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opinion:
our view
For love of the
game
Remember a few weeks back when Barry Bonds of the San Francisco
Giants hit his record-breaking 73rd home run of the season?
It was quite an accomplishment for Bonds, but he did make
one crucial mistake - hitting the ball into a gaggle of fans
that had strategically placed themselves to catch this ball
and cash in on its value.
The ensuing melee
for the ball - which could fetch between $1 million and $3
million when sold - was both pathetic and hilarious. Finally,
a lone man emerged from the scrum with the vaunted ball and
was escorted away from the mob by police.
His name is Patrick
Hayashi, and it appeared he had won the Barry Bonds home run
ball lottery.
Not so fast, Patrick.
Alex Popov, who was also in the crowd, said he was the rightful
owner of the ball. Huh?
Popov claims he
caught the sacred ball on the fly with a baseball glove -
Popov is 37; don't see too many 37-year-olds with baseball
gloves at games these days - and was then mobbed by the crowd.
According to Popov, the ball came loose and was maliciously
scooped up, apparently by Hayashi.
Hmmm, situation
brewing. Would these two try and work out a compromise, you
know, split the money from the sale of the ball or hold joint
custody of the little guy, where Hayashi would get the ball
during the week and Popov on weekends? Of course not. This
is the United States, home of the free and land of a seemingly
endless throng of lawyers just waiting for to pounce on a
situation like this one.
And some of America's
finest did. The ball was put into a safe deposit box and courtroom
fireworks are now on tap. Both men have a legitimate argument
as to why each is the rightful owner of Bonds' ball.
A videotape shot
by a news station appeared to show Popov catching the ball
before being pummeled by the money-hungry - excuse us - baseball-loving
crowd. But even more videotape shows Hayashi walking away
holding the ball with police in tow.
As Hayashi's lawyer
so eloquently put it: "A catch isn't a catch if you drop
the ball."
Na-nee, Na-nee,
Na-nee!
So the inevitable
happened. The two ball-handlers were in a San Francisco court
Tuesday where a judge determined that the ball's rightful
owner will be decided during a trial.
We would like to
offer a solution. If Popov is that great of a catch, have
him and Hayashi play a little game of long toss. After each
throw, both men will take a step back until one drops the
ball, and the non-dropper can keep the ball. Have it at Pac
Bell Park, the stadium where Bonds hit the homer. Charge admission,
get cheerleaders, have Bonds throw out the first ... ball.
Hey, it could be a whole production.
"It only about
a baseball," Hayashi's lawyer reminded everybody Tuesday,
visions of commissions and billable hours dancing in his head.
"I want my
ball back," Popov said Tuesday, apparently referring
to the one Bonds hit.
Oh, thanks guys.
For a second there we thought this might have been about money.
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