Dodgers/Rockies game in Los Angeles 2003 season. I’m sitting with a friend in the first row, even with the left fielder. The Dodgers have Daryl Ward playing leftfield who has had a tough year, to say the least. First at-bat, double-play, walks out to his position. Second at-bat, strike -out. Again he walks to his position. I yell out “way to keep it to one out”. The stares start. Next at-bat botched double-play ball he makes it to first. Next batter pops up and Ward jogs half way to second and turns toward the dugout before the ball is caught. As he walks, again, to his position, my friend yells “Daryl if you ever get to second, turn left”. I yell out “I can’t believe Houston let you go”. He’s holding the warm-up ball. Stands there the whole time, then as the inning starts, he turns and throws the ball over the bleachers, out of the stadium and into the parking lot! Everyone in our section starts in on him. I yell out “stupid ball” and the chant starts “Daryl, Daryl”….
At Ohio State, Mick is a legend heckler. He’s attended OSU for about 8 years now, and is good friends with a lot of guys on the team, but an enemy to any opposing Big Ten players. My junior year we sat right behind Mick to get in on the comedy. Mark Mulder pitched for Michigan State and Mick was primed for him. He busted out the “I’ve seen better arms on a chair” of course, and Mulder also batted for MSU so he got a dose of “you want some belt with that buckle?” and “I’ve seen better swings on a playground” much to the amusement of the Buckeye faithful. Well one person didn’t enjoy Mick’s antics, and that was Mark Mulder’s girlfriend. She marched right up to him and said “you’re fat, loud and obnoxious , and you’re going to be sitting watching my boyfriend play Major League Baseball.” She then screamed at him some more for about five minutes. Mulder had a great game that day and was drafted I believe third overall that year, and so far I believe her premonition was true.
I’m the fan formally known as the Bleacher Preacher and tabbed by Harry Caray as the teams # 1 fan during the 80’s and 90’s. I have more heckle stories than I have hair but my favorite…Hey, This ball going over your head…just like Seasame Street! I would still be the B.P. except I’ve been priced out of the ballpark…Jerry Pritikin
As the fan formally known as the Bleacher Preacher in and around the friendly confines for over a decade, I created quite a few heckles in my day ( and nights, too) but a few comes to mind. I’ve been featured in many articles and books and interviewed by many broadcast and sports reporters.Harry Caray once tabbed me the # 1 Cubs fan, and I was known for giving awards to players and fans and for carring around a life size generic doll,dressed in the visiting teamsoutfits. I always liked ribbing Barry Bonds by asking him if he had a necklace that went with his earrings? But the best heckle job was on Vaughn Hayes of the Phillies, he broke out laughing when Andre Dawson was up and I predicted…THIS BALL IS GOING OVER YOUR HEAD, …JUST LIKE SESAME STREET! and it did!!! Now that I know where you are, I’ll try to send you more…I have a temp web page www.jerrypritikin.com If you have afew minutes listen to my theme song…
Since Jeter had his shoulder dislocated, he has been replaced by the error-prone minor leaguer Erick Almonte. When I took my kids to Yankee Stadium last week, we felt the need to express our disappointment in not seeing our favorite Yankee at shortstop. Our banner read, “No Offense Erick, We Miss Derek” Pretty inocuous, or so we thought. In the 2nd inning, a security guy appeared, asking us to remove the banner. He couldn’t tell us why, but he was told to have us remove it. I guess Erick was easily offended.
yelled at first baseman who broke a lace on his glove during infield practice: “Re-weld it!”
Heard at an MSBL World Series tournament game from the 3rd base coach. After a brief delay the ump figured out he would give a first warning. Hey blue, get your eyes out of your pockets
After getting tossed for arguing a 3hird strike on him a batter got tossed. “Where do I need to go now?”, the batter asked. The umps reply, “Anywhere, just as long as I don’t see you.”. So, the batter went and stood on home plate and yelled, “FINE! I’LL STAND HERE BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING HERE ALL DAY!”
I got the chance of a lifetime to go to a World Series game back in ’96 between the team I love, the Braves, and the team i hate, the Yankees. Our seats weren’t great, but what made them even worse, were the yankees fans at the top of the section. However, every time they started the “let’s go yankees” chant, all the surrounding braves fans yelled “go home yankees” during the clapping period. Soon enough they were being drowned out and quit.
August 23rd, 2001…Shea Stadium. The Mets were not only in the midst of getting pounded 10-0 by the Rockies, but they were getting shut down by a pitcher making his major league debut. I was sitting about 10 rows up from third base so by the eighth inning I had already heckled every Met player, coach, trainer, bat boy and vendor. Top of the eighth, Jason Jennings, the pitcher who was shutting us out in his major league debut comes up to bat, already with two hits himself. Jennings proceeds to get his third hit of the night, a home run off of immortal Met Donne Wall. Well if I wasn’t over the edge up until that point, that home run put me over. Donne Wall felt the full brunt of my anger and sheer displeasure over wasting three hours of my life and $20 of my hard-earned paycheck. In the midst of heckling his entire family lineage, I yell “Hey Donne! Is that why they call you Donne ‘Over The’ Wall”??? Mets third baseman (allegedly) Lenny Harris, started laughing into his glove after that one. Then I started heckling Lenny for laughing at a teammate. I felt he wasn’t showing proper solidarity towards his poor teammate. So I asked him why he and Michael Jackson both wear a glove for no apparent reason. (My brother particularly liked that one.) Now I like Lenny Harris but I felt he needed to learn a lesson about being a “team” guy. Donne “Over the” Wall hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2002. I hope in some small way I’m responsible.
Since Jeter had his shoulder dislocated, he has been replaced by the error-prone minor leaguer Erick Almonte. When I took my kids to Yankee Stadium last week, we felt the need to express our disappointment in not seeing our favorite Yankee at shortstop. Our banner read, “No Offense Erick, We Miss Derek” Pretty inocuous, or so we thought. In the 2nd inning, a security guy appeared, asking us to remove the banner. He couldn’t tell us why, but he was told to have us remove it. I guess Erick was easily offended.
Rickey Henderson: At Astros Field, Rickey was playing LF for the SD Padres. The fans along the left field line were giving him the business all night. After the 5th or 6th inning, after pre-inning warmups were over, some kids were pleading for him to toss them the ball as a souvenier. He faked the toss, then turned around and threw the ball over the railroad tracks in left field. It was hilarious! Also Rickey…I was sitting in the LF bleachers at Shea for an Astros/Mets game in 1999. A guy sitting in front of me talking on his cell phone: Guy: Hey…I’m at the game. Yeah, he’s playing…I’m sitting right behind him…hold on a minute. Guy (yelling): HEY RICKEY…MY FREIND JOE FROM QUEENS SAYS YOU SUCK!!!
Labor Day 1997. We were sitting by the left field foul poul. There was a guy about 5 rows behind us who tried to get Garret Anderson’s attention. All he wanted was a little wave. Garret remained stone faced the entire time. He didn’t even flinch. The guy kept yelling at Garret to give a little wave and Garret kept right on ignoring him. Finally, the guy was starting to get desparate and said “That’s okay Garret. I am still here for you. Shake your right leg if you want me there.” Garret didn’t budge. “Shake your left leg if you want me over there.” Still nothing. “Shake your right leg if you want me to shut up.” Them you see Jim Edmonds out in center field waving his left leg back and forth. The whole section erupted in laughter.
My friend and I traveled from our home in L.A. to Tempe,AZ to see the Angels and Padres in a Spring Training game. The game itself was interesting, especially since there had been two fights during the first inning. But the funny part came about the seventh inning. My friend thought that the first baseman for the Padres was really cute and kept making comments to me about him. Well, one of the Angels hit the ball toward him and he made the play. But being an Angel fan, she wanted him to make an error. So she told him to drop it. But she waited until he had thrown the ball to second and was know adjusting himself. Everyone around us started busting up.
My all-time favorite was at Candlestick a few years ago when Tommy Lasorda was still managing the Dodgers. He was walking back to the dugout after a pitching change and someone yelled, “Hey Lasorda! Is that your belt or the equator??”
I was a child in the 60’s and went to Shea Stadium to catch a twin bill, Mets/ Braves. This was about the time Hank Aaron was on the box of Wheaties. He played right field and dropped a routine fly ball. I, at about 10 years of age yelled from the box seats, ” Henry, guess you didn’t eat your Wheaties.”
One of the all-time classics is “The Count”, as in The Count from Sesame Street. When the other team’s pitcher is struggling start talking in your best The Count voice. ONE! ONE BALL! Ah, Ah, Ah FOUR! FOUR BALLS! Ah, Ah, Ah! This one is a great one to get in the pitcher’s dome, but you have to be pretty close to the action.
I love when players have a good time with the fans. We were yelling at Matt Stairs the entire game making fun of his wieght. I finally say, “Hey Stairs, you look like a softball player.” He laughs, turns around to the crowd, grabs his gut and says, “Hey relax, I’m workin on it.” Classic!
I was attending a Mets baseball fantasy camp and one of the coaches Greg Pavlich was constantly on me about my weight. His favorite was calling me Porkchop. Being a bit intimidated for two days I suffered in silence and didn’t respond. However, during one of our games I was called on to pitch against of all teams, his. He was the assistant coach to Clint Hurdle and he started on me again calling me Porkchop (his favorite) and finally I had enough and I shouted at him from the mound. “Greg, I am Jewish, if anything call me SpareRib!” Both benches just started to laugh and the homeplate umpire had to call time to give us a chance to stop. After that he didn’t bother me that much, which sad to say I missed. It was a great experience at the fantasy camp and the fact that I got heckled even made it more of a true baseball memory.
When I pitched for Villanova we had a few “big” guys in the bullpen. One day we were getting slapped around and we used 2 or 3 bullpen pitchers. Every new pitcher that jogged out to the mound was bigger than the next. This prompted the opposing team to shout: “Oh my God, Don’t they have a salad bar out there?”