Douchebag holds MLB player's first HR ball for ransom

Guy's got some cool pics on his site.
The ball-for-ransom thing is sort of odd, and not something I'd likely do, but ...

If a millionaire player wants his first home-run ball really bad, he's likely of means to provide some "payment."
I'm all for the stoppage of bowing down to these players as gods and giving them everything they want, with nothing in return.
Pro sports is a biz, and the player's association (& agents) routinely attempt to get the most for their clients.

So, let the fans do likewise.
No problem with said fan. He's the abnorm, as fans go.
But, he's into his persona and puts lots of effort into it.
As I said before, it's not how I'd do things.
But I'm all for letting him be.

Carry on.

 

This is where the 'hobby' aspect of it comes into play.

I imagine most of us, if approached by the Marlins after catching the ball would willingly give the ball up and maybe ask to get a picture taken with the guy.

It would be about the experience, not the opportunity to get as much loot as possible. And definitely not a negotiation session.

But for this guy, it's not about the experience, it's about getting as many balls, as many bats, as many freebies as he can. He's not satisfied with the ball he just landed, he's thinking about the next 10 he can snag and what he can get in exchange for them.

Douche.

And calling himself the biggest Brewers fan. I agree with Bubbler, eat a vat of dong. A real fan, of any team, would take a few seconds to enjoy the game, not constantly worry about being in the right place to grab the most balls.

 

Blitz - Here's the thing, the player (who is a rookie, so probably makes the minimum; which is a lot, but he's no millionaire) DID offer payment - a signed bat. Asshat fan - who has a history of this sort of thing - tried to hold out for a lot more, including items that weren't of said player (i.e. Hanley Ramirez). It's not like the guy caught a record home run ball or anything. The ball would only be special for the guy who hit it. I'm guessing that if a kid caught it (especially mine), he'd gladly trade it for an autographed bat and a chance to shake hands with a major-league player. In this case, that seems like a fair deal.

 

The biggest Brewers fan wouldn't don the hat of an opposing team just to get balls. Or hold out on Geoff Jenkins on his 200th HR ball. I have grown to loathe this dick.

 

Yes, the offer of a signed bat was sufficient.
But the ball could have been secured for less than $200 more, I'm guessing.
The player needs to shell it out, hold a grudge against the douche, but carry on.

It's a shame that sports has become such a "business"
But since it has, it now works both ways.
I don't like it either.

 

The ball is only special to the guy ... unless Coghlan ends up in the Hall of Fame one day! Then it's worth a good chunk of change. Just sayin.' I don't know this guy's history, but I don't think his demands were too out of whack. I wouldn't have done it, but others might have asked for even more. Just not that big a deal to me.

 

Eat some, Zach Hample!

From Hample's blog:

 

That's tremendous. Think he realized they weren't doing it because they're pals?

 

Three words: What a tool.

 

I can't decide what's more pathetic about this loser: the fact that he runs around ballparks collecting baseballs or his need to chronicle it in painstaking detail on his blog.

 

What's pathetic is there's more than one of them out there.

 

When was it was not a business? It's ALWAYS been a business.