For the second day in a row at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, a squirrel got loose on the field. This time, it actually appeared to have disrupted play by scurrying in front of home plate just after Roy Oswalt had thrown a pitch. Oswalt complained to the umpire after the pitch, and seemed to suggest that either a) he was bothered by the squirrel or b) the umpire got distracted and forgot to call the pitch a strike. It wouldn’t matter because the squirrel ran into the stands and Oswalt proceeded to get Skip Schumaker to fly out.
Anyhow, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who also went out to protest the squirrel’s presence on the field, was asked about the stray rodent after the game. He busted out with some Southern humor.
“There’s not too much I can do about a squirrel running across the field. I don’t know what I can do about that. Of course, being from the South, and being a squirrel hunter, if I had a gun I might have done something. I’m a pretty good shot,” he joked.
At least, we think he was joking. If the eating habits of Takeo Spikes are any indication, he might be serious.
