A longtime peanut vendor at Dodgers Stadium has been told to stop throwing peanuts to customers due to safety concerns expressed by stadium officials.
Roger Owens, 79, claims he was told to stop because Levy Restaurants – the group which oversees concessions at Dodger Stadium – believes his peanut-tossing poses a danger to fans.
“Owens has pitched peanuts at presidential inauguration festivities, on ‘The Tonight Show,’ and in two movies and three television series in which his role was always the same: peanut vendor,” the Boston Herald reports. “His wedding guests included Tom Bradley, then the mayor of Los Angeles, and Don Sutton, the Dodgers’ Hall of Fame pitcher.”
Owens described his emotions about the decision to the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m so heartbroken about this,” Owens told the Times.
“They have time to see it coming,” Owens explained. “It’s not some bullet that goes straight through. I’m always wanting to make sure that whoever I am throwing to will catch the bag of peanuts.”
This is not the first time Owens has dealt with a nut-tossing ban. TMZ Sports reports that the tradition was also banned in 1976 and 1985. So, there’s hope it will come back. However, with Owens being 79 years old, let’s hope they bring it back before he retires.
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