Now this is some kind of meltdown.
One-time Yankees stud farmhand Jesus Montero, whose weight has ballooned since a trade to the Seattle Mariners even as his prospect status has deflated, lost his cool Thursday night and confronted a scout (from his own team!) with a bat — all over an ice cream sandwich.
The incident occurred in Boise, where Montero was on an injury rehab assignment with the Single-A Everett AquaSox. The bizarrely antagonistic scout apparently razzed Montero throughout the game then sent the dairy taunt to him in the dugout — guess the vanilla insults weren’t working. According to milb.com, Montero approached the stands wielding a bat and threw the dessert while screaming profanities before he was restrained.
Whether he was being trolled for his waistline or the subject of a real changeup of a psych experiment, the violent reaction marks the latest misstep along a rocky road for the 24-year-old, who was traded as part of the Michael Pineda deal before the 2012 season. He hit 15 homers that year then plummeted to a .208 average in 2013. He was suspended for his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic. And he showed up at spring training this year a reported 40 pounds overweight.
A Seattle Times report identified the scout as national cross-checker Butch Baccala, 52, who alternately evades questions, denies wrongdoing and tries to question the whole concession setup.
“It’s not what is being portrayed,’’ Baccala said. “I’ve worked my ass off for the Mariners. Why would I do anything to hurt anybody. That wasn’t even close to the intention.’’
In the interview, Baccala questioned whether ice-cream sandwiches are even for sale at Boise’s Memorial Stadium. Todd Rahr, GM of the Boise Hawks, confirmed ice cream sandwiches are sold during games.
“I am aware of the incident in Boise,” Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told the Seattle Times. “We are currently in the process of gathering information, but until I have all the details, I cannot comment.”
Like, was it a Chipwich or a classic ice cream sandwich?