Everyone loves going to a ballgame every once in a while. In fact, I can remember times when we went to games and we screamed so loud and rooted so vociferously that we were convinced we had an effect on the outcome of the game. It wasn’t true, but that’s what we believed.
Only once did we get a reaction from a player, which came whilst sitting in the left-field bleachers at Memorial Stadium and yelling non-stop at Rickey Henderson. Oh, make no mistake about it… Rickey Henderson not only is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, but also one of the most entertaining. In his prime he was like the most fearsome cleanup hitter only he batted at the top of the order.
Rickey did it all. He changed the game the way he swiped bases and he could jerk one out of the park, too, if a pitcher went to sleep on him.
But where Rickey really scored points with my friends and I was when he turned around and flipped us the bird at Memorial Stadium. We loved it and we loved Rickey for it.
Now Dan Roche, our esteemed colleague at the Podcast of Awesomeness, has taken the art of going to a game and rooting for the home team to a higher level. Actually, Dan claims to be one of the best hecklers on the Eastern Seaboard, which is a statement he backs up with some compelling stories.
Here, take a listen:
There’s a story—a legend, actually—out there that Dan not only heckled Marlins lefty reliever Vic Darensbourg into coughing up a game against the Phillies. So rattled by Dan’s calls was the pitcher that the Phillies actually won the game.
But better than that, Dan also was able to send out messages around the Delaware Valley with his exuberance. So yeah, we’re pleased to be on Dan’s good side…
At least we hope we’re on his good side.