I don’t usually care much for sports, especially baseball, which I find slow and boring.  Anyhow, this story was on one of the TV news shows this morning (there’s a good picture of incident at that link).  There was also an article about it in this morning’s Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Nicholas O’Brien’s first Texas Rangers game became an encounter to remember when another fan shoved the 4-year-old out of the way and into the spotlight.

Edie and Jeff O’Brien had just wanted to take their son for a nice afternoon at the ballpark. Then, Rangers center fielder Gary Matthews came to bat in the third inning with the Rangers trailing 12-0.

Matthews sent a high foul ball toward Section 22, between home plate and the St. Louis Cardinals’ third-base dugout.

“It was coming straight at us,” Edie O’Brien said. “I felt this person jumping, and I felt my husband trying to grab Nick. The guy was on my legs and feet, and I was trying to push the guy off.

“The next thing we knew, the guy had the ball.”

The man, described as being in his 30s, was sitting a row behind the O’Briens. When he dove for the ball, he knocked Nicholas into the seats and ended up sprawled at the O’Briens’ feet. The man came up with the foul ball and—despite jeers and boos from the crowd, who wanted him to give the ball to Nicholas—put it in his pocket.

This cretin eventually left (along with the woman who was with him) after being heckled by the crowd for the next inning.  The crowd had taken to shouting “Give him the ball” at the unidentified jerk, although he just sat there smirking.

Fortunately, the boy was unhurt and one of the St. Louis players gave the boy a bat and ball.  He was also given a bat from one of the Rangers and ended up with three more balls before the game was over.  But it makes you wonder what other activities the unidentified jerk might enjoy.  Knocking down little old ladies?  Stealing candy from babies?  Kicking puppies?  They all sound like they’d be just to his liking…