Reggie Sanders shows class

[AZCB34]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/n...613&content_id=769940&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp

Sanders sends 'em home happy
Cardinals outfielder steps for young man
By Alan Eskew / Special to MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- Reggie Sanders did not play Sunday for the Cardinals, but for many of the 41,087 in attendance at Ameriquest Field, he was the hero of the day.
In the third inning, Gary Matthews Jr. of the Rangers fouled a ball into the seats and a burly man leaped over a row, knocking over a 4-year-old boy with his legs, and grabbed the baseball.

The incident was caught on television cameras and the fans began to chant for the man to give the boy the ball, but he refused. Sanders saw what had occurred on a television in the clubhouse. In between innings, Sanders came out and summoned the boy and his mother to near the Cardinals' dugout and gave him a bat and ball as the crowd cheered.

"It was definitely an unfortunate situation," Sanders said.

Sanders said the bat was one he had used in a game.

"I won't talk about the guy," Sanders said. "He's not worth talking about."

Cards reliever Steve Kline also witnessed the incident on television and sent the man over a gift, a Cardinals shirt, which he signed, "tough guy and ball stealer."

The shirt, however, was never delivered. The unidentified man left the premises soon after Sanders' good-will gesture and could not be found.

 

[WizardOfAz]

I saw that too:

 

[AZCB34]

Cards' Sanders goes to bat for small boy
By Joe Strauss
Of the Post-Dispatch
06/13/2004

ARLINGTON, Texas - Right fielder Reggie Sanders received the day off Sunday but still found time to touch the life of a small child in the Ameriquest Park crowd of 41,087.

Sanders delivered a game-used bat and a ball to a small boy after the child and his mother were knocked aside by a male fan in pursuit of a foul ball in the third inning.

The beefy fan leaped over seats into the family's row, bumping hard into the 4-year-old boy with his legs and into his mother with his upperbody as he reached for the souvenir.

Indignant fans chanted for the man to give up the ball, but he refused.

Rangers broadcast analyst Tom Grieve blasted the ball-hawking fan, calling him "the biggest jerk in the park," as a station reporter conducted an interview with the man. At one point, the fan lifted his arms as if to incite the crowd.

Many Cardinals, including Sanders, saw the incident on the clubhouse television while escaping the afternoon's oppressive heat.

"It's definitely an unfortunate situation," Sanders said. "I was just glad to help out."

Asked about the offender, Sanders said, "I don't want to talk about the guy. He's not worth talking about."

After the third inning, Sanders walked from the third-base dugout to the on-deck circle. An usher brought the boy, Nicholas O'Brien, and his mother, Edie, from 16 rows up to the rail. Sanders handed over the presents.

"He was shocked," Sanders said. "He didn't say anything. He was kind of shocked by the whole deal. But the mother thanked me."

The young fan, attending his first major league game, received two game bats and at least four baseballs, one of them signed by Nolan Ryan.

The offending fan left his seat after the fourth inning and apparently never received the Cardinals T-shirt sent from the visitors dugout.

The shirt bore a penned message: "Tough Guy. Ball Stealer." Steve Kline said he sent the T-shirt.

"The way the guy talked during the interview stirred it up," Kline said. "The guy was being a smart (aleck)."

 

[cardsunsfan]

what did he say in the interview?

 

[Yuma]

http://www.wfaa.com/cgi-bin/bi/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.wfaa.com/040613_2200rangfan_am.wmv

This is video of the event. I saw a longer clip on TV where they interview the fan, the mom, and the boy, but i couldn't find that one. This has Sanders and Delluci!

 

[maddogkf]

This is a very classy act by Sanders.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

That guy was a total loser. They showed on tv last night that another kid offered the first kid a baseball. Outclassed by a ten year old. Sheesh!

 

[cardsunsfan]

nice to see the video....they really interviewed the guy? what did he say?

 

[Southpaw]

I think this whole scenario is funny as can be. I have been at plenty of games where the competition for a foul ball is pretty intense. That 4 year old boy looked totally oblivious. Nobody got hurt. The poor guy who scramb led for the ball, is getting chastised as much as Bartman in Chicago.

I've been going to games for 50 years and never got a ball. I'd dive for a ball and then say I deserved it. That 4 year old kid has no idea what that ball is about. If his mother bought him a ball, he'd like it just as much.

Just a mother protecting her cub.

A bunch of us baseball fanatic fans were sitting around talking about this incident and agree. Baseball is for real men, and diving for foul balls is manly. Tossing balls to whiney little kids in the stands is for sissies and takes the excitement out of foul ball chasing. We are thinking of starting a fan club for the guy who caught the ball.

P.S. Hey Mom, that is part of the game. Gotta keep them eyeballs open at the game or you might get trampeled by a foul ball chasing crowd. Good thing you weren't sitting next to me at the Marlins/White Sox game last night. Helluva foul ball scramble just 2 rows over. 2 chicks at the bottom of the pile of about 10 and one came up with it. Now that's baseball. She was a Sox fan, and she don't eat quiche.

 

[schillingfan]

Wallyburger, your post is disgusting.

 

[Southpaw]

Come on dude , lighten up. People have been diving for foul balls for a 100 + years. It was just another made for TV exagerated incident that people can talk about for 3 days. Oh, P.S. Rumor or not, I just heard the foul ball grabbing guy is a youth minister, which makes it even funnier.

Hells Bells, Nellie Fox spit tobacco juice on me when I asked for his autograph back in '55. Of course there was no ESPN to paly the scene over and over and over and over. The kid will survive.

P.S. You could toss pop ups to that kid all day and he would never come close to catching one.

This whole thing is a heckuva lot funnier than tragic. Maybe the kid will learn about the dog eat dog world he lives in. It will make him tougher.

It's Funny. It ain't disgusting. Come on, you had to chuckle when the MOM smacked the guy with a piece of paper.

 

[cardsunsfan]

Interview