Mitch Williams being thrown out of his 10-year-old son’s little league game for cursing out the umpire, calling him a “moth*******r,” is both déjà vu and reality mirroring art at the same time.
According to a Deadspin report, former MLB relief pitcher Williams, who many claim to be the inspiration for the fictional, ex-MLB relief pitcher/anti-hero Kenny Powers of the cable TV show Eastbound & Down, had previously been ejected from his daughter’s youth basketball game for spewing the F-word many times at a female referee back in 2008.
On Saturday, William’s son was participating in a Ripken Baseball tournament in Aberdeen, Maryland, when Mitch started arguing with the umpire over called balls and strikes, and a close play at home plate. The ump’s call at home ended a rally for his son’s Jersey Wild team. The heated exchange between Williams and the umpire escalated to a face-to-face confrontation and the ensuing ejection of Williams. The episode sparked one parent to observe that it was “just like the major leagues.”
Initially, Williams refused to leave the field, but changed his mind after discussing the incident further with a Ripken League official. Although the former major leaguer was banned from the league for his antics, he has subsequently been reinstated.
Williams gave his own version of what happened in a series of tweets he posted on twitter after the game. “It started in the 1st inn,” the MLB Network analyst and Fox color commentator explained, “the ump yelled at the opposing coach,then yelled at me. i asked why r u yelling at me I haven’t even met u yet.”