The reason that youth baseball teams chant, and sing, and rhythmically clap, and cheer is that 12 year-old pitchers are easy to rattle.

The reason that pro teams don’t do that is because grown men don’t actually give a shit what’s going on in the opposing dugout, or if bombs are going off beyond the RF fence for that matter.

There’s money on the line, folks. Teams will do whatever they can to gain an advantage. Whether that means stealing signs, or pitching inside, or coming in cleats up to break up a double play.

So, if chanting and singing really could get inside the head of a professional pitcher, I guarantee that every dugout in the bigs would look like the cheering section at a Japanese League game, or the dugout of a Youth Services game in the Bronx.

Figgy, you sucked last night, and in all honesty, your last few outings have been less than stellar. I understand that that’s frustrating after waiting so long for your chance. But bitching and moaning about the cheering in the other dugout doesn’t make you look professional. It makes you look weak.