I don't care if the kid hits a home run every game - if the kid/parent wants the ball, I say they get it. Some kids/parents don't care, some do. I get that balls cost money, but in my view your coach handled it very, very poorly. I'm especially curious about berating the player who came back empty handed - what is the expectation? Is the kid supposed to wrestle the parent in the outfield to get it back?