The Final Out Ball? It's for the Birds...
« The Questions | Main | After Christmas Sales »Have you been following the controversy over the ball that was used for the final put-out of the 2004 World Series?
Doug Mientkiewicz was the BoSox first baseman who caught the throw at first for the final out of the Series. He kept the ball and handed it to his wife after the game. He now claims it's his (one news story I read quoted Mientkiewicz as saying the ball represented "four years at Florida State" for one of his kids). The Red Sox, on the other hand, say the ball belongs to the Sox, and by extension, to the fans who have been waiting for a Sox championship for 86 years. Who does the ball belong to?
In an interesting op-ed in the New York Times, University of Tulsa law professor Paul Finkelman argues that the true owner of the ball is.....
The St. Louis Cardinals.
Well, either the Cards, or the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. But check the article out; it's an interesting read.
(Note, the NY Times requires free registration to read articles; to get around it use BugMeNot.)
Posted by Len at January 14, 2005 06:03 AMIt's a compelling argument, especially this bit: "Should the player who catches the last out of a World Series be awarded a valuable souvenir? ... Will it cause teammates to compete with one another for balls that may someday be valuable? From both a business and competitive standpoint, this makes no sense. The players work for a team, and their job is to help the team win."
It's not a pretty dispute to watch--a player and his team fighting over a baseball.
For the love of Pete, it's a freakin' ball! One of dozens probably used in that game.
I was under the impression the Red Sox got a trophy of some kind.
Posted by: Chris Kerstiens at January 14, 2005 12:11 PMHe does make an excellent point, that the ball in fact belongs to neither Mientkiewicz nor the Red Sox. Regardless of what the law says, I think it's clear that nobody is arguing in favor of Mientkiewicz being the rightful owner of the ball. I'm also sure that if the ball were determined to be owned by the Cardinals or MLB, either one of them would surely donate it to the Red Sox, or maybe the HOF in Cooperstown.
Posted by: John at January 14, 2005 02:29 PM