04/20/24
May 18, 2012
Rockies Eject Visiting Fan for Throwing Homer Back: Arizona Diamondbacks fan Joshua Pickett was ejected from a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field Thursday for throwing a Rockies home run back onto the field. "The guy told me I had a prize, then told me I'm getting thrown out," Pickett said. "I didn't think I did anything wrong. I've seen it all the time."
Agreed, poorly written. I would have liked to hear more about how the bees invaded.
Have to agree, that story was not written very well but the bees were interesting.
Hmm, redundancy is somewhat therapeutic.
posted by 67nickel at 10:09 AM on May 18, 2012
Are you kidding me? Using a ruse employed against criminals? "C'mon over; you've won a prize ... book him!"
It's become a tradition in many stadia for fans to throw a visiting home-run ball back ... the idea behind rules is so fans aren't throwing batteries and other junk at players.
It also appeared this guy forgot to remove the bottom grafs after he wrote a new version.
posted by jjzucal at 10:36 AM on May 18, 2012
I am opposed to the catch and release tradition. If I catch an opponent's homer I am giving it to a kid in that team's uniform or switching my team allegiance and keeping it.
posted by rcade at 10:59 AM on May 18, 2012
The "prize" ruse is also often used in immigration/deportation sweeps.
posted by holden at 12:11 PM on May 18, 2012
I am opposed to the catch and release tradition. If I catch an opponent's homer I am giving it to a kid in that team's uniform or switching my team allegiance and keeping it.
Please tell me you have a Yankee rider on that policy.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:16 PM on May 18, 2012
I don't get it. I mean, if they're going to toss every fan for making a stupid dickhead gesture, they're going to empty the stadium, and as stupid dick gestures go, that one is pretty tame.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:31 PM on May 18, 2012
If I were the Colorado police in the situation I would have told the guy who threw the ball back we were ejecting him for his own safety and protection from local fans, whom he clearly insulted by throwing the ball back. They could have refunded his ticket or given him another. If he didn't want it he should have given it away to a kid who did.
I can't help but think that if the LAPD had removed that drunken Giant fan that was trash talking at the Dodger home opener last year, while wearing a Giant jersey, the dude would not have been almost killed. Every fan should be able to freely root for any team they like, and anybody who would hurt them is a criminal, but if you go into a teams ball park and intentionally insult or rile up the home town fans, right or wrong, you may be risking your health. Personally if I am rooting against the home team while surrounded by thousands of their fans, I am doing it fairly quietly for my own safety. Who needs a beer on your head, or worse. Fans get drunk, rowdy, and sometimes violent. Why risk it.
posted by Atheist at 02:27 PM on May 18, 2012
that drunken Giant fan that was trash talking at the Dodger home opener last year
Did I miss that aspect of the story? I'm not challenging it, I just don't recall hearing that he was drunk and beligerent.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:21 PM on May 18, 2012
Bryan Stow had the bad luck to walk by a belligerent Dodgers fan in the parking lot spoiling for fights. There's never been any claim he was drunk or trash talking.
posted by rcade at 03:35 PM on May 18, 2012
but if you go into a teams ball park and intentionally insult or rile up the home town fans, right or wrong, you may be risking your health
I can't decide if this is the exact opposite of your take on football players or just as misguided.
posted by yerfatma at 04:10 PM on May 18, 2012
I can't decide if this is the exact opposite of your take on football players or just as misguided.
Seems like 'blaming the victim' in both cases, doesn't it?
posted by LionIndex at 07:52 PM on May 18, 2012
yerfatma, For the sake of argument you seem to be questioning a statement that was only a statement of my opinion. I merely stated that it may not be a good idea to deliberately insult or aggravate an already hostile crowd on their turf. I am not blaming the victim but there are cases where a victim contributed to their own circumstance by intentionally antagonizing others. If you want to go to a Philadelphia Flyers game and wear Rangers jersey, loudly scream how the Flyers suck, and trash talk the home town fans, you have every right. Does that mean it is a good idea? Don't you feel that is sort of asking for trouble?
I am only pointing out that I would never insult a stadium full of drinking fans by throwing back a ball, because there may be that one drunken idiot who will toss a beer on your head or even worse, stab you in a parking lot.
posted by Atheist at 11:03 AM on May 21, 2012
If you want to go to a Philadelphia Flyers game and wear Rangers jersey, loudly scream how the Flyers suck, and trash talk the home town fans, you have every right.
Or, y'know, go out for a cheesesteak. Because it's the same thing, right?
I am only pointing out that I would never insult a stadium full of drinking fans by throwing back a ball, because there may be that one drunken idiot who will toss a beer on your head or even worse, stab you in a parking lot.
You know...you will look long and far before you find someone who believes more deeply than I do in the policy of not aggravating angry drunk people. I deal with drunk sports fans in crowded annoying conditions (the Green Line at rush hour) on an almost daily basis. But as much as I'm in favor of pulling in your horns when you're in an irritated crowd, and as much as you would seem to be saying the same thing, your (apparently entirely manufactured) examples give the lie to that, and I just can't agree with you.
Scenario: batter for the home team knocks one over the fence. Fan of the visiting team catches the ball and tosses it back on the field. This so incenses the home team's fans, who are dangerously drunk (because of course this MLB stadium provides unrestricted access to cheap high-alcohol beer) and seriously annoyed because...because...uh...because their guy has just hit a home run....? And so it's a perfectly understandable impulse for them to stomp this visiting team fan?
No, I don't think so. I don't think there's any way you can make the case that the situation plus the visiting fan's actions constituted provocation to a degree where we can understand, let alone condone, an attack as being the action of an otherwise reasonable person who just got pushed too far. That would be the action of a sociopath. Let's call it what it is.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:28 AM on May 21, 2012
I don't think there's any way you can make the case that the situation plus the visiting fan's actions constituted provocation to a degree where we can understand, let alone condone, an attack as being the action of an otherwise reasonable person who just got pushed too far. That would be the action of a sociopath. Let's call it what it is.
lbb - there is no argument here. I never condoned the behavior nor did I imply it was ever justifiable. I believe anybody who would verbally or physically abuses another over their choice of team is a criminal and should be dealt with accordingly. Never was I justifying the actions of idiots because they were provoked. I only said personally I would avoid that situation by not doing anything that can be construed as provocation.
I may go to a sporting event and root for a visiting team, even applaud when they do something good etc. I do however temper my enthusiasm when surrounded by home team fans who have been drinking and are acting overzealous. Not because I have to, or because it is my right to root for who I wish, but because I care what is in my own best interest and try to exercise common sense.
posted by Atheist at 01:55 PM on May 21, 2012
the Green Line at rush hour
l-b-b, it sounds like you might have run into this guy.
I used to ride the green line every day back in the late '50s and early '60s on my way to school at Northeastern. It could get ugly. I even had some old lady do a 'package check' on me. When you have an arm load of books (no backpacks in the bronze age back then) and are hanging on to a strap and you can't move in any direction, all you can do is look at the old lady and smile.
posted by Howard_T at 10:02 PM on May 21, 2012
because of course this MLB stadium provides unrestricted access to cheap high-alcohol beer
The only argument I have is with the word cheap.
posted by Ricardo at 08:03 AM on May 22, 2012
lbb - there is no argument here. I never condoned the behavior nor did I imply it was ever justifiable. I believe anybody who would verbally or physically abuses another over their choice of team is a criminal and should be dealt with accordingly. Never was I justifying the actions of idiots because they were provoked. I only said personally I would avoid that situation by not doing anything that can be construed as provocation.
So, in other words, you agree with my reasoning that tossing a homer back onto the field is not a provocation...and then you say you wouldn't do it because...it's a provocation.
You're not making any sense.
I do however temper my enthusiasm when surrounded by home team fans who have been drinking and are acting overzealous.
And what on earth does that have to do with the subject at hand? It seems to me that the only "overzealous" one was the usher.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:57 AM on May 22, 2012
That article is terrible. It repeats itself with even less detail at the end. Can't believe he was thrown out for tossing a ball back, that's messed up.