It was just another day at the ballpark for this Mud Hens fan. Sit back, have a few beers, throw peanuts at former Tiger Brandon Inge…wait, what? Yes, fans do heckle players at the games, especially at the minor league games where the fans are so close to the action. Last night, however, one fan took things a little too far and began belittling Inge, and even started throwing peanuts at him. Inge, who signed with the Pirates this spring, was playing for the Indianapolis Indians on a rehab assignment against the Mud Hens in Toledo.

“It was just an agitate fan that took it a little too far”, Inge told The Toledo Blade. “That stuff is unfortunate. You can’t avoid it. There’s always going to be a couple of idiots at every game. There’s nothing you can do about it. You can handle it the best you can, and I think we did.”

When the fans assaults became unbearable, Inge’s teammates were quick to defend him. Pirate prospect Jerry Sands and Felix Pie had to be restrained from going after the unruly fan. Sands actually cleared the fence between the stands and dugout, an action that brought a one game suspension from the International League. The fan was escorted out of the ballpark, but still tried throwing beer at the players on their way out (alcohol abuse?). Inge did his best to continue the game, and make it enjoyable for the remaining fans, especially the kids in attendance. He handed out more than a half-dozen baseball to kids.

“Everything was handled very professionally,” Inge stated. “The Mud Hens handled it professionally and I think we handled it as professionally as we could.” Uh, except for Sands, though, Brandon? He did take care of the kids, though: “I know the face of a kid that’s scared. And that man was definitely scaring those kids around the area. I actually saw a couple of kids sitting by themselves, I’m sure their parents were nearby, and I saw them actually get up and move a couple of seats back. They were just like, ‘Wow, we need to move,’. I didn’t want them to feel like that. So I pulled them over and gave them some baseballs. It turned to be, I think, ok.”

None of the Mud Hens players were involved. The Detroit fans have always had a love/hate relationship with Inge, though. Personally I’ve never had a problem with him. He always worked hard and wanted to contribute the best he could. He’s also recently stated he’d like to come back to the Tigers organization when his playing days are done. This is prediction I’ve made many times, however.

“I’d probably, one day, like to stay part of that organization in some way,” Inge stated to the Detroit News. “ One thing I learned through the years in this game is reading people. It’s why I respect Al Kaline so much. He’s still helping the Tigers in so many ways. But what impresses me is that he’s such a great personality reader.” He also stated to the News, “Detroit is home for me. It’s not something you experience for as long as I did and not call it home. In my mind, I’ll always be a Tiger.”

There you have it, folks…. Any way you slice it, though, the fan was in the wrong, and I’m glad he got tossed without anyone getting hurt. Best of luck in your rehab, Brandon.

Photo courtesy of the Detroit News