Ball-Snatching Couple Slams Critics; Demands Apology (VIDEO)
Sean Leonard and Shannon Moore are demanding an apology from a baseball commentator after being portrayed as villains following a ball-catching incident that took place at Wednesday's Yankees-Rangers game.
The Texas couple, who attended their first Rangers game together, were criticized after they caught a foul ball and prompted a 3-year-old boy to cry his eyes out hysterically after he missed out on the rare opportunity, according to Mail Online.
"Oh my God they can't give it to the kid? They're actually like rubbing it in the kid's face! Very cold," veteran New York Yankees commentator Michael Kay was heard saying as footage of the incident was replayed.
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In a video, which immediately went viral on social networking website YouTube, a toddler known as Cameron is seen reaching out for the ball and crying in distress while Leonard and Moore are caught up in excitement, which led some critics to label the pair as "the worst fans in the world" and "viral villains."
"My fiance Shannon and I were honestly unaware of the situation of the little boy sitting next to us last night since we were so caught up in the excited and moment of being at our first Ranger's baseball game together,' Leonard said on the "Today" show.
"The irony of the situation is, had we seen that he was upset and known for an instant, there's not a person that knows us that wouldn't agree that we would have given the ball to the child," he added.
The engaged couple have accused Kay of blowing the entire incident out of proportion and failing to get the true story.
"[Kay] took an event and sensationalized it, threw it out there, never checked or validated the facts," Leonard said.
After the Rangers saw footage of Cameron's heart breaking experience, they agreed to sign a team jersey for the toddler as well as a baseball as a gift for him.
Cameron's parents Crystal and Kyle do not believe that the couple were intentionally being malicious or trying to upset their son.
Both Leonard and Moore even offered to give Cameron the ball but Crystal politely rejected their offer in a bid to teach her son a lesson about not always getting everything that you want in life.
"I really don't think they knew. I mean, it's loud there. He had his back to them and I really don't think it was anything malicious. I don't think they did it on purpose or anything else," Cameron's mother Crystal said.
"I never thought for one second that they should give them the ball. It should teach him that he doesn't get everything every time," she added.
