I doubt the world needs another piece on whether to give a foul ball to a nearby kid, but I happen to be sitting next to a nearby kid and she would like me to keep earning money for her college fund, so here the heck goes.
There are nine ways to get a baseball:
- Home run that you catch
- Home run that you pick up
- Foul ball that you catch
- Foul ball that you pick up
- Ball tossed into the stands that you catch
- Ball tossed into the stands that you pick up
- Ball handed into the stands by a ball boy
- Ball hit in batting practice that you catch
- Ball hit in batting practice that you pick up
Generally, it's nice to put other people first. But there's no real obligation to give somebody something just because they also want that thing, and that goes for grownups, children, etc. However, if that thing is worth considerably more to the other person than it is to you—if it is, for instance, an asthma inhaler, and you don't have ashtma, and the other person is gasping for air—then it does become an ethical obligation. Increasing the amount of happiness in the world. Efficient use of happy-making products.
So let's go over those nine ways to get a baseball, by the value that they have to you, as an adult:
- Home run that you catch: 10
- Home run that you pick up: 7 or 8, maybe 9
- Foul ball that you catch: 9
- Foul ball that you pick up: 3
- Ball tossed into the stands that you catch: 1
- Ball tossed into the stands that you pick up: 1
- Ball handed into the stands by a ball boy: 1
- Ball hit in batting practice that you catch: 3
- Ball hit in batting practice that you pick up: 1
And let's go over those nine ways to get a baseball, by the value that they have to a child:
- Home run that you catch: 9
- Home run that you pick up: 9
- Foul ball that you catch: 9
- Foul ball that you pick up: 9
- Ball tossed into the stands that you catch:9
- Ball tossed into the stands that you pick up: 9
- Ball handed into the stands by a ball boy: 9
- Ball hit in batting practice that you catch: 9
- Ball hit in batting practice that you pick up: 9
This is totally just an opinion, one unimportant man's opinion, and I won't judge you and I'm not judging that couple. I'm sure my mind would go blank and it wouldn't occur to me to give a ball away until four hours later. And there are all sorts of other circumstances where maybe the number you would place on a ball goes way up. If the difference was, say, 7 to you and 9 to the child, I'd say keep it. But it's usually not. Other than a home run, or a batted ball that you actually catch, there is very little reason to value or feel pride in that baseball. You didn't do anything to get the ball, you can't do anything with the ball. So it seems a bit wasteful to pass up the chance to make that kid's day.
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For anybody that knows anything about kids this age, he was probably already irritable and fussy after sitting through EIGHT INNINGS of a baseball game, and then a round object that he is probably too young to identify as something cool comes buzzing about six inches from his face.
So he reacted like a 2-3 year old and started crying.
This is internet sensationalism of the worst kind by overreacting to a TV announcer who overreacted to something he probably couldn't see very well on a nine inch monitor while he was supposed to be watching what was going on in the field anyway.
Just ridiculous (not your post, the whole situation)
Furthermore, these people were wrongly vilified and Michael Kay should be embarrassed by his COLOSSAL overreaction and he probably should apologize to them on air.
I'm certainly OK with an adult handing over a ball to a child, but I'm tired of it no longer being a choice. Being young doesn't entitle the child to the ball anymore than the adult who acquired it in the first place.
Any ball after the 1st one, I'd almost certainly give away to a well behaved, deserving looking kid (wearing some team clothes (best would be a non-superstar player), perhaps a glove and certainly totally into the game to that point).
There is a big difference between your first ball and any subsequent ones. I suspect I'd be willing to give away another caught foul under the right conditions. Now if I caught a homerun at Fenway, I suspect I'd feel very attached to it.
My kids have gotten balls tossed to them several times. They were happy at first, but every single time, they had completely misplaced the ball in their rooms by the next day, and forgotten about it.
At first, my oldest kid was probably a 3, and my second kid about a 5. By the next day, it's probably about 1 and 2. Now, they barely remember the events.
Meanwhile, an adult may not enjoy the initial moment better, but they may hold on to the enjoyment longer. What's more important, the initial peak pleasure of the moment, or the long-term enjoyment? It's not so simple an equation.
The kids were ecstatic. Their parents, on the other hand, looked at me like I was offering their kids candy to get them into my windowless van.
I don't run for baseballs though. If I catch one, fine. I don't so scrabbling around the empty seats.
But I do understand fgreenangel2's view. My suggestion? Go to more minor league games.
My other suggestion is never, ever listen to Michael Kay.
I am also sick of the fans preasuring others to throw back home run balls from opposing teams. It was neat and original once.
Over his lifetime he has caught nearly 6,000 baseballs from Major League Stadiums, including Barry Bonds 724th home run, the first home run of the 2007 Home Run Derby, the last home run hit in Shea Stadium, and Mike Trout's first ML home run. He also caught home runs on back-to-back nights in 2008 at Yankee Stadium.
http://www.zackhample.com/