http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/08/f...ome-run-ball%2F

A 12-year old girl from Miami caught Ryan Howard's 200th home run, and was given a ball autographed by Howard (priced at $100) and some cotton candy by the Phillies in exchange. After she got home, her family realized what she had given away, sued the team to get it back, and they won.

When reading the article, it seems like she wanted the ball because it was the actual one she caught, but her family wants it for the monetary value (they contend it's worth thousands). I don't blame the Phils for making the exchange, but I do think they should have contacted the girl's parents before making the arrangement. The lawyer (referred to as a memorabilia enthusiast), looks like an ambulance-chaser who wound up getting his name in the papers.

The big loser in all this appears to be Howard, who became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 200 homers, and the only thing he gets from it is the memory of a legal battle.

What I don't get is why the Phillies just didn't buy the ball. I'm sure the family would take $25,000 or something for it. The Phils probably spend more on clubhouse snacks for Charlie Manuel.

Because they had it for 100 bucks + cotton Candy

Charlie Manuel is indeed fat.

any idea how much a ball like that would fetch?

Hard to say.

The ball Lenny Dykstra hit for a HR that won Game 3 of the '86 NLCS was recently sold for a little over $31k. I'm guessing the family/lawyer have that kind of number in mind.

At the same time, the 500th home run balls hit by Ken Griffey and Frank Thomas fetched $0. They were both given back to the players by the fans who caught them. There doesn't appear to be any chance of that happening.

It's interesting to note that Barry Bonds' 70th home run ball originally commanded $60k, but has since been re-sold for only $14k, thanks to bad press. I wonder if this circus would have a similar effect....after all, this whole things reeks of people trying to reclaim a child's souvenir in order to get paid. That's got a foul odor to it, IMO.

They will still get more than $100 and some cotton candy. BTW: The little girl loses too, especially if they took away her cotton candy.

It seems like the kid's desires are at odds with her mother's. She says she wants the baseball that she caught. The lawsuit was based on the idea that they can sell it for more than they were originally given for it. It seems inevitable that it's going to wind up going up for bid somewhere, sometime.

I guess if the money goes to a college fund (or something like that), then she'll be a winner in the long run. But it sure doesn't seem like she wants it anywhere but in her possession, and that's something her mom is going to have to explain to her.

Yep, greed wins over most other human qualities. If it goes to a college fund, I applaud the parents, but I don't see that being the likely scenario.

I'm surprised anyone thinks someone's 200th career HR ball is worth thousands.

There are people who catch foul balls and put them in cases.