Sausage Controversy

[&&&]

For the battered Milwaukee mascot, the 'wurst' of it is over

..
Any barbecue chef worth his sauce knows you don't tenderize sausage
with a baseball bat.
..
But that's not the only reason we're taking Randall Simon's side in
this one.
..
First, and most important, no one was really hurt.
..
Second, the Pittsburgh first baseman is too nice a guy.
..
Third, the way he's been swinging the bat lately - 0-for-July - no one
would have been more surprised than Simon that he actually made
contact.
..
Unless, of course, it was Mandy Block, the 19-year-old woman inside
the sausage suit. Even she wondered what the fuss was all about.
..
In replays that led off every sportscast in America, Simon is seen
standing in the visiting dugout in Milwaukee on Wednesday as the daily
"Great Sausage Race" goes by.
..
The bratwurst, Polish sausage and hot dog pass without incident.
Suddenly, Simon steps out of the dugout and strikes a glancing blow at
the top of the Italian sausage with a bat.
..
This is his story and he's sticking to it: "I thought at the moment
they were trying to play with us. They were running right next to the
players. I'm a fun player, and I've never hurt anyone in my life."
..
Stupid as the prank was, Simon's record remains intact. Neither the
sausage nor the hot dog she toppled over while falling to the ground
herself suffered anything worse than a scraped knee.
..
Simon on the other hand, was taken away from Miller Park in handcuffs
after the game Wednesday night and he did not play Thursday.
..
He was grilled by sheriff's officers and declared Public Enemy No. 1
by a city that can be very touchy about its sausages and beer.
..
"This is one of the most outrageous things I've ever seen inside a
ballpark or outside a ballpark," said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers
executive vice president of business operations. "It sickened me to
see it."
..
Get a grip, Rick.
..
Right off the top, it's a stretch for anybody who has to watch the
Brewers play every day to be outraged by the mess somebody else
created in a ballpark. While there is no justifying the way Simon went
about it, having people play along with the animals is the reason
clubs put mascots in the ballparks in the first place.
..
"But 99 percent of the time, the trouble comes from drunks and you can
steer clear because you can see it coming," said Pierre Deschenes, who
should know.
..
From 1989 to 1992, Deschenes' alter-ego was Youppi!, the mascot of the
Montreal Expos and one of only three inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He was following in his father's footsteps. These days, as president
of ProMascot, Deschenes tours the country doing shows and running
three-day workshops for mascot wannabes.
..
He's had exactly one run-in with a ballplayer during that stretch and
it came at home.
..
"We always would ring a bell when George Bell came to town, so he was
in a bad mood, usually, to begin with. Then, I pick up his hat and
glove. And when he finds out it is me, he punches me hard in my nose.
..
"To this day, I don't know if he means to hurt me or not. But that's
why I always tell students, 'Have some limits. Be nice with people so
they will make nice back.'
..
"But above all," Deschenes said, "stay on your toes."
..
In most cases, the occupational hazards are so great and the pay so
small that it's a miracle anyone takes the work. Especially in the
last 10 years or so.
..
Over that span, almost no one wearing a silly suit in the service of
sport has been spared - sausage or bratwurst, moose or duck, goat or
bear, male or female, frightening or friendly, pint-sized, life-sized
or oversized.
..
No sooner did most learn to deal with the familiar foes - dehydration,
lint, torn ACLs, kidnappings by rivals, crashes, attacks by other
mascots, fans and players - than some of the biggest names in the
business were taken down because of political correctness and others
hauled into court and charged with being overzealous.
..
In 1995, a jury awarded $100,000 to a 72-year-old man belly-bumped to
the ground at a church carnival by the Phillie Phanatic. The Phanatic
got off that cheap only because he had a good lawyer. Last August,
Billy The Marlin beat the wrap when a 77-year-old man sued him and the
ballclub because he was struck in the eye by a rolled-up T-shirt fired
into the stands by the mascot with a pressurized gun.
..
"I tell my students they must love the work," Deschenes said, "because
the crowd will find you out otherwise."
..
In the spirit of the best performers, Block took her tumble
philosophically.
..
"It just seems ridiculous - it's like a big sausage getting hit by a
bat causes all this controversy," she told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.
..
"It just seems kind of funny to me."
..
But all she really wants is the bat he used to hit her as she ran past
the Pirates' dugout dressed as an Italian sausage, The Associated
Press reported.
..
Simon, cited for disorderly conduct and fined $432, issued a public
apology before leaving town after the Pirates' 5-4 victory over the
Brewers on Thursday. Block said a team representative told her Simon
would call her Friday to apologize.
..
"One of the public relations ladies called me and she talked to me and
she was really nice and offered a lot and said, 'Anytime you're in
Pittsburgh...the best seat in the house is yours,'" Block said at her
South Milwaukee home Thursday.
..
"But all I wanted was the bat." For the battered Milwaukee mascot, the
'wurst' of it is over

..
Any barbecue chef worth his sauce knows you don't tenderize sausage
with a baseball bat.
..
But that's not the only reason we're taking Randall Simon's side in
this one.
..
First, and most important, no one was really hurt.
..
Second, the Pittsburgh first baseman is too nice a guy.
..
Third, the way he's been swinging the bat lately - 0-for-July - no one
would have been more surprised than Simon that he actually made
contact.
..
Unless, of course, it was Mandy Block, the 19-year-old woman inside
the sausage suit. Even she wondered what the fuss was all about.
..
In replays that led off every sportscast in America, Simon is seen
standing in the visiting dugout in Milwaukee on Wednesday as the daily
"Great Sausage Race" goes by.
..
The bratwurst, Polish sausage and hot dog pass without incident.
Suddenly, Simon steps out of the dugout and strikes a glancing blow at
the top of the Italian sausage with a bat.
..
This is his story and he's sticking to it: "I thought at the moment
they were trying to play with us. They were running right next to the
players. I'm a fun player, and I've never hurt anyone in my life."
..
Stupid as the prank was, Simon's record remains intact. Neither the
sausage nor the hot dog she toppled over while falling to the ground
herself suffered anything worse than a scraped knee.
..
Simon on the other hand, was taken away from Miller Park in handcuffs
after the game Wednesday night and he did not play Thursday.
..
He was grilled by sheriff's officers and declared Public Enemy No. 1
by a city that can be very touchy about its sausages and beer.
..
"This is one of the most outrageous things I've ever seen inside a
ballpark or outside a ballpark," said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers
executive vice president of business operations. "It sickened me to
see it."
..
Get a grip, Rick.
..
Right off the top, it's a stretch for anybody who has to watch the
Brewers play every day to be outraged by the mess somebody else
created in a ballpark. While there is no justifying the way Simon went
about it, having people play along with the animals is the reason
clubs put mascots in the ballparks in the first place.
..
"But 99 percent of the time, the trouble comes from drunks and you can
steer clear because you can see it coming," said Pierre Deschenes, who
should know.
..
From 1989 to 1992, Deschenes' alter-ego was Youppi!, the mascot of the
Montreal Expos and one of only three inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He was following in his father's footsteps. These days, as president
of ProMascot, Deschenes tours the country doing shows and running
three-day workshops for mascot wannabes.
..
He's had exactly one run-in with a ballplayer during that stretch and
it came at home.
..
"We always would ring a bell when George Bell came to town, so he was
in a bad mood, usually, to begin with. Then, I pick up his hat and
glove. And when he finds out it is me, he punches me hard in my nose.
..
"To this day, I don't know if he means to hurt me or not. But that's
why I always tell students, 'Have some limits. Be nice with people so
they will make nice back.'
..
"But above all," Deschenes said, "stay on your toes."
..
In most cases, the occupational hazards are so great and the pay so
small that it's a miracle anyone takes the work. Especially in the
last 10 years or so.
..
Over that span, almost no one wearing a silly suit in the service of
sport has been spared - sausage or bratwurst, moose or duck, goat or
bear, male or female, frightening or friendly, pint-sized, life-sized
or oversized.
..
No sooner did most learn to deal with the familiar foes - dehydration,
lint, torn ACLs, kidnappings by rivals, crashes, attacks by other
mascots, fans and players - than some of the biggest names in the
business were taken down because of political correctness and others
hauled into court and charged with being overzealous.
..
In 1995, a jury awarded $100,000 to a 72-year-old man belly-bumped to
the ground at a church carnival by the Phillie Phanatic. The Phanatic
got off that cheap only because he had a good lawyer. Last August,
Billy The Marlin beat the wrap when a 77-year-old man sued him and the
ballclub because he was struck in the eye by a rolled-up T-shirt fired
into the stands by the mascot with a pressurized gun.
..
"I tell my students they must love the work," Deschenes said, "because
the crowd will find you out otherwise."
..
In the spirit of the best performers, Block took her tumble
philosophically.
..
"It just seems ridiculous - it's like a big sausage getting hit by a
bat causes all this controversy," she told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.
..
"It just seems kind of funny to me."
..
But all she really wants is the bat he used to hit her as she ran past
the Pirates' dugout dressed as an Italian sausage, The Associated
Press reported.
..
Simon, cited for disorderly conduct and fined $432, issued a public
apology before leaving town after the Pirates' 5-4 victory over the
Brewers on Thursday. Block said a team representative told her Simon
would call her Friday to apologize.
..
"One of the public relations ladies called me and she talked to me and
she was really nice and offered a lot and said, 'Anytime you're in
Pittsburgh...the best seat in the house is yours,'" Block said at her
South Milwaukee home Thursday.
..
"But all I wanted was the bat." For the battered Milwaukee mascot, the
'wurst' of it is over

..
Any barbecue chef worth his sauce knows you don't tenderize sausage
with a baseball bat.
..
But that's not the only reason we're taking Randall Simon's side in
this one.
..
First, and most important, no one was really hurt.
..
Second, the Pittsburgh first baseman is too nice a guy.
..
Third, the way he's been swinging the bat lately - 0-for-July - no one
would have been more surprised than Simon that he actually made
contact.
..
Unless, of course, it was Mandy Block, the 19-year-old woman inside
the sausage suit. Even she wondered what the fuss was all about.
..
In replays that led off every sportscast in America, Simon is seen
standing in the visiting dugout in Milwaukee on Wednesday as the daily
"Great Sausage Race" goes by.
..
The bratwurst, Polish sausage and hot dog pass without incident.
Suddenly, Simon steps out of the dugout and strikes a glancing blow at
the top of the Italian sausage with a bat.
..
This is his story and he's sticking to it: "I thought at the moment
they were trying to play with us. They were running right next to the
players. I'm a fun player, and I've never hurt anyone in my life."
..
Stupid as the prank was, Simon's record remains intact. Neither the
sausage nor the hot dog she toppled over while falling to the ground
herself suffered anything worse than a scraped knee.
..
Simon on the other hand, was taken away from Miller Park in handcuffs
after the game Wednesday night and he did not play Thursday.
..
He was grilled by sheriff's officers and declared Public Enemy No. 1
by a city that can be very touchy about its sausages and beer.
..
"This is one of the most outrageous things I've ever seen inside a
ballpark or outside a ballpark," said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers
executive vice president of business operations. "It sickened me to
see it."
..
Get a grip, Rick.
..
Right off the top, it's a stretch for anybody who has to watch the
Brewers play every day to be outraged by the mess somebody else
created in a ballpark. While there is no justifying the way Simon went
about it, having people play along with the animals is the reason
clubs put mascots in the ballparks in the first place.
..
"But 99 percent of the time, the trouble comes from drunks and you can
steer clear because you can see it coming," said Pierre Deschenes, who
should know.
..
From 1989 to 1992, Deschenes' alter-ego was Youppi!, the mascot of the
Montreal Expos and one of only three inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He was following in his father's footsteps. These days, as president
of ProMascot, Deschenes tours the country doing shows and running
three-day workshops for mascot wannabes.
..
He's had exactly one run-in with a ballplayer during that stretch and
it came at home.
..
"We always would ring a bell when George Bell came to town, so he was
in a bad mood, usually, to begin with. Then, I pick up his hat and
glove. And when he finds out it is me, he punches me hard in my nose.
..
"To this day, I don't know if he means to hurt me or not. But that's
why I always tell students, 'Have some limits. Be nice with people so
they will make nice back.'
..
"But above all," Deschenes said, "stay on your toes."
..
In most cases, the occupational hazards are so great and the pay so
small that it's a miracle anyone takes the work. Especially in the
last 10 years or so.
..
Over that span, almost no one wearing a silly suit in the service of
sport has been spared - sausage or bratwurst, moose or duck, goat or
bear, male or female, frightening or friendly, pint-sized, life-sized
or oversized.
..
No sooner did most learn to deal with the familiar foes - dehydration,
lint, torn ACLs, kidnappings by rivals, crashes, attacks by other
mascots, fans and players - than some of the biggest names in the
business were taken down because of political correctness and others
hauled into court and charged with being overzealous.
..
In 1995, a jury awarded $100,000 to a 72-year-old man belly-bumped to
the ground at a church carnival by the Phillie Phanatic. The Phanatic
got off that cheap only because he had a good lawyer. Last August,
Billy The Marlin beat the wrap when a 77-year-old man sued him and the
ballclub because he was struck in the eye by a rolled-up T-shirt fired
into the stands by the mascot with a pressurized gun.
..
"I tell my students they must love the work," Deschenes said, "because
the crowd will find you out otherwise."
..
In the spirit of the best performers, Block took her tumble
philosophically.
..
"It just seems ridiculous - it's like a big sausage getting hit by a
bat causes all this controversy," she told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.
..
"It just seems kind of funny to me."
..
But all she really wants is the bat he used to hit her as she ran past
the Pirates' dugout dressed as an Italian sausage, The Associated
Press reported.
..
Simon, cited for disorderly conduct and fined $432, issued a public
apology before leaving town after the Pirates' 5-4 victory over the
Brewers on Thursday. Block said a team representative told her Simon
would call her Friday to apologize.
..
"One of the public relations ladies called me and she talked to me and
she was really nice and offered a lot and said, 'Anytime you're in
Pittsburgh...the best seat in the house is yours,'" Block said at her
South Milwaukee home Thursday.
..
"But all I wanted was the bat."

[homer742]

gabadab wrote:


The lawsuit is coming. The second sausage that fell is a college
student on a volleyball scholarship and has an injured knee. She's
making I'll see you in court noises.

nancy

[Marines_Princess]

On 11 Jul 2003 08:31:13 -0700, [email protected] (gabadab) wrote:




That seems a fair enough outcome. It's not like he should get off for
swinging a baseball bat at a person just because the victim wasn't
hurt (this time) or he's a nice guy. He's a professional and much too
old to be claiming that he swung a bat at someone for "fun." Even 8
year olds get in trouble for that kind of behavior.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

[Denia]

"Curly Sue" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Not to mention 8 year old baseball fans witnessing that kinda behavior by a
ball player. Guys like Gehrig, Dimaggio, Ruth or Williams never would have
pulled a stunt like that. But that's from a bygone era, I suppose.

Jack Stengel

PS Ty Cobb sure would have, though.

[scene1918!<333]

Curly Sue wrote:


True, and why didn't he or any of his teammates rush over to
help them up? They stood there like clods. Wow, that was sooo funny.
Not.

nancy

[ali ali]

On 7/11/03 5:00 PM, in article [email protected], "Nancy
Young" opined:


You have to understand that a lot of these guys are not wrapped too tight.
--

[Tay A]

"gabadab" wrote in message

(snipped)

I'm sure Simon is a nice guy. I'm sure he thought he was doing it all in
fun. But just let's stop and think for a minute - if that had been a fan
sitting in the stands and wielding that bat on a player's noggin, the whole
team would have swarmed into the stands to get the fan. Let's get real - it
was a stupid thing to do.

Dora

[geetargrl59]

On 11 Jul 2003 08:31:13 -0700, [email protected] (gabadab) wrote:


You left out the best part:


It sounds like more fun than a baby shower!

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

[l4p4cx1]

"limey" writes:


Not just stupidity, but proof he suffers from a serious and dangerous mental
disorder, not only should he be sued, along with the ball club, and the
stadium, etal... incarceration for a lengthy period in an insane assylum is in
order.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

[Dravboy]

"The Wolf" wrote in message
news:BB347BDC.3248D%[email protected]...
gets
when

Just curious, but what type of insurance covers you in a case like this (
your own physical actions causing bodily harm to others ) ? Do they have
some special kind of brainless dolt clause available in the homeowners
policy or something??