Let’s face it – If you were to cast a movie and needed a stereotypical Yankee fan, Austin Capobianco would win the role in a heartbeat.
Capobianco stole the show in the Bronx last night. Some thought what he did was hilarious while others were disgusted by his act and wanted him sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
No matter where you stand on the issue, the bizarre scene sure added a little extra spice to the ultra-important Game 4 between the Yankees and Dodgers.
“We always joke about the ball in our area,” the 38-year-old Capobianco told ESPN after being ejected from the stadium. “We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. (But) if it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up. Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.”
Having said that, Capobianco knew he was on borrowed time at the ballpark after his actions.
“I know when I’m in the wrong and as soon as I did it, I was like, ‘Boys, I’m out of here,’ … I patrol that wall, and they know that,” he said.
Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw what happened.
“That looked ridiculous from my perspective,” Edman told The Athletic. “The guy was trying to yank (Betts’) glove off, pulling at his wrist, looked like he got ejected, and I’m glad he did. I’ve never seen anything like that. That was unacceptable.”
To Betts’ credit, he downplayed the incident after the game and said the only thing that matters is the final score (which was an 11-4 Yankees win by the way).
“When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said. “We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”
Incredibly, and somewhat predictably, it turns out the season-ticket holder Capobianco is longtime friends with NFL legend Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski, a four-time Super Bowl champion, shared on the “Up & Adams Show” that Capobianco was his friend from college and once played ice hockey for the University of Arizona.
Gronkowski recounted Capobianco’s energetic personality, stating, “Here’s a little fun fact: That guy right there grabbing Mookie Betts’ glove was my friend in college,” he said. “He was on the ice hockey team, and let me tell you, the whole hockey team, they were absolute maniacs … Him doing that represents him very well.”
This anecdote checked out – a 2009 article in The Daily Wildcat named Capobianco as a defenseman for Arizona’s Icecats, while Gronkowski himself was a standout on Arizona’s football team from 2007 to 2009.
Reflecting on his friend’s fandom, Gronkowski added, “He is all in for his teams, he is all in for the Yankees, I remember him talking about the Yankees all the time, how he loves them so much. And that describes him perfectly, just doing whatever it takes to help his team out.”
“He’s a beauty,” Gronkowski continued. “I just wanna say congratulations for shining when your moment came.”
Unfortunately for Capobianco, he and his buddy John Peter have been banned from attending tonight’s do-or-die Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
It was initially reported that the two would be allowed to attend tonight’s game. However, it seems that MLB got involved and pressured the Yankees to ban the two die-hard fans from attending.
What are your thoughts on the crazy incident? … Should Capobianco and Peter be banned for their actions???