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

[CampWest]

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

Kind of cool story about a first career HR ball naking its way back to the player.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100928&content_id=15183040&vkey=news_kc&c_id=kc

KANSAS CITY -- Twins center fielder Denard Span doesn't know Kansas City's rookie center fielder Jarrod Dyson. But the ties that bind all players within the Major League Baseball fraternity run deep and that's why Span took it on himself to help Dyson get the baseball back after Dyson launched his first career Major League homer on Monday night.
In the second inning, Dyson drove a 3-1 pitch from Kevin Slowey over the wall in right-center. A fan wound up with the ball and Span implored the fan to send the ball back. With some nearby Royals bullpen members also urging the fan to take a return-to-sender approach, Dyson indeed wound up with his milestone baseball. "I never met Dyson, but I looked up at the numbers and saw that he didn't have a homer," Span said. "I assumed it was his first. I signaled to the fan to give me the ball back and explained to the fan what the significance was. The fan didn't object. Once I got the ball, I threw it into the [Royals'] bullpen."

[CampWest]

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

<DIV id=article_body sizset="110" sizcache="141">
Kind of cool story about a first career HR ball naking its way back to the player.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100928&content_id=15183040&vkey=news_kc&c_id=kc

KANSAS CITY -- Twins center fielder Denard Span doesn't know Kansas City's rookie center fielder Jarrod Dyson. But the ties that bind all players within the Major League Baseball fraternity run deep and that's why Span took it on himself to help Dyson get the baseball back after Dyson launched his first career Major League homer on Monday night.
In the second inning, Dyson drove a 3-1 pitch from Kevin Slowey over the wall in right-center. A fan wound up with the ball and Span implored the fan to send the ball back. With some nearby Royals bullpen members also urging the fan to take a return-to-sender approach, Dyson indeed wound up with his milestone baseball. "I never met Dyson, but I looked up at the numbers and saw that he didn't have a homer," Span said. "I assumed it was his first. I signaled to the fan to give me the ball back and explained to the fan what the significance was. The fan didn't object. Once I got the ball, I threw it into the [Royals'] bullpen."
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[sox83cubs84]

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

Is that your Andre Dawson on ebay right now?[/quote]

No, one is a home run a Cincinnati dealer acquired from the Reds 580 Gift Shop. The other is a signed BP Andre Dawson home run from Ballhawk.net.

Dave M.
Chicago area

[yankees.stub]

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

Got a couple emails from my friends with Phillies and Mariners season tickets - they have a program for Fan-caught HR ball and it's FREE of charge.

You can pick up the ball after it being authenticated or they can send it to you at your address.


Damn it, why cant the yankees do this? I am willing to pay (up $50 max).

[Genke]

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

Are you saying that you have caught 15-20 home run balls over the years, and they were ALL visitor-hit home runs?

That's some kind of unlucky-lucky ball hawking there, guy?

Actually, my Wrigley Field home runs (6 total) fall a similar category. The first (Andre Dawson #396) is the only Cubs homer. The other five were all from the "bad guys" (Biggio, Bret Boone, Charles Johnson, Derek Bell, Bichette). I threw NOTHING back...not even a dummy ball. After the Bichette, though, one of the other guys on Waveland Ave. (I can't recall who) got nervous about being whaled on by bleacher drunks, so a dummy ball was thrown back on my behalf).

Dave M.
Chicgo area[/quote]

Is that your Andre Dawson on ebay right now?

[joelsabi]

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

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


Actually Dave M . saw him first , I dont know what exactly was said between them , but Dave M. came outside and told me Bill had the ball allready . lol. When I did see Hall yes I told him that I had the ball
and someone lied to him . I guess I could have just given it to him
then but I thought heck , if he doesnt believe me ( which I really
dont think he does ) whats point in giving it to him . Ive seen him 5-6
times since then in other parks and he rarely says anything when I
say hello other than " Did you bring my ball ? " .So maybe he does
believe me maybe he doesnt. He's got my number ....lol .

ballhawk, I think keeps on giving you that question because he knows its his baseball and is wondering if all the other cherished baseballs retrieved by the traveling secretary are a sham too. give him the ball so he knows he has at least one real milestone item in his collection.

thanks on the followup. appreciate it.

[yankees.stub]

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

Please excuse me if I am interpreting your story incorrectly, but your butchered english makes it very difficult to understand.

Are you saying that you have caught 15-20 home run balls over the years, and they were ALL visitor-hit home runs?

That's some kind of unlucky-lucky ball hawking there, guy?

Dude.. there is a BUT.. in my sentence no?

The only time security comes down - that is when I get the visitors' HR ball.

They would not think that I am that dumb to toss back Yankees' HR balls so no warning is necessary.




As for the Sheff's HRs.... I will try to find them in the boxes ... got them in cubes along with the tickets... so I should be good with the dates and so forth. I tagged all the HR balls with the tickets - on some of them, I have DVD of the games, while others it's all hearsay unless you where there, and some I have security supervisor contacts - just in case I am looking to sell them.


I dont sell my stuff ... if anything ... I trade and that's it!


I buy = I collect then I might sell
I caught = I keep and I might trade later (no sell)

[sox83cubs84]

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

Are you saying that you have caught 15-20 home run balls over the years, and they were ALL visitor-hit home runs?

That's some kind of unlucky-lucky ball hawking there, guy?[/quote]

Actually, my Wrigley Field home runs (6 total) fall a similar category. The first (Andre Dawson #396) is the only Cubs homer. The other five were all from the "bad guys" (Biggio, Bret Boone, Charles Johnson, Derek Bell, Bichette). I threw NOTHING back...not even a dummy ball. After the Bichette, though, one of the other guys on Waveland Ave. (I can't recall who) got nervous about being whaled on by bleacher drunks, so a dummy ball was thrown back on my behalf).

Dave M.
Chicgo area

[thomecollector]

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

Ever get a Thome HR ?

[Genke]

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

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.

Please excuse me if I am interpreting your story incorrectly, but your butchered english makes it very difficult to understand.

Are you saying that you have caught 15-20 home run balls over the years, and they were ALL visitor-hit home runs?

That's some kind of unlucky-lucky ball hawking there, guy?

[Genke]

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

Just curious, what dates are your Sheff HR balls from?

Waiting.......I'd like to know too.................................

[schubert1970]

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

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)

Just curious, what dates are your Sheff HR balls from?

[Genke]

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

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

Highlighted above, this is the best advice a baseball fan could receive on this subject matter. Live by it.

[Genke]

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

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.....

Give it back to the rightful owner is, of course, just your opinion, because the rightful owner is the one who ends up with it under proper circumstances (didn't plow through a young kid to catch it, didn't wrestle someone to the ground and overtake the ball from their clenched fist, etc.)

What "belongs" in the Hall of Fame is also just an opinion. The Hall Of Fame is largely the recipient of "gifts", and mainly from the actual players and teams in MLB.

You seem to be a very active new member. What is the obsession on these posts you are making? They seem to go all over the place. What is behind all of this?

[ballhawknet]

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

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


Actually Dave M . saw him first , I dont know what exactly was said between them , but Dave M. came outside and told me Bill had the ball allready . lol. When I did see Hall yes I told him that I had the ball
and someone lied to him . I guess I could have just given it to him
then but I thought heck , if he doesnt believe me ( which I really
dont think he does ) whats point in giving it to him . Ive seen him 5-6
times since then in other parks and he rarely says anything when I
say hello other than " Did you bring my ball ? " .So maybe he does
believe me maybe he doesnt. He's got my number ....lol .