My first/only game at Wrigley, I got "Give it to the kid"

[GoTigers]

Little rant here.. Today was my first and only foreseeable game at Wrigley. The wife and I had dugout seats on the visitors side, and it was an awesome experience. I'm completely neutral when it comes to the two teams, but was cheering on the Padres bc I was in close proximity to the players.

We arrived two hours early, and the first thing I did was purchase a GU ball from yesterday's game.. Just $30 and from KB's first hit game.. Awesome. We get to our seats to watch BP and there are kids asking for autos. The wife asks why I'm not up there trying to get auto's, and I say it's exciting for the kids and let them have the interaction/experience .. I'm not into autos and I'm not going to go beg for them.

So, bottom of the 8th. Strikeout to end the inning.. Derrick Norris runs back to the dugout.. I'm cheering him on, and he rolls the strike-out ball directly to me across the dugout. Then, I start hearing "give it to the kid" chants.. I looked around bc I had an isle seat and there were no kids near me. And on top of that he rolled the ball to me.. He didn't throw it up in the crowd and I had to jump or dive or elbow to get it.. He rolled it to me.

Turns out a kid had run down from 4/5 rows back, decked out in Cubs gear. And was now standing next to me in the isle. So, I hand him the ball.. People cheer. I get fist bumps, and his mom comes to thank me. They couldn't have been nicer.

But.. Man that sucks. A once in a lifetime event for me, and I have to give it up bc I'm not 8? I did end up buying a gu ball from yesterday and today's game. Along with a 2014 ball with the 100yr Logo and a Castro bat. But, as we all know, items that are given to you are priceless. Especially fresh from the field.. And from Wrigley Field too. It was also the first gu ball I had recieved or caught at a game.

[R. C. Walker]

That's stinks. We should all start taking ratty backup baseballs to the games like this genius.

http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/cubs-fan-great-catch-homer-switches-it/238216

[camarokids]

I would have ignored the kid....

[sox83cubs84]

I ignore these idiots. If it's so important to "give it to the kid", let THEM catch one and gift it to them...why should they tell you how to dispose of an item that's yours, and not theirs?

Dave Miedema

[TigersCubs84]

Great call by SoxCubs83, ignore the "idiots". I usually ignore them, or go out to the concession till the heat is off.

[metsbats]

The one and only time I got a foul ball in 2009 i preempted any of that by loudly announcing I was giving the ball to my son when I got home. No hassles after that.

[metsbats]

Just a sad commentary on what people are teaching kids today by doing this. They grow up with a sense of entitlement and are spoiled brats.

[metsbats]

Here's an idea. Come to the next game with a ball you brought at the store. Rub it down with some mud and keep it in your pocket. Hand the kid the store ball and keep the one you caught.

[vince182]

ignore those fans. It took me 23 years to catch/get a gu ball at a game, the way i see it, those kids can wait just as long.......


besides, what fun is it/where is the appreciation for it, if you didnt get it for yourself?


now, whenever i go to any game, i bring a decoy ball, just in case (one: im at wrigley and catch a visiting teams ball (no wait im tossing ANY GU ball), or two: get the "give it to the kid" routine....... that kid will get a ball, it will just happen to say "little league approved" on it) ;)

[godwulf]

When it comes to foul balls, I've given it "to the kid" exactly one time, a few years ago at a Fall League game. There were, as usual, gangs of eight or ten kids running around the ballpark screaming, fighting over foul balls, and I happen to pick a ball up that was hit to my section - I was the only one sitting there in right field - and in a moment of generosity and weakness I handed it to a blank-eyed little maggot, who turned away without a word of thanks or acknowledgment.

I keep track of when, where and by whom a foul ball was hit and try to get it signed by the batter involved, and then I put it in a labeled ball cube; few if any of them have any intrinsic value, of course, but it's a hobby I've come to enjoy and I think at 61 I'm entitled to that.

[ironmanfan]

The one and only time I got a foul ball in 2009 i preempted any of that by loudly announcing I was giving the ball to my son when I got home. No hassles after that.

this

[red33sox]

I hate this... last year, im in front row behind the Nationals bullpen. An unknown girl is sitting next to me. The bullpen catcher throws a ball up between the two of us... she doesnt move, I lean forward and catch it. As i am showing my friend, she leans over and says " that was for me." I looked around in disbelief, and stupidly hand her the ball. She didnt say thank you, didnt smile at me, nothing... she just took a pic of it with her stupid phone, put it in her bag and went on to just looking at her phone. It really pissed me off, but sometimes, its easier to just hand it off then deal with B****es

[vince182]

I hate this... last year, im in front row behind the Nationals bullpen. An unknown girl is sitting next to me. The bullpen catcher throws a ball up between the two of us... she doesnt move, I lean forward and catch it. As i am showing my friend, she leans over and says " that was for me." I looked around in disbelief, and stupidly hand her the ball. She didnt say thank you, didnt smile at me, nothing... she just took a pic of it with her stupid phone, put it in her bag and went on to just looking at her phone. It really pissed me off, but sometimes, its easier to just hand it off then deal with B****es

I'm telling you! Little league balls! I guarantee she wouldn't have even noticed that you swapped the real one for a little league ball. How funny would that picture be that she took!!!?

[Popinjaysnamesir]

My uncle and I are closed it was he who took me to my first MLB game at the age of 6. I really wanted to catch a foul ball for him. Took 20 years and maybe 100 games, but Miguel Cabrera throws one randomly into the crowd. That was a really cool moment. Who are these people to insert themselves and who are these kids that they deserve it?

Over time, I've given out plenty of balls. It should be a nice thing to do, not a requirement. It's one thing to yell at a guy who steals it from the kid, but not catches it fairly.

If all of these people yelling really cared about children, we could solve childhood hunger.

[beef]

I always bring my girlfriend with and give baseballs to her...no arguments from "the idiots" and the ball is still going into my collection lol

[lengthwise1]

That's stinks. We should all start taking ratty backup baseballs to the games like this genius.

http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/cubs-fan-great-catch-homer-switches-it/238216

ha, was going to post that I carry a "decoy" in my backpack usually

[lengthwise1]

ha, was going to post that I carry a "decoy" in my backpack usually

I should have added, I catch a ton of BP balls and give away 90%+, so I really don't feel bad keeping any gamer. I also have a 3 yr old, but only sees a handful of games for obvious reasons...

[G1X]

I agree with all of you. Ignore the chant "give it to the kid". Maybe I am too old fashioned, but I always felt that one should "earn" a ball hit or thrown into the stands, not have it given to them by begging the fan who made the catch. When I was a kid, I would refuse any offerings as I felt like if I didn't come up with the ball myself when it went in to the stands, I didn't deserve to have it.

I will never forget being 12-years old and grabbing my first foul ball at a Southern League game at historic Rickwood Field. What a thrill it was when I came up with the ball that had landed beneath my seat! I have grabbed many more over the years at Southern League and Carolina League games, and have handed off a few to my nephew, friend's kids, etc., but I always felt that it would be a bit awkward if I was to give the ball to some tyke that I did not know who was begging me unmercifully. I often want to say, "Earn it for yourself, kid!", but I refrain and politely say that I am taking it home to my nephew/neighbor's kid/etc. I recently gave a ball to one of my best friend's sons. That was much more rewarding and meaningful to me than handing it off to a stranger.

While I have had much success at minor league games, I have yet to come up with a foul ball at any of the hundreds of major league games I have attended over the years (several embarrassing drops :)). You better believe, even at my advanced age, that I am not about to give it up if one ever lands in my hands.

Sure, it's just a ball, but I'm still a kid at heart when I go to a ball game, and it is something that I want to hold on to for the memory.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange

P.S. It is VERY BAD BEHAVIOR if you plow through kids in your attempt to grab a ball. But if it lands in your hands, or else you come up with the ball cleanly without mowing anyone down in the process, it's yours with no guilt attached - period!

[sox83cubs84]

I agree with all of you. Ignore the chant "give it to the kid". Maybe I am too old fashioned, but I always felt that one should "earn" a ball hit or thrown into the stands, not have it given to them by begging the fan who made the catch. When I was a kid, I would refuse any offerings as I felt like if I didn't come up with the ball myself when it went in to the stands, I didn't deserve to have it.

I will never forget being 12-years old and grabbing my first foul ball at a Southern League game at historic Rickwood Field. What a thrill it was when I came up with the ball that had landed beneath my seat! I have grabbed many more over the years at Southern League and Carolina League games, and have handed off a few to my nephew, friend's kids, etc., but I always felt that it would be a bit awkward if I was to give the ball to some tyke that I did not know who was begging me unmercifully. I often want to say, "Earn it for yourself, kid!", but I refrain and politely say that I am taking it home to my nephew/neighbor's kid/etc. I recently gave a ball to one of my best friend's sons. That was much more rewarding and meaningful to me than handing it off to a stranger.

While I have had much success at minor league games, I have yet to come up with a foul ball at any of the hundreds of major league games I have attended over the years (several embarrassing drops :)). You better believe, even at my advanced age, that I am not about to give it up if one ever lands in my hands.

Sure, it's just a ball, but I'm still a kid at heart when I go to a ball game, and it is something that I want to hold on to for the memory.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange

P.S. It is VERY BAD BEHAVIOR if you plow through kids in your attempt to grab a ball. But if it lands in your hands, or else you come up with the ball cleanly without mowing anyone down in the process, it's yours with no guilt attached - period!

Mark:
Your PS is a valid one, and one I try to live by when ballhawking. Unfoirtunately, a lot of fans and shaggers in Chicago (especially Wrigley Field) aren't that civilized.

Dave M.

[SEAFAN76]

Little rant here.. Today was my first and only foreseeable game at Wrigley. The wife and I had dugout seats on the visitors side, and it was an awesome experience. I'm completely neutral when it comes to the two teams, but was cheering on the Padres bc I was in close proximity to the players.

We arrived two hours early, and the first thing I did was purchase a GU ball from yesterday's game.. Just $30 and from KB's first hit game.. Awesome. We get to our seats to watch BP and there are kids asking for autos. The wife asks why I'm not up there trying to get auto's, and I say it's exciting for the kids and let them have the interaction/experience .. I'm not into autos and I'm not going to go beg for them.

So, bottom of the 8th. Strikeout to end the inning.. Derrick Norris runs back to the dugout.. I'm cheering him on, and he rolls the strike-out ball directly to me across the dugout. Then, I start hearing "give it to the kid" chants.. I looked around bc I had an isle seat and there were no kids near me. And on top of that he rolled the ball to me.. He didn't throw it up in the crowd and I had to jump or dive or elbow to get it.. He rolled it to me.

Turns out a kid had run down from 4/5 rows back, decked out in Cubs gear. And was now standing next to me in the isle. So, I hand him the ball.. People cheer. I get fist bumps, and his mom comes to thank me. They couldn't have been nicer.

But.. Man that sucks. A once in a lifetime event for me, and I have to give it up bc I'm not 8? I did end up buying a gu ball from yesterday and today's game. Along with a 2014 ball with the 100yr Logo and a Castro bat. But, as we all know, items that are given to you are priceless. Especially fresh from the field.. And from Wrigley Field too. It was also the first gu ball I had recieved or caught at a game.

I would have just kept the ball.

When it comes to sports, aren't we ALL just kids at heart?
Plus, most of us never had the chance to get one, as a kid or now.

I was at BP once, and a young pretty blonde girl was tossed a ball.
Then another player minutes later that didn't see she already had one, threw her another ball. In the end she got like FOUR balls because she was young and cute.

Then some 10-12 yo boys were next to me when a line drive one hop came our way. It was just to my right, I LET the kid take it........... because he's a kid. Then one was coming straight at me, HE reached in front of ME!!!
So now he has TWO. I then told him, "I don't care how old you are, don't be rude".
It goes both ways. I'd never got a ball when I was a kid, so in my mind still waiting to get a ball made me feel like a kid. I finally got the on hop line drive. I no longer go down for BP for that reason, and the fact that they don't use gamers for BP. I can also usually find game used balls on sale for $10 at the end of the year.

[sox83cubs84]

I would have just kept the ball.



I was at BP once, and a young pretty blonde girl was tossed a ball.
Then another player minutes later that didn't see she already had one, threw her another ball. In the end she got like FOUR balls because she was young and cute.

Then some 10-12 yo boys were next to me when a line drive one hop came our way. It was just to my right, I LET the kid take it........... because he's a kid. Then one was coming straight at me, HE reached in front of ME!!!
So now he has TWO. I then told him, "I don't care how old you are, don't be rude".
It goes both ways. I'd never got a ball when I was a kid, so in my mind still waiting to get a ball made me feel like a kid. I finally got the on hop line drive. I no longer go down for BP for that reason, and the fact that they don't use gamers for BP. I can also usually find game used balls on sale for $10 at the end of the year.

In 2004, the final season at Wrigley Field with the left field Family Section, a father and son team worked into grabbing 7 baseballs, 5 by the kid, in a BP and game against the Rockies. Every time the Rockies sent someone new to left field to shag flies, the kid would loudly and repeatedly beg them for a ball...and got it. Dad caught one on the fly in BP without interfering with anyone else, but then, in the middle of the game, reached in front of his seatmates on his right to catch a between innings long toss ball thrown up to the section by the Cubs LF. People in the section were snarling at them for their greediness, but Father and Son Greedy not only ignored the catcalls, but never offered to share any of them with other ticketholders in the section. Bad enough when a kid gets grabby and whiny, but when Dad encourages him and helps him when he's being so obnoxious, it sounds like someone needs some counseling on parenting.

Dave M.

[godwulf]

Reminds me of some of the fathers I see during the Arizona Fall League. They "dispatch" their one to four kids (usually boys) with their gloves out to various parts of the ballpark and urge them to be aggressive in going for the foul balls. I've heard these guys berate one kid for not trying hard enough, and hold it over one kid's head that his brother has brought back more balls than he has. It's all I can do to hold my tongue sometimes. I want to go off on some of these idiots and say, "Did you ever think your sons might occasionally like to just sit and enjoy the game, instead of being your obsessive little ballhawk army?"

[sportsnbikes]

This is a tough one. No one likes kids who think they are entitled, rude, and obnoxious. For me personally, I love getting balls thrown up from players at any time before, during or after a game. There have been games that I left with 5 or 6 balls. But, there were none thrown to or near any kids. They were all to me and only after I called for the player to throw the ball up. Now before you say I am greedy, if there ever is a situation where there is a kid near me, and the off-chance that they haven't received a ball, I will give them a ball. Especially the shy timid ones who don't necessarily go after a ball. On many occasions, I give baseballs away outside of the stadium to kids who may not have gotten one inside. I wouldn't feel at all bad about keeping a ball, especially when I have my son with me. On other occasions, if my son and I are there, and he has gotten a ball or 2, and he gets another one, I will have him give it to another kid who is there who hasn't caught a ball yet. Before giving it to the kid, we will ask them if they have got a ball.

I really do feel that you can make a kids day with just a simple gesture. For me, it is just a ball and there will be many more. But, it has to be the right situation for that to happen. I wouldn't feel at all bad for keeping a ball that was thrown to me. I would not keep a ball that was thrown to a kid and maybe they missed it or whatever. Just my $.02.

[sportsnbikes]

Reminds me of some of the fathers I see during the Arizona Fall League. They "dispatch" their one to four kids (usually boys) with their gloves out to various parts of the ballpark and urge them to be aggressive in going for the foul balls. I've heard these guys berate one kid for not trying hard enough, and hold it over one kid's head that his brother has brought back more balls than he has. It's all I can do to hold my tongue sometimes. I want to go off on some of these idiots and say, "Did you ever think your sons might occasionally like to just sit and enjoy the game, instead of being your obsessive little ballhawk army?"

That's disgusting...

He is probably the same guy selling autographs on eBay that he has his kids get...yuck!

[marino13]

I only give BP caught HR baseballs to kids in my section - I am fortunate enough to have season ticket in the HR area in Yankee stadium.

I can always get more since the ushers do clear the area at a certain time, so I have plenty of opportunity to snag another one or two - if they landed in my area of course. I refuse to run and chase after the fly ball. If they are within 10 feet from me, I will take my chance at it.

As for HR baseballs - opponents or home team -- those are NEVER ever to be given away. I do not care how many times I get chanted "throw it back" (from the opponents') or "give it to a kid".

My replies --- "You can throw it back when you get one yourself." or "You can give it to a kid, if you catch one."

[godwulf]

I do not care how many times I get chanted "throw it back"...

Probably the single dumbest Baseball "tradition", right after The Wave.

[sox83cubs84]

Probably the single dumbest Baseball "tradition", right after The Wave.

I agree 125%!! I have never thrown one back, and will take legal action against the fan (and team) if someone ever takes one away fro me to throw it back.

BTW: I will sometimes give BP baseballs to kids if they're nice and well-behaved, and especially if they aren't in my area by the wall. My preferences for BP ball recipients, however, are, in order: 1)Military personnel in uniform, 2) Disabled individuals, and 3) Senior Citizens. The kids by me often get 1 (or more) by asking (see Father and Son Greedy story earlier in this thread), but I honor our true heroes, and will make consideration for people unable to or too physically inform to hawk.

Dave Miedema

[warheel]

The only time I gave a ball away was at Pro Player. I had gotten there early and broke the tip of my finger trying to snag a BP ball in the outfield and came away from BP empty handed.

Anyway, late in the game, my finger throbbing, the Marlins first baseman tossed a ball into the stands between innings, and I handed it to the young boy in front of me, watching the game with his dad. They reminded me of my dad and I going to Astros games when I was younger. His dad turned around, thanked me, and said I just made his son's birthday. That ball meant more to him than me, and hopefully I gave the kid a good memory and someday maybe he will do the same.

Had I snagged a foul ball, though, not sure if I would have been so generous..

[TBM]

I have been lucky enough to get one BP ball which I had signed by the player who hit it. I was so happy to have gotten that one. I have tried other times for more balls but that is the one and only one I have gotten. I'm nice and do not run after ball unless they are near me and, I do not trample any one to go for a ball. When I was at Kauffman stadium for the 2014 ALCS I was in left field trying to shag a BP homer. There were many people there, especially kids, who had caught or had been tossed balls over and over again. One kid had four of them. Me, I settled for buying a gamer in the authentic's store.

Prior to those I was at a Royals/Orioles game in the early 1990’s and was tossed a ball by one of the Orioles coaches at the end of BP. That was the first ball I ever have had tossed to me.

This Summer I took my kids to the AAA Home Run Derby and All Star Game in Omaha, NE at Werner Park. The most fighting experience I've ever had at a baseball game or event. The Home Run Derby was awful. I had my five year old and my sisters seven year old along with my 20 year old. We sat out on the berm in hopes of catching a HR ball or two. I cannot count the number of times I had to protect the kids from getting trampled. I was more protecting them from the ravenous horde than trying to get a HR ball. Those people were worse than animals that had not been feed in a week and were offered an old moldy steak. It was like were in a gladiator arena fighting for our very lives.

On the other hand when we went to the AAA All Star game I was able to get front row tickets in right field between first base and the right fielder. During the second inning a foul ball came our way, it was a grounder that was out of reach. Peter O'Brien of the Diamondbacks AAA team trotted over to get the ball. As he did I started to point to my kid and he tossed the ball to me and I gave it to my kid. It is in my collection and I try to not count it as my ball, but it is sooo cool. This is the only GU ball that I had been lucky enough to get, during a game. It’s a great memory for me and my kid.

During Alex Gordon's 2015 rehab assignment with the Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A club of the KC Royals) I was standing in line with my kid getting drinks. I was hit hard in the arm and was tuning back to cuss out the guy behind me for hitting me like that. I turned around and saw a ball bouncing and starting to roll around on the ground. I instantly bent over and picked it up before anyone else had much of a chance to react. It was my first and only GU ball straight from the field of play. My boy was so happy that now we each had a game ball from the same year.

[godwulf]

Last year, I developed a very bad case of pneumonia, just as the Arizona Fall League season started. I normally go to about twenty games, and am usually able to run down (and get signed) from 15 to 25 foul balls. Last year I was only able to make it to parts of four games - two of them just to try to get a pre-game autograph or two, and then leave to go back home. I was in bad shape.

So the fourth and last game, I'm just there to try to get Peter O'Brien to sign a bat that he'd used in ST - no luck getting him to come over - and I'm leaving. I haven't even thought about trying to run down any foul balls, and that day I didn't even have the strength to stay and watch the game.

I get to the top of the stairs and am beginning to cross the concourse, when the first hitter of the game sends a foul ball rocketing off the inner face of some overhanging structure, and the ball bounces a couple of times and rolls almost to my feet. I picked it up, nodded a thanks to the Baseball Gods, made a note of who'd hit it in hopes that I might be able to get that player to sign it someday, and went home. I'm hoping to do better, number-wise, this year - the season starts in two weeks - but for sheer providential timeliness, that one takes the cake.

[topekabob]

If a player rolled a ball to me across the dugout indeed yes, I would probably keep it.

My two best "ball" stories.
Was at a Japanese minor league game and thought it would be cool to have a ball from a Japanese game but no foul balls were forthcoming. Went down to the bathroom, which was on lower concourse with open door, and heard a bouncing sound behind and foul ball rolled into bathroom. I kid you not.

Second is just as strange. As a kid used to go to Portland Beaver games and found a vendors hat so put hat on and walked down stairs to bowels of stadium and access to field. Sat in bullpen with pitchers and collected two home run balls. Rick Jones, former MLB pitcher and then -Bevo turned to me and said, "Aren't you supposed to be working?" Gag worked for seven games until I was chased away by vending supervisor.

[godwulf]

A couple of years ago, I was told by a tourist from Japan that in the Japanese major leagues - if that's not a misnomer...you know what I mean - most of the teams are "unclenching" when it comes to letting fans keep foul balls; previously, I've read they had ushers running around collecting every one and often not being very nice about it. Not sure whether that largesse has filtered down to the minors yet. It's probably a good thing that the ball followed you into the toire.