Young Reds fan gets angry with Dee Gordon, kicks him in the shin

Some fans will go to great lengths to give their team an edge. Sometimes, it’s as simple as wearing a lucky pair of socks, or sitting in your favorite chair. More desperate fans might ask for divine intervention. We’re even willing to bet some have crafted some shoddily made voodoo dolls.

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If that doesn’t work, there’s always physical violence. That’s exactly what one young Cincinnati Reds fan did to Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon prior to Sunday’s game.

Ice cold, kid. Ice cold.

Before we go on, we should state that you should absolutely not try to physically harm a ballplayer because you want to help your team. If you’re reading this, you’re old enough to know that’s stupid. We imagine you’ll also be tackled by security and arrested. No one needs that.

The kid here looks pretty young, so he’s able to avoid all that. He must have been angry that Gordon didn’t play for his favorite team, and responded by kicking Gordon in the right shin.

According to MLB.com, the whole thing was coordinated by the umpire. The kid’s mom told MLB.com the whole thing was planned, and the umpire told the kid to kick Gordon as a joke. She said her son “would never do something like that on his own.”

This Reds fan was not happy with Dee Gordon. (MLB.com Screenshot)
This Reds fan was not happy with Dee Gordon. (MLB.com Screenshot)

Gordon, to his credit, handled it well. He turned away and appeared to be laughing about the whole thing. The ump quickly ushered the kid in another direction. He did look back at Gordon as he walked away. Does that look say “whoops, I hope he’s OK,” or “the next one is going between the legs?” We can’t tell.

If the young fan was trying to help the Reds, it didn’t work. Gordon singled to kick things off. Then, to prove his shin felt fine, he stole second base a few pitches later.

So, that backfired. Next time, the young fan might want to consider killing Gordon with kindness. Confuse your opponent, don’t make them mad.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik