At Michigan you give the balls back to the marketing table and in return you receive a bat keychain with an M on it. I do remember thinking it was a little different than what I expected and thought that like baseball, they kept them. I wouldn't say I was disappointed at all, more like, oh.. Ok cool. I did have the opportunity to catch Sierra Romeros record breaking home run ball hit at Alumni field. Actually to say I 'caught' it would be ridiculous, she hit a bomb over the seats. Anyway, I knew the situation and I wanted my daughter and I to be the ones to return it (We were hoping to be able to give it to her -no such luck). Yes pretty sad for a 38 year old man but I figured DD would remember this forever since it is her favorite player. I did actually catch one of Caitlyn Blanchard home runs late in her senior year and I have to say I was glad to return it in hopes that she would get to keep the ball.
I say that to say this, if these balls are going back to the girl who hit the homerun then good for the university. These girls aren't hitting 30 home runs a year for 10 years like MLB players do so I think giving the ball to commemorate their homerun is a great thing for the athlete. Not sure I have a great argument for the foul balls but if that's the rule, that's the rule. I think the universities do enough with promotions and freebies to warrant asking for the balls back. My daughter has a complete set of UM softball cards, pink Michigan towel, maize and blue rope necklace, key chains... Those things probably mean more to her than the softball would compared to how much it would mean to the girl who hit the homerun to have the ball.
Cool ball story, last year my DD travel team went to the last Yankees/tigers game of the year which was Jeters last game in Michigan. Her coach and I are huge Yankees fans. I took some girls to the gift shop and they were supposed to report back to me -they did no so I was late getting up to my seat to see Jeters last at bat. Because I was late I had to watch in the tunnel. Right before Jeter grounds out he hit a foul ball towards the first base side that hit the wall, off of a chair and right into my hands. I had 12 dudes all looking at me... I put the ball in my pockets, walked up the steps and showed it in the air to our large group and they were all pretty excited. So... I have the second to last ball ever hit by Derek Jeter while in Michigan.... exciting and means something to me, but to some, it may be just a ball.
leave it to the Ohio State guy to complain and want a freebie... I didn't think they hit home runs at Ohio State, must be the foul balls he's concerned about... JK Jk!!
I say that to say this, if these balls are going back to the girl who hit the homerun then good for the university. These girls aren't hitting 30 home runs a year for 10 years like MLB players do so I think giving the ball to commemorate their homerun is a great thing for the athlete. Not sure I have a great argument for the foul balls but if that's the rule, that's the rule. I think the universities do enough with promotions and freebies to warrant asking for the balls back. My daughter has a complete set of UM softball cards, pink Michigan towel, maize and blue rope necklace, key chains... Those things probably mean more to her than the softball would compared to how much it would mean to the girl who hit the homerun to have the ball.
Cool ball story, last year my DD travel team went to the last Yankees/tigers game of the year which was Jeters last game in Michigan. Her coach and I are huge Yankees fans. I took some girls to the gift shop and they were supposed to report back to me -they did no so I was late getting up to my seat to see Jeters last at bat. Because I was late I had to watch in the tunnel. Right before Jeter grounds out he hit a foul ball towards the first base side that hit the wall, off of a chair and right into my hands. I had 12 dudes all looking at me... I put the ball in my pockets, walked up the steps and showed it in the air to our large group and they were all pretty excited. So... I have the second to last ball ever hit by Derek Jeter while in Michigan.... exciting and means something to me, but to some, it may be just a ball.
leave it to the Ohio State guy to complain and want a freebie... I didn't think they hit home runs at Ohio State, must be the foul balls he's concerned about... JK Jk!!
