No blind cheering

Nobody wants to be booed. That goes without saying.

At the same time, a big-league player is expected to perform under pressure. So you have to wonder whether some have become a bit thin-skinned because of the enormous salaries and the legions of people who are always there to take care of their every need and the fawning coverage they get from all the media outlets that have business partnerships with the teams.

Royals outfielder Jose Guillen is in the first season of a three-year, $36 million contract. He’s also batting .176. Here’s what he had to say about being booed at Kauffman Stadium: “It doesn’t bother me to the point of carrying it to the field. But it (ticks) me off. I’m a home guy. So why should I be getting booed? You should be supporting the team.”

Here’s what reliever Jason Grilli, who was routinely booed at Detroit’s Comerica Park, said after being traded to the Rockies this week: “The only thing I have against some Tigers fans … is that they should be pulling for your team, no matter what. And I didn’t feel that was always there.”

Well, boo-hoo.

First of all, fans support a team by buying tickets. Period. They are under no obligation to blindly cheer if the performance doesn’t warrant it. If they don’t think the product on the field is worth spending their hard-earned money on, that’s their right, as well.

Players who think the fans owe them something have it backward.

Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado got off to a brutal start and was booed at Shea Stadium. After he hit a couple of home runs last weekend, he declined to take a curtain call. Whether that was the wisest choice is debatable, but his take afterward was interesting.

“It’s not nice when they boo you at home, sometimes unfairly, but who am I to say?” he said. “I’m not going to stand on the top step and say, ‘Don’t boo.’ I think it’s wrong, but nobody’s going to listen to me.”

Then he said something that shows that he seems to get it.

“All I’m saying is we want our fans to be on our side,” he added. “We haven’t been playing that great. All we have to do is play better.”

Bingo.