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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chasing baseballs: tradition as old as game itself

Jon Krawczynski Associated Press

Long before he became a big-league All-Star, Ron Coomer was a little kid growing up in Chicago who delighted in going to ballgames with a mitt on his hand and his father by his side.

They would head to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs or Comiskey Park to check out the White Sox, but the game itself was almost a sideshow for little Coomer. More than a win for the home team, more than seeing a homer from Ron Santo, Coomer always wanted to get his hands on a baseball used in the game.

“Every person who has ever been to a ballpark would love to get a baseball,” Coomer said in a telephone interview on Friday. “Other than getting your favorite player’s autograph, getting a baseball was what you wanted the most.”

Maybe even more than the crack of the bat, a hot dog with relish or the seventh-inning stretch, the prospect of bringing home a piece of the game is one of the most charming and unique parts of America’s pastime, a tradition as old as baseball itself.

“I think it’s about connecting to the sport and to our heroes and feeling like we’re involved somehow,” said 33-year-old Zack Hample, who has collected more than 5,000 baseballs and written three books on the subject.

“There’s something extra special about earning or catching your souvenir as opposed to buying one in a souvenir store.

“Anyone can go buy a baseball, but to get someone as good as Josh Hamilton to pick you out and throw it to you, to have his DNA on the ball, to have the story to go with it, there’s something very exciting about that.”

It’s been that way for as long as the game has been played.

From Ebbets Field in early 20th century Brooklyn to Target Field in 21st century Minneapolis, fans have always gone to the ballpark in hopes of getting their hands on a baseball used by their heroes.

The strongest memories seem to be made when a player flips a ball to a fan in the stands. It’s a personal connection, if only for a few seconds, that seems to be equally rewarding for both sides.

Think about it. How often did Brett Favre toss a football into the stands at Lambeau or Kobe Bryant flip a basketball to a kid at Staples Center?

Happens all the time at the ballpark.

“I can’t tell you, through the years, how many people have come up to me and said, ‘You threw the ball to my son or my daughter,’ or ‘You tossed me a ball at a game,’ ” said Coomer, who spent nine years in the big leagues with the Twins, Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees. “The impact that made on people, you might forget their names or you might forget their faces, but you never forget how good it made you feel to see the smile it put on somebody’s face.”

The smile, Hample said, lasts long after the catch is made.

“If you are that person, you have a story for the rest of your life,” he said. “It’s not all about catching A-Rod’s 800th homer or a walk-off grand slam, that’s the pinnacle of catching baseballs.

“Sometimes something as simple as a batting practice toss up from a player is just as thrilling. You’re connecting directly with a big league ball player.”

There is some inherent risk involved, however, even when there isn’t a battle for a historic ball like Bonds’ 756th home run.

Tumbling over a field-level railing is relatively common when a foul ball is hit down the lines, normally a harmless accident that induces chuckles and maybe a wisecrack on a late-night highlight show.

In August 2008, 10-year-old Phillies fan Kenny Campbell fell about 15 feet from the right-field stands to the warning track at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia while reaching for a ball hit during batting practice. Clearly shaken, but not seriously injured, Campbell was comforted by Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey while stadium officials rushed to examine him.

For some, the eagerness to catch a souvenir has brought anger. Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth berated a man for catching a foul ball over Werth in 2010, and of course Steve Bartman was vilified by many for touching near him in the stands, preventing Cubs outfielder Moises Alou from a chance to catch it in the 2003 NLCS.

All that pales in comparison to what happened to 39-year-old Rangers fan Shannon Stone, who was fatally injured when he fell 20 feet to his death on Thursday night while reaching for a ball tossed into the stands by Hamilton, all in an effort to get it for his 6-year-old son Cooper.

Stone’s death resonated with players throughout the league. It may only be a $10 piece of rawhide, rubber and string to them, but to fans it’s a treasured keepsake and a story that can be told forever.

“I always toss it three or four rows deep at least,” Indians outfielder Michael Brantley said. “What a sad sight that was to see. I feel so bad for everyone involved.”

Milwaukee closer John Axford agreed.

“It’s such a friendly part and a happy part of the game, especially with a father and son and for it to end in such a tragedy, it’s just full-on brokenhearted,” he said.