MILWAUKEE • There is no specific rule for an umpire being able to eject a fan, but Bruce Froemming, who worked a record 37 years as a major league umpire, said Wednesday the umpire has the authority to eject a fan who has crossed the boundaries of decency.

"It's been done before. Did it several times myself," said Froemming, now working for Major League Baseball as a special assistant.

Froemming, in fact, was sitting in the stands Tuesday night at Miller Park with his wife when a fan, later identified as Sean Ottow, 44, of Waukesha, Wis., was ejected by home plate umpire Bob Davidson for heckling Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Froemming said the fan, who was wearing a Milwaukee Brewers jersey, had used vulgarity in his jeering of Molina. "Davidson did what you do when there's profanity in the stands with women and children sitting there," Froemming said. "He told security to get the guy out."

Before Wednesday night's game, Molina said he hadn't heard anything other than Davidson saying, "I'm going to throw that guy out."

"What's the big deal?" Molina said.

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, who much earlier had been ejected by Davidson, said Molina had told him that profanity had not been used.

The issue here probably is a gray one if you consider that profanity has several parts in its definition. Some of those around the fan say they didn't hear any swear words. But, according to at least two others, vulgarity was involved.

Duncan said he didn't use anything of the sort when he was bounced in the third by Davidson.

"All I said was, 'Let's go,''' Duncan said.

"But consider the source. He threw out a fan. When did you last see a fan thrown out of the game? I can't ever remember seeing it.

"I can't believe the Brewers didn't make some kind of statement. The fan pays his money to come in. Part of the game is heckling."

Davidson has had a checkered career. After 16 seasons in the majors, he was one of the many umpires who participated in the ill-fated mass resignation in 1999 but wasn't invited back as many of the umpires were, in effect, being fired. But Davidson started in the low minors again and worked his back to the big leagues on a full-time basis in 2007.

"They made a mistake," said Duncan, referring to Major League Baseball. "Don't ask me which one."

Duncan said he didn't believe himself to be above the fray.

"I don't think that having been in the big leagues for 46 years entitles me to any special treatment," he said. "But it should entitle me to a little respect.

"And to get thrown out of a game for saying 'let's go' and the way he conducted himself and his actions out there in front of everybody was pretty disrespectful. There was no reason for him to eject me there."

Duncan, asked if there had been an abnormal amount of missed pitches by Davidson on Tuesday, at first responded, "For him?

"There was a high percentage of missed pitches," Duncan said after viewing the Cardinals' video.