Phillies: Kid's beer bottle probably empty

PHILADELPHIA, June 8 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Phillies said a beer bottle a small child appears to be drinking from in TV footage recorded in the stands was "probably empty."

Phillies spokeswoman Bonnie Clark said the team does not condone allowing children to drink beer, regardless of what the real story is behind the footage, which depicts a small boy -- estimated to be about 3 or 4 -- in the stands during Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres with what appears to be a beer bottle in his mouth, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.

"We are not able to determine the identity of anyone involved, nor are we able to determine what was in the bottle or whether it was empty," Clark said.

"Obviously, the Phillies, like everyone else, would not want a child to be permitted to consume any alcoholic beverage," the spokeswoman said. "We suspect that this was a very brief event, probably involving an empty bottle. We are confident that our employees and our fans would not allow this to happen if they were aware of it."

Clark said the theory that the bottle was empty is supported by the fact that the child was holding it with only one hand, indicating it was not very heavy.