Heckling the opposition...

[JDubs]

Quite simply, I am able to attend about ten O's games every season and--I'll admit it--I love to heckle opposing players. (Although I am considerate of children around me). I'm sorry, but it is a guilty pleasure.

ARod is one of my favorite targets. Granted, you have to shell out $$$$ when he comes to town in order to sit close to the field, but the experience really is priceless (i.e. after his 3rd strikeout "Hey ARod, It's not October yet!")

It's not always in bad taste either. A few seasons ago when the Blue Jays came to town, attendance was abysmal (the game set a new low attendance record) and the game was a blowout (not in our favor). We were able to parlay our $5 upper deck tix to front row 3/4 of the way down the 1st baseline. We ended up joking around w/Alex Rios the whole game. The whole section would call his name and he would find creative ways to acknowledge us. At one point he did the over-the-head "wrestinling point" at us. (Something like this) That changed my opinion of Rios forever--good sport and friendly guy.

So anyways, just thought I would share. Can't wait for baseball to return...and spring for that matter.

[DrungoHazewood]

In my 20s, back in the 90s, some of my friends and I were pretty big hecklers at BaySox games. Some of our proudest moments were getting journeymen utilty players from, like, the Canton-Akron Indians to curse at us.

We were really inspired by the fans behind the plate at the St. Paul Saints' Midway Stadium. They had coordinated, probably rehearsed heckles and cheers. That was really our goal, to get whole sections of PG County Stadium to join us. It never really happened, outside of a few isolated cases.

I gotta say that, at 38, the whole thing is frankly a little strange and embarassing. I guess it would be cool in a big group like in St. Paul, but I really have no desire to be that guy standing up yelling stuff while everyone else is trying to watch baseball.

[scottbbfm]

As long as the heckling has significant comedic value, original, and generally clean

such as:

"Hey Quinton!" You're nothing without the Tarrintino

Making Burger King references to Sabathia, etc its all good.

The real goal is to get the players to acknowledge you. And not a jump in the stands type acknowledge.

If you start saying stuff that isn't true or just doesn't make sense its just bad and can be painful.

[Woody Held]

When I was younger , I split a full game season ticket in the first row down the third base line with some friends. I would at times heckle 3rd basemen and shortstops and for the most part they never acknowledge with more than a smile or a wink. Only one player were we able to get to and that was Bucky Dent. He would take his glove off and hide the bird he was flipping us.

It was also fun to yell , RAIL RAIL RAIL when they came over for a foul ball.

[Satyr3206]

Went to a game at Memorial Stadium years ago and a Red Sox fan told us how to get under Mike Greenwell's skin. He did pretty good at ignoring us for 3 or 4 innings then at the end of an inning he turned around and flipped us the bird before running to the dugout. Success.

[Icterus galbula]

Jason Tyner had thin skin and was a delight to heckle.

[PaulFolk]

Jason Tyner had thin skin and was a delight to heckle.

Heckling Jason Tyner? Come on, that's like shooting fish in a barrel... :laughlol:

[Babypowder]

Come watch a game with the hooligans, heckling is what we do.

I wouldn't advise anyone to bring their children around us though...

[Pedro Cerrano]

My buddy has two seats right down the first base line. Every time I go I LOVE to heckle the opposing team's first base coach. There is something hilarious about heckling a random coach.

[DrungoHazewood]

My buddy has two seats right down the first base line. Every time I go I LOVE to heckle the opposing team's first base coach. There is something hilarious about heckling a random coach.

In my BaySox heyday we heckled some player who had the unfortunate luck to get 1st base coaching duties that day (in the minors they don't have a regular 1B coach they just draft a player or pitching coach or something, and the manager often coaches third). We were merciless, and after 3-4 innings he got somebody else to coach. Best heckling ever is when you get someone to actually quit!

Ok, almost. Best ever was when 8 or 10 of us used to have season tickets on the 20-yard line, 1st row at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. When Tech beat 15th-ranked Syracuse 62-0 in 1999, their punter was a freshman named Shafer. If I recall correctly he got two punts blocked, and several other really close, and we just let him have it most of the game. I can still say "Shaaaaaaaafffeeer" to my buds and they'll bust out laughing. I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say he was actually in tears by the 2nd half.

See, this is why I don't heckle much any more. As a 25-year-old that kind of stuff seemed pretty cool. Making 18-year-olds cry doesn't seem quite so awesome anymore. Well, maybe if the punter plays for UVA...

[Dipper9]

Playful joking is ok by me.

However, the jackasses who decide that the entire section needs to see and hear them the entire game rather than, oh, I don't know, maybe WATCH the game, are one of my biggest gripes in life. I often times respond to these folks with something like this...

"Sit down you assclown!":cussing:

[NewMarketSean]

It depends on how many beers I have. And you've got to have some good PG rated smack. I hate trash talkers with lame smack and/or foul mouths.

At the O's/Angels game last year I was trying to get Adam Jones to blow me a bubble (he didn't) and was saying some Jim Rome stuff to Torii Hunter (who is a frequent guest) and he turned around and smiled. But then some idiot started talking trash to the O's bullpen, calling Sherrill fat, etc... and he was an O's fan!

It's dicey, but can be a lot of fun.

[Icterus galbula]

Ok, almost. Best ever was when 8 or 10 of us used to have season tickets on the 20-yard line, 1st row at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. When Tech beat 15th-ranked Syracuse 62-0 in 1999, their punter was a freshman named Shafer. If I recall correctly he got two punts blocked, and several other really close, and we just let him have it most of the game. I can still say "Shaaaaaaaafffeeer" to my buds and they'll bust out laughing. I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say he was actually in tears by the 2nd half.

Punters and kickers are the best. My family's Ravens tickets are at the visitors 25 yard line, right by the practice net. Our section got Josh Miller to flip out and threaten us one time. Another, Bills punter Brian Moorman defended his skills saying something to the affect of "You can at least watch me in the Pro Bowl, unlike the rest of the guys I play with." Shane Graham is called "Shank Graham" and has been well hounded as well.

My favorite Ravens heckling moment was in 2002 vs. the Titans. Eddie George had a United Way commercial at the time showing him raking and hauling brush and lauding his "contagious work ethic." Well, Eddie got beat up by the Ravens D and watched the last quarter from the bench.

I yell: Hey Eddie, where's that contagious work ethic now?

(Eddie clearly hears me, turns his head around to see who's yelling)

My section, in unprompted unison: Eddddd-iiiiiiee, Eddddd-ieeee, Eddddd-iee.

He slowly shook his head, got up off the bench and walked down the sideline to a farther away section.

[CrimsonTribe]

In my BaySox heyday we heckled some player who had the unfortunate luck to get 1st base coaching duties that day (in the minors they don't have a regular 1B coach they just draft a player or pitching coach or something, and the manager often coaches third). We were merciless, and after 3-4 innings he got somebody else to coach. Best heckling ever is when you get someone to actually quit!

Ok, almost. Best ever was when 8 or 10 of us used to have season tickets on the 20-yard line, 1st row at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. When Tech beat 15th-ranked Syracuse 62-0 in 1999, their punter was a freshman named Shafer. If I recall correctly he got two punts blocked, and several other really close, and we just let him have it most of the game. I can still say "Shaaaaaaaafffeeer" to my buds and they'll bust out laughing. I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say he was actually in tears by the 2nd half.

See, this is why I don't heckle much any more. As a 25-year-old that kind of stuff seemed pretty cool. Making 18-year-olds cry doesn't seem quite so awesome anymore. Well, maybe if the punter plays for UVA...

My favorite heckling experience involved a William & Mary basketball game my freshman year. We sat about 10 rows behind Richmond and heckled the last guy on their bench. Anytime he even moved we were all over him ("Sit down Phillips!" or "Get me some water Phillips!" etc.). We didn't make him cry or anything, but he was well aware of our presence.

[PrivateO]

Well if we're discussing our favorite heckling moments...

It was this season, May 30th vs. the Tigers (also day of Matt Wieters' first hit). My friends and I were sitting right by the left field foul pole. Ryan Raburn was in LF for the Tigers that night, and every time he got close to catching a fly ball, we would yell "RAAAAABURN!". It soon caught on with a large group of the section.

I forget what inning, but I believe Melvin Mora laced a double down the line and it was bouncing around on the warning track. As Raburn ran over, again we all yelled, "RAAAAABURN!" at him. This time, he literally tripped and fell right before the ball. We immediatly start laughing at him and his facial expressions show that he knows what he did.

I like to think we caused that (O's scored a run off his error). But that's my story.