In July Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard hit a homerun at Land Shark Stadium during a game against the Florida Marlins. It was the 200th homerun of his career and it took him the fewest games of any play in major league history to reach that landmark. The ball was caught in the stands by twelve year old Jennifer Valdivia who, according to standard procedure in these things, was escorted to the Phillies clubhouse where she was offered an autographed ball in exchange for the one she caught so the memento could be given to the player who hit it. She accepted the offer. (source) Now here's how a nice little story about America's pastime turned into a disgusting tale of American greed:

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The Valdivia family decided they could make some money off the chance event. They hired an attorney and a baseball memorabilia expert who tried to negotiate a return of the ball Jennifer caught. That failed so this week the girl's mother filed a lawsuit. The Phillies agreed to return the ball to Jennifer; probably realizing going to court against a twelve year old fan would not be good publicity for the team.

I guess we'll soon see that ball being auctioned off on e-bay or sold to some private collector and the Valdivia family will make a few bucks. But the cost will be much higher than any profit the sale brings. They have taught their daughter, and many others who hear the story, that being a fan is a way to make a fast buck; that profiting from the accomplishments of others is a perfectly fine thing to do and that if you make a deal and then change your mind, you can just hire an attorney to get you out of it.

Unfortunately the Valdivia case is not an isolated incident. An Oakland Athletics "fan" caught outfielder Matt Carson's first major league homerun this season and refused to give it up unless he was paid for it. The A's usually trade a signed bat for a milestone baseball but the fan told clubhouse personnel "I only want money." He didn't get the $10,000 he allegedly demanded and Carson didn't get his memento. (source)

Baseball used to be a way to teach children about fair play. For generations American parents and their children have shared being a fan - even during those times when they shared little else. A real fan would understand that. And a real fan would rather have an autographed bat or ball than a few extra dollars.