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The Cost Of A Foul Ball

Christopher Corazon Written by Christopher Corazon, Wednesday December 28 2011
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I once got a foul ball from Ken Griffey Jr. Well, there's more to the story than that. I was in Detroit at a double header. Good seats, two rows behind the visitor's on deck circle. In the first, Griffey took a foul and handed it - to the five year old in front of me. I was holding a baby, and held him and said in falsetto "Hey Ken, give me the ball."

 

I didn't get the ball, but I did get that trademark Griffey smile. But it was a long double header. Several beers later, "Hey Ken, give me the ball" was not as funny. But three years later, the Kingdome roof fell in, and Seattle moved a home series to Boston at the last minute. Seats were general admission, and  I sat one row behind the visitor's on deck circle. In the first, Griffey took a foul, and flipped it to me.

 

I told that story to a little league player who asked "did he remember you?" And the answer is of course not, because for Griffey it was another day, another year, and the events were 700 miles apart. But for me, it was my three year quest to get a ball from Griffey. I think it's that kind of story SuZann Stone wants to keep going.

 

If you don't know, Stone is the mother of Shannon Stone, the Ranger fan that died trying to catch a foul ball. the mother wrote Josh Hamilton, and asked him to not stop throwing foul balls, because baseball needs that. It's the end of the year, and the story has come up as we look at events of the year. Some have said players should not throw balls into the stands.

 

I agree with SuZann Stone. It is not about the cost of a ball, it is the excitement and the story. But her letter shows she has accepted that the tragedy that happened in Texas was just that, a tragedy, and there is nothing that can bring her son back. We should keep on living, and enjoying baseball, and the chance of a foul ball.


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