Monday, March 19, 2007
Boston Razz
It's always good to see Yankees fans razz on Boston fans. The fan has become a rivalry itself with chants of "Red Sox Suck!" and "Yankees ****!"
What? You honestly think I am going to type that?
I was checking out The Hot Dog Truck blog and went ahead and read the comments. This guy is a hot dog vendor and a Red Sox fan, so we get along as well as, well, Yankees and Red Sox fans.
One of the comments came from a fellow Yankees fan and New York City photographer, Otilius:
Do you know the difference between a Yankee Stadium hot dog and one from Fenway?
They rarely serve Fenway dogs in October....
Good one Otilius! Thanks for the smile.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Labels: bloggers, fans, heckle, Red Sox, Yankees
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:32 PM
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Heckler Spring Training: Part 3
We have already talked about the basic rules on heckling and what happens if you break those rules.
In the final chapter of this series I am going to tell you a couple stories and end it on the top ten heckles of all time voted upon by the fans.
Umpire and the CoachI'm an umpire. One day a coach was really giving it to me about my strike zone. About the third inning I went into the dugout to get a drink of water. I sat next to the coach as his team warmed up. When the first batter stepped into the box I stayed by his side. When he looked at me and asked if I was going out I told him no I was going to sit next to him the remainder of the game. I told him since he had a better view of the zone in his dugout than I did behind the plate I was going to finish the game next to him. He's never said another word to me about my zone.
Pizza and WingsI'm an A's fan and Dmitri Young and the Tigers were in town. Dmitri Young had just missed a ball over the left field fence, after jumping. After missing the ball, the LF bleachers started to chant "Chicken Wings...Chicken Wings" repeatedly. Dmitri Young clearly did not like it and stared back at the bleacher crowd. After that, the crowd erupted with "PIIIZZZ-ZZZAAAAAAA!...PIIIZZZZ-ZZZAAAAA!!!" Hilarious stuff.
The Top 1010 - I'm gonna break your cane and shoot your dog!
9 - How can you eat with those hands?
8 - I thought only horses slept standing up!
7 - You couldn't pitch a tent!
6 - You couldn't throw a party!
5 - Take off your coat, you're inside!
4 - You've got less hits than an Amish website!
3 - You couldn't save anything at WalMart!
2 - I've seen better arms on a snake!
1 - How's your Japanese?
And of course the one I used while attending a Mets gams:
"You even suck in the video game!"
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Labels: baseball, coach, heckle, umpire
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:24 PM
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Heckler Spring Training: When Athlete's Fight Back
After posting the first part in this now three-part series on heckling, I recieved a comment from
Dan (hershey-squirt.com) about how his friend heckled a player and the fan spat on him. This inspired me to run around the internet and collect stories of other occasions when athlete's fought back against the fans. What I found was interesting and quite humerous on how things got out of hand.
If you do not want to be a victim of revenge, make sure you read the
10 Commandments.
Frank Francisco arrested after hitting two fans with thrown chair (Rangers at Oakland, 2004)The Texas bench and bullpen cleared when fans were razzing the players in the bullpen and Francisco was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery after he threw a chair into the right-field box seats near the Rangers' bullpen. The chair hit a man in the head, then bounced and struck a woman on her left temple.
The rumble at Wrigley (Dodgers at Chicago, 2000)Rowdy Cubs fans were showering the Dodgers' bullpen with beer and tried to steal catcher Chad Kreuter's cap in the ninth inning of a tight ballgame. Dodgers coaches John Shelby and Rick Dempsey joined Kreuter and a slew of other Dodgers, going into the stands down the right-field line to retaliate. The Dodgers got a close win, but nine days later, 16 players and three coaches were handed suspensions for their involvement in the melee.
Home ain't what it used to be (Astros at Milwaukee, 1999)In the sixth inning of an Astros-Brewers game in Milwaukee, a 23-year-old fan ran onto the field and jumped Houston right fielder Bill Spiers, a former Brewer. As Spiers tried to shake him off, his teammates came to the rescue, led by Mike Hampton, who got in some nasty kicks. Spiers suffered whiplash and was bloodied and bruised. The fan was arrested and held on a $250,000 in bail on charges of battery and disorderly conduct.
Randy Myers marshals his martials (Astros at Chicago, 1995)In the eighth inning of a wild contest between the Cubs and Astros at Wrigley, Chicago reliever Randy Myers surrendered a two-run, pinch-hit home run to James Mouton that gave Houston a 9-7 lead. As Mouton circled the bases, 27-year-old John Murray ran out of the stands and toward the mound.
"I felt the look in his eyes, that he wanted to hurt me," Myers said. "He reached for his pocket and I thought it could be for a knife or a gun, so I dropped him with a forearm."
Myers, it seems, was well-trained in the martial arts and pinned Murray to the ground until he was taken away. The reliever got big cheers from the Wrigley crowd when he exited after facing one more batter.
Albert Belle's hell: a perfect throw earns a suspension (1991)Albert Belle, who disliked being called "Joey," was in the Cleveland Stadium outfield when Jeff Pillar yelled from the left-field stands, "Hey, Joey, keg party at my place after the game, c'mon over." In retrospect, it sounds like a friendly invitation. But at the time, it was a particularly nasty heckle, as Belle had spent much of the previous summer in an alcohol rehab program.
Belle retaliated by picking up a foul ball and throwing a perfect strike at Pillar's chest from about 15 feet away, leaving Pillar with a weltering souvenir.
This was one case when Belle had the clear support of the fans, who gave him a hearty round of applause for nailing Pillar. But Belle got a one-week suspension and a fine from the AL.
Reggie Smith, in the stands at Candlestick (Dodgers at San Francisco, 1981)Smith, a Dodgers outfielder, had been jeered for half of the game from behind the Dodgers' dugout at Candlestick Park. His stoic stance vis-à-vis the abuse snapped in the sixth, and he went charging into the stands to take on Michael Dooley, a 6-foot-4, 218-pound Giants fan later described by his wife as a "rather mellow guy." Smith got in one good shot, but then the crowd pounded him. Other Dodgers came to the rescue, and pounded the fans back.
Smith was ultimately ejected. Eight fans were charged with misdemeanors. Dooley went to the hospital after his brief visit to jail. And almost immediately, Mrs. Dooley talked about suing.
Piersall's punch, kick and catch contest (Indians at New York, 1961)In the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland's Jimmy Piersall was minding his own business in center field when two fans came out of the stands in the seventh inning and tried to attack him. Piersall immediately scored a knockdown punch on one. The other, mustering all his courage, ran away as quickly as possible. But Piersall took off after him, getting not-quite-close enough to land a rough kick on the kid. No problem. By then, Piersall's teammates, Johnny Temple and Walt Bond, had arrived to land a few solid blows.
Barely missing a beat, Piersall made a spectacular catch at the fence to rob Johnny Blanchard of a two-run homer. Dig this: Yankee fans gave Piersall a huge cheer as he left the field.
Babe the "big bum" challenges all (The Polo Grounds, 1922)The Bambino was battling a slump in late May and tried to stretch a single into a double, was thrown out, and expressed his displeasure at the call by throwing dirt in the umpire's eye. The ump responded by tossing the Babe. Episode over? Not even close.
The New York fans booed and hissed as the Babe exited the field, pausing only to take a theatrical bow. Then, as Robert Creamer recounts in "Babe," a heckler behind the dugout shouted, "You god damned big bum, why don't you play ball?" Ruth immediately jumped onto the dugout roof and into the stands, chased the heckler until he was too far out of reach, then returned to the dugout roof.
Ruth got a brief suspension and a $200 fine for the episode.
Ty Cobb bloodies "Otto Blotz" (Tigers at Yankees, 1912)A couple of days worth of heckling by Yankees fans finally got to Cobb at the old Yankee home, Hilltop Park. Cobb vaulted into the stands behind the Tigers' bench and went right after a man identified, pseudonymously, as "Otto Blotz." The Peach pummeled Mr. Blotz, who couldn't fight back with his fists -- he only had one hand, and that hand had only two digits.
Cobb was suspended, and probably for the first time in his career was backed by his teammates. They went on strike, vowing not to return until he was reinstated. After a team of replacement Tigers lost 24-2, Cobb told his teammates thanks, but no thanks. The "real" Tigers returned to the field, and Cobb was back a week later. No word on the ultimate fate of Blotz.
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Labels: baseball, fans, fight, heckle
Posted by Steve Kenul at 5:48 PM
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Heckler Spring Training: Part 1
What is baseball without heckling. I've heckled players at a game, othes have heckled players, and maybe you have heckled. Since spring training is getting close and the birth of the 2007 season, it's time we take a look back on trhe basics of heckling in this two-part series.
This week I present the 10 commandments of heckling, please keep in mind to obey these commandments, heckling is part of the game and shoud be fun. Umpires have been known to eject fans.
Commandment I - Thou shalt not use profanity
Remember this one thing, baseball is still a family sport. Fathers and sons, mom and dad, the whole family. Nobody wants to hear you spouting off a bunch of profanities.
Commandment II - Thou shalt not insult the mother
This should be obvious. What good would come from saying something about someone else's mother? Is that what we want? I don't think so. Leave mom out of it. We don't need any of this garbage at our games. We want people to appreciate what we do, not resent us for it.
Commandment III - Thou shalt be intelligent
Do I really need to explain this? Know what you are talking about. Remember, credibility lends respect to your task.
Commandment IV - Thou shalt love baseball
Is there any doubt about this? Who in this great country would disparage America's pasttime? If you don't love baseball, what are you doing here?
Commandment V - Thou shalt be aware of the people around you
This is a really touchy one. Even though some of the funniest stuff you may have may be about overweight guys or bald guys, the person next to you may not think it's terribly funny.
Commandment VI - Thou shalt be witty
Only one rule to remember here: if you are the only one laughing, it wasn't funny.
Commandment VII - Thou shalt not overkill 
Listen, if somebody does something funny in the first inning, you should not keep ragging on it in the fifth. The more you say something, the less effective it becomes. You must be aware that the same stuff gets really old after a couple of games - especially in a series against the same team. Unless something is really working on one or two guys, put it away for a couple or three games.
Commandment VIII - Thou shalt be friendly
The best way to make these guys listen to you and divert their attention from the task at hand is to be just as nice as you can be. When you look into the dugout, wave and say, "Hi guys!"
Commandment IX - Thou shalt not cross the line
That line is the line of brutality. Look, the players know that heckling is part of the game. Don't make it personal between you and the players. Remember, they have bats, you don't.
Commandment X - Thou shalt remember the childrenNo matter what you want to believe about role models, the children are watching and listening. They hear what you say and see what you do. Be aware of that when you sit in the stands. If you don't know whether you fit the bill, just ask yourself, would you want your best friend's kid sister or brother to sit next to you at the next ball game? Well, would you?
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Labels: baseball, heckle, spring training
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:28 PM
We have already talked about the basic rules on heckling and what happens if you break those rules.
Frank Francisco arrested after hitting two fans with thrown chair (Rangers at Oakland, 2004)
Kokoyaku
