San Francisco Giants announcer Dave Flemming came in last in his fantasy football league — and now everyone knows it.
Flemming served as a bat boy for three innings of the Giants’ home game Monday against the Rays as punishment for finishing in last place in the club’s fantasy league.
The broadcaster took it all in stride while wearing the Giants’ home whites at Oracle Park.
“I gotta hustle, man. You do not want to get in the way of the game,” Flemming told NBC’s Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper. “I’m going to be icing down after this. I may not make it up (to the booth) for the fourth inning, we’ll see.”
Punishments for finishing in last place have become more creative over the years and it’s not surprising major league teams are getting in on the action.
Baseball teams enjoy fantasy football as much as the average fan, and you can ask Joc Pederson and Tommy Pham about how serious those leagues can be.
Flemming, 47, apparently needs to sharpen up his skills to avoid further humiliation.
The broadcaster had a good laugh about the whole experience, which featured him bringing balls out to home plate umpire Bill Miller.
Miller joked with Flemming that he could umpire for a half-inning if he wanted.
It appears Flemming now has some extra respect for the bat-boy position.
“It’s a lot of work,” Flemming said while returning to the dugout with a bat.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler laughed and had some fun with Flemming when they shook hands before the game.
“Have a great game dude,” Kapler said. “It’s going to be very exciting.”
Flemming, in his 20th season calling games for the team, returned to the radio booth for the fourth inning to call the remaining innings of the Giants’ eventual 10-2 loss.
It seems the broadcaster actually took the punishment despite not being the sole manager of the last-place fantasy squad since Krukow asked Kuiper: “Dave paid off your debt, so you guys are back in the fantasy football league now?”
Kuiper responded: “That seems to be the deal.”
This is the second straight year the Giants have forced their last-place team managers to serve as bat boys, with Steven Duggar and Austin Slater doing so last year during a spring training game.
They also had to wear an “L on the back of their jerseys.
A spring training game, though, isn’t the same as doing it in front of national television.
But hey, it’s not the worst fantasy league punishment out there.