If you catch a significant HR or even a ground-rule double, would you...

[yankees.stub]

1. ... give it back to the rightful owner

• because it was his to start with. He EARNED it! OR
• in exchange for whatever signed stuff he think it worth OR
• demand what you want in exchange for the baseball

or
2. ... Hold onto to it and put it on auction and hope to get highest amount

or
3. ... Give it to the Hall Of Fame Museum since it belongs there.



Would love to see the responses from this forum.....

[yankees.stub]

.... If I catch Alex 600th HR ball ... or Jeter's 3000th Ground rule double hit ...


Personally, I would give them a chance to give me what they think it worth. Most likely, it will be a random game used bat signed or a couple baseballs or even a jersey here and there.


But most likely, being a fan and all, I would want the following in exchange for the baseball:

1. Either the bat he used or the jersey off his back - this would means I am part of the history.

or
2. Some random game used bat along with jersey and his fielding glove - SIGNED .... AND season ticket for two for the next five years ... and I will get a signed game used ball from him whenever I am attending the game - preferred the third out ball from any inning!


As for holding out for a highest bidder - that comes with too many baggages so I would rather not go this route.


As for giving it to the Hall Of Fame Museum ... heck no, they got so much stuff already. What another ball on display will do! Sorry!

[sox83cubs84]

For player I like or Cubs/White Sox player: Work out a trade for GU equipment

For player I don't like (A-Rod, Giambi, Stairs, Redding, Pujols, etc.) : Call Huggins & Scott

Dave M.
Chicago area

[yankees.stub]

For player I like or Cubs/White Sox player: Work out a trade for GU equipment

For player I don't like (A-Rod, Giambi, Stairs, Redding, Pujols, etc.) : Call Huggins & Scott

Dave M.
Chicago area

LOL

Call me please if you get Yankees related HR balls.

Want some White Sox HR balls? I think I got some in the basement .. some where...

[ballhawknet]

A players first major league home run is his , he earned it. Ive caught
3 and each one has a great story IMO. You can read the short versions
at the bottom if you wish. I love telling them

A milestone hr , be it a 300-400-500 whatever...belongs to the fan who
caught it. And I could go on and on about how rude some of the ballpark
personnel are when attempting to get these balls back ! Usually ending with the fan giving in to the " assult " or , when its clear the fan wants the ball , they point out how worthless the ball is once they leave the park.


Just this year a player wanted a ball back from me , and I asked for one of
two things . 1. Batting practice on the field ...( dont laugh Ive done it before or 2. A donation in his name to my favorite charity ( $ amount of HIS chosing ) He declined both .


And lastly , rarely do teams offer fair compensation. I mean to offer another ball or even a signed ball is weak. At least a bat or Jersey or
tickets ...but most of the time they offer a ball. Im sorry but if the average fan catches a ball worth hundreds or sometimes thousands why would you trade it or another ball ? But some do . And as long as they are happy with it thats ok by me. But how many that returned balls during the home run chase of 98 felt stupid in the days that followed. Quite a few . Of course now those balls are just paper weights.....Ive got a few you want any ...lol

FIRST CAREER HR STORIES

DOUG GLANVILLE - I went into the park to give it back to him...waited
for about a half hour ...never came out. Turns out he went out another way . I went back to Waveland Avenue and there he was sitting in my
lawn chair. Handed him the ball , mummbled something about me wanting batting practice on the field ....shook his hand and he headed down the street to his apartment a few blocks away flipping the ball in the air as he walked.

HUMBERTO COTA - (who ? ..lol )
Late inning hr onto Waveland , I had never even heard of him at the time. Heck , I didnt even know who was batting ...see ball catch ball.
No one comes out from the team...later that night I see it was in fact his first HR. So now they are out of town , gone. I look at the schedule , the Pirates are in New York. So I time it just right....end of Pirates bp....and call the stadium . "Visiting clubhouse please" ...whos calling ? "Dave from Chicago" hold on ... I ask for him...not even knowing if he speaks english...and they put him on the phone . I tell him " you dont know me....but your going to remember me for the rest of your life. Ive got the ball ! ". He was VERY excited ! 3 times he missed the next series in Chicago due to DL... but eventually I got it to him .

Bill Hall

Down something like 17-2 he gets his first major league hit...a bomb to
Waveland. Dan the traveling sec. comes out ..asks what I want for the ball....I say.....( you know it ) batting practice with the team.! He laughs
says it aint gonna happen . I tell him Ill go into the game and give it back to him tommorow. He walks away saying nothing. I go in , talk to Bill and turns out he allready has his ball. ? wtf ? Yep , he was given a different ball by the #!$!% head traveling sec. Dan . So now I have his first major league hit ball, and he has something else on his mantle

thats it , its late and I cant wait for spring training

[legaleagle92481]

Some guys don't want it back like Bonds said during the Aaron chase that he wanted the fan who caught it to keep it. If the guy wanted it I would ask for a bat and jersey from the best player on the team and another ball used in the game signed by the whole team. I would not sell it so I think it would be fair for the player to trade such stuff for it.

[CardinalsFan]

It is too hard for me to imagine. When I lived in the St Louis area, I never came close to a HR ball during an actual game. If I was fortunate enough to get that lucky, I would probably faint and have it taken from me before I had a chance to decide what to do.

[joelsabi]

A players first major league home run is his , he earned it. Ive caught
3 and each one has a great story IMO. You can read the short versions
at the bottom if you wish. I love telling them

A milestone hr , be it a 300-400-500 whatever...belongs to the fan who
caught it. And I could go on and on about how rude some of the ballpark
personnel are when attempting to get these balls back ! Usually ending with the fan giving in to the " assult " or , when its clear the fan wants the ball , they point out how worthless the ball is once they leave the park.


Just this year a player wanted a ball back from me , and I asked for one of
two things . 1. Batting practice on the field ...( dont laugh Ive done it before or 2. A donation in his name to my favorite charity ( $ amount of HIS chosing ) He declined both .


And lastly , rarely do teams offer fair compensation. I mean to offer another ball or even a signed ball is weak. At least a bat or Jersey or
tickets ...but most of the time they offer a ball. Im sorry but if the average fan catches a ball worth hundreds or sometimes thousands why would you trade it or another ball ? But some do . And as long as they are happy with it thats ok by me. But how many that returned balls during the home run chase of 98 felt stupid in the days that followed. Quite a few . Of course now those balls are just paper weights.....Ive got a few you want any ...lol

FIRST CAREER HR STORIES

DOUG GLANVILLE - I went into the park to give it back to him...waited
for about a half hour ...never came out. Turns out he went out another way . I went back to Waveland Avenue and there he was sitting in my
lawn chair. Handed him the ball , mummbled something about me wanting batting practice on the field ....shook his hand and he headed down the street to his apartment a few blocks away flipping the ball in the air as he walked.

HUMBERTO COTA - (who ? ..lol )
Late inning hr onto Waveland , I had never even heard of him at the time. Heck , I didnt even know who was batting ...see ball catch ball.
No one comes out from the team...later that night I see it was in fact his first HR. So now they are out of town , gone. I look at the schedule , the Pirates are in New York. So I time it just right....end of Pirates bp....and call the stadium . "Visiting clubhouse please" ...whos calling ? "Dave from Chicago" hold on ... I ask for him...not even knowing if he speaks english...and they put him on the phone . I tell him " you dont know me....but your going to remember me for the rest of your life. Ive got the ball ! ". He was VERY excited ! 3 times he missed the next series in Chicago due to DL... but eventually I got it to him .

Bill Hall

Down something like 17-2 he gets his first major league hit...a bomb to
Waveland. Dan the traveling sec. comes out ..asks what I want for the ball....I say.....( you know it ) batting practice with the team.! He laughs
says it aint gonna happen . I tell him Ill go into the game and give it back to him tommorow. He walks away saying nothing. I go in , talk to Bill and turns out he allready has his ball. ? wtf ? Yep , he was given a different ball by the #!$!% head traveling sec. Dan . So now I have his first major league hit ball, and he has something else on his mantle

thats it , its late and I cant wait for spring training

great stories. thanks for sharing.

so did you just go along with Bill when he said he received the his first hit ball?

[sox83cubs84]

Ballhawknet's remarks about obnoxious and nasty security and team personnel are right on the money. I've seen a few examples myself, such as a summer day at Old Comiskey Park in 1982. Scott Fletcher hit his first MLB HR, and I dashed to where it landed and found the guy who caught it. Unfortunately, the ball he had was a brand new one, and he said that Sox Security guards told him he HAD to give it back..that new ball was his consolation prize, apparentlly.

Too often the team will either convince you that the ball has no worth (as Dave D. alluded to) when you leave the park, or security types will try to intimidate fans into giving it up, which fans usually fall for because either the intimidation works, or else they're too caught up in the moment to reason their options out fully (as Suicide Squeeze mentioned many months ago).

Either way, if you're ever lucky enough to be in this situation (which, out of the 13 HRs I've snagged, I haven't), keep your wits about you and don't let pushy security guards or nearby fans make your decision for you.

Dave M.
Chicago area

[yankees.stub]

Ballhawknet's remarks about obnoxious and nasty security and team personnel are right on the money. I've seen a few examples myself, such as a summer day at Old Comiskey Park in 1982. Scott Fletcher hit his first MLB HR, and I dashed to where it landed and found the guy who caught it. Unfortunately, the ball he had was a brand new one, and he said that Sox Security guards told him he HAD to give it back..that new ball was his consolation prize, apparentlly.

Too often the team will either convince you that the ball has no worth (as Dave D. alluded to) when you leave the park, or security types will try to intimidate fans into giving it up, which fans usually fall for because either the intimidation works, or else they're too caught up in the moment to reason their options out fully (as Suicide Squeeze mentioned many months ago).

Either way, if you're ever lucky enough to be in this situation (which, out of the 13 HRs I've snagged, I haven't), keep your wits about you and don't let pushy security guards or nearby fans make your decision for you.

Dave M.
Chicago area

I caught about 15-20 HR balls at the old Yankee Stadium. NO SECURITY personel has come and asked for the ball. But they did come down to where I was and "advised" me to keep the ball and DO NOT throw it back - since the HR ball was from the opposite team.

And the quote I do remembered - If I threw the ball back onto the field, that is an automatically EJECTION. And if they witness where the ball landed - if it is within 10 feet from a player, I will be charged with ATTEMPTED ASSAULT... now that $hit scared me!


So I kept all of my baseballs - I may have given one or two away if it happened to be duplicated player (i. e. Gary Sheffield -- got like 4 HR balls from him total)


I would never hand over any ball if they requested. Hell to the NO! If I happened to reach over the fence and interfere with the ball in play... I will take the ejection and kept the ball. Did that once - against the other team (instead of 2-run score with man on 3rd - tied score with two outs. With fan interference, it became ground rule doubles with man on 2nd and 3rd - Yankees wining by a run with two outs).

At least with the ejection, I kept the baseball and got a decent ovation.



It worth the price of the admission!