Texas Rangers Fans Who Stole Toddler’s Foul Ball Speak Out, Want Apology
A few days ago, sports fans witnessed what they felt was the epitome of evil: an older couple not giving a foul ball to a crying toddler. Well now, both the couple and the toddler’s parents are speaking out to say that the incident was nowhere near as bad as people think…AND the couple wants an apology!
All the drama started at Wednesday night’s Rangers-Yankees game, when first baseman Mitch Moreland tossed a ball into the stands for fans. An older couple scooped up the ball right in front of a toddler, causing the toddler to burst into tears. The man and his female counterpart continued posing with the ball and laughing, seemingly oblivious to the hysterical child right next to them. The world who watched sounded off in disgust.
In a statement provided to ABC TV affiliate WFAA in Dallas, the fans in question, Sean Leonard and his fiancée, Shannon Smith Moore, said they would never have intentionally taken the ball had they known the little boy wanted it, and were unaware of the circumstances:
“[We were] honestly unaware of the situation of the little boy sitting next to us last night since we were so caught up in the excitement and moment of being at our first Rangers baseball game together. Please know that as the parents of a soon to be combined family of seven children, Shannon and I completely understand how upsetting a situation like that can be for a young child surrounded by the chaos and excitement of a ball game. Again, we would never intentionally taunt and/or wish to see a young child disappointed in such a way.”
The couple went on to say that they offered the ball to the little boy after they realized what was going on, but he was smiling and seemed happy. (That’s because someone from the Rangers organization, seeing what had happened, had tossed him a ball from the team’s dugout.)
But what about the toddler’s parents? Crystal and Kyle Shores, the parents of denied toddler, Cameron, appeared on “Good Morning America,” earlier this week to defend their supposed enemies and say that the country’s outrage was completely misplaced:
“It all looked worse than it was…We don’t think at all that they did it on purpose or that it was intentional or anything like that…Cameron has been down in that seat once before and received a ball so the expectation was, when we were heading down that way, that he hoped to get a ball that day.”
Crystal even went on to say that after talking to the couple, they all had a great time:
“We talked to them for a while and they were very nice…They were very nice with Cameron. They were comparing the balls and talking about hitting the balls.”
In the end, no matter what you may be thinking about either party, all worked out well. The Rangers organization announced they are giving Cameron his own Texas Rangers jersey and a baseball signed by all the team’s players.
See what a few tears get you?