Yankees' Cam Schlittler Doesn't Need to Apologize to Boston

Sox Fans vs. Cam

Most normal people would find this sentiment to be that of a sweet and loving family. What adoring mother wouldn't want the best for their son? Some didn't think so.

According to Schlittler, Boston fans "crossed the line." It was the attack on her that ended up adding extra fuel to his game three performance in the Wild Card series against Boston.

Schlittler's demolition of Boston's season didn't just happen on the field. He spent the night trolling Red Sox fans on social media, finding great joy in their sorrow.

Schlittler's Apology

Things quieted down once the Toronto Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees, but recently, Schlittler issued an apology out of the blue for the things he said.

"Anyone who knows me knows how highly I speak of Boston and how much I love the city," Schlittler said. "I knew how I'd be received starting that game, but I didn't expect people from the area where I grew up to attack my family. Criticism is something I've always handled well, and that stuff doesn't bother me — it just caught me off guard. I know I've been vocal since the start, but I truly respect Boston and that organization. A rivalry is a rivalry, and my loyalty is with New York for as long as I'm here."

You Can't "Let Them"

Schlittler may have chosen the path of being the bigger person in this situation but didn't need to. Fans did cross the line by targeting his mother on social media. This wasn't a simple matter of some guy from the stands yelling that a player on the Yankees sucks. It wasn't the jeering of Roger Clemens in the '90s, when the Fenway collective sarcastically chanted his name. None of those instances is personal. What happened to Schlittler's mom was, and he had every right to run his victory lap after that game.

When Robbins wrote her book "Let Them," she may not have anticipated the level of ire that the city of Boston has for the Yankees. Turning the other cheek in some situations is all well and good, but when it comes to matters of your mother, defending family sometimes supercedes the general measures of decorum expected of athletes in how they deal with unruly fans. Plus, it wasn't like Schlittler was laying into them with expletive-laden rants like he's Charlie Sheen after leaving "Two and a Half Men." These were jovial-toned trolls by a kid running victory laps over a bunch of wierdos online.

Also, Schlittler is only human. Watching that happen to a family member would be jarring for anybody. If anything, he handled the situation fine. The fact that he kept a sense of humor is a testament to his maturity. Schlittler could have said worse, even going after some of the bigger personalities who ran his mother into going private by name. Commenting on Twitter posts was, in itself, an act of turning the other cheek.

The thing about apologizing the way Schlittler did is that it doesn't change anything. The fans who harass family members on social media will continue to do so, regardless of whether he says anything or not. This is why Schlittler's reaction was fine. There needs to be some pushback. You can't let them feel like they can go after loved ones in such a cavalier way.

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