(Excerpted from Jeff Gordon's daily "Tipsheet" column.)

How dare Brewers reliever Trevor Hoffman spoil Bob Davidson Night in Milwaukee!

Davidson was having the game of his career. He entertained the crowd by magically changing his strike zone from minute to minute.

The veteran umpire ejected Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan for arguing balls and strikes. He ran Brewers outfielder Chris Dickerson, too.

Davidson is known to have a suspect strike zone. He is known to make some horrible calls.

But when he ejected a fan from for heckling . . . well, that's almost  unheard-of action at this level.

(Perhaps Davidson was jealous that crewman Tim Timmons ejected Brewers manager Ken Macha for arguing a borderline basepaths interference call that went against Milwaukee.)

Fans get ejected all the time in Little League baseball. Umps at that level don’t get paid enough to put up with all the chit-chat from overwrought parents.

But a major league ump running a fan for chirping from behind home plate? That’s incredible.

According to the Associated Press, the fan, Sean A. Ottow, 44, of Waukesha, Wisc., claimed he was heckling St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina and not Davidson.

“But I never swore at him,” Ottow told the AP. “He just got the umpire to throw me out. We were bantering back and forth and I guess Molina couldn't take it anymore.

“You'd think these guys would have tougher skin than that," he said.

Police handcuffed Ottow to a bench in the Police Command Center at Miller Park and charged him with disorderly conduct. From that perch, the AP reported, he watched the TV broadcast while Molina struck out.

“I don't care how much this costs me . . .  you're a loser Molina!” Ottow shouted at the TV.

(This incident stirred flashbacks for Tipsheet, which went to war for Mizzou’s “Antlers” back in the late 1970s. Back then freedom of speech meant something in this country. As long as we didn’t rush onto the court or scream compound obscenities, we were free to offer our diverse viewpoints from the stands. Times change.)

And just when Davidson was capping on his performance for the ages, Hoffman had the temerity to come on and earn his 600th career save – becoming the first big leaguer to reach that plateau.

This feel-good athletic achievement overshadowed the umpires’ epic night. Hell's Bells indeed.

“It was a strange game for sure with all the questionable calls, but the way it turned out — I think that's what everybody's going to remember,” Brewers infielder Craig Counsell said.