In a Town of Tough Crowds, García Is Taking a Conciliatory Approach
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Version 0 of 1. ARDMORE, Pa. — After shaking hands with Tiger Woods on Monday, Sergio García again displayed gracious behavior on Tuesday at Merion Golf Club, signing autographs at the driving range, making small talk, trying hard to win friends and influence people. “I think he’s being extra polite,” said Sheri Love, 59, of Jamison, Pa. With the United States Open beginning Thursday, it remains to be seen whether García’s feud with Woods will make him a villain in the eyes of Philadelphia sports fans, whose passion is equal parts volume and bluntness. Perhaps that is why officials assigned García a police escort for his practice round Monday, though he said he received a similar chaperon nearly every year at the Open. “People will let him know how they really feel,” said Paige Davis, 50, of Malvern, Pa. “Everybody loves a great story. They say he’s not mentally tough enough to win. But if he proves people wrong and says, ‘Hey, I got some bad press, I made an error in judgment, but I can overcome it in this environment and win a major,’ we’re going to love him.” And if García plays badly? “We’ll let him know he’s stinking up the joint,” Davis said with a laugh. “That’s Philadelphia sports.” The long feud between Woods and García flared at the Players Championship last month, when García accused Woods of distracting him during a shot. It did not take a rocket scientist to realize that the two do not like each other, García said. Later, in a remark widely criticized as racially insensitive, García said he would invite Woods to dinner at the United States Open and would “serve fried chicken.” On Monday, in an attempt to defuse the tension between them, García approached Woods for a handshake. The rain and their differing schedules had precluded a formal apology, García said Tuesday, adding that he had left a handwritten note in Woods’s locker. At a news conference, Woods seemed more focused on the tournament than the feud. “It’s already done,” Woods said. “We’ve already gone through it all. It’s time for the U.S. Open, and we tee it up in two days.” At a separate news conference, García opened with an apology to Woods, saying he wanted to be viewed as respectful. “I am obviously a little bit nervous, there’s no doubt about that,” García said. “But with him taking the step forward and saying that he considers it closed, that obviously means a lot to me.” A dramatic moment occurred when L. A. Parker, a columnist for The Trentonian newspaper in New Jersey, who is black, asked García if he understood that his remark about fried chicken had created a “stinging feeling” for many people beyond Woods who supported García and wanted him to do well. “I understand that,” García, a Spaniard, said. “Obviously, that’s why I said sorry. I can obviously see that I hurt a lot of people. And that doesn’t make me feel good. I wish I could go back in time and take back what I said, but unfortunately I said it.” Moving forward, García said: “The only thing I can do is show you my respect, and try to be as respectful as possible competing. And hopefully what I do will show you how much I care about everybody. Only time will tell, I guess.” García will seek to repair his image as Philadelphia sports fans again find themselves defending their unruly reputation, fair or unfair, before a national and international audience. A city known for its ravenous blue-collar support has a chance to show its genteel side in the tony suburbs. “It’s a big-stage chance to show off Philadelphia, what we like to think of as the sporting capital of the world,” said Joel Fish, the director of the Center for Sport Psychology. “We don’t get a lot of credit. Our reputation is usually around booing and behavior. I think fans see this as an opportunity to shed a different light on Philadelphia.” This will take some work. An article posted Monday on The Daily Telegraph of London’s Web site said that García was “warned to expect a hostile reception in the town which booed Father Christmas.” For the umpteenth time, albeit with a British twist, the infamous episode from a 1968 Eagles game was recounted. As always, a cartoon portrait was painted, one shorn of the humor and frustration of the moment. Yes, Eagles fans did boo Santa and pelt him with snowballs, but less out of rage at old St. Nick than anger at Eagles management at the end of a 2-12 season. Even Santa has said he understood. Yet a certain defensiveness persists 45 years later. When a fan ran onto the tennis court with a flare Sunday at the French Open, John Clark, a Philadelphia television sports anchor, said, “Will we get blamed somehow even over in France?” Golf may be the perfect metaphor for sports in Philadelphia, where unfailingly loyal fans almost always seem to end up in the rough. Here, the mind-set is: any hint of success means that disaster is around the corner. Only the Phillies, World Series champions in 2008, have won a title since 1983 among the four major professional sports teams. When the United States Open was last at Merion, in 1981, Philadelphia felt flush with recent achievement. In 1980, the Phillies, the Eagles, the 76ers and the Flyers all reached their respective championship games or series. Now, the Open returns at a moribund time when the local teams cannot even make the playoffs. So it may be a perfect moment for García to ingratiate himself with Philadelphia, which is bursting with pride over hosting the United States Open and seeking to support a winner, any winner. “It’s hard to watch the Phillies; they’re boring,” said Howard Eskin, a longtime local radio and television personality. “The Sixers are a rumor. The Eagles are not in camp until July. This is big. It gives people something to rally around. You could say it’s their chance to finally see someone win a major championship.” So far, so good, García said. “People this last couple of days have been amazing,” García said. “That gives me a lot of good feelings and a lot of pride.” The tournament, however, has yet to start. “He’ll still get booed,” Scott Hynd, 40, of King of Prussia, Pa., said with a laugh. “Come on, man, this is Philly. They booed Santa Claus.” |