Comments on: How to deal with hecklers

How to deal with hecklers

LobsterMitten — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:31:23 -0800

Baseball fans heckle Vernon Wells, and he throws them a personally-inscribed baseball which reads "Here's your ball, now please tell me what gas station you work at so I can come and yell at you when you're working. Please sit down, shut up and enjoy the game. From your favorite centre fielder, Vernon Wells." (See the followups at the bottom of that article, with pictures of the ball.) This past weekend, Ken Griffey Jr. throws his jockstrap into the stands because a dude has been heckling him. (Everybody is laughing in both of these stories.)

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:41:23 -0800

That is all kinds of awesome. Great story!

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:41:25 -0800

Those are both splendidly obnoxious and original ways to handle heckling. Thanks for the post, I hadn't heard about either of these.

By: gsteff

gsteff — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:45:53 -0800

Actually, the ball inscription is four words longer:

Dear Mr. Dork, Here is your ball! Can you please tell me what gas station you work at, so when you are pumping my gas I can yell at you!!! Now sit down, shut-up and enjoy the game! Your favorite centerfielder, Vernon Wells

I suspect that Wells only increased the amount of heckling he's going to get.

By: CKmtl

CKmtl — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:51:55 -0800

I guess that's one of the few occasions when a (presumably) straight guy would be so happy holding another man's sweaty underwear.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:57:11 -0800

I like stories like this where everyone walks away laughing.

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:57:20 -0800

Good for Wells!

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:02:44 -0800

This will...

By: perilous

perilous — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:11:49 -0800

Fantastic. :)

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:21:46 -0800

Yeah, gsteff, thanks for fixing that. I was quoting the first report I found, which was wrong. The Wells thing really makes me smile. So much the right way to respond.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:24:25 -0800

"How many toes has a pig got?"

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:33:11 -0800

Nice, SD.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:35:09 -0800

LobsterMitten, your FPP presentation (complete with the quote from the baseball itself, and the bit about everybody laughing) was as much of this story as I need to know about: I really didn't feel the need need to click on any links! And that's not a snark by the way. So, let me say, nice post!

By: notmydesk

notmydesk — Mon, 14 May 2007 21:18:55 -0800

Few years ago I was at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco (I guess it's AT&T Park now or something), before a game, watching the visiting Mets pitchers warming up in the outfield. There's a section of chain link fence on field level that fans can walk up to and peek through, and the Mets pitchers, including John Franco, one of their relievers (at the time), were tossing a ball around. Anyway, a Giants fan comes up to the fence and starts giving Franco all kinds of shit. Just a constant non-stop stream of abuse. Franco just smiles. After about ten minutes one of the balls gets away from the pitchers and rolls over to the fence. Franco trots over to retrieve it and the fan stops in mid-insult and asks hopefully, "Hey, Franco... can I have that ball?" Franco walks up to the fence and holds a ball against it, and the fan puts his fingers through the links and grips the ball. Franco smiles, lets go of the ball, and walks away. The fan is holding the ball through the fence but realizes he can't pull the ball through, and if he lets go it'll drop to the ground. So he just stands there, holding the ball through the fence. The pitchers walk away laughing. Everyone on our side of the fence walks away laughing. I looked back about two minutes later and could still see that idiot fan standing against the fence, all alone, still desperately holding the ball.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Mon, 14 May 2007 21:23:47 -0800

that is beauty itself. wow.

By: darkstar

darkstar — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:10:20 -0800

hahahahahahah!

By: darkstar

darkstar — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:10:49 -0800

(LOL @ notmydesk)

By: basicchannel

basicchannel — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:36:13 -0800

I'm here for the International Heckler Festival.

By: HighTechUnderpants

HighTechUnderpants — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:37:47 -0800

Genius post. Put a smile on my face.

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Tue, 15 May 2007 04:41:06 -0800

My favorite player/fan interaction happened at Fenway Park in the late 90's. Some guy in the front row of the far left field grandstand (where it starts to rise towards the Green Monster) was lowering his girlfriend by the ankles to snag a foul ball. Left fielder Troy O'Leary picked up the ball and deliberately tossed it to the guy, who decided to drop his girlfriend to catch it. Girlfriend was ejected for going onto the field after getting dropped on her hands.

By: LiliaNic

LiliaNic — Tue, 15 May 2007 04:41:18 -0800

Great post, LobsterMitten. And please, notmydesk, don't make me like Franco. It's too late for me to change my ways.

By: philfromhavelock

philfromhavelock — Tue, 15 May 2007 05:35:38 -0800

>I guess that's one of the few occasions when a (presumably) straight guy would be so happy holding another man's sweaty underwear. (Somewhat related) Couple years back Roma won the serie a mid-game (another side was mathematically eliminated) and the crowd rushes onto the field. Francesco Totti is stripped of his shorts. Play resumed. Totti subbed off, watching the game in his underwear. Drinking water. Displeased.

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 15 May 2007 06:44:05 -0800

"I don't come to your job and take the ~~dicks~~ gas pump out of your ~~mouth~~ hand."

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:20:25 -0800

Metafilter: all alone, still desperately holding the ball.

By: christopher.taylor

christopher.taylor — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:49:58 -0800

VW is a class act all the way.

By: kosem

kosem — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:58:31 -0800

I love Vernon Wells. Except that it seems like he hits about .735 against the Yankees. Then I curse him. nice post, LM.

By: kalimotxero

kalimotxero — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:44:37 -0800

Actually, the ball inscription is four words longer: Dear Mr. Dork, Here is your ball! Can you please tell me what gas station you work at, so when you are pumping my gas I can yell at you!!! Now sit down, shut-up and enjoy the game! Your favorite centerfielder, Vernon Wells According to this story in the Toronto Sun, Wells didn't actually put his name on the ball. He likely had the presence of mind to sign it "Your Favorite Centerfielder" so that the ball would be harder to sell on eBay.

By: romakimmy

romakimmy — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:48:41 -0800

...Francesco Totti is stripped of his shorts... IIRC from the highlight clips*, Totti wasn't the only one stripped of his kit. A few of them were down to only their tighty whiteys. Can't remember who, as I wasn't exactly looking at their faces. *not an AS Roma fan - I was musing over whether I'd be able to forget that they were in fact AS Roma players if I put a pillow over their face(s).

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:06:12 -0800

I'm just impressed that he managed to fit all that legibly on the ball.