The pile-on is merciless.
Prince Fielder's basepath belly-flop and untimely tag-out in the sixth inning of Saturday's elimination loss by the Tigers is the target of derision from sportswriters and -- more fiercely -- from fans.
Inevitably, animated GIFs of the what-was-that moment are posted widely. Here's one from SBNation.com.
These are among pile-on reactions at Twitter, an e-town without pity:
- "Anyone else feel a tremor a few minutes ago? #PrinceFielder #SpilledMolson" -- Steve Bulpett, Boston
- "What the hell was that?? What did he even fall over? #PrinceFielder #fatasssss" -- Madison Chapman, Denver
- "Yah I get paid $120M." -- Jake Vanderlugt, Holland, Mich.
- "Just want to thank Prince Fielder for giving up this whole series. #noncompetitive" -- Tim Grant
- "That was the fattest deer caught in headlights I've ever seen." -- Jon Wood, Massachusets
- "#PrinceFielder Wtf was that?? My 8-yr-old son runs the bases better than you." -- Jose Codoy
- "I've fallen and I can't get up #princefielder" -- Michael Dellinger, Pennsylvania
At Facebook, Bloomfield Hills business owner Steven Stone posts: "Some superstar . . . not!"
And here's what's written by those who're paid to share opinions:
- Drew Sharp, Free Press: "Prince Fielder probably will don the biggest set of goat horns, failing to record a single RBI in the 11 playoff games while extending his streak of playoff RBI futility to 18 consecutive games."
- Michael Happy, Fox Sports Detroit: "It's how they lost that really stings: Fielder flopping at third. . . . Shoulda, coulda." (On personal Facebook page)
- Mitch Albom, Free Press: "The image that will linger from this farewell Game 6 performance is Prince Fielder, belly-flopping into the dirt, being tagged for a double play at third base that never should have happened."
- John Tournour (J.T. the Brick), Fox Sports Radio: "Prince Fielder should donate his entire contact to the City of Detroit. The only player on the Tigers roster who needs to explain himself." (In tweet)
