.  Please, no more BS – we want to still like you, but all this other stuff makes it so much harder.  If you said, "No way man, I'm a National now – I'm not going to give those fans a ball!"  We would respect that much more.  Keep it real.

PS – I fully expect Werth on the Phillies Wall of Fame and on regular memoriabilia tours someday when his career is over.