Life in the Bleachers: The Infamous Section 111

As long as there has been the "Great American Pastime," so have there been hecklers.  It is a tradition carried on from person to person as the years pass on.

Nowadays, heckling in major league parks is difficult due to their large size and limited access to the opposing team.  However, in another level of baseball, the tradition holds strong.

For those who have been to Samford Stadium at Hitchcock Field in Plainsman Park, you know the experience.  You hear the taunts coming from the student seats, including but not limited to "Big Whiffer," "Step," or jeering the opposing team's third baseman.

They scream the loudest when Auburn scores a run or makes an amazing play.  You laugh at the witty banter and wonder, "Who are these crazy people?"  They are none other than Section 111.

Section 111 was formed in response to former head coach Steve Renfroe.  He mentioned the crowd's enthusiasm likened that of a Sunday morning church service.

Usually occupying the first two rows of the section, these insane and prepared individuals come with taunts and classic heckles to throw off the opposing team's mentality.  The job of these loud spectators is to not only cause distractions to the other team, but to entertain the home crowd.

They also follow the guidelines set out in the Ten Commandments of Heckling.  They also set out to make a small yet important difference in the game.

The group has managed to survive since 2001, reaching its peak membership in 2004.  The group was sanctioned by Auburn University, but a fallout with another baseball-affiliated group caused Section 111 to become collateral damage in the chaos.

"We have become known as 'The Harrassholes'," says Tim of Section 111.  Tim is the head of the group, along with yours truly, "The Rookie" Richard, "The Lovely Distraction" that is Kat R, and Thomas "The Dirty Ol' Man."  Many dedicated fans join in on the fray, giving new and fresh heckles to those oldies but goodies.

It is baseball at its finest form.

Besides, everyone knows who you are outside of the field.  We always get the same response of "Hey, aren't you guys—the loudmouths—at the baseball games?"