Grumpy Groundhog Runs Amok at New Jersey Little League

It is neither wise nor advisable to approach a grumpy groundhog. 

South Jersey Times' Jack Hummel (h/t SportsGrid) reports one New Jersey Little League managed to see the dark side of a normally cuddly creature. 

According to the report, it all went down on Saturday when some kids spotted a huge groundhog across the street at Bridgeton Midget Football's parking lot. 

The curious bunch tried to get closer at an animal they had never seen. 

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What they didn’t count on was the groundhog chasing them back across the street to where Bridgeton Little League was playing. Bedlam broke out.

Umpire Brandon Dennis headed off the animal baring its teeth from chasing the children. It began chasing Dennis.

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And this, my friends, is why you leave unidentified animals to their own devices. It's also why I will never look at another groundhog the same way again. 

I like to think of them as the cuddly creature played in the movie Groundhog Day. 

However, all I can think of now are rodents of unusual size. 

The report continues with some terrifying play-by-play from Bridgeton Little League President T. Carl Hemple who managed to get the animal's attention. "Then he started chasing me. Man, was he big. He must have weighed 20 pounds."

Hemple managed to get to the safety of his car only to have the groundhog hide underneath. 

Essentially, we have spiraled from a cute animal like the one in the Bill Murray classic to a scene straight out of Cujo. 

Hemple started his car, which managed to scare the groundhog into scurrying towards Bridgeton Sports Hall of Fame. It's at this point that we would have to admit the animal certainly earned entry into some sort of hall of fame. 

Hemple called the police who came armed with a tool used to wrangle animals. Hemple proclaimed, "They got one of those loops on a stick around its neck." If you are following closely, you can guess what happened next. 

The groundhog broke the loop. 

Finally, exhausted authorities managed to cage the animal and take him to Wilwynn Animal Hospital where it is being tested for rabies. 

While the results will not be known for a few days, we can guarantee you one thing—I am never going near a groundhog. 

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