Marlins Man Says He Will Wear Same Jersey At Next Royals Game
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - There was no missing Fort Lauderdale lawyer Laurence Leavy, standing out like an orange thumb in his Miami Marlins jersey and hat at games one and two of the World Series.
He was enjoying the game, in his seat right behind home plate, when a young man approached, saying the Royals did not appreciate his bright orange Marlins attire taking center stage on the camera shot seen most frequently in the broadcast, the angle from the pitcher's point of view.
Leavy, a self-described baseball maniac, has gained national attention with his run-in with the Royals.
He granted an exclusive, one-on-one on-camera interview to CBS4's Gary Nelson during a stopover in Las Vegas.
CLICK HERE To Watch Gary Nelson's Report
Leavy said he was approached early on in game one by the team representative.
"He said that he worked for the Royals and the owner of the Royals was unhappy that I was diverting attention from his team," Leavy said. Leavy said he was offered a Royals shirt and hat to wear, instead.
"I said no," Leavy said.
Leavy said he was then plied with a variety of inducements to get his orange Marlins regalia out of the center of the picture.
"'Can we get you some World Series signed things,' and I said no." '"Would you like to go upstairs to the suite, to the owner's suite, to hang out up there? We have great food and there'll be a lot of really important people,' and I said no."
"What's the big deal, why not take off your Marlins garb," Nelson asked Leavy.
"Because I'm a Marlins fan, I'm not a Royals fan, that's why," Leavy replied. "I have been a season ticket holder non-stop since the first year. I have the greatest Marlins memorabilia collection of anybody."
No question Levy is a baseball fan - he has been to 85 World Series games - but he's a Marlins fan first. And he's a high-roller.
How much did he pay for his World Series tickets?
"I paid more than I've ever paid in my life. I paid $8,000 for the Royals tickets, $4,000 for the Giants tickets."
"The Marlins Man" has gone viral. Folks have photo shopped him in on various social media sites at some major moments in history: At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, at a major speech by John F. Kennedy, at Woodstock in 1969, and of course, in a scene from "Field Of Dreams," the classic baseball movie starring Kevin Costner.
"My Twitter account had about 175 people in the last four years," Leavy, the once obscure workers comp attorney said. "Now it's about 40,000."
"When I'm walking through the airport, the police officers and the TSA people stop the line to have their pictures taken with me," he said, chuckling.
Leavy says he's adjusting to the celebrity. And when the game gets back to Kansas City?
"I'll be sitting in the same seat, wearing one of the several Marlins jerseys I brought with me."
And if the Royals ply him with goodies again to change his colors, the answer will again be "no."
"I can't be bought. It's not possible," Leavy said.
When the series moves to San Francisco Friday night, Leavy will be there in his orange Marlins attire. It shouldn't be a problem in AT&T Park. The Giants wear... a lot of orange.
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