Yer' Outta Here!
SAL groundskeeper becomes first-ever to get ejected from game.

06.01.03 -- The National Baseball Hall of Fame has about as extensive a library as there is on the game, but thorough research couldn't uncover any incident to match what took place at Lakewood BlueClaws game on May 25, 2003.

Bill Butler, the groundskeeper of the BlueClaws, class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, was ejected in the team's 3-0 win over the Kannapolis Intimidators, a White Sox affiliate.

The Hall of Fame has records of equipment managers, video operators, broadcasters, and even mascots ejected at the Major League level, but never a groundskeeper, and had no record of it taking place on the minor league level either.

In the Lakewood dugout were Manager Buddy Biancalana, Hitting Coach Tony Barron, Pitching Coach Ken Westray, Phillies Special Assistant Charlie Manuel, Phillies Minor League Field Coordinator Bill Dancy, Outfield Coordinator Milt Thompson and Pitching Coordinator Gorm Heimueller, who have more than 125 combined years of baseball experience. None had ever seen anything like this before.

The 32-year-old Butler, who began his career under guru George Toma, has been in the business for 13 years, and three times has won Groundskeeper of the Year honors, doing so last year in the South Atlantic League with Lakewood, with Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League, and Bowie in the Eastern League.

Butler was ejected for arguing with Brandon Cooney and Steve Cummings that the tarp should've been put on sooner than it was. After ejecting Butler, the tarp was put on, and the game was eventually called with Lakewood leading 3-0 in the sixth.

Prior to the ejection managers Biancalana of Lakewood and John Orton of Kannapolis already had agreed the field was saturated and no window was likely to continue the game, which already was official.

"I'm sure a few years from now there's very few people who will believe this," said Butler. "I'm not sure I do right now."

General Manager Geoff Brown says Butler was just trying to protect the field, which has had the tarp put on for more than half of the 26 days where the team has been at home.

"I guess Bill won't be mowing the lawn for this umpiring crew any time soon," Brown said.