the fake Ichiro was temporarily removed from his front-row seat. He was spoken to by Safeco Field ushers and security before he was allowed to return to his seat.

He should have been ejected from the ballpark. It is GREAT that baseball fans can be right on top of the action but they also need to stay the hell out of the way when the ball is in play. Every team has signs advising this and makes announcements throughout the game. If you are sitting in the front row and interfere, your day is done.

He should have been ejected from the ballpark. It is GREAT that baseball fans can be right on top of the action but they also need to stay the hell out of the way when the ball is in play. Every team has signs advising this and makes announcements throughout the game. If you are sitting in the front row and interfere, your day is done.

I basically agree, but if teams were so concerned about this, they would leave the first row of seats empty to prevent this. They'd rather get the revenue from the seats, which is perfectly fine, but the result is that fans will interfere -- much of the time inadvertently, without realizing that they're causing a problem.

Well, now the fake Ichiro and the real Ichiro are costing the Mariners runs. Is that a .620 OPS I see?

I basically agree, but if teams were so concerned about this, they would leave the first row of seats empty to prevent this. They'd rather get the revenue from the seats, which is perfectly fine, but the result is that fans will interfere -- much of the time inadvertently, without realizing that they're causing a problem.

Well, of course. But they've already collected the money for the seats by the time they've ejected fans who interfere. I would say they are concerned - ejecting fans who interfere serves as a warning to others.

They were showing clips of this guy on MLB Network last night -- he was wearing baseball pants, had a plastic black Ichiro bat and a gold-painted glove for criminy-sakes. It was pretty funny -- the guy looks a lot like Ichiro, too. Heck, that alone got the M's more national face time than they deserve and got me and every other Joe Couch Potato everywhere to view some of their in-stadium advertising. Plus it was clear that the guy was deeply shamed when he realized that he had interfered with a ball in play. From the video last night it looked like they kicked him out, but hopefully they let him go back to his seat like it says here. I say the M's buy that guy season tix -- I'll watch a game every now and then just to see what he's up to.

The Ichiro Suzuki impersonator at Safeco Field who has been posing for pictures and signing autographs for the past few home games

Is this legal?

Last night a nats fan deked martin prado in left, ole'ing a ball to draw prado in, the ball scooting past him into the corner.

Now, of course prado should have gone to the corner first anyway, but i thought it effective fakery.

It tickles me also when some fans think they're in Wrigley when they throw the ball back onto the field....after being escorted out of the park, they can avail themselves of the opportunity to see that they are in fact..not at Wrigley.

It is my dream to one day catch a home run from the opposing team at the ted, just so I can give the finger to everyone booing me for not throwing it back.

How bad are the Comiskey fans about that these days? Back in 1997 or so my now-wife ended up with a HR ball hit by the Angels (Jack Howell I believe). There were a few halfhearted calls to throw it back, which I ignored. (Helped that it was a sparsely attended game.)

Her first professional baseball game ever, incidentally.

How bad are the Comiskey fans about that these days? Back in 1997 or so my now-wife ended up with a HR ball hit by the Angels (Jack Howell I believe). There were a few halfhearted calls to throw it back, which I ignored. (Helped that it was a sparsely attended game.)

A few years back (I would say 2007-2008, when the Cubs were making the playoffs), every opposing HR resulting in chants or general murmuring to throw the ball back. About half the time, fans complied.

The team made an effort to stop this by making more announcements that throwing things on the field results in ejections, and following through on that promise. Paired with shouts of "keep it, this isn't Wrigley", this curtailed the practice almost 100%.

What I'm saying is, the last three years or so, having attended between 20 and 30 Sox games, I haven't seen a person throw back a ball once.

It seems to have become big in Philly to harangue people into throwing opposing homers back. My wife & I were wondering last game we went to whether or not people get tossed for it -- they obviously make the usual announcement that fans are not to throw objects on to the field, but people still do it all the time.

This game also featured a horrendous infield gaffe for the A's where nobody's covering their bases after Brendan Ryan hits an infield single, so Ryan goes from first to second, then third, while the A's lazily jog to the base he's just advanced to.

video here

Now that's defensive indifference!

I would love to throw a HR ball back. So what if it isn't Wrigley?

I saw a Royals game recently where the fan did that, and an inning later he was still there. That guy that made highlights for throwing it and nearly hitting the runner rounding third didn't get escorted either IIRC.

This game also featured a horrendous infield gaffe for the A's where nobody's covering their bases after Brendan Ryan hits an infield single, so Ryan goes from first to second, then third, while the A's lazily jog to the base he's just advanced to.

And that's why, John Kruk, baseball players are athletes. The only question is whether they are going to be athletes in good condition or in poor condition.

Wait, they eject fans who throw homers back on the field from the Wrigley bleachers?

Ichiro could impersonate his impersonator.... if he wanted to.

Wait, they eject fans who throw homers back on the field from the Wrigley bleachers?

I don't think so, no. I was talking about U.S. Cellular.

I was referring to post # 8 but I think I may have misunderstood it.

That Ryan infield triple was all kinds of awesome.

"Then when I got to second it looked like the closest person to third was right next to me, and I figured if I get past him, I've got third," he said. "Then I almost died, but I didn't."

Ryan has been a quote machine this year.

The Ichiro Suzuki impersonator at Safeco Field who has been posing for pictures and signing autographs for the past few home games

Is this legal?

I would think yes, unless they are charging for the autograph, without making it obvious that he is not the real deal.

Ryan has been a quote machine this year.

Just keeps breaking my heart. Why, Tony? WHY!!!