MINOR LEAGUES: Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik will no doubt hear from the South Atlantic League after a fifth-inning blowup in Lexington, Ky. Mikulik was enraged after a call on a pickoff throw at second went against his team. An animated argument quickly led to Mikulik's first ejection of the season.
In quick order, the manager tossed his hat to the pitcher's mound; took a head-first slide into second; uprooted the base, showed it to umpire Andy Russell and tossed it, a la Lou Piniella; grabbed the resin bag and flung it to the right-field bullpen; confronted plate umpire Stephen Barga and kicked dirt on the ump's feet; kicked the batter's box lines; kicked dirt on the plate; went to his knees to further cover the plate by hand; fired four bats from the dugout; returned to "clean" home plate with contents of a water bottle; squatted in the umpire position in a mock glance toward the mound; and spiked the bottle on the plate.
"I could get two mannequins at Sears and umpire better than what I saw this whole series," Mikulik said. The manager was asked what he expected to hear when league president John Henry Moss calls. "I already talked to John Henry. I've got that covered," he said. "This ain't my first rodeo. ... I didn't touch anybody. I never bumped anybody. ... I actually cleaned home plate for them, so they should give me a tip for that."
From the Seattle Times.
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