Jeter 3000th Hit Ball

[Big Sexy]

On Saturday Derek Jeter got his 3000th hit and it happened at home at Yankee Stadium. However, the hit happened to be a home run meaning a fan had possession of the ball with no legal obligation to give it back. The fan was 23 year old Christian Lopez. He is a mobile phone salesman from Highland Mills New York and he just graduated college last year. Lopez could have made an estimated $250,000 if he had sold the ball. Instead he gave the ball to Jeter without asking for anything. Even though he didn't ask, Jeter and the Yankees still hooked him up with three signed bats, three signed balls, two signed jerseys, and four Champions Suite tickets to every one of the 31 remaining regular season home games and any home games the Yankees play in the playoffs. It is an overall estimate of about $70,000 in value meaning Lopez potentially gave up around $180,000 by giving Jeter the ball back. So I ask you: Would you have given the ball back to Jeter? What if it was a player from your home town team reaching a similar milestone?

The answer to the first question for me is no. I'm a 22 year old about to graduate college so I can sympathize with the fact that Lopez is likely strapped for cash. $250,000 is a lot of money and I could easily pay off all of my college loans with that and still have a little over $200,000 left. I don't like the Yankees and I'm indifferent on Jeter so I would feel no sense of loyalty to give him the ball. One big reason for that is because I guarantee he would have absolutely no trouble outbidding pretty much anybody to get the ball back. $250,000 would be nothing to Jeter.

With that said, if it was a hometown player I'd give the ball back. There's a sense of pride you feel for your hometown teams, plus any organization with even a little class would hook you up similarly to how the Yankees hooked up Lopez. When it's your favorite team and likely one of your favorite players the situation changes completely.

 

[People's Champ]

For me, yes I would give it back. I don't like the Yankees, I don't really like Jeter, I don't like their fans; but I would just give it back. I know money could be made-a lot of money-by selling it, but I'd rather see it go te guy who it means a lot to. And while I'm sure they could just out bid everyone to get it back, it would just be cool to hand it back. That's why I give this guy props. Not an easy thing to do, but something I would.

As far as that happening to a hometown player, even more so. In fact, that situation happened not to long ago with Barry Bonds' single season HR chase, as well as the all-time HR leaderboard. If I happened to catch either of those milestone balls, I would have given the ball back. Maybe not the smartest thing to do considering what could be earned, but something I would feel good doing.

 

[The Brain]

For the sake of honesty and at the risk of sounding unpopular I would not give the ball back in either instance. I would absolutely sell it. I’m just an average working stiff who lives from paycheck to paycheck to pay the bills. If I had the opportunity to get that kind of money you better believe I’d take it. I wouldn’t do anything crazy with it. I don’t want an expensive new car or a dream vacation. I would simply pay off my mortgage and relieve myself of some of the pressures of life. Not having to worry about my mortgage payments would make a huge difference in my life and Jeter wouldn’t even notice giving it up. $250,000 to him is like $250 to me. If these players weren’t so ridiculously rich it would be a different story, but if Jeter’s pocket change can really make a difference in my life why shouldn’t I take it?

 

[Big Sexy]

For the sake of honesty and at the risk of sounding unpopular I would not give the ball back in either instance. I would absolutely sell it. I’m just an average working stiff who lives from paycheck to paycheck to pay the bills. If I had the opportunity to get that kind of money you better believe I’d take it. I wouldn’t do anything crazy with it. I don’t want an expensive new car or a dream vacation. I would simply pay off my mortgage and relieve myself of some of the pressures of life. Not having to worry about my mortgage payments would make a huge difference in my life and Jeter wouldn’t even notice giving it up. $250,000 to him is like $250 to me. If these players weren’t so ridiculously rich it would be a different story, but if Jeter’s pocket change can really make a difference in my life why shouldn’t I take it?

I agree with you for the most part. The only reason I'd give it back to a hometown guy is because I don't really want to be seen as a hated figure in my own sports town. Many fans are reasonable and wouldn't care but there are just as many over sensitive, hardcore, die hard fans that may do something stupid. I also know that getting hooked up with memorabilia and tickets could also be very lucrative. Not as lucrative maybe but still enough to give me the best of both worlds.

With that said if there was not enough compensation involved with giving the ball up then it wouldn't be happening. I don't care if it's my childhood hero I need to have a certain level of compensation before I give up my meal ticket.

 

[Fizzy]

Fuck no I wouldn't give it back. $250,000 is way to much money to just give up. With that money, I could pay off my house and cars, pay for a majority of my future kids college and even though I live very comfortably now, i'd be even more so with that money. So what you're given some seats to games and some memorabilia, you can't buy food with it unless you sell it. I can see why the guy did that and as a Yankees fan, I commend him for that, but I would never in my lifetime do that. I don't care if every New York fan hates my guts, I would not give that ball away for free. Jeter is one of the greatest shortstops to ever play baseball and I couldn't be happier for him to reach this milestone in such spectacular fashion, but i'd sell that thing as fast as possible.

 

[Megatron]

While it may be the right thing to do to give him the ball back, I'm not dumb. $250,000 is a shit ton of money that is just like pocket change to Jeter, but to someone like me, who'll be attending college in only 2 years, it'd be nice to have money to pay for the entire experience. Not only that, but I could save it and use it down the line when I have mortgages and taxes and shit to pay for. So no, I wouldn't have just given the ball back. And I don't think I would've done it if it was a hometown player either, even though that would be a slightly tougher decision.

But for the most part I'm pretty sure I'd keep the ball and make bank on it.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Can't stand the Yankees. Making money off the ball would be just compensation for having to hear about them all the time. Jeter is insanely overrated. He plays his career anywhere else. He's probably benched a few years ago, never gets to 3,000, and is remembered as a SS with limited range, no power, but a great contact hitter. Borderline hall of famer.