Fan catches Chris Coghlan’s first home run. Fan receives arm, demands leg.
SPORTSbyBROOKS has a great piece up about Nick Yohanek and his adventures with the Florida Marlins’ Chris Coghlan. Apparently, there’s a great start-up business here: Selling home run balls back to the guys who hit them out. After Coghlan hit his first in the majors, he was approached by Yohanek (who had caught the ball) after the game. Upon giving the fan a signed game bat and photo-op, Coghlan was surprised to learn that that just wouldn’t be enough to get Yohanek to fork over his ball (the identity of the preceding pronoun is anybody’s guess). Let’s hear from Yohanek and Brooks now:
Yohanek, not surprisingly, has a different view of things. We’re a little more suspicious of his version of the facts, mainly because he’s got far more reason to lie and even in his quotes, he comes off as an unholy prick:
“I explained that ballhawking is my hobby and that what I was asking in return was fair,” Yohanek said Thursday, in an e-mail to the Associated Press. “I told him I make $50,000 a year working in law enforcement and that I didn’t feel like I was asking for too much. He responded, ‘Good for you.’ Real classy. Way to respect law enforcement. Way to respect a fan.”
Yes, exactly. Clearly his tone was indicative of a disrespect for law enforcement and fans, and in no way affected by annoyance when a grown man makes demands for what should be a treasured keepsake. Real classy, Yohanek.
I can’t help but agree with my esteemed colleague on this one. While it is true that modern athletes make an exorbitant amount of money, it’s simply a matter of capitalism: if someone’s willing to pay that amount, then make them pay it, right? Supply and demand and such…Wait a sec, I may have just agreed with Yohanek here.
Oh no wait, I remember. My comparison is valid in that both pro athletes and Yohanek are expecting too much money. I’m not about to write a diatribe about salaries, that’s old hat. How about we discuss this idea of forcing guys with money to pay for things that anybody else would be expected to just receive?
It’s hard to bring myself to say it, but I gotta side with the rich on this one. Just because you found Bill Gates’ baby doesn’t mean he should have to give you a third of his income, or the secret Windows he keeps for himself. Technically, he shouldn’t have to give you a thing. It’s up to him to decide the reward.
Returning memorable things isn’t a business like sports. Rather than asking for a series of barters or a monetary amount akin to a ransom, Yohanek needs to cough up what he caught and be happy in the knowledge that despite his being a jerk, he is irrevocably linked to a moment in baseball history.
P.S. You’ll notice I haven’t said anything disparaging about the fine boys in blue. Considering I live in Los Angeles, I thought it a wise decision.
Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball, General Sports, Humor, MLB, Rumors & Gossip
Tags: Ball-Hawking, baseball, Chris Coghlan, Fans, Florida Marlins, Home Run, Nick Yohanek
Yohanek isn’t under any obligation to fork over the ball. He has every right to extract as much as he can from Coghlan. Sure, the “nice” thing to do is to return the ball, but Coghlan already hit the lottery by becoming a professional athlete, why can’t Yohanek turn his good fortune (catching the ball) into a payday. If he’s asking for too much, then Coghlan doesn’t have to pay it.
This isn’t a baby, this is a baseball. There’s no reason that the two can’t come to some agreement on a fair price for the keepsake.
To me, this is somewhere between extortion and welfare. The cop clearly feels entitled to a pay day because he caught a baseball. He’s not. If I’m the player, I tell the cop he can keep the ball, since the memory of hitting his first home run is now tainted by greed.
The player “already hit the lottery,” really? He could get sent down next week and never return. This could be the only homer he ever hits. That he will likely make more money than any of us shouldn’t factor into any of this. Giving him the ball isn’t just the nice thing to do; it’s the right thing to do.
Clearly the “fan” is not really a fan since he feels it is ok to barter away the baseball. Yes, once the ball leaves the play field, it is clearly the possession of whomever catches it, HOWEVER, being that you only get one chance in the big leagues to hit your first home run, I believe it is not only sportsman ship, but also good taste to return the ball. IF this, so called, fan is a law enforcement officer, his department, his collegues and the citizens that he protects, should be outraged that he would conduct himself in this manner. HE himself should be ostracized for thinking that he can deface the name of law enforcement officers worldwide over his childish antics.
“since the memory of hitting his first home run is now tainted by greed.”
I can’t speak for anyone else, but if I’m sitting on a ball that could pay for a year of tuition for my kid, I’m damn sure going to try to get it. That’s not greed — that’s providing for your family. What if this guy gets disabled on the job and can’t make any money? Will the ballplayer show up and take care of him? Doubtful. If the player doesn’t want to fork over any cash then that’s his prerogative — he must not have wanted it that badly anyway.
I find it strange that we’re demonizing a guy who’s trying to make a buck.
Being a Brewer fan myself, I agree with the “ballhawk” himself. All that he wanted, which Couglan would later greatly distort through the media, was documented directly on the Marlins FSN show. He clearly stated what he would like. Read the guys freaking blog on mlb.com. It is his ball and he could have done whatever the hell he wanted to do with it. This saddens me that the media tries taining a good person like Nick Yohanek