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At least he got the ball

LoKyBuckeye

I give up. This board is too hard to understand.
Did anyone else see this assclown on Sportscenter? Is catching a foul ball really worth it? This guy is getting hammered by the media :lol: Granted the kids just got bumped a little bit and wasn't hurt but it's just a ball.


Boy gets windfall after losing foul ball to 'aggressive' adult
June 16, 2004
SportsLine.com wire reports

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/7425822

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A 4-year-old boy who lost a foul ball to a not-so-grown-up adult is getting a windfall worthy of a game-winning home run hitter.

A man sitting behind Nick O'Brien at a Texas Rangers baseball game Sunday knocked the boy against the seats as he dived to get a foul ball. Fans started chanting "Give him the ball!" but the man wouldn't give it up.

"I couldn't believe someone would do something like that to a 4-year-old boy," said Nick's mother, Edie O'Brien.

O'Brien said she swatted the man with a cardboard fan and called him a jerk, among other names. "I said, 'You trampled a 4-year-old boy to get this ball,' and he said, 'Oh, well,'" she told ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday, adding that the man seemed proud he got the ball.

Video shows Nick was standing up as the man dived across the boy's seat to grab the ball at Nick's feet. The man's leg strikes the boy, and the boy is jostled a second time as the man stands up with the ball and appears to exchange words with the mother.

Nick wasn't hurt, but fan outrage mushroomed, and even Rangers announcer Tom Grieve voiced his disapproval on TV, calling the man "the biggest jerk in this park." The man and a woman with him left before the game was over.


Meanwhile, the Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals quickly made sure Nick got souvenirs of his own -- two bats and four baseballs, including one signed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, a former Ranger.

Cardinals outfielder Reggie Sanders came out between innings to give Nick a bat and ball. "In my heart, I thought I should do something," said Sanders. "It's all about the kids."

The man who took the foul ball has not responded publicly to the criticism, but the Dallas Morning News identified him as Matt Starr, a married, 28-year-old landscaper and former youth minister.

Starr is "not the bad guy he's been made out to be," said Rick DuBose, senior pastor of the Sachse Assembly of God Church. "He probably got a little aggressive and did something he regrets. But that's not Matt. He's a good kid, a good young man."

On Good Morning America, host Charles Gibson gave the O'Briens more souvenirs Wednesday -- this time from the New York Mets. The family got tickets to Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.

"Wow," Nick responded.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
 
I'm glad the kid got hooked up with all the cool stuff. I don't think I'll want to watch SportsCenter as see the dickhead adult, 'cuz I'll just want to kick his ass...you don't f**k with kids.
 
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I saw the clip, but didn't realize this guy was a former Youth Minister?

FORMER YOUTH MINISTER!!!

Must be Catholic and the idea of abusing a kid just came naturally.

(Ouch! I can feel my rep points taking a hit.)
 
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Come on guys. It is obvious the culprit is not Catholic. First of all, I have never heard of a Catholic Youth Minister. Secondly, do you really think he would have knocked the boy down and left. He would have "comforted him in his time of need."
 
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Starr is "not the bad guy he's been made out to be"

No, he's just a prickwad who ran over a 4 year old to get an 8 dollar baseball. He'll get his, though...I can't imagine he'll be able to go into a bar or restaurant and survive intact for more than 5 minutes.
 
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I am glad the kid got the autographed bat and ball from the players. From the clip he didnt really seem to be understanding what was going on. I think the man got what he deserved with the booing and fans chanting "give the kid the ball", i am pretty sure if he would of hung around for the whole game, some folks would of been hanging out outside waiting for him.

Sometimes people have to know when to draw a line. I heard today on Sportscenter (06/17) that the man has decided to return the ball to the little kid.
 
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