Baseball season is right around the corner and to celebrate, we are featuring some of our favorite articles that make this game so great.
Test of fanhood or ridiculous tradition?
The sun is shining bright, your beer is icy cold and the sound of the announcer is quite soothing as you sit down in your seat in the middle of a baseball game with a setting that couldn't be more perfect.
All of a sudden, a loud crack of the bat and "Holy crap that ball is coming right for me". You knock down the ball and pick up the ball right before a mad rush of people start clamoring for the new home run treasure.
But there's a problem, that home run wasn't hit by your home team. On what was a perfect day, now comes a decision that could determine how you are treated for the rest of the game.
Do you ignore the "throw it back" chants and keep the once-in-a-lifetime souvenir? Or do you prove your fanhood and respect for the home team?
Hit the title/read more to discover the history and debate on the tradition of "to throw or not to throw it back"....
How and when did the tradition of throwing home run balls back start?
The most difficult part of this article was actually finding out where this tradition originated from. Apparently back in 1969, the founder of the now famous Cub's "Bleacher Bums" Ron Grousl was the first fan to ever throw a home run ball back on the field after the famous Hank Aaron smacked one into the stands.
"It was spur of the moment," confided Murphy (local Chicago sports radio host) "Grousl caught a Hank Aaron home run and said, 'I don't want this ball!' He threw it back to the umpire Chris Pelekoudas ... and that had never been done before. ... It said we don't want any stinking enemy ball out here!"
Leave it to a bitter Cub's fan to start a tradition that is now a pretty heated debate among fans in all ballparks.
Once in a lifetime test- What Would You Do?
Many baseball fans are very passionate about their team and also on how you should display that passion. Some fans measure your passion on what you will or won't do at a game. As is such with the decision of the baseball tradition of throwing home runs and foul balls from the opposing team back on the field.
The gesture is looked at as being a "real fan", ultimately saying "I want nothing to do with your achievement on my home turf". It sounds a little silly to think that your whole fan hood could be tested the minute after you receive one of the greatest treasures in all of sports--free souvenir from a MLB player.
One of the most highly touted rookies by the name of Stephen Strasburg recently made a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. One fan in particular went to the ball park that night and made the decision, ahead of time, that if a home run was hit off of Strasburg, he would be the first one to throw the ball back. It just so happened to play out to his favor and the fan held true to his word.
Immediately following the fan throwing the ball back he was asked for a comment and the fan replied "I'm just letting Strasburg know I have his back, as should everyone else here."
Others sitting around the "lucky" fan were also quoted as saying ""You do whatever you have to do for your team, This guy's a hero.", "I thought he should have been the fan of the game". " It's an American tradition. That's what baseball's all about, you throw that [junk] back."
Not everyone supports the mental "badge of honor"
Dodger's manager Joe Torre has quite the opposite opinion on the age old tradition and was recently quoted as saying "To me, that's the greatest souvenir in the world, and you throw it back? Now fans feel like they're criminals if they don't throw the ball back," Torre said.
Sure its easy for others who didn't catch the ball, to make the chants to "throw it back" but for others who made the decision to keep the ball, were not meant with such praise but rather incensed heckling, cursing and booing.
What if you're a little kid and catching that ball is the highlight of your life? Should you listen to other drunk fans scream at you until you are forced to give up the home run? Or what if the home run ball actually is worth some change as in the case for the Strasburg game? That home run ball, because it was hit off Strasburg, was valued at least $1000.
To get the best of both worlds, some fans anticipate catching a home run so much that they bring a "dummy ball". Should the fan catch a home run, he would make the ole' switcharoo, throw the dummy ball back and keep the real home run to save himself the shame from surrounding fans.
Problem solved right? Not so much. As you can imagine, if you catch a home run, at least 50 pairs of eyes will be on you immediately following and most fans have wised up and learned to spot the bait and switch.
Another setback for the "throw it back" crowd is the increasing number of MLB stadiums that have prohibited throwing anything onto a field, including home run balls. Some fans have been kicked out of games for showing their "fan hood" and dedication to their team. I understand the ban, but as with any rule, there are exceptions and this choice should be left up to the fan.
What would you do?
Personally, I find it very hard to imagine catching a home run or foul ball (something that has never happened to me before) and actually choosing to throw it back. But to counteract that feeling, I along with many other baseball fans are extremely superstitious and I firmly believe in doing everything I can to help my team win. So much so that every year after the All Star break, I take my Red Sox hat that I wore during the 2004 run and place it on a certain spot on my couch, never to be moved until after the baseball season, sounds crazy but dammit, I like to think I'm helping them out by doing my "10th man" contribution.
But as with many baseball fans, I also love memorabilia, and what better souvenir than a home run ball from a game? My first impressions are to say "the hell with the other fans and what they think, I'm keeping this damn ball forever".
But then I heard a commenter on a baseball site say the following:
This comment made me change my mind. In a perfect situation, I would take a picture with the ball and quickly throw it back on to the field. I think that would satisfy both my thirst for memorabilia and solidify my fanhood as doing "whatever it takes for the team".
Could you throw a home run ball back if it was hit by the opposing team? Let us know in the comments.
