It’s just a baseball, isn’t it?

By Dr DAVID L. CHANCEY
Contributing Writer

Little Nick O’Brien became an instant celebrity Sunday, June 13, by being in the right place at the right time. Twenty-eight-year-old Matt Starr became an instant villain by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s all about timing, which is why ball players hit foul balls to begin with. The timing of the swing on that pitch was just off enough to send the ball into the section occupied by Starr and the O'Briens.

In a mad scramble for the coveted souvenir, Starr aggressively lunged over the seat in front of him and knocked little Nick, pinning him temporarily against the seat while reaching for the ball. Starr got the ball, Nick got the rough treatment, Nick’s mother gave Starr “what for,” and then the crowd got onto Starr, chanting, “Give him the ball. Give him the ball.”

Starr refused, positioning himself to be called a jerk on the television broadcast by Rangers announcer Tom Grieve. “The biggest jerk in this ballpark.” Finally, he and the woman he was with left the game early. Just another day enjoying America’s pasttime.

The good news is that Cardinals’ outfielder Reggie Sanders saw the episode on the clubhouse TV and trotted over between innings and gave Nick a baseball and bat.

Sanders said, “In my heart, I thought I should do something. It’s all about the kids.”

The Rangers also offered souvenirs, including a baseball autographed by pitching great Nolan Ryan. Since the man refused to give up the ball, the O’Briens have become celebrities, appearing on news interviews and national programs such as “Good Morning America.”

All of this fuss and frenzy is over a foul ball. It’s just a baseball, isn’t it?

Not for the diehard baseball fan. It’s America’s pasttime. It’s the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the reach of a dozen arms, the flight of the ball, and the dream of every fan who has ever gone to a game to come home with a baseball.

It’s just a baseball isn’t it? Five ounces in weight. Nine to nine and a quarter inches in circumference. One hundred twenty one yards of blue/gray material followed by 45 yards of white wool yarn added to the outside. Cowhide covering held together by 216 stitches and some rubber cement.

No, it’s childhood memories. It’s time with my Dad. It’s seeing the stars in person. It’s better than television. It’s a priceless moment.

When I was 10 years old, my dad and I were watching the 1967 Braves at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Hank Aaron, Mack Jones, Rico Carty, Clete Boyer, Dennis Menke, Joe Torre, Felipe Alou. Sonny Jackson was at the plate and fouled one back our way. My dad reached as high as he could, but the ball travelled just over his fingertips. Two rows back, the ball bounced out of the hands of a man and landed in the lap of the man sitting right by me.

I had my transitor radio in one hand listening to Milo Hamilton call the game, my scorecard balanced in my lap, and my pencil in the other hand. All I had to do was reach out and catch the ball. But it happened so quickly. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to catching a foul ball, and I’ve never forgotten it.

The story has a happy ending for little Nick. Though trampled, he’s experienced an windfall of publicity and souvenirs. On “Good Morning America,” host Charles Gibson gave the O’Briens tickets for Wednesday night’s Met’s-Indians game.

And the Texas baseball fan who prompted the public outcry has agreed to send a letter of apology to the family and to buy his family tickets to future Texas Rangers games. And he’s decided to give up his prize. Nick can have the ball after all.