Hero of the Week: The Ed Grimley looking dude that got tasered at the Phillies game.

Let’s begin by starting with the facts. It takes Ditka sized balls to run out onto a baseball field. Way to get that graphic in there guys! I offer my brother $50 to run out onto the field at almost every baseball game I attend, and he always declines. This is a man, mind you, that was willing to let me taser him, and let his body collapse into the cold Chicago snow for $20. Fearing the wrath of my parents, I decided it would be best not to tase him, but he was willing. So, according to my brother, the fearless act of running onto a baseball field is at least 2.5 riskier than getting tasered. But this isn’t why he’s my hero.

How adorable is it that he called his dad before he ran out on the field? His dad told him it probably wasn’t the best idea, but he did it anyway. By all accounts, he was stone cold sober, which makes it even ballsier. The fact that it was at a Phillies game also adds an element of excitement. These are the same fans that booed the Easter Bunny, threw snowballs at Santa, and cheered when a mangled Michael Irvin lay motionless on the turf. His bravado still isn’t the main reason why I found this so special.

That picture! It’s fantastic. It’s a metaphor for what a lot of people would argue our country is about: The struggle vs. the Man. That poor, chubby, little security guard/cop churning his pudgy little legs for a solid ten seconds before he thinks “I’m just gonna’ tase this fucker’. This iconic kind of image may open up a dialogue on the proper reasons for tasing people. Your average sports fan’s heart and an unexpected 50,00 watts of raw electricity isn’t exactly a recipe for success. Amnesty International reports that there have been 334 taser related deaths between 2001 – 2008. If they keep tasing sports fans that run out onto the field, it’s only a matter of time before some poor schlub who has had 9 beers, 2 dogs and a steak sandwich gets tasered, and doesn’t get up.