Heckling

How about grown men AND women heckling HS kids of the other team? I've (my team) have been on the receiving end of that one. There was no cussing, but some pretty demeaning verbiage.

As far as college level... Ehh... it's borderline for me. Main reason is even though they are fairly young, they are adults. I'm sure they hear worse hanging with their friends and at frat/sorority parties.

At first when reading your post I thought you must have been at sons college games last week-end but as we don't sell beer I realized it was a different game with a similar heckler. 

Some hecklers are funny, not mean, and fairly harmless. The one we had heckled our players by name. Our players thought it was funny and it really just motivated them to play harder. Funny thing was non one on the other team knew him and I think they wereembarrassed. It seems to bother the parents more than it does the kids. 

Our heckler was there all week-end to see his team get swept and boy was he quiet!

Heckling college kids I'm OK with, being abusive isn't heckling though, and shouldn't be tolerated by the organization, as I assume it wouldn't be in a professional ballpark.

Heckling of HS (or younger) kids by spectators is really over the top, with the exception that some good natured-ribbing of players you know is fine (my son will end up with former teammates on several of his high school's rivals).  I'm OK with the players giving it a little more to each other, within the bounds of good sportsmanship, again especially since there's a good chance that a lot of them will know each other or be friends off the field.

I had to share (player response to heckling):

https://www.facebook.com/photo...?v=10151609613672323

Matt Diaz has fun with heckler...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?N...mp;feature=endscreen

I think heckling is classless.  But since it's not going to change, just accept it.  Kind of like there will be the occasional bad call. Get used to it, it will happen again.

I was at a dinner honoring a local Major Leaguer a few years ago and he was asked to talk about some of the negative aspects of ML Ball.  He said heckling is to be expected but that he got hot when he found out that in addition to being cussed at, his wife and mother had mustard and ketchup "accidentally" spilled on them at a game.

http://youtu.be/Tbcov9_LS5g?t=7m6s

We ran into same thing at a tournament earlier this week.  One man from opposing team was loud and obnoxious and expresses himself often.  After his team lost the first game, things were significantly quieter.............Can never understand that someone thinks it's appropriate to heckle kids.

Some of the college kids heckling is funny. It's more of a school thing than anything else. And it's not constant.  But adults getting in the mix is ridiculous. 

My son plays outfield and on a non-conference series against a nationally ranked opponent he found himself on the receiving end of non-stop heckling from the bleachers and stands, mostly college-age kids. From what he described following the Friday night game it all seemed fairly good natured and at times, quite funny. At least he thought so. He did not acknowledge the hecklers during the game3 but did say he had to fight to keep his concentration since some of what they were saying was pretty clever and pretty funny. I had to check it out myself for the Saturday game and found it highly entertaining.

The college kids heckling is quite funny. Their use of social media to get info on the opposing players is creative.

I have no problem with the kids doing this and I admit some of them are very clever and quite funny!

My issue was a grown man doing it and he was more spiteful than funny. I got my satisfaction end of the game when we had a nice little chat.

Funny thing the same guy was at the Sunday game, with a couple of young teenagers (assume his boys) and was quiet as a church mouse. Guess the beer muscles had worn down by Sunday.

Your life is just a reflection of how you treat others around you. If you want to be seen as a classless jerk then have at it. Now some of the outfield college age heckling I have seen can be down right hilarious, kept that way it just makes the college game special.

Should it surprise me that they sell beer at college games?  I haven't been to one in forever, and as a student I distinctly recall having to sneak alcohol into football games, but then we were all underage, so I wouldn't have been looking to buy it then.

I think heckling high school and college kids by "adult" spectators is pathetic.  Do it right.

However, I have to admit the most I ever laughed at a MLB game was a few years ago.  Insurance agent had given us his seats at Busch Stadium, 2nd row by visitors on deck circle.  Cardinals were doing well, playing the Brewers.  It was Jason Motte's first year, and all anyone was talking about was his 100 mph heater.  Casey McGehee was going to be up first against Motte.  He was watching, and a guy three rows behind us yelled, "McGehee, go sit down, you can't hit him"  McGehee turned around with a huge grin on his face and said "neither can you!!"  The whole section busted out laughing and McGehee lined a single into rf.  That's the way it should be done at the MLB level.

My son's HSBB team has a strong fan base which is great, the kids coming out for away games and home games, good weather and bad. What I don't like is the 2 or 3 of them who are mean-spirited in their heckling. But after reading this thread I guess it as more of a sports tradition???  I just hate when they really make fun of a player making an error.  

One game last week, however, it was a dad in the stands. It was pretty obvious and VERY little league-ish.  Making loud noises as soon as their team's pitcher released the ball to try to 'distract' our batters, yelling at the umps, yelling at our players.  This was an adult.  He gradually shut up as we outplayed them. I asked my son if he heard it (he was pitching) and he said of course but that it was funny (funny as in pathetic and they were laughing AT him) that a dad would do that. He remembers that same dad from other years also.  (Kind of hard to miss physically if you know what I mean.)

tTo the OP, I am curious about what you said to him:

of course I thanked in my own way for helping the kids out with their personal development.

I agree with the sentiments of the OP.

I believe there are some exceptions....

Umpires are generally fair game but to dispute each call at home plate is immature.  Generally, I do not say anything to the umpire but if I think he blew a call, I'll let him hear it for that one play but it will usually not carry forward.

I generally refrain from saying anything about the players.  If I see a dirty play, I will usually let them hear my opinion on it.

I remember once when David Wells said that Cleveland fans were the worst fans in all of baseball.  Apparently, when he was warming up in the bullpen, one of the fans yelled "Your mother wears army boots"  From that he deduced that Cleveland fans were the worst.  Players need to realize these attacks are not personal.  To personalize it like that is foolish.  If anything, a player can use it as fuel for the fire but to take things personally needlessly can shorten a career.

We have a high school in our district with the absolute worst parents, players and coaches.  We beat a good team that they had lost to.  When we played them the other night, their loser coach actually had the cahoenas to go to our dugout and say - You beat blahblahschool!?  They must have been throwing their JV pitchers. 

There is a big difference between heckling and harrassing a player or team. We sat at a regional game where an opposing fan sat himself right in teh middle of our section, was extremely drunk and  nasty. He was escorted out oy the police.

Most players get used to heckling, and many times have to take just as much grief from their own fans (ask Arod). If you want to play the game get used to it.

BTW, any opposing outfielder heading to play at Clemson be prepared for the Cheap Seats in the oputfield.  It's an experience you will never forget.