Having a ball from Series could have consequences By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY
HOUSTON — If shortstop Adam Everett catches the final out that ignites a World Series celebration for the Houston Astros, he has a plan for the ball. "It'd be a special thing to have," Everett said. "I'd keep it until somebody tries to take it away from me."
<table class="sidebar" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="4">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2">
</td> <td rowspan="2">
</td> <td class="sidebar" valign="top" width="75">Doug Mientkiewicz gloves the final-out ball of the 2004 World Series against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Oct. 27, 2004.</td> <td rowspan="2">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="bottom">By Mark Humphrey, AP</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> What happens to the World Series final-out baseball had never been an issue until the defending champion Boston Red Sox made it one last season. They asked first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught the final out, for the ball, and controversy followed the Red Sox's first title since 1918.
The ball is on display at Fenway Park but will eventually be returned to Mientkiewicz. It was the first time since at least 1990 that a winning team has asked the player for the baseball. In previous World Series, the player who caught the ball always kept it or gave it to someone of his choosing. (Related item: Where are Series-ending balls now?)
Players such as New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams say Mientkiewicz did nothing wrong. Williams has the final-out ball from the Yankees' 2000 World Series win and said the team would have to win a court case to get it from him.
"I think that whoever catches the final out has the right to do whatever he wants to with the ball," Williams says. "If he wants to donate it, fine. If he wants to sell it, fine. If he wants to keep it, fine.
"It is fate."
After Luis Gonzalez got the hit that won the 2001 World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball officials authenticated the ball and told him he could do whatever he wanted with the ball.
"I kept the ball overnight, and the more I thought about it the more I realized I felt like the ball should go to (team owner) Jerry Colangelo," Gonzalez says. "He was the guy instrumental in bringing all of us here."
The Chicago White Sox lead the World Series 2-0 going into Game 3 tonight in Houston, and if White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski winds up with the final-out ball, he said he'd keep it. But he understands the issue.
"It was an unfortunate situation because (Mientkiewicz) was put in a bad place from the get-go," Pierzynski said. "But at the same time, that ball was special to the Red Sox. It was a no-win situation for him as soon as the Red Sox got involved. He had to give it up."
Last offseason, Mientkiewicz did an interview with Dan Shaughnessy, a columnist for The Boston Globe, about a possible trade. When Shaughnessy asked about the final-out ball, Mientkiewicz joked that he was going to sell the ball to finance his kids' education.
The next day, Red Sox owner John Henry asked Mientkiewicz for the ball, and he gave it to them on loan for a year so they could display it at Fenway Park. But a national debate broke out about Mientkiewicz's character and the rightful owner.
Mientkiewicz, who played for the New York Mets this season, says Shaughnessy, author of Reversing the Curse, turned an innocent joke into a news story with no merit.
Shaughnessy said he knows Mientkiewicz was joking and that his story was tongue-in-cheek until the Red Sox gave it an "edge" by saying they weren't happy Mientkiewicz had the ball.
"I'm not making any judgments," Shaughnessy says. "I don't think he's a bad guy for keeping the ball."
The Red Sox said they are happy that their fans are getting to see the ball and they aren't sure what's going to happen with it. The Red Sox, though, broke tradition by asking for the ball.
History says that Mientkiewicz keeping the ball isn't unusual, though the final-out balls from the 1903, 1962 and 1988 World Series are in the Hall of Fame.
Mientkiewicz didn't mind loaning the ball to the Red Sox, but he could have done without having to fight the perception that he was greedy.
"I don't even have kids," he says.
Reporters camped outside his house and followed his parents, sister and wife. He said he got ripped by fans in every ballpark.
"And I was on that CNN crawl, sandwiched between the Laci Peterson murder trial and tsunami victims," Mientkiewicz says. "I didn't do anything wrong, but it's no fun when the whole world thinks the opposite. You would have thought I stole Ted Williams' body and wasn't going to give it back."
How to fix the problem? St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen says if he ever gets a final-out ball, he has a plan.
"I'd flip it into the stands, like I always do," he said. "A baseball is a baseball. There are a lot of them around."
***
Where are they now?
1990
• The final out: The Cincinnati Reds complete a sweep of the Oakland Athletics when Carney Lansford's foul pop is caught by first baseman Todd Benzinger for a 2-1 victory in Game 4 in Oakland.
• Where's the ball? On display at the Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum at the Great American Ballpark, although Benzinger is still considered the owner of the ball.
1991
• The final out: Gene Larkin's bases-loaded single scores Dan Gladden in the 10th to give the host Minnesota Twins a 1-0 win in Game 7.
• Where's the ball? No one knows. The ball rolled into the outfield, and nobody thought about it during the celebration. "The question comes up all the time, but no one has ever come forward," says Larkin, who has the bat displayed in his home. "A fan or a clubhouse worker could have picked up the ball, but all I know is that I am not in possession of it."
1992
• The final out: Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Timlin picks up Otis Nixon's bunt and throws to first baseman Joe Carter as they beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in Game 6.
• Where's the ball? It's on display in Timlin's office at his home, encased with his shoes, glove, hat, uniform top and six tickets.
1993
• The final out: Joe Carter homers off Philadelphia Phillies reliever Mitch Williams with one out in the ninth inning of Game 6, giving the Blue Jays an 8-6 victory.
• Where's the ball? Although it was a homer, the ball never went into the seats, falling behind the left-field fence at the SkyDome in an area accessible only to groundskeepers and officials. The ball was retrieved, and Carter has it on display in his Kansas home.
1995
• The final out: The Cleveland Indians' Carlos Baerga flies to center fielder Marquis Grissom and the Braves win Game 6 1-0 to capture the series.
• Where's the ball? The Braves don't know, and Grissom was unavailable for comment.
1996
• The final out: The Braves' Mark Lemke hits a pop to third baseman Charlie Hayes, who catches it in foul ground to finish the New York Yankees' 3-1 Game 6 victory and give the Bronx Bombers a World Series title in manager Joe Torre's first season.
• Where's the ball? Displayed in Hayes' living room.
1997
• The final out: With the score tied at 2 in the 11th, the Marlins win Game 7 when Edgar Renteria singles up the middle off Indians pitcher Charles Nagy to score Craig Counsell.
• Where's the ball? No one knows. Mike Wallace, the Marlins equipment manager at the time, says his staff was too busy putting equipment away to notice. Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski, now the Detroit Tigers GM, doesn't know of any club official who has the ball. Kenny Lofton, the Indians center fielder at the time, doesn't have a recollection of the ball either.
1998
• The final out: The San Diego Padres' Mark Sweeney grounds to Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius, who throws to first baseman Tino Martinez to finish the sweep with a 3-0 home victory.
• Where's the ball? With Martinez's glove in a safe-deposit box. "I'm never going to use the glove again," Martinez says.
1999
• The final out: The Yankees complete a sweep when the Braves' Keith Lockhart hits a fly to left fielder Chad Curtis to end New York's 4-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.
• Where's the ball? Curtis gave it to a security guard, Dan Weiss, who helped Curtis and his family when they lived in New York. When Weiss said he wanted to give the ball back, Curtis said he autographed it, "To Dan," and said, "Now what am I going to do with a ball that says, 'To Dan?' He would have never sold it, but I wanted it to have value to him as a friend."
2000
• The final out: At New York's Shea Stadium, the Yankees celebrate a Subway Series win against the Mets after center fielder Bernie Williams catches Mike Piazza's fly ball to end Game 5, a 4-2 victory.
• Where's the ball? Williams had it signed by his teammates and keeps it in his trophy case at home.
2001
• The final out: Luis Gonzalez's RBI single against Mariano Rivera over the Yankees' drawn-in infield scores Jay Bell and caps a two-run rally, giving the Arizona Diamondbacks a 3-2, Game 7 win on their home field.
• Where's the ball? Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams picked up the ball and gave it to Gonzalez, who gave it to team owner Jerry Colangelo. It was in Colangelo's desk drawer until he left the team last year. "I've been chasing that dream of a championship my whole life, as a competitor, an athlete and then in terms of management and ownership," Colangelo says. "It signifies the culmination of a lifetime pursuit."
2002
• The final out: In Game 7 at Anaheim, San Francisco's Kenny Lofton flies out to center fielder Darin Erstad, giving the Angels a 4-1 win and their first World Series title. "As the ball came down, I heard this voice say, 'Use two hands,' like my dad had taught me my entire life," Erstad says.
• Where's the ball? In a box at Erstad's house. He tried to give it to Angels closer Troy Percival— as he did with each of Percival's saves that season — but Percival told him to keep it. "It's a cool thing, and I know the importance of it," Erstad says. "But if the Angels want it, they can have it."
2003
• The final out: Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett fields a grounder from the Yankees' Jorge Posada and tags him out, giving Florida the series victory in Game 6 at New York.
• Where's the ball? It has not left Beckett's glove. The glove and ball sat in his baseball bag in his garage for a couple of months after the World Series, but now the glove and ball are displayed in Beckett's home in Texas.
2004
• The final out: St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Edgar Renteria bounces to Boston Red Sox closer Keith Foulke, who tosses to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to complete a four-game sweep and secure the Red Sox's first championship since 1918.
• Where's the ball? In the Red Sox Hall of Fame. It will be returned to Mientkiewicz in January.
HOUSTON — If shortstop Adam Everett catches the final out that ignites a World Series celebration for the Houston Astros, he has a plan for the ball. "It'd be a special thing to have," Everett said. "I'd keep it until somebody tries to take it away from me."
<table class="sidebar" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="4">
The ball is on display at Fenway Park but will eventually be returned to Mientkiewicz. It was the first time since at least 1990 that a winning team has asked the player for the baseball. In previous World Series, the player who caught the ball always kept it or gave it to someone of his choosing. (Related item: Where are Series-ending balls now?)
Players such as New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams say Mientkiewicz did nothing wrong. Williams has the final-out ball from the Yankees' 2000 World Series win and said the team would have to win a court case to get it from him.
"I think that whoever catches the final out has the right to do whatever he wants to with the ball," Williams says. "If he wants to donate it, fine. If he wants to sell it, fine. If he wants to keep it, fine.
"It is fate."
After Luis Gonzalez got the hit that won the 2001 World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball officials authenticated the ball and told him he could do whatever he wanted with the ball.
"I kept the ball overnight, and the more I thought about it the more I realized I felt like the ball should go to (team owner) Jerry Colangelo," Gonzalez says. "He was the guy instrumental in bringing all of us here."
The Chicago White Sox lead the World Series 2-0 going into Game 3 tonight in Houston, and if White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski winds up with the final-out ball, he said he'd keep it. But he understands the issue.
"It was an unfortunate situation because (Mientkiewicz) was put in a bad place from the get-go," Pierzynski said. "But at the same time, that ball was special to the Red Sox. It was a no-win situation for him as soon as the Red Sox got involved. He had to give it up."
Last offseason, Mientkiewicz did an interview with Dan Shaughnessy, a columnist for The Boston Globe, about a possible trade. When Shaughnessy asked about the final-out ball, Mientkiewicz joked that he was going to sell the ball to finance his kids' education.
The next day, Red Sox owner John Henry asked Mientkiewicz for the ball, and he gave it to them on loan for a year so they could display it at Fenway Park. But a national debate broke out about Mientkiewicz's character and the rightful owner.
Mientkiewicz, who played for the New York Mets this season, says Shaughnessy, author of Reversing the Curse, turned an innocent joke into a news story with no merit.
Shaughnessy said he knows Mientkiewicz was joking and that his story was tongue-in-cheek until the Red Sox gave it an "edge" by saying they weren't happy Mientkiewicz had the ball.
"I'm not making any judgments," Shaughnessy says. "I don't think he's a bad guy for keeping the ball."
The Red Sox said they are happy that their fans are getting to see the ball and they aren't sure what's going to happen with it. The Red Sox, though, broke tradition by asking for the ball.
History says that Mientkiewicz keeping the ball isn't unusual, though the final-out balls from the 1903, 1962 and 1988 World Series are in the Hall of Fame.
Mientkiewicz didn't mind loaning the ball to the Red Sox, but he could have done without having to fight the perception that he was greedy.
"I don't even have kids," he says.
Reporters camped outside his house and followed his parents, sister and wife. He said he got ripped by fans in every ballpark.
"And I was on that CNN crawl, sandwiched between the Laci Peterson murder trial and tsunami victims," Mientkiewicz says. "I didn't do anything wrong, but it's no fun when the whole world thinks the opposite. You would have thought I stole Ted Williams' body and wasn't going to give it back."
How to fix the problem? St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen says if he ever gets a final-out ball, he has a plan.
"I'd flip it into the stands, like I always do," he said. "A baseball is a baseball. There are a lot of them around."
***
Where are they now?
1990
• The final out: The Cincinnati Reds complete a sweep of the Oakland Athletics when Carney Lansford's foul pop is caught by first baseman Todd Benzinger for a 2-1 victory in Game 4 in Oakland.
• Where's the ball? On display at the Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum at the Great American Ballpark, although Benzinger is still considered the owner of the ball.
1991
• The final out: Gene Larkin's bases-loaded single scores Dan Gladden in the 10th to give the host Minnesota Twins a 1-0 win in Game 7.
• Where's the ball? No one knows. The ball rolled into the outfield, and nobody thought about it during the celebration. "The question comes up all the time, but no one has ever come forward," says Larkin, who has the bat displayed in his home. "A fan or a clubhouse worker could have picked up the ball, but all I know is that I am not in possession of it."
1992
• The final out: Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Timlin picks up Otis Nixon's bunt and throws to first baseman Joe Carter as they beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in Game 6.
• Where's the ball? It's on display in Timlin's office at his home, encased with his shoes, glove, hat, uniform top and six tickets.
1993
• The final out: Joe Carter homers off Philadelphia Phillies reliever Mitch Williams with one out in the ninth inning of Game 6, giving the Blue Jays an 8-6 victory.
• Where's the ball? Although it was a homer, the ball never went into the seats, falling behind the left-field fence at the SkyDome in an area accessible only to groundskeepers and officials. The ball was retrieved, and Carter has it on display in his Kansas home.
1995
• The final out: The Cleveland Indians' Carlos Baerga flies to center fielder Marquis Grissom and the Braves win Game 6 1-0 to capture the series.
• Where's the ball? The Braves don't know, and Grissom was unavailable for comment.
1996
• The final out: The Braves' Mark Lemke hits a pop to third baseman Charlie Hayes, who catches it in foul ground to finish the New York Yankees' 3-1 Game 6 victory and give the Bronx Bombers a World Series title in manager Joe Torre's first season.
• Where's the ball? Displayed in Hayes' living room.
1997
• The final out: With the score tied at 2 in the 11th, the Marlins win Game 7 when Edgar Renteria singles up the middle off Indians pitcher Charles Nagy to score Craig Counsell.
• Where's the ball? No one knows. Mike Wallace, the Marlins equipment manager at the time, says his staff was too busy putting equipment away to notice. Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski, now the Detroit Tigers GM, doesn't know of any club official who has the ball. Kenny Lofton, the Indians center fielder at the time, doesn't have a recollection of the ball either.
1998
• The final out: The San Diego Padres' Mark Sweeney grounds to Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius, who throws to first baseman Tino Martinez to finish the sweep with a 3-0 home victory.
• Where's the ball? With Martinez's glove in a safe-deposit box. "I'm never going to use the glove again," Martinez says.
1999
• The final out: The Yankees complete a sweep when the Braves' Keith Lockhart hits a fly to left fielder Chad Curtis to end New York's 4-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.
• Where's the ball? Curtis gave it to a security guard, Dan Weiss, who helped Curtis and his family when they lived in New York. When Weiss said he wanted to give the ball back, Curtis said he autographed it, "To Dan," and said, "Now what am I going to do with a ball that says, 'To Dan?' He would have never sold it, but I wanted it to have value to him as a friend."
2000
• The final out: At New York's Shea Stadium, the Yankees celebrate a Subway Series win against the Mets after center fielder Bernie Williams catches Mike Piazza's fly ball to end Game 5, a 4-2 victory.
• Where's the ball? Williams had it signed by his teammates and keeps it in his trophy case at home.
2001
• The final out: Luis Gonzalez's RBI single against Mariano Rivera over the Yankees' drawn-in infield scores Jay Bell and caps a two-run rally, giving the Arizona Diamondbacks a 3-2, Game 7 win on their home field.
• Where's the ball? Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams picked up the ball and gave it to Gonzalez, who gave it to team owner Jerry Colangelo. It was in Colangelo's desk drawer until he left the team last year. "I've been chasing that dream of a championship my whole life, as a competitor, an athlete and then in terms of management and ownership," Colangelo says. "It signifies the culmination of a lifetime pursuit."
2002
• The final out: In Game 7 at Anaheim, San Francisco's Kenny Lofton flies out to center fielder Darin Erstad, giving the Angels a 4-1 win and their first World Series title. "As the ball came down, I heard this voice say, 'Use two hands,' like my dad had taught me my entire life," Erstad says.
• Where's the ball? In a box at Erstad's house. He tried to give it to Angels closer Troy Percival— as he did with each of Percival's saves that season — but Percival told him to keep it. "It's a cool thing, and I know the importance of it," Erstad says. "But if the Angels want it, they can have it."
2003
• The final out: Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett fields a grounder from the Yankees' Jorge Posada and tags him out, giving Florida the series victory in Game 6 at New York.
• Where's the ball? It has not left Beckett's glove. The glove and ball sat in his baseball bag in his garage for a couple of months after the World Series, but now the glove and ball are displayed in Beckett's home in Texas.
2004
• The final out: St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Edgar Renteria bounces to Boston Red Sox closer Keith Foulke, who tosses to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to complete a four-game sweep and secure the Red Sox's first championship since 1918.
• Where's the ball? In the Red Sox Hall of Fame. It will be returned to Mientkiewicz in January.
lol
