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Angry Beaver?
2005-04-18 07:53
by Mike Carminati

Chris House, the Red Sox "fan" who apparently was trying to remove a schmear of mustard from Gary Sheffield's face when Sheffield went into the corner for a ball Friday night, seems to have trouble dealing with anger in general.

According to this article in MIT's "The Tech", House was an assistant coach with the MIT football team, the Beavers, and had some trouble with a linesman in a 2001 game:

MIT's hopes did not die without some controversy, however, as Curry [College] took a delay of game penalty when they had possession with about 3 and a half minutes left. The game's officials allowed the clock to run even after the penalty had been called. Assistant coach Chris House ran on the field, and grabbed the linesman to alert him. Startled, he assessed a 15-yard penalty against MIT (thereby granting Curry a first down). As the linesman walked away, House called him a "fat boy" and another 15-yard penalty was assessed.

House "ran on the field", "grabbed the linesman", and "called him a 'fat boy'" after the call did not go his way. It's interesting that after each outburst, his side was assessed further penalties. The Red Sox are, to their credit, looking into stripping House of his season tickets. It seems like it won't do much to teach House a lesson, but at least opposing right fielders won't have to worry about his presence when they go into the corner to retrieve a ball.

I wonder if the guy's fiancé, who was sitting next to him at the game, is still defending him.

[Thanks to Alex for the link.]

Comments
2005-04-18 08:24:39
1.   Scott Long
It's too bad it wasn't Dmitri Young who made the catch, as I would have loved the same incident happening and then House topping it off by calling him "Fat Boy". I doubt any security could have kept Dmitri from going Artest on this idiot. As I wrote before the season, I was happy that the Red Sox won last year, but so many of their fans are such a-holes that I'm over any rooting for them this year.
2005-04-18 09:00:37
2.   Shana
Be serious, a 15 yard penalty qualifies one for anger management classes? Please...gimme a break!!! Maybe if he actually punched Sheffield and you dug up a story about how he was charged with aggravated assualt and battery sometime in the past - then you'd be making a point. But, the umps didn't even call fan interference, and it isn't even clear whether Sheffield was hit - and now you adding to this joke of debate with a story about a 15 yard penalty coaching football?
2005-04-18 09:32:19
3.   Mike Carminati
Shana,

You're absolutely right. Judging by you, he's just an average Red Sox fan.

2005-04-18 09:48:43
4.   Mike Carminati
Besides according to the rules, the spectator either has to touch the ball or blatantly interfere with the fiedler. House's play was more subtle and devious:

INTERFERENCE Defintion
(d) Spectator interference occurs when a spectator reaches out of the stands, or goes on the playing field, and touches a live ball. On any interference the ball is dead.

Rule 3.16
When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in his opinion will nullify the act of interference. APPROVED RULING: If spectator interference clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, the umpire shall declare the batter out. There is a difference between a ball which has been thrown or batted into the stands, touching a spectator thereby being out of play even though it rebounds onto the field and a spectator going onto the field or reaching over, under or through a barrier and touching a ball in play or touching or otherwise interfering with a player. In the latter case it is clearly intentional and shall be dealt with as intentional interference as in Rule 3.15. Batter and runners shall be placed where in the umpire's judgment they would have been had the interference not occurred. No interference shall be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball. He does so at his own risk. However, should a spectator reach out on the playing field side of such fence, railing or rope, and plainly prevent the fielder from catching the ball, then the batsman should be called out for the spectator's interference. Example: Runner on third base, one out and a batter hits a fly ball deep to the outfield (fair or foul). Spectator clearly interferes with the outfielder attempting to catch the fly ball. Umpire calls the batter out for spectator interference. Ball is dead at the time of the call. Umpire decides that because of the distance the ball was hit, the runner on third base would have scored after the catch if the fielder had caught the ball which was interfered with, therefore, the runner is permitted to score. This might not be the case if such fly ball was interfered with a short distance from home plate.

2005-04-18 11:19:02
5.   Shana
You are not an average sports fan if you think getting a 15 yard penalty in a football game in any way truly represents someone's temperment. If the coaching offense was that bad, then I think the NCAA would have banned him from coaching. I suppose you think everyone of the thousands of baseball managers and players who have been ejected from games are hotheads with anger problems? By the way, get your facts straight - his fiancee was not at the game with him.
2005-04-18 11:57:26
6.   rbilotta
Because of years of losing, people overlooked how much of sore of losers Red Sox fans were. People who weren't even fans of the team wanted them to finally win. Now they have won, the ugly truth has come out that you have only transformed them from sore whiny losers into sore whiny winners.
2005-04-18 12:49:18
7.   tara
Shana, in response to your comment "By the way, get your facts straight - his fiancee was not at the game with him.", I offer the following -

YOU should get YOUR facts straight before you admonish people.

House's fiance WAS at the game, and was escorted out of Fenway.

If you're interested, you can read this article from the Boston Herald, in which she contradicts herself, first saying that ``He just said he was going for the ball,'' Ingerbritson said in defense of House."

Later in the article, she goes on to say that ``He's been a season ticket-holder for a lot of years and he's always careful not to interfere with the ball,'' she said.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sportsNews/view.bg?articleid=95995

House is an idiot, and not a typical Red Sox fan.

2005-04-18 13:02:44
8.   Shana
Tara - even if you think House is an idiot, apparently you cannot read. The article never says she was at the game and in fact it quotes her as saying she spoke to him shortly after the incident. She was not there. Due some more research and you will find out the names of the two women sitting next to him are not the name of his fiance and on the other side of him was all men.

By the way, the Sox haven't lost since the incident.

2005-04-18 14:21:04
9.   rbilotta
Looks like the 'fan' will have little bit more trouble getting good seats at Fenway.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2040064

2005-04-18 20:11:37
10.   Mike Carminati
"By the way, the Sox haven't lost since the incident."--What are you advocating here? Did you really think this through?

Also, by " his fiancé, who was sitting next to him at the game", I meant the football game in 2001. Do you have an article that disproves this?

2005-04-19 04:14:42
11.   Shana
Mike - What a cop out, claiming you were talking about the football game in 2001. Last time I checked, college football coaches don't have their girlfriends or wives sitting next to them on the sidelines. In fact, coaches don't sit down and the only women on the sidelines are trainers or other assistants, if there are any. I don't need an article to disprove your silly cop-out.

You need to check your facts in order to have a credible site. As for my thought process, why are you posting a story and incorrect facts alleging that a 15 yard penalty in a football game four years ago justifies some anger problem?

2005-04-19 05:58:19
12.   Mike Carminati
Shana,

Go away.

2005-04-19 08:55:00
13.   Shana
Mike,

When you write and post nonsense, you deserve to be pestered. Take this incorrect and unintelligent story off the site, and I'll go away.

2005-04-19 15:51:39
14.   rbilotta
Mike,

Come on. The spectator is an American hero. Get your facts straight. In fact, this may just be a setup by Gary Sheffield to get back and make Boston fans look back, since they already have a great reputation.

2005-04-19 21:21:52
15.   Mike Carminati
rbilotta,

Sure, that's why Chris House has catapulted the Red Sox into this great win streak. Wait, I'm still trying to be credible.

2005-04-20 04:42:35
16.   Shana
Mike,

You missed the point. Which sounds dumber?

1. There is a connection between a 15 yard penalty received while coaching football 2001 and a confrontation with Sheffield (the faker) four years later. According to Mike Caminati, this means the individual has an anger problem.

0r,

2. There is a connection between a fan incident and a Red Sox mini win streak.

Answer:
They are identical in stupidity, both ridiculously attempt to link two totally unrelated events.

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