As we learned from our review of all things Clayton Kershaw and Brandon Phillips' signed baseball for a clever heckler, baseball players can appreciate good ribbing from the stands.
What nobody can appreciate, let alone tolerate, is ill-tempered, expletive-laced tirades, especially around kids.
During the sixth inning of Tuesday's tilt between the Nationals and Braves at Turner Field, an apparent Braves fan, or Bryce Harper hater, spewed a stream of four-letter words at the Washington's outfielder. Harper ignored the taunts.
Maybe the fan's frustration boiled over because the Nationals' imminent capture of the NL East crown was mere innings away. Doesn't matter: Plate umpire Tim Welke wouldn't have it, and gave the fan the heave-ho.
“Hey! Hey! Get rid of that guy!” Welke shouted, directing ushers near the heckler. “Get rid of him now!”
Want to see it for yourself? It's right here, but note you can make out the fan's salty language if you listen closely.
Drunk, irate, potty-mouthed fans? See that every day. Don't often see them get ejected by an actual umpire. It's an inarticulate way of beating traffic, I guess.
