Another reason not to give balls to strange kids

[TBM]

Just found this and it's another reason I'll never give any ball I ever catch, if I ever do catch one, to any kid but my own. I've seen kids walk out with so many balls, batting gloves, hats and other items at some games.

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/06/06/...cabrera-jersey

Hey Mr. Any Player I'm over here and would love anything your giving out and I would be eternally greatfull to display it in my collection. Mr. Any Player snears as he gives the kid with arms fully loaded more stuff.

[sox83cubs84]

I had a day at the Cubs/Rockies game in the former Family Section at Wrigley Field a bit over 10 years ago, fuming at the antics of a dad/kid combo I dubbed Father and Son Greedy. Father Greedy did catch one BP HR, but Son Greedy hit up 5 different Rockies players shagging flies for 5 baseballs. The kid was loud and obnoxious, yelling at every new guy who stood below us in left field, and several fans (including me) were warning the players about how Son Greedy was playing them, but to no avail. Then, late in the game, whomever was playing left for the Cubs tossed the between innings catch ball up into the Family Section, where Dad Greedy pimped the kid (not his own) and grabbed their seventh baseball of the day. Fans were booing the Greedys and yelling insults at them, but they were impervious to shame and criticism.

I don't have kids, but if I get a second baseball, IF I decide to give it away, I don't give it to a kid near me, I instead offer it to one with a parent that is several rows away from the field or just entering the seating area. If a loudmouth bellows at me to "give the kid the ball", I tell the kid (often one related to the loudmouth) that I WAS gonna give it away, but since the loudmouth had to be a jerk about it, I'm no giving it away now and HE'S the reason why. I've also told such loudmouths, "If you want the kid to have one so bad, then YOU get him one!"

Dave Miedema

[joecoco]

My understanding is Zack Hample popularized this switch- a-roo stunt on his blog. It definitely paid off for him, in terms of baseballs, but is a concept I have always struggled with. I agree with Dave's greedy assessment. I get it's a free country and whatever, but just because you have the right does not make it wise to harrass every player for a ball when you have six or 13 of them already! Maybe I'm just jealous, lazy or a combination of the two, but this behavior informed by whatever overvalue d idea driving it becomes annoying. Oh well.. there are obviously bigger problems in the world.

[joecoco]

To be clear-cut I am not slandering anyone here, just commenting on things. Again, I struggle with this because my 10- year-end self says " way to go." Then I realize I am too socially inhibited for this stunt at any age!! Ok. Be well guys

[ironmanfan]

As with most things in life, every situation has to stand on it's own merits.
Case in point was something that happened just last Sunday @ Camden Yards. I've had a Sunday Season Ticket Plan there for nearly 15 years and can count the # of close foul ball opportunities over that time period on one hand. In that game in the top of the 5th, Andrew Benintendo hit a foul ball in the section to our right, which was mishandled by a couple fans there and rolled down our row and my son was able to snag it (among of sea of other hands).
My son decided (on his own accord) to give it to a young fan decked in Sox gear sitting in front of us (who did not ask for it, but was surely admiring it). My son decided to give it up since it wasn't hit by an Oriole and he didn't snag it on the fly (otherwise he would have kept it). We learned from the boy's dad that it was his birthday weekend and that it was his first trip to Camden Yards.....
After hearing that, my son reminded me that a stranger gave him a foul ball during his first game @ Camden Yards back in 1998 (off the bat of the Rangers' Luis Alicea) which still sits on a shelf of his home to this day....

[Juicyfruit66]

The kid in the middle is eying it up haha

[Juicyfruit66]

I grew up watching ball games in the giant toilet bowl known as the Big O aka the big owe. We never had money for the close seats, I used to bring a glove hoping to catch a foul ball. Never, ever, would I have been caught screaming at a player begging for a ball. If I was a player I'd go out of my way to make sure loudmouth father son begging duos got skipped over, maybe the kid would learn a life lesson or something about failure haha. Looking back on it, if my dad had been obnoxious maybe I would have been as well.

[Juicyfruit66]

And 39 years later, still no ball.....if I ever get one it's going in my pocket to be given to my boys....that teary eyed boy staring at me can wait his 39 years as well haha. The only ball I have is from when my dad went to a Montreal vs Brewers game in Montreal and got a national league ball and a Brewers team ball hit during bp. He made sure he got one for each of his twin boys (my bro got the Brewers one). I Kept it, and when I started collecting game used stuff a few years ago I brought it out of storage. Means more than anything else I have.