Beer man suspended for joking with player

NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A veteran beer peddler at Yankee Stadium in New York was suspended after joking around with a player from the rival Boston Red Sox.

Steve Lazarus, 53, was standing with co-workers near a freight elevator at the stadium last Sunday when he heard the sound of cleats, the New York Post reported.

"I think we all looked over," he said. "It's rare that we hear [players] come by now."

The footsteps belonged to Red Sox relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves.

Lazarus walked over to the pitcher and jokingly called out, "Hey, you got ID?"

Aceves answered by grabbing his crotch and saying, "I got your ID right here."

The beer man, a Bronx native who has been selling beer since he was 19, was summoned by a supervisor later in the game.

"He said, 'You were harassing the opposing team's player," Lazarus told the newspaper.

After an investigation of the incident, Lazarus was suspended Thursday from the first two games of the American League Division Series.

"They take my badge -- this is only my 35th year, by the way -- and they escort me out like a common criminal," he told the Post. "To suspend me, when I did nothing?"

Lazarus said he could have earned $200 to $300 during the sold-out playoff games and that he is so upset that he, a life-long Yankees fan, may not even watch on television.

"I don't know if I can even watch this game," he said.