My Heros: Vernon Wells & Ken Griffey Jr.

Have you ever heckled a player at a baseball game?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the player heckled back?

A couple of lucky fans got to answer that question last week when their incessant heckling pushed two players over the edge.

Incident #1:

Two fans decided last Wednesday that it would be fun to pick on Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells. Jeff Raycher and Tom Montague had some running banter going back and forth with the Jays star at Jacob's Field. The end result: Wells threw a baseball to them in the stands. It read:

"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 center fielder,
Vernon Wells"

The two trouble makers now plan to travel to the make-up game of Detroit vs. Toronto on September 10th for round two of the heckling.

I give Vernon Wells credit though. He dealt with the fans in a just and harmless manner. He knows the two gentlemen were just having fun at a ballgame and he acted in kind. I congratulate you Mr. Wells on good sportsmanship.

See the story of the incident at: www.homerderby.com/archives/452

Incident #2

This occurrence hits a little below the belt...literally.

A man at an LA Dodgers game decided to have a little fun with Ken Griffey Jr. of the Cincinnati Reds. He was harmlessly taunting Griffey and started getting some looks from the ballplayer around the second inning. By the sixth inning Griffey came over and said, what the heckler claimed was, "He called me some fat references which was hilarious and then he told me I couldn't touch the threads on his jock..."

The debate continued back and forth with shots taken on both sides. After the sixth inning Griffey comes out of the dugout and comes up to the man with a brown paper bag. He says he has something for him and throws the bag to the heckler. Griffey won't leave until the man opens it. The guy reaches in and pulls out the gift, which in fact ends up being Griffey's jock.

I tip my hat to you Mr. Griffey. Good form.

Read this story in full at: http://deadspin.com/sports/great-moments-in-heckling/ken-griffey-jr-knows-how-to-deal-with-hecklers-260239.php