Red Sox fans can actually thank the Yankees for once.
In a move that reflects the thoughts of most Americans who have been watching the World Cup — along with plenty of other countries not named South Africa — the Yankee Stadium staff delivered swift justice and removed a fan who had brought along his vuvuzela, the New York Post reports.
The culprit, 27-year-old Anthony Zachariadis, purchased a few of the suddenly popular (and suddenly annoying) plastic horns for $6 each on the Internet with a trip to South Africa in mind. But the trip fell through, leaving Zachariadis all dressed up and nowhere to go.
Then, he got Yankees tickets and brought the noisemakers with him to the game.
"I hid them in my shorts to get into the stadium," he told the Post. "When I pulled out the horns, the whole place went nuts."
For a while, Zachariadis was reserved, leaving the torment for passing Phillie fans or big plays.
"Phillies fans would walk by, and we would blow it in their ear," he said. "They had a laugh — they knew we were playing with them. I blew on it only five or six times — for big plays."
By the fifth inning, though, the staff had had enough. They gave Zachariadis an ultimatum: Surrender the horn, or go home early.
"I have been tossed from that place hundreds of times,” Zachariadis said. “Many times I even deserved it. But this was ridiculous."
The Yankees would not comment on the incident to the Post, but the team’s website did state that blowing horns or making any other distracting noises is not allowed at the park.
Though Zachariadis went home disappointed, fans can cheer that the Yankees stopped any chance of the next Red Sox-Yankees series from sounding like it's being played in a beehive.
