The Culture of Greed

I did not anticipate that this blog would take on a sports-oriented theme, but, as luck would have it, my first two posts are inspired by sports....okay, I lied.  I talk about nothing but sports, so it is really no surprise to me.

The specific story deals with one of my hometown heroes, Ryan Howard.  Apparently, a controversy brewed over his 200th home run ball, hit in Florida back in July.  Young Jennifer Valdivia became the lucky recipient of Ryan's 200th home run.  The Phillies took her down to the clubhouse, where she exchanged the ball for an autographed baseball.  Shortly thereafter, her mother got the bright idea to sue the Phillies in order to get the ball back.

Of course, there is always more to the story. Apparently, the lawsuit stemmed from her perceived mistreatment by the Phillies, which, frankly, is difficult to believe, given the Phillies history of treating its fans well and given that she had the opportunity to meet Charlie Manuel (and allegedly others) in the clubhouse.

Regardless of what happened and how, there are a couple of issues that spring to mind.  First, somehow I doubt that Ms. Valdivia gave the autographed ball back when she filed her lawsuit and subsequently received the Howard home run ball.  So now she gets both...congratulations on your extra income you extorted from Howard and the Phils.  Second, it seems to me that since an exchange actually took place, Howard would have had a good legal argument that there was consideration and performance, and, hence, a valid contract.

Fans, though, do have a right to the ball.  No one can, or should, make a fan give the ball back.  It is not Ryan Howard's ball; it is Major League Baseball's ball.  Once it gets to the stands, it is the fan's ball.  If the player really wants it, the player can pay for it, whether in cash or merchandise.  I would give the ball over, but, honestly, I would want something in return - a jersey or a bat, plus a picture...something my kids and I could enjoy over time.

If there was some perceived or actual intimidation, that is not acceptable.  On the other hand, it seems to me that mom had someone whisper in her ear that the ball would be worth something bigger down the line, and used her kid as a pawn in an attempt to pay her rent or mortgage.  That's too bad.  If I were the Marlins, I would be worried...baseball karma is a funky thing.