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Sports

Indie Baseball Meltdown Features a Trash Can Where an Umpire Should Be

A called third strike did not sit well with Brennan Metzger so he told the home plate ump a trash can was his home.
Screen capture via Twitter/@FMRedHawks

It often seems like we have run out of new and interesting ways for baseball players/managers to shit all over the umpires with whom they vehemently disagree; there's only so many ways to kick dirt over the plate, jaw face-to-face, or pretend to throw a grenade from the trenches behind home plate before things start to feel stale. But last night against the Chicago Dogs, hope was restored for a brighter tomorrow when independent league player Brennan Metzger not-so-subtly implied the home plate umpire was trash.

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Metzger, who plays outfield for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, was called out looking by home plate umpire Mike Jarboe, and was not at all pleased with the call. They jawed back and forth with each other for a bit and eventually Jarboe tossed Metzger. This sent him through the roof and back into the dugout to retrieve…a giant trash can.

Aside from telling Jarboe to "go to your home" after placing the trash can in his position behind home plate, Metzger told the ump he was "bush league" and had been "fucking awful all night." He then tried an interesting gambit and countered Jarboe's ejection with one of his own: "I'm fuckin' tossing you outta here, you're DONE!" It's a wonderful bit of audio/video work for an independent league and the only real gripe I have his the commentators talking over what is a solid meltdown. Let the moment breath, guys!

Perhaps my favorite part, however, is the tight shot on the garbage can for a solid nine seconds.

The RedHawks beat the Dogs 4-3.