Friday night the White Sox trailed the Twins 5-4 with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning with the winning run at second base and Jermaine Dye at the plate.

Dye hit a pop foul over toward the first base dugout.  As the Twins first baseman Justin Morneau went over to chase it down, a "fan" reached over into fair territory and knocked the ball away.  Umpire Andy Fletcher immediately called fan interference and it was "good night and please drive safely."

Let me explain to you how our game is played.  This is not the arena football league.  You do not, at any time, reach over the railing for a foul ball.  I don't care if your kid is with you, I don't care if your mother is with you, I just don't care.  If you call yourself a fan of a team you NEVER, EVER interfere with a ball in play.  If you call yourself a yuppie out with a client or a drunk trying to show off on TV, then it probably is permissible.

The bottom line is that "fan" may have cost the White Sox the difference in this tight pennant race they are in.  Detroit had already lost and, at the time of the interference, the Sox had a ½ game lead on the Twins.  All that gets washed away because some idiot, who probably had a few too many Miller Lites, stuck his paw out and ended the game prematurely.

What would I do about this if I ran the zoo?  First, I would have the guy taken away in cuffs by the Chicago Police department.  Second, I would make sure he got fined at least $500.  Third, I would ban his sorry ass from the ballpark for at least a year.  Yeah, I know Brooks Boyer, it doesn't help you sell tickets, but it does send a clear message to "fans" like him that if you want to be on the field, you better be wearing a damned uniform.