CHICAGO - The 21-year-old Cubs fan who threw a beer on a Philadelphia Phillies outfielder said Friday that he got caught up in the "heat of the moment" and hoped his actions would not taint the image of his beloved team.
"I am a true fan. I love the Cubs," Johnny Macchione of Bartlett told the Chicago Tribune on Friday.
He said his decision to throw the beer on Shane Victorino on Wednesday night was not premeditated or encouraged by his friends. He partly blamed the move on frustration for how the Cubs were playing.
"No one said, 'Wouldn't that be cool' or 'Hey, let's do something crazy.' It was just the heat of the moment," he said. "It was just an impulse move. There's no excuse for it."
Seconds after the incident, security personnel escorted an innocent Cubs fan out of the bleachers. Macchione said the man was his friend's cousin.
"I didn't deny it," he said. "Security just kind of whizzed past me and I saw them grab my buddy and I pointed and said, 'It's not him,' and they just dragged him out. We went down to get him. It wasn't like I was making him take the fall."
Macchione said he would like to apologize to Victorino.
"I would like to give him my sincere apology," he said. "I have no disrespect for him. I know what he means to the game. He's a great player."
