That Cubs Fan Who ‘Stole’ a Baseball From a Kid in Viral Clip Didn’t Do Anything Wrong
Context is everything.
Every decent person knows that it’s a cardinal sin to steal a baseball from a child at a game. So when video of a Chicago Cubs fan allegedly doing just that surfaced online, the man spent his 15 minutes of fame being the most hated person on earth. Key word: allegedly.
When going to a baseball game, DON'T be this guy. pic.twitter.com/pAeiRN6Q2X
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 22, 2018
The clip in question, above, went viral shortly after the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday. It shows the first-base coach tossing a ball to a young man in the front row. The ball rolls under his seat and into the hands of an adult fan wearing a Cubs jersey who appears to hoist his catch in the air while totally ignoring the kid.
It looks pretty awful, which is probably why so many Twitter users were quick to deride the man behind the boy with every colorful insult under the sun.
https://twitter.com/MikeClemensNFL/status/1021177397239001088
Way to act like a total douche instead of giving the ball back to the little kid in front of you buddy. #Cubs fans suck pic.twitter.com/AoZAf2vZ1j
— Bear Grills (@DiceBeck) July 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/ChicagoHawkey/status/1021118473471176704https://twitter.com/EmergencyQB/status/1021121456477032448
The team even hooked the kid up with a ball signed by star slugger Javier Baez. Note that he’s holding two balls here:
A @javy23baez signed ball should take care of it. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/4YzUlG8qfN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2018
While everyone was busy making assumptions, Deadspin did some digging and uncovered an entirely different story as told by nearby spectators.
Chuck Mycoff, the man seen wearing a blue jersey in the video, claimed that the second ball the boy’s holding in the photo was given to him earlier in the game by the supposed ball snatcher. Plot twist!
The other ball the kid has was the one the same guy caught and gave him before this. I was sitting next to him.
— Chuck Mycoff (@cmycoff2) July 22, 2018
What’s more, Mycoff says he gave two other trophies away other young fans.
He had already helped that kid get a ball. He gave two more away to kids also. He was a great guy. TV got this all wrong.
— Chuck Mycoff (@cmycoff2) July 22, 2018
Another bystander, Jeff Rose, added further details regarding what really went down.
I was sitting the next to the boy and the same fan helped him snag a ball a few innings before this.
— Jeff Rose, CFP® (@jjeffrose) July 23, 2018
Rose even added credence to his story by admitting he roots for the Cardinals and has “no reason to defend the Cubs fan.”
So where’s the video? I’m sure someone caught that generosity on camera?
— Lady 🖤 (@nonsocialliving) July 23, 2018
You realize I'm a @Cardinals fan and have no reason to defend the @Cubs fan right? Believe what you need to. 😉
— Jeff Rose, CFP® (@jjeffrose) July 23, 2018
If you’re still skeptical, you should know that Cubs officials confirmed those accounts in an interview with a local reporter.
I spoke with people from the Cubs. The man who grabbed the ball on the widely seen video had actually already helped the little boy get a ball earlier. The young man has a game used ball and a Javy Baez ball. All is well. Guy is A-OK so let it go people.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 23, 2018
As for the ball in the viral video, Mycoff says the “great guy” gave that one away as well.
I was sitting next to this guy. That ball was between my feet. The kid already had a ball the same guy helped him get. He handed it to his wife. She took a picture of it and they gave it to the kid next to them. This guy was great. This story is BAD.
— Chuck Mycoff (@cmycoff2) July 23, 2018
As it turns out, this dude is actually the Santa Claus of baseballs. Spread the word.
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