Mai Tai Guy to kids: ‘You know the rules here’
The first thing CHICAGO — you need to know about “Mai Tai Guy” is why he calls himself Mai Tai Guy.
“When I first started coming out here when I was 21, the beers were a buck cheaper than the Mai Tais,” Mai Tai Guy said. “The beer is only 5% (alcohol). The Mai Tai is like 12%. So for a buck more, let’s get after it, you know?”
Mai Tai Guy’s real name is Christopher Sorley, and he’s a handyman from Chicago who does roofing, siding, insulation and other odd jobs. He likes to keep his hours flexible so he can hang out in Wrigley Field’s left-field bleachers, where he has been going for 20-25 years and which is where he became the latest Cubs fan to become a viral sensation.
Late Tuesday night, Sorley was accused of swiping Kyle Schwarber’s walk-off home run against the Reds from two young boys who were reaching into the basket for the game-winning ball. Wearing one of his Cubs jerseys with his “Mai Tai Guy” nickname on the back, Sorley quickly became a trending topic on Twitter and the subject of ridicule on sports talk radio.
Sorley defended himself Wednesday, saying it’s all a matter of “perception” by fans.
“All the kids are in the front row because we let them go there,” Sorley said. “You know what I’m saying? (Schwarber’s homer) is a gamer. You know the rules here. The Cubs can’t be responsible for the action of fans when trying to procure a home run or a foul ball. A walk-off home run? It’s kind of anyone’s game. I feel bad for the kids, but it looked a lot worse than it really was.”
Sorley denied he shoved either of the two boys and said he had a “chuckle” over the incident with the boys’ father Wednesday morning in the left-field bleachers. He said after he got the ball from the basket and got a hug from a friend, he went back down to the front row.
“I said, ‘Hey, guys, I’m really sorry,’ “he said. “They all knew (the rules). They had gotten their balls (in batting practice). I’m sure they would’ve been happy to get one more. Who wouldn’t? You know what I’m saying? ... They knew what was going on, and they’re going to remember that day for the rest of their life, however they want to remember.”
The ensuing debate over home run ball etiquette was one-sided, with most agreeing Mai Tai Guy was a reprehensible human being for not giving it to one of the kids.
Veteran ballhawk Moe Mullins, however, said Mai Tai Guy was being unfairly ridiculed for doing what any fan would do in the same situation.
“Everybody in the world would’ve tried to grab that ball,” Mullins said, adding a home run ball “is a different story” than a batting practice ball.
Sorley said he often tells people the kids in the bleachers hold their own when it comes to ballhawking during batting practice and in games and aren’t deserving of any sympathy.
“Come out here and see the kids that are climbing on me and poking at me and jabbing me in batting practice,” he said. “It’s cool. It’s all fun and games.”
Sorley said he wears No. 0 on his Cubs’ jersey because “that’s how much money I’m going home with” after a game. He doesn’t remove the plastic wristbands on his arm that are given out to fans to prove they are 21, and had about a dozen still attached Wednesday morning.
Isn’t that annoying when he goes to sleep?
“A little bit,” he said. “But life is annoying, isn’t it? You’ve got to deal with the small stuff. And I’ve got a killer tan line underneath it.”
So how will Mai Tai Guy be remembered?
“You get good and bad, that’s the nature of the game,” he said. “You live your life and if people don’t like it, they don’t like it . ... I’m not out here trying to hurt anybody. I’m not trying to hurt anybody, not trying to steal or hustle or hurt. A lot of the people around here, ballpark employees, were giving me high-fives and thanks. People will bust your chops, but it’s all in good fun.”
While Sorley said he expected to “get a lot of heat” afterward, he was pleased to discover late that night #MaiTaiGuy was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter.
“And I think I was No. 15 worldwide,” he said. “I’m not looking for fame.” Too late, Mai Tai Guy. Fame has found you.