Kyle Parker / theScore
The fan who scolded the Houston Astros through a megaphone this October was radicalized by the franchise s stealing of signs, an ethical breach that Tim Kanter, like many people in baseball, considered unforgivable. He only thought up his response, though, because a different antagonist set him off first.
For that, the Astros can blame Matt Kemp. In 2014, the veteran outfielder was traded to the San Diego Padres and soon developed a reputation among the Petco Park faithful for trying, let s say, less than his hardest. Memories of Kemp dogging it stuck with Kanter, a transplanted Chicagoan and a White Sox fan since childhood whose workplace overlooks the Padres stadium. He was out on the office balcony this summer when Kemp, now with the Colorado Rockies, stepped to the plate about 700 feet away, an open invitation for disgruntled onlookers to jeer him. So Kanter started booing.