Foul Ball

I saw this video of a woman snatching a baseball out of a little girl's hands for the first time today. All's fair in love, war and souvenir baseballs but..c'mon.

It reminded me of a time I went to a Charlotte Knights game with my little brother Cody in the early 90s. He was a timid kid and not too fast on his feet so when it came to a scrum for a foul ball he wasn't going to have a good chance. We had talked about getting a foul ball and he really wanted one. We were sitting almost behind home plate and we had a ball and pretty close to us. I went for it and got the ball, beating out a couple of kids. I survived the foul ball wars at the softball field in Bellaire, MI in the seventies. Back then you got a fee bag of popcorn for retrieving a foul ball. It was a blood sport. Those kids at Knights Stadium never had a chance.

After I secured the foul ball I hear an adult say, "Awww, give it to a kid!"

I replied, "I am," and I turned and handed the ball to my overjoyed brother.