MLB Network Puts Mitch Williams On Hiatus

MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams is on an indefinite leave of absence from the league-owned cable channel after a series of incidents at a youth baseball tournament that witnesses tell us included the former big-league hurler calling a ten-year-old "a pussy."

The Daily News has the scoop, though it's not certain the leave of absence is directly tied to his behavior last weekend. Several readers wrote in last week, informing us Williams's appearances on MLB Network were erratic and that the "Wild Thing" was slurring his words.

While Ripken Baseball has yet to respond formally to our requests for information, one employee of that organization who witnessed his behavior last weekend at the 10U tournament told us that Williams was "very unprofessional in the way he acted, coached, and the way he carried himself." This individual told us Williams has been out of line repeatedly and complaints about his behavior stretch back at least a year, and noted that a "warning" message from Bill Ripken, reminding coaches and visitors about proper sportsmanship, had to be played four times during his initial outburst that earned him an ejection.

The Ripken Baseball employee went on to opine that Williams should be banned for life from that organization's events. Several readers in attendance at Jersey Wild's games this past weekend noted Williams was not coaching his team, though he was in attendance as a spectator.