Give him points for creativity.
Give him points for creativity
When Wednesday night’s Nationals-Reds game in Washington was delayed by rain, one brave and very misguided fan seized the opportunity to turn the playing field into his own personal waterpark.
The skies opened up in the fourth inning and the umpires called for a rain delay just as Juan Soto was set to bat in the home half of the inning. That’s when the streaker—fully nude—seized his moment.
He entered in right center field and made a beeline for the infield, drinking something that he eventually dumped on his head. He basked in the cheers of the crowd, which grew louder when he failed to account for the change in the running surface as he stepped on the tarp and immediately wiped out.
But the man popped right back to his feet and showboated a bit until stadium security finally arrived to apprehend him. That’s when he had his real moment of genius. Realizing he couldn’t move his feet fast enough on the slippery tarp, the guy attempted to elude security by sliding on the tarp on his stomach. But there was nowhere to hide out there in that big expanse of grass. Nowhere, except the big tube used to roll up the tarp.
It would have been a flawless plan if the tube had been a Super Mario–style pipe, but the two security guards were able to corner the man inside and end his jolly jaunt around the park.
It was a performance for the ages by the streaker. Because the field had been emptied by the rain, he had free rein of the place for much longer than you’d normally expect. The guy had some real panache and showmanship, too.
Hiding in the tarp is certainly a creative move, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen that happen. A guy I went to high school with tried to do the very same thing (although the tarp was still rolled up in foul territory) during the game against our crosstown rivals at the local indie league stadium. It didn’t work for him, either.
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