Give the Foul Ball to a Kid or Keep It?

Going to a baseball game can be a very exciting experience for kids and adults alike. Being able to enjoy the outdoors and seeing your favorite team play is a great way to relax and enjoy yourself. An added bonus of going to the ballpark is being able to catch a foul ball, especially if it's hit by one of your favorite players. For years the tradition has been, if an adult catches a foul ball, pass it on to a kid nearby. But why should you?

Being able to go to the old ballpark and catch a foul ball is something that many people dream of. Imagine being a huge baseball fan as a child and never being able to go experience a live ballgame until you're an adult. You've dreamt for years of being one of the lucky ones and catching a foul ball to keep for a fond memory. Once you're at the game, you begin to really enjoy yourself, watching your favorite team battle for a win. Then out of nowhere it happens; a foul ball is hit and coming straight towards you. You reach for it and catch it with both hands; a dream come true. Now, imagine all the thousands of people in attendance cheering you on once you catch it. Picture the same people who just cheered for you, boo you nearly out of the stadium if you don't give the ball up to a kid nearby. Watch a baseball game on television; it happens all the time.

Let's face it; in order for anyone to catch a foul ball at a professional baseball game depends solely on luck. Suppose you went to a professional baseball game where the attendance is 40,000 plus. Now let's say the section that you're sitting in has about 10,000 people. The odds of you catching a foul ball hit in your direction are 1/10,000. Now combine that with the fact that it's always been a dream of yours, is not worth giving it to a kid nearby so you don't get heckled. Just ask now Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. A couple years ago while attending a baseball game where the Mets were playing the Giants, Henderson of all people, caught a foul ball. The crowd began to cheer for him then watched as he did the unexpected, he kept the ball instead of giving it to a kid nearby. When asked about it, Henderson said, "Everyone was asking me for the ball. I said, you're not getting this ball. I've always wanted to get a foul ball. This one's going on a shelf at home."

Now if a Hall of Famer wouldn't give up a foul ball, why should you? If you're ever one of the lucky ones and catch a foul ball while attending a baseball game, keep it. When the crowd turns on you and begins to boo you for not giving it to a kid, ignore it. If it's not your own kid, don't even think of giving the ball away. Remember, you're there to have fun and get memories of your own. Enjoy yourself.

Sources:

Union-Tribune News Service
www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20070510-9999-1s10gallery.html
Want a foul ball? Then catch it, kid

David Appleman
www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/foul-balls-again/
Foul Balls Again