Should fan give back Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit ball?
Should the fan who caught Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit ball, which happened to be a home run, surrender it to the Yankees’ slugger?
It was the first inning and all Alex Rodriguez needed was a bloop single or a cheap slapper and he would join the highly-respected 3,000-hit club. However, he jumped on the first pitch from Justin Verlander, knocked it out of the park and rounded the bases with excitement.
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The New York Yankees have been pretty open about not celebrating the career achievements that A-Rod has amassed this year. That was not the case after the 3,000th hit, though, as the organization apparently offered the fan who caught the ball “tons of memorabilia and promotion.”
Mike Gavin, a Newsday reporter, spoke with the fan, Zack Hample, after he caught the ball. Hample does not plan to return the ball despite the immense offer from the Yankees’ organization and will likely turn down any offer, besides a million dollars, from A-Rod himself.
Hample has actually written a book about catching balls that head into the stands and has hundreds of his own that he collects or donates to children and charity. He normally does not take money for them and he has quite the collection. In fact, he even caught Mike Trout’s first career homer — that may be worth something one day.
So, is he right to keep the ball for himself?
As a baseball collector, this is one of the greatest items to add to the coffer. After all, it’s not everyday you get to snag a home run ball that happens to also be a 3,000th hit from one of the best players of all time.
Hample doesn’t owe Rodriguez anything and, although this is a big moment for A-Rod’s career, he knew there would be a chance that he wouldn’t get the ball back. It’s not like Hample is holding out for more money (although he did say he’d consider a million dollars from Rodriguez via Twitter); he has a history of giving balls to young fans and donating them to charities.
The right guy caught the ball he most likely went to the game to get — although a home run for the 3,000th hit wasn’t a guarantee.
If Hample wants to keep the ball instead of give it back to a player who he is openly not a fan of, then so be it. He gave some quotes on A-Rod after the game that furthers the belief that he should keep the collectable for himself.
Good for you, Zack. Stand up for what you believe in. Although it’s not a popular decision, keeping the ball is the right choice for him, and that’s all that matters.
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