Wednesday, July 4, 2018

I have foul balls!


It's the little things in life.

Happy July 4th.

What better subject to write about today than America's Past time:  Baseball.

I was once a HUGE fan -- until the baseball strike of '94.  That was it for me (I know, Mom, "Get over it!").  Haven't been back to a Major League since.  However, I still do enjoy a minor league game from time to time.

Last Friday, Suzanne and I went to Bosse Field, the third oldest baseball park in America, to watch the Evansville Otters.  We saw a boy receive a foul ball from a player.  The kid went "Christmas Morning YouTube Crazy Excited" and showed everyone around his the ball.  I commented how neat it was to watch a kid get that excited over a foul ball and hoped we'd get one.  We did not -- at least IN the stadium.  As we were leaving with a couple of innings to go, a foul ball went out of the stadium and rolled right up to us.  I was a kid again.   And, thanks to Reuben Berman, that boy and I are able to keep the foul balls (I'll get to that later).

The other night, I had the privilege of going with my brother-in-law to watch his son umpire a high-school All-Star game in Hopkinsville, KY.  His son lives in Florida and has moved up the ranks in umping to the college lever. He and his crew got this gig because they were in Nashville for a couple of weeks for a series of games and were available to travel. 

Long foul ball story made longer.  While watching the game along the third base fence, I received another foul ball.  This time I had "Brian the Ump" autograph it for me.  He laughed.  Said that was a first for him. 

So, going back to that kid at Bosse Field.  You think he'll save his foul ball -- even until he's nearly 60?

Why not?  I did.

Twenty-five years ago this week, I caught a foul ball off the bat of Barry Larkin (HOF).  July 6, 1993, Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

As I remember, there were over 20 hits that game, yet the score was only 3 to 2.  Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

Just a few foul ball "facts" from the internet (who knows if these are factual or not):

Each Year, 53,000 Foul Balls Are Batted Into the Stands

While there are no official records kept for most foul balls, the player believed to be the foul ball king is Roy Thomas, who fouled 24 times in one appearance at the plate and may have racked up 27 foul balls on another occasion. Thomas played from 1899 to 1911.

There is a foul ball record that is likely to never be broken:  Philadelphia outfielder Richie Ashburn, who played from 1948-62, was known for his ability to prolong at-bats by fouling off pitches. During one such at-bat in Philadelphia, he fouled off 14 pitches. One of them struck a woman who was sitting in the stands, breaking her nose. While she was being carried off on a stretcher, she was hit by a second foul ball from Ashburn during the same at-bat.

And now for the rest of the story:  May 16, 1921: Reuben Berman keeps a foul ball and is escorted out of the Polo Grounds. He sues for emotional distress. Is awarded the ball and $100 (although he asked for A LOT more than that). Fans are allowed to keep foul balls hit into the stands. (The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, 3rd ed.)

Happy 4th.  I'll be taking a brief holiday and then working during the weekend.  See you here next week.

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

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