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

[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.