Little Leaguer Charges Into Stands After Being Called ‘Belly Itcher’

INDIANAPOLIS--A melee broke out between players and fans at a little league world series game Saturday in Indianapolis. According to witnesses, the fight started when Owensboro, KY player Kevin Paxon, 11, charged into the stands after a heckler referred to him as a “belly itcher.” He was followed by several teammates, and the ensuing brawl resulted in five arrests.

A fan seated nearby described the events that led to the incident.

“Kevin [Paxon] was pitching, and he got pulled from the game because he wasn’t doing so well,” said Anne McCowan, 37, who was seated on the first base line. “As he was walking back to the dugout, this group of kids, they couldn’t have been more than 8-years-old, started chanting ‘We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher.’ Well that just rubbed Kevin the wrong way. He threw his glove on the ground, climbed over the wall, and went after them.”

Paxon manage to punch one of the youngsters before being swarmed by a group of spectators. That’s when his teammates came to his aid.

“After Kevin punched that one little kid, everything went kind of nuts,” said McCowan. “A bunch of people grabbed him and started hitting him, and then four or five of his teammates jumped into the crowd and joined the fray. One of them picked up a folding chair and threw it. It was pretty scary but if you ask me, [Paxon] had a right to be upset. Fans have gotten out of control. I can see criticizing someone’s game, but calling him a ‘belly itcher?’ That’s personal.”

Police and security were able to get the situation under control, but not before several people were injured, including Paxon, who walked away with a bloody nose and bruised ribs. Timothy Doyle, one of the hecklers who infuriated Paxon in the first place, escaped with some minor cuts and bruises.

“All I did was call him a ‘belly itcher," said Doyle, 9, who attended the game with his parents but was sitting with friends when the brawl took place. “I don’t see what the big deal is. When you come to the game you have a right to heckle the players. If he can’t handle it he should find a different line of work. These athletes, they think they can do whatever they want but they need to understand that they’re not above the law. This is a black day for little league baseball.”

Paxon and his teammates haven’t been formally charged with anything as of yet. However, they will be suspended from their teams and forced to miss the rest of the little league world series.

Paxon, in a statement released to the press, apologized for the incident, calling it “unfortunate.”

“This is an embarrassing and unfortunate incident and I apologize for anyone that I may have hurt or offended,” the statement read. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a violent or short tempered person. Obviously I was disappointed in my performance in the game and I let my emotions get the best of me. It’s just too bad people can’t come to the game and enjoy themselves without verbally abusing the players, especially with small children in the vicinity—like me.”

While other little leaguers condemned the act, many were able to sympathize with Paxon, saying they, too, have experienced abuse at the hands of fans.

“Fan behavior at these games has really gotten crazy,” said Jonathan Kepper, 12, of the Kankakee, Illinois all-stars. “It used to be that people would come and watch the games, and if you messed up they might boo or something. Now it’s ‘belly itcher’ and things like that. Heck, I, myself, had someone say to me, ‘We want a hit, not a hairy armpit.’ A hairy armpit? What do my armpits have to do with anything? I’m not even old enough to have hairy armpits.”

Another player, Kyle Moyer, called for the league to crack down on abusive fans.

“You know, as a ballplayer, you do have to control yourself and not run into the stands attacking people,” said Moyer, 11. “But you have to remember that we’re human beings, too. It’s all about respect. If someone insults my boyhood, I’m going to want to defend myself. If I was in Kevin’s shoes I probably would’ve reacted the same way. I will not be disrespected, especially in front of all these ESPN cameras.”