Tyler Maun of MiLB.com reports that a crazy incident occurred in Boise during a game between the Everett AquaSox and the Boise Hawks in the Northwest League yesterday. Jesus Montero, who is with Everett as he rehabs from an oblique injury, was coaching first base and was being heckled from the stands. Not by an ordinary fan, but a cross-checker -- a scout who usually oversees scouts in a given geographical area -- who is actually employed by the Mariners.
The incident was kicked off when the scout yelled at Montero to hustle off the field after an inning, yelling “Rapido! Rapido!” Then the scout ordered an ice cream sandwich and had it sent to Montero in the dugout, which one assumes was a dig at his weight issues (Montero showed up for spring training 40 pounds overweight). Montero didn’t take kindly to that at all, heading toward the stands with a bat in his hands, throwing the ice cream sandwich at the scout and screaming expletives at the scout. He had to restrained by an Everett coach.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told the Seattle Times that he was looking into the matter. And while, as the high-profile player who was acting aggressively, Montero is going draw most of the heat and coverage here, what on God’s green Earth is a scout employed by the Mariners doing acting like that at a baseball game which he is presumably working? Toward a Mariners player no less? We obviously don’t have all the information here, but if his behavior was as reported by Maun, I’m not sure how that guy doesn’t get fired pretty quickly.
In other news, the minor leagues are a great bang for your entertainment buck.