13 Years Ago Today, Phillip Wellman Put On the World’s Greatest Baseball Tirade

June 1, 2007 – The Double-A Mississippi Braves are taking on the Chattanooga Lookouts in a typical Southern League game. Braves pitcher Kelvin Villa is on the mound when he is ejected for having a foreign substance on his hand. This doesn’t sit well with manager Phillip Wellman who put on a show unlike any that has ever been seen in baseball history:

I remember when this happened. At a time when MLB, NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs were all happening (I know, crazy times), Wellman’s tirade went about as viral as something could go in 2007. The highlights are numerous, the creativity unparalleled.

Wellman begins by charging from the dugout and firing his hat at the feet of the home plate umpire. After giving him a piece of his mind, Wellman proceeds to meticulously cover home plate in dirt and then takes the show to third base. After a brief confrontation with the third base umpire, Wellman grabs third base and walks toward center field. He hurls the base just beyond the infield into centerfield.

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The show is just starting, though. In something never before seen, Wellman begins crawling towards the pitcher’s mound like an army soldier. He grabs the rosin bag like a grenade, pulls the pin and makes a perfect toss that lands at the feet of the home plate umpire. Wellman gets up, does a little dance of sorts, throws out the home plate umpire, grabs second base and third base, and takes off towards center field. After discarding the bases, Wellman blows a kiss to everyone who witnessed the epic tirade and then makes his exit through a door in center field, thus ending the spectacle.

To this day, the tirade has been unmatched and likely will remain so for years to come.

Wellman, now 58 years old, began his managerial career with the Pulaski Braves in 1988 and has been a manager throughout the minor leagues ever since. He is now the manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles which is an actual Double-A baseball team. Wellman remained manager of the Mississippi Braves until 2010.

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