San Jose fans complain about "The Wave"

Krazy George would not be proud. Here are two letters printed recently in the San Jose Mercury News, from fans complaining about fans blocking their view while doing "The Wave":

I was at the Sharks game Oct. 7 against the Islanders. I have to say, although the Sharks won, I left feeling cheated. With about seven minutes left in the game, the whole arena started doing the wave during playing time! This was very inconsiderate, since it is often hard to see around the persons sitting in front of you. Now we had the whole section standing in front of me, blocking my view of the ice. The couple behind me were voicing their displeasure also. I have no doubt there were others who must have felt of same way.

It especially irked me when the Jumbotron was showing a camera shot of the wave. The Sharks camera crew was encouraging the behavior!

1. Because the fans can't regulate themselves, the Sharks organization should not promote this behavior. Please discourage it with a Jumbotron message like the legal disclaimer to watch out for flying pucks. If it continues, I will quit going to NHL games. It's not worth it to me.

2. I know the NHL has sped up the games, but the short stoppages between the action does not allow fans to get back to their seats without standing in the aisles or crawling over people to get to their seats. This also blocks my view. I am not saying this because I personally want more time to buy a hot dog. I am saying this because I want to see the hockey game.

Victor Zilinskas
Palo Alto

• What's up with Sharkie this year? At the first two Sharks home games, Sharkie got the fans doing the wave. This childish antic may be appropriate at baseball games where the action is slow, or at college football games where the student section will do anything suggested to them, but not at hockey games.

In hockey, the action is fast, and hits and goals happen in a split-second. I didn't pay good money on season tickets to have some ``occasional fan'' jump up to do the wave and block my view of a great Nabokov save. Heck, it's bad enough with people not waiting for the whistle before leaving or returning to their seats. We don't need the team's mascot making things worse. No wave!

Steve Jursa
San Jose

(via Kukla's Korner)