Rogue Parrots Interrupt College Softball Game

A college softball game in Orlando got an unexpected interruption on Friday: a duo of rogue parrots.

It happened at the University of Central Florida's softball complex (just a stone's throw from FBC Mortgage Stadium home of the 2017 National Champion UCF Knights football team. Look it up). The Knights were hosting a weekend tournament and this game was between Bradley University and Gardner-Webb University.

Everything was moving along as per usual in this Knights Classic game until the seventh inning. That's when a pair of avian streakers made their way onto the field.

The two birds swooped in, terrifying a few student-athletes. Then one of them took a seat on the home plate umpire's shoulder. Fortunately, a UCF groundcrew member came out and retrieved that parrot. However, the other one continued its aerial joyride around the softball complex.

The Umpire Was Unflappable In The Face Of A Rogue Parrot

I'm impressed by the umpire's ability to keep his cool. This could be my ornithophobia speaking (again, look it up) but parrots are horrifying. They're big, they have very sharp beaks, and for some reason, they've developed the ability to speak.

If I was the man behind the plate that day and one of the birds landed on my shoulder things would've played out differently. You would've heard a scream, then seen me swing my mask like my life depended on it, followed by a puff of feathers.

So, once again, props on the composure.

No one was injured or defecated upon (from what I could see). Luckily, for the birds' sake, Randy Johnson was not on the mound.

It turns out that the two parrots are named Tiki and Lelu. According to their owner, they're trained to free fly and fly in that area fairly often. The two birds became interested in the game, and while one of the birds, Tiki, was scooped up by the grounds crew member, Lelu returned safely to the owner's car.

As for the game itself, nothing, not even a flock (does two count as a flock?) of parrots could keep the ladies of Bradley University — Peoria, Illinois' finest academic institution — from taking a 10-2 win.

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