On August 29, 2021, as the New York Mets had long since past fallen well out of a National League East race they once had a stranglehold, Javier Baez gave the fans a thumbs down. After the game, Baez let the fans know that if the fans boo them when they struggle, the team was going to boo them when they succeed.

The Baez thumbs down gesture was multi-layered. What should be first noted is Baez was greeted with nothing by love by Mets fans. Really, after an inital spate of intensified booing, Baez delivered, and he was cheered, and you could argue he was even adored.

In and of itself, Baez wasn’t doing this for him. Really, he was doing it for his teammate and friend Francisco Lindor. Lindor was booed during a difficult season for him. After coming to Queens and signing an extension, the future Hall of Famer struggled, and he was (unfairly) booed. He talked about how it was affecting him, and while he didn’t ask for fans to stop, he was making it clear it was having an impact on his psyche.

When Baez did the thumbs down, he was mostly doing it in defense of his teammate. Now, it was embarrassing for the team and the franchise, but ultimately, you could understand and even respect what Baez was doing.

Last night at MSG, Julius Randle broke out the thumbs down gesture. While we didn’t first notice the Mets doing it because they were terrible, we could unmistakably see Randle doing it. After all, he’s a 6’8″ PF. Like Baez, Randle had a message to deliver.

I asked Julius Randle what he meant with his thumbs down to the Garden crowd.

His answer: "Shut the fuck up."

— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) January 7, 2022

This is different from Baez in many ways. First, Randle isn’t just here for a cup of coffee. No, Randle invested in staying with the New York Knicks. He could have waited an extra year to cash in really big, but instead, he took the first chance he had to essentially become a Knick for life.

Randle really was the reason why the Knicks surprised last year, and really, it is why we thought this season would be special. Things just haven’t turned out that way for a number of reasons. While there are reasons outside of Randle, his not being the player he was last year is certainly at the forefront. Notably, this doesn’t mean he isn’t trying or has become lazy after the big contract. That is assuredly not the case.

Certainly, Randle seems to be feeling the weight of the season and expectations. Fans who showered him with adoration last year have become criticial. While he probably took the fans booing a team down by 25 too personal (that’s what they do at MSG), the booing clearly affected him like it did Lindor. That’s another key difference between him and Baez. Randle did the thumbs down for himself, not his team.

Whereas Baez became a distraction in defense of his team, Randle became one in defense of himself. It was unfortunately a story which overshadowed a big come from behind win and buzzer beater from RJ Barrett.

RJ. BARRETT.

We'll have this on repeat for the rest of the night. pic.twitter.com/cAA2Tf4ApR

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 7, 2022

Here’s the thing. Randle was great in that comeback. It doesn’t happen without him. The Knicks aren’t going anywhere without him. If that is what he needs to do to get back to being the player he was last year, so be it. No Knicks fans is going to care if the production and wins follow.

On that point, that is something Baez and Randle have in common. All it takes is production and winning for this all to go away. While there are fans who may never forgive Baez, there is more than ample time to forgive Randle. If that miracle championship ever comes, rest assured, no one will ever care again that Randle did that thumbs down.