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| September 26, 2004 -- A diehard Yankees fan who has rooted for the team since 1959 is doing the unthinkable - praying that the Curse of the Bambino shifts from Boston to New York. And he says he'll ask for $3 million from the Bronx Bombers in a legal suit being drawn up by his lawyer. Nick Malossi, 50, an electrician from Albany, is steaming after security guards at Yankee Stadium tossed him from a game Wednesday - because he snapped a photo of catcher Jorge Posada's wife, he claims. To make matters worse, he says the guards wouldn't let him come back in to get his blind friend. "I was humiliated," said Malossi, who attended the Yankees-Blue Jays game with his pal, Jerry Lonergan, 45. "I'm going to pray that the Lord takes the curse off the Red Sox and puts it on the Yankees," he said, describing himself as the "world's greatest Yankee fan" who has spent thousands on Yankee memorabilia and attends 20 games a year. Malossi and Lonergan, a blind news dealer, were sitting in $55 seats behind home plate and enjoying the game when Malossi decided to click some pictures of the team with two disposable cameras. Most of the shots were of on-the-field action, but "a couple were of attractive women in the stands," said Malossi. One was Posada's wife, Laura, who was sitting with a group of other women about 25 feet away. Malossi recognized her from shots of her he'd seen on TV. "I meant no harm," said Malossi. "She looked at me expressionless almost, so I walked away, took a few more pictures and thought I should get back to check on Jerry." A few minutes later, "security comes up and says, 'Let's see your ticket. Come with us.' I said, 'What did I do?'" Two guards escorted him out and told him he wasn't allowed back in but didn't explain why. "I said, 'Can I at least go get my friend? He's blind!'" said Malossi. "They said, 'It's not our problem.'" Malossi later tracked down a cop, who helped track down Lonergan, who needs a walking cane to get around. Malossi's lawyer, Albany attorney David Brickman, said he's working up a civil suit that will seek $3 million from the Yankees. A spokesman for the Yankees said the team officials were unaware of the incident, but would "look into it." |