The Ugly Tourist

Joe Mikelik, the manager of the Minor League baseball team the Ashville Tourists, put on quite a show in Lexington Sunday when his team played the hometown Lexington Legends in the last game of a five game series. He objected strenuosly to a call on second base when one of his players, unable to reach third, tried to return to second, and was thown out. Mikelik thought he was safe. And that was when the fun began.

First he got all in the second base umpires face, in no uncertain terms. After some few minutes of furious, impotent ranting and raving, he dug the second base out of the ground. Then, he flung it as far into right field as he could. Then, he got in the umpires face again, then headed for home, where he got in the homeplate umpires face. Then, he decided to kick around homplate, which he eventually covered with dirt. Then, he went to the visting Ashville teams dugout, bitching and cussing all the while to anybody that happenned to be standing in proximity to him.

He was far from finished. He returned, with a pitcher of water, which he proceeded to pour over the mound of dirt that yet covered home plate. He then proceeded to kick at the muddy concoction, until the homeplate was now uncovered. I’m thinking that he might have been advised to uncover the plate he had covered with dirt, but maybe not. What happenned next, however, I’m reasonably sure he wasn’t advised to do by anyone. Having returned to the Ashville dugout, he then threw, one at a time, all the bats out of the dugout and onto the infield.

The Lexington Legends went on to win the game. It has been opined that Mikelik wil probably be fined and suspended for these actions. While that would certainly be appropriate, I hope the man doesn’t lose his job, and hasn’t ruined his career, over this stupid display of temperament and bad sportsmanship.

For one thing, I love shit like this. I especialy love it when an irate player opens a good solid can of whup ass on a particularly obnoxous fan, and think they should be rewarded for this if anything, certainly not punished. I love to see a good fight between oppossing players, so long as no one is seriously injured. And nothing is likely to make me roar with laughter more than did the hilarious site of Tommy LaSworda, in the playoffs I think two years ago, furiously throwing himself at a member of an oppossing team, who proceeded to dodge him while pushing him by his head on toward the gorund.

The only thing I hate along these lines is fans who start shit, and especially the parents of young child athletes who go ballistic. Them I want to see their asses kicked, right in front of their kids. But this was nothing I found reason to see objectionable. Neither did the Lexington area reporters who covered the story, all ofwhom really seemed as delighted as did I. Face it, there is something about this that is funny, and most people enjoy it. Well, I do anyway.

One thing though, if you ever get a chance to fuck Joe Mikeliks wife, you damn sure better hope he doesn’t walk in and catch you.