By now we have all heard of the 17-year-old kid who ran out onto the field during a Philadelphia Phillies game and got Tasered for doing so. If that wasn’t enough, another fan tried it again the next night. But the most disturbing drunken fan incident I’ve heard about at Citizens Bank Park was something that took place back in April. Matthew Clemmens, a 21-year-old New Jersey man, intentionally vomited on a man and his 11-year-old daughter. How lovely.
I know this happened a couple months ago, but until now it was only being speculated that this sicko had done this on purpose. On Tuesday, Clemmens pleaded guilty to the simple assault charge for his actions. Clemmens and his friends were sitting behind an off duty police captain and his two daughters. The group was throwing their beers at the family throughout the game. He was apparently drunk and decided to stick his fingers down his throat, lean forward and puke on the little girl.
We hear about unruly fan behavior all the time. Whether it’s fans like the ones mentioned above that like to run out onto the field, or you have fans that are dumping beer on players like the what happened at Wrigley Field last year to Shane Victorino. But honestly, puking on a little girl on purpose? That’s just wrong. Luckily somebody was able to give this guy a fraction of what he deserved (allegedly the girl’s father) as evidenced by his mugshot. It’s true that baseball games have evolved into a place to get hammered rather than a place to bring your family, but there has got to be a limit to this.
Beer vendors should have to act more like bartenders and realize when a fan has had too much. If fans want to waste money on a ticket just to get obnoxiously drunk, then so be it. If they aren’t hurting anyone that’s fine; but if they’re throwing beer and puking on people, they need to go. Or, maybe fans that want to get obnoxiously drunk should be confined to one section where they can all annoy each other and stay away from the people who are actually there to watch a game.
Sources:
Man Pleads Guilty to Vomiting on girl [ESPN]
Cops: Man Purposely Vomited on Girl at Phils Game [CBS Philadelphia]
