Off Topic: The Griffey Ball

the jerk did steal it from someone else. other than that, i agree with you

Cody Ross fails to realize that if it weren't for all of these "money hungry fans" then he wouldn't be making millions of dollars.

F the fan that " caught " it this shouldnt even be made into anything cuz that guy didnt even catch it it jerked it from another fan who has 20 - 25 witnesses that said this guy stole the ball from him including a marlins usher who saw the guy take the ball from him so you shouldnt even have wasted your time posting this cuz they guy that really caught it may press charges so he will decide what he wants for the ball not this moron who " has plans for it "

Cody Ross gets a salary that is market value for his job. His work helps create huge revenues his employers and for that he has a short career span and obligations to fulfill.

Suggesting anyone is entitled to money for getting a baseball at a game is sort of a ridiculous point of view to hold.

In fact, Ross's suggestion that we shouldn't place a dollar value on the history of the game shows that he holds a respect and reverence for the sport that you clearly do not.

While it's fun to evaluate an organization's skill by comparing their operating costs to production, it's really a shame that anyone thinks it's their business what someone else make for doing their job.

Even worse is the idea that you would object to a man's opinion due to a market driven salary he receives that we all drive with our enjoyment of the game.

You might enjoy the thought of tons of money falling into your lap, but most people I know (granted, I don't know many teenagers) are comfortable with the concept of working hard for their money and being paid appropriately to the professional field they've chosen to work in.

You clearly haven't spent much time around people in professional sports or the entertainment industry.

Perhaps you're jealous that they have a job that you think is desirable, but both fields demand a level of dedication when working and preparation between employment that is beyond what most people comprehend.

They offer short career spans and outsized scrutiny for those who make their living in those fields.

To suggest that the athlete who trains his entire life, spends years in on buses between small cities in the middle of the country, leaves his home for months at a time while brutalizing his body in a way that will make him old at 50 doesn't work as hard as the general population is just offensive.

Victor,

I'm not saying it's not a profound amount of money or that the man lacks a legal right to keep it.

I suppose it's nearly anti-American, but I don't believe in accepting money that you don't earn.

You give inheritance to charity. You leave lines of credit for major expenses. You eat a home more than you'd like, go out less than you'd like and you enjoy the life you have rather than looking to get something for nothing.

While your point is very well made, I believe that the fan did earn it. He paid for a ticket in the outfield for a game when an historic home run was hit and had enough skill to catch it. (I'm assuming that he didn't steal it, though clearly he did.) I think it's somewhat analogous situation to, say, buying stock. The buyer can only do so much before fate and the hand of the market give him or her a return. The fan did his homework just as a buyer would too; he probably spent years playing little league to improve his hand-eye coordination and went to the came fully aware of the situation that a ball could be hit to him that would make him thousands of dollars. I think the concept that more people work in industries where they can only try to affect, not produce, an outcome (real estate, entertainment, retail, business in general) makes the point more clear that the term "earn" has varying degrees and that this fan may be closer to earning it than you lead on.

i have a feeling if he would have just gave the ball to griffey, that the kid would have probably taken care of the guy pretty well.

but this whole being an @$$ thing and trying to play hard ball and bargain ... who cares...

"Just give it to the Hall of Fame, get to meet him, get an autograph, whatever. But people get greedy. They want to make some money. I guess the whole Internet thing kicked all of this stuff off. It didn't use to be like this, but it's a different era. People get money hungry now."

Lol, when Ross hits free agency and I'm a team trying to sign him I'd bring up this comment right after I offered him well under market value. Then when he rejects it, I'd throw his own words right back in his face. Ross wouldn't want to look like he was 'money hungry' or 'greedy', but I bet he sees things differently when it's his bank account in question. I'd tell him 'just play for the minimum, you get to play a game for a living, it didn't used to be like this, but I guess people get greedy and money hungry'. Lol, then I'd blame the internet! I bet Ross would say he's just trying to get market value, but isn't that exactly what fans who look to sell historic balls are doing?

Sure, it would be great to see the guy give Griffey the ball, but he is under no obligation to do so. I'm sorry, but if someone is offering me $50,000 or more for that baseball, I'm taking the money every single time and I wouldn't feel one ounce of regret. That is life changing money and to suggest someone is being greedy for taking the money is ridiculous. It's not being greedy, it's being smart and using common sense. This guy bought himself a ticket (a full seasons worth of Marlins tickets, actually- who knew they had season ticket holders?) and caught the ball. It's now his property and he's free to do whatever the hell he wants with it.

And why does Cody Ross feel the need to call out one of his team's fans and call him greedy? This is a guy who helps pay your salary Cody. Shut it!

Yah, what should I do with the ball?

Just joking. LOL

AND he took it from the other fan... why? To make a profit!! Bull#%#!

"Sorry Cody Ross is completely right though ... although it is the fan's choice, this wouldn't have happened in the old days. People had too much respect for the game"

Lol, yeah I'm really sure that Cody Ross wants baseball to be like the 'old days'! Hey Cody, better check the jobs board on your way out of the clubhouse on Oct 3rd, because in the 'old days' when people respected the game the players didn't make enough money to support themselves for the whole year. The day that major leaguers have to work in the offseason is the day they can rip the fans for wanting to make some money.

The character of this "Joe" is really put into perspective when you recall what the brothers that caught Manny Ramirez's 500th HR did. They asked Manny to borrow the ball for the night, took picture with it with their friends, and then gave it back to Manny and got to take some pictures with him and hang out.

I'm not saying that doing what they did is what everyone should do in that situation but it tells you about the different types of people there are. There are so many things "Joe" could have done in this situation and taking the "I'll sell it and be set for life" approach may end up with him getting sued by the guy who allegedly caught it first. If he gave the ball to Griffey and in return got to meet him and get some signed memorabilia (that he could have turned around and sold later on), he wouldn't be in this mess where he needs to hide his identity and has essentially been publically vilified. I'm not saying what he did was right or wrong but that he created this mess for himself.

Did someone say that they don't think he should sell it because he didn't "earn" the money? This guy had season tickets to the Marlins games, right? He sounds like one of the good baseball fans (out of 10) that they have around there. Ross needs to shut his mouth. Like someone else said, if he wants the good ole' days, he should be playing for the good ole' salary of a couple thousand bucks a year, not thousands of bucks per plate appearence.