The boos cascaded from the stands, wafting over Monument Park, turning a moment of between-inning indifference at Yankee Stadium to a visceral spirit cleansing.
That it was directed toward a former mayor was no surprise; sports fans excel at heaping opprobrium on political leaders when they intrude into their temples.
But that it occurred to Rudolph W. Giuliani, on the occasion of his 74th birthday on Memorial Day, in a stadium that has long been a safe space, was different — a reflection, perhaps, of how Mr. Giuliani and the city he once led have drifted apart.