Never seen this before!

oh, my
What age group was this?
I think most of us have experienced the opposite where both teams want to ensure the boy gets the ball as a memento.

Sounds like a coach with some self-security issues and can't handle "losing"
My guess is that most the folks watching were embarrassed by his behavior.

I guess the parent should have pulled a five out of his pocket and handed it to him.

The parent should have appealed to the coach.

Like this:

"Dear Coach Psycho - the ball is horribly scarred. It has been through a terrible ordeal.
It is unusable because it was smashed into the asphalt parking lot behind center field. Look at it - its a mess.

May I please keep the ball Psycho.

LOL

It was high school level.

quote:

The parent should have appealed to the coach.

Like this:

"Dear Coach Psycho - the ball is horribly scarred. It has been through a terrible ordeal.
It is unusable because it was smashed into the asphalt parking lot behind center field. Look at it - its a mess.

a hard blind side tackle can also be effective

Bee,

LOL

its and Bee

LMAO! I can totally see a few of my friends doing something to that effect

Great persuasive argument its! And that coach is psycho...at the very least!

And what planet was he from?
You guys think Bee is kidding, our boys played together from 9-18(yeah HS too)and two of his targets left in the back of an ambulance. The lucky ones looked like this when they came to

IB is exagerating only slightly
he is correct that when his son was up, I went (or sent someone) beyond the fence to retrieve the likely HR ball.

if we were visiting team, if any of our guys hit a dinger WE would give a replacement ball to the PU as soon as the crowd cleared at the plate. that way it was understood that if the ball was retrieved it wasn't going back into play

only much later did I find out that IB took all those cherished HR balls fom his son for IB's BP bucket

Can't you wait until after the game and ask the umpire if you can have one of the balls. Doesn't have to be the exact same ball does it?

quote:

Doesn't have to be the exact same ball does it?

huh?

under your theory I'll make you a great deal on one of Bond's HR balls, you can pick ...

If getting the ball wasnt possible - I would make a request to the umpire to please call the local sanitorium and have Psycho Coach strapped down and carted away.

LOL

I am going to be sort of in the minority in this one because the kid is in high school.

I don't see why it's such a big deal to get a homerun ball in high school. Maybe if it's his first or if he took one deep off a great pitcher I could see getting it. But if it's his career 25th homerun in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 1 - 0 then I don't see why it's so important.

Now let me clarify this though - I am not going to NOT give a kid a ball. If they want it they can have it - I just don't see the big deal.

My first year as head coach I had a kid who was pretty good and he nailed a homerun - nothing special about it. The other team (we were on the road) sent some kids after it and they got it. They returned it to the dugout. After we went into the field this kid's mom comes up to me in the dugout and says for me to get the ball from the other team. I said we can talk about it after the game - I mean I was in the middle of coaching. She didn't ask during P warmups. I guess she sat there and stewed for sometime because when I was back at the 3B coaches box (other team was in 3B dugout) she came over to their dugout and asked the other head coach for the ball - during the game and not warmups.

He looked at her like she was crazy and tossed her a ball out of their practice bucket. She left and I was pretty embarassed. I went over and apologized for her but he said it was no big deal.

I just don't see the big deal unless it is a memento or if you are in little league. Sorry.

Here's one other tidbit that "psycho-coach" may be faced with (as am I)... He may have to turn in a requisition for all equipment on May 15; for the following year. He may not know how much it will rain the next year (as I don't) and how many balls will be lost... he may not know if the wind will blow the balls into the lagoon behind our first base dugout more than usual next year... he may also not know that the girls basketball team will need new warmups (for the 4th straight year; guess who the AD coaches) and so my ball and bat budget gets cut...

I've had parents ask for homerun balls and I tell them... wait till the game is over, if we have any left we'll give you one. So if that makes me a member of the psycho club so be it... for a lot of us getting equipment is very difficult... and before you say it yes... we raise money every year blah blah blah.... not just while my kid is going to school there.

Coming up through little league son was a really good hitter, hit lots of homeruns and we dutifully collected them as most were offered as keep sakes and labeled them with date or game or whatever and put them in one of those cute plastic square cubes. He had quite a collection early on, and when all was said and done at the end of his major season , he had surpassed all records in our league. As he got older of course, they did not come as frequently, but he still had them coming...we got to the point of just putting them into a small brown paper bag with the event/date written on the bag not the ball. So it ends up that he has all these balls in brown bags on the top shelf of his closet. When we were packing him to go off to college, there's all these empty bags, and I am asking what is this all about??? Mom, sometimes we just needed a ball to play with....

Sometimes, a ball is just a ball.

quote:

Originally posted by iheartbb:
Coming up through little league son was a really good hitter, hit lots of homeruns and we dutifully collected them as most were offered as keep sakes and labeled them with date or game or whatever and put them in one of those cute plastic square cubes. He had quite a collection early on, and when all was said and done at the end of his major season , he had surpassed all records in our league. As he got older of course, they did not come as frequently, but he still had them coming...we got to the point of just putting them into a small brown paper bag with the event/date written on the bag not the ball. So it ends up that he has all these balls in brown bags on the top shelf of his closet. When we were packing him to go off to college, there's all these empty bags, and I am asking what is this all about??? Mom, sometimes we just needed a ball to play with....

Sometimes, a ball is just a ball.

DISCLAIMER - I am not trying to be confrontational with my next post.


After reading iheartbb it got me thinking - if getting the ball is more for the parent than the kid? I know back in the day I could care less about getting the ball and I am pretty sure this is the same attitude of my high school players.

Back to the original post - this guy is a jerk. If a high school player wants a ball I say give it to him but I just fail to see what's so big about it.

Oh Gosh cyberspace can be so open for misinterpretutation at times.

I thought I was making a point that a ball is just a ball, and that I as a parent was OK with that.

This is his history, if he wants to use those balls to play a baseball game with his friends, then that is exactly what he did.

I was just asking why there were so many crumpled brown bags on his top shelf, I was not upset with
what the results were.....just asking.


Like I said sometimes, a ball is just a ball

My skinny middle-infielder has hit, count them, ONE home run his entire life. That one came at age 14 and hit the top of the fence before falling over the other side. Believe me, I would LOVE to be in a position to fetch a homerun ball!

quote:

by C2709: don't see why it's such a big deal to get a homerun ball in high school. Maybe if it's his first or if he took one deep off a great pitcher I could see getting it. But if it's his career 25th homerun in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 1 - 0 then I don't see why it's so important

that's why you can do YOUR thing in YOUR dugout, & stay out of the way let Mom do hers at dinner table, the stove, washing machine, family taxi, 2nd job, concession stand, collecting momentos, etc ...

while Dad is supporting sports, raking the field, painting dugout, buying beachers, putting in a jv field, plus paying taxes that PAY YOUR SALARY, furnish your conditioning room & gym, heat your office, etc.

quote:

by T-skipper: He may have to turn in a requisition for all equipment on May 15; for the following year. He may not know how much it will rain the next year (as I don't) and how many balls will be lost... he may not know if the wind will blow the balls into the lagoon behind our first base dugout more than usual next year..

ya may as well throw in the towel if you have to steal HR balls from kids & parents to keep your program afloat (no pun).

actually our hs state fed recognizes that a hr ball no longer belongs to the game in progress -
much different than foul balls that do and should be returned.

shame on the psychos

My sons didn't get their home run balls back in high school, and didn't expect them. Only one exception: a game winning grand slam ball was retrieved and delivered to me by an opposing parent, which I thought was pretty classy as it was a huge game for both squads and they lost.

In Little League, I once had a kid asked for the ball when he hit one over the fence, but foul by a wide margin. I told him it was a foul ball, and he replied, "Longest one I ever hit". I gave it to him.

quote:

by H1: My sons didn't get their home run balls back in high school, and didn't expect them. Only one exception: a game winning grand slam ball was retrieved and delivered to me by an opposing parent, which I thought was pretty classy as it was a huge game for both squads and they lost.

perhaps if you'd have met that "classy parent" much sooner, some would have rubbed off

anyway, I'm sure the boys will forgive you someday ... just admitting your miserable failure here publicly will begin the healing

why do ya think you've been getting those hideous ties each Father's Day

I suppose the parent should just be thankful to not be detained by the local constabulary for investigation of the attempted theft of county property. Another example of government baseball.

The last two that I received are on the mantle in a ball case.

One says, "First Professional Hit".

The other says, "First Professional Home Run".

Both dated and signed by team members.

Not sure if they are THE ball, but they were retrieved, cased, documented, and in the locker just after the game.

I think this is very simply explained:

The coach was PO'd that a HR had been hit off his pitcher. He needed to rain on somebody's parade--turn the happy moment into something sour to match his own mood. He could't take back that HR, but he could sure knock the HR-jubilation out of the fans/parents by being a jerk. A big baby tempertantrum!

That HR ball is obviously no big deal for some folks, and a very big deal for others. At MLB games, cannons and fireworks go off and people try to catch them for keepsakes. At HS games, kids meet the batter at the plate and make a big deal about it. No matter who you are, it's cool when it happens-- whether it's the first or the fortieth time it sails clear of the fence. I'm not judging a parent's desire to keep that momento. (emphasis on MOM!) It's stingy not to let it go if they want it.

If it's a big deal bank breaker, meet the opposing coach after the game and ask for a replacement, but don't go after a parent or fan.

Bee.. i think that is a good rule about the home run ball. I'd like to see our state enact that, everyone would know right up front.
2) we get very few requests for the balls in our games
3) when the wind blows out at our place it's pretty common for 6 or 8 balls to leave the park (another reason I'd like wood)
4) supplies are very hard to come by for my program, if i had a "throw in the towel" attitude... well that line really whizzed me off...

quote:

I'd like to see our state enact that, everyone would know right up front.

Maybe we ought to just pass a Federal constitutional amendment.

That way everything would be equal.

No child's homerun ball would be left behind.

The high schools could get a federal grant for free balls.

MLB could subsidize the baseball manufacturers.

Shoot, I wonder if that would work for bats, gloves and uniforms, too?

That way it could all be equal and free for everybody.

quote:

when the wind blows out at our place it's pretty common for 6 or 8 balls to leave the park

shucks, have your pitchers keep the ball down

NOT EVERY HR BALL IS MEANINGFUL TO PLAYER OR PARENTS - -
But .. if somebody DID want a few of those 6-8 balls for a keepsake you'd be out the price of a Big-Mac meal -

quote:

Bee.. i think that is a good rule about the home run ball. I'd like to see our state enact that, everyone would know right up front.

coach, they didn't have to enact a "rule", amend the Magna Carta, or establish a new government agency as 044 suggests ... just "set an example" w/policy & expect it to be followed

using "midwest horse sense" they simply followed the time honored tradition of baseball w/a twist

during state playoff game format their (mandantory) pregame announcement with the sportsmanship stuff (etc) includes a request all foul balls be returned to a site official or concession stand -
and warns fans to use caution scrambling after HRs (that simple policy sets the tone)




disappointed some coaches couldn't comprende a few basic baseball terms ...

1) gone = just what it says, kiss that ball goodbye

2) out'a the park = kiss that ball goodbye, somebody else owns it

3) kiss that one goodbye = well, R U smarter than a 5th grader??


also disappointed some coaches hadn't noticed that at levels just beyond hs,
it's NOT uncommon for a fan (non-relative) to toss $20 of food into the isle, dive into a scrum, emerge w/torn shirt-soaked/pepsi & mustard, AND an ear-to-ear grin holding up a POP FOUL BALL hit by "who know/who cares" ... while the crowd gives him or her a cheer! PRICELESS!!

noting that fan behavior, a parent or player aquiring a momento is not only logical ..
it's great for the game!

I still enjoy collecting my Son's HR balls. And yes I know they mean more to me then they do to him. Soon, I will not be able to retrive those balls any more. In fact soon I won't be able to watch him play very often. I am happy that I have been able to collect the ones I have.

quote:

Originally posted by iheartbb:
... there's all these empty bags, and I am asking what is this all about??? Mom, sometimes we just needed a ball to play with.... Sometimes, a ball is just a ball.

I did the same thing. My mother went nuts. It was just a ball to me. The only balls given after LL were no-hitters.

A few months ago I noticed the only ball on my son's shelf was the first LL homer (it's in a case). The rest were gone. When I asked my son he said they were probably in the ball bag. Since the ball bag was often in the trunk when he wanted to throw with friends, the balls would go from the shelf to his glove, to his equipment bag to the ball bag.

When my son hit his first homer in middle school on a full size field, the opposing coach wouldn't give our coach the ball. He said he had three game balls and it was one of them. Our coach swapped a new ball for it. Who knows there the ball is now.

We have only 3 baseballs from sons playing years. His first HR in middle school, his first college win (obviously more than one ball used in the game) and a team ball from 2006, the year we went to Omaha.
He hasn't given up his first pro win ball to the collection as yet.

BTW, as they get older, save some stuff, son just got some nice bucks for a sweaty old purple hat.

We have just moved and are unpacking tons of STUFF after 12 years in our old house. I have lots and lots of homerun balls and I don't know what to do with them. Last year, as a freshman, when he hit his first HS HR, the Varsity coach was watching and went in his golf cart and retrieved the ball for him so that was a keeper. But it has gotten where my son likes to leave them at the field where he hits them, sort of like a "momento" to remind the rival school team of him.

Bee,

You sure read that one wrong. My guys didn't expect home run balls back in high school because NOBODY gave them back to them-had nothing to do with me, just wasn't done at the highs schools we played ...and they do have lots of them in plastic cubes from Little League, etc. If either hits one in college, this parent would love to have it. What they want is a conference title ring.

quote:

Originally posted by hokieone:
Bee,

You sure read that one wrong. My guys didn't expect home run balls back in high school because NOBODY gave them back to them-had nothing to do with me, just wasn't done at the highs schools we played ...and they do have lots of them in plastic cubes from Little League, etc. If either hits one in college, this parent would love to have it. What they want is a conference title ring.

Hokieone,
I think that Bee> was teasing you by the use of .

Besides, what do you expect from a ramblin wreck fan?

Good point, TPM. We'll assume it was a smiley face remark...didn't know Bee was a Ramblin' Wreck guy..at least my Hokies did okay with them this year.

They still want that ring numero uno, and older son's last shot is this year!

Hokie,
Yup, the ring is awesome, son wore his once and then gave it to mom to put away.

quote:

They still want that ring numero uno, and older son's last shot is this year!

yup, I'm a r'wreck -- I did hide it from the free world with my "screen name" tho ...
but I do wish your son luck on that ring, mine has 2 (& I have 1 - long story)

go jackets

I guess I’ve been involved in every stage of collecting my son’s baseball memorabilia. I think each parent should do at least some of it. If they don’t want to do it for themselves then do some for his children or his grandchildren.

It all started with me saving home run balls in recreational ball that I printed the details on and placed in these little clear plastic cubes ---- then the no hitters he pitched in high school and his two perfect games nestled in the “gold” plated gloves. I recorded the videos of newscast about his game highlights and his draft during the high school years. Showcase evaluations and recruiting letters are filed in a file cabinet. Scrap booking newspaper articles was a necessary “time filler” on the long weekends away from home during the college games. That got to be a big chore and filled numerous scrap books and the overload is still in boxes. Next the college game TV broadcasts were saved to VHS and have since been converted to DVD’s. His college jersey is framed and hangs in the living room. The wall behind me in the computer room is adorned with plaques and awards. Drawers hold 20 years of ribbons, medals, pins, certificates, plaques, watches, and rings. Being a camera buff I have thousands of pictures on CDs along with numerous prints with a 30X20 framed print dominating the computer room. I do some of this because pictures and videos are a hobby of mine and partly because I’m proud of his baseball accomplishments. The two just blend together. I never saved any of his college baseballs (pitching or home run balls) nor do I have any of his professional memorabilia other than his baseball cards and a few hats I purchased.

The homerun balls were very important to him (and me) during the pre-high school years. However I NEVER personally retrieved a HR ball or even asked about a ball but most were given to me by the “kids” at the ball parks. That practice declined during the high school years and stopped completely during college and pro ball. Someday I will clean out all the nooks and crannies and present him with all his “stuff” --- then he and his family can decide what they want to do with them.

I can't imagine a HS coach approaching a parent to return HR ball, and can't I imagine a parent bugging a coach for a HR ball either. A HR ball in a big game would be nice to have, but I would leave it up to the coach to give it to kid.

You expect anyone to respect the opinion of a "TRIPLE" dad when it comes to "HOMERUN" balls?