Yankees fan shown sleeping on TV now suing for defamation

On April 13, Yankees fan Andrew Rector attended the Boston-New York game in the Bronx. During the contest, which the Yankees won 3-2, Rector admits, he "briefly slept." And because his nap was televised along with some light ribbing from ESPN announcers Dan Shulman and John Kruk, Rector is now filing a defmation lawsuit.

Naming ESPN, MLB, Shulman and Kruk as defendants, Rector contends that he deserves $10 million in damages, according to the New York Post. Rector, who is employed as a used-car salesman, claims in the Bronx Supreme Court suit that the broadcasters' "avalanche of disparaging words" caused harm to his character and produced "mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity."

While Shulman and Kruk joked about whether Rector slept through a Carlos Beltran home run and poked fun at his size (by comparing him to Kruk), the strongest language Rector claims they used -- such as saying he is "not worthy [to be a Yankees fan] and "a fatty cow that need two seats at all time and represent symbol of failure" -- is absent from the recorded segment.

ESPN refuted Rector's claims, saying in a statement that "the comments attributed to ESPN and our announcers were clearly not said in our telecast. The claims presented here are wholly without merit."