Ippei fired by Dodgers after being accused of theft by Ohtani’s attorney’s

[T.G.]

I don't understand how Ohtani's first homerun ball as a Dodger is worth $100K.

[Blarg]

5 minutes ago, cals said:

Cholos and Sam Blum.  What a combo.

[TroutField]

21 minutes ago, T.G. said:

I don't understand how Ohtani's first homerun ball as a Dodger is worth $100K.

I also am dumbfounded by that. 
 

MLB and fans have acted like he has never played major league baseball In the LA market before. Kind of odd 

 

There isn’t even a guarantee he is going to be great as a dodger… sure he will probably have some good moments but there is a pretty small chance Dodger fans all love him at the end of that contract. Hes going to get the Pujols treatment at some point 

[T.G.]

1 minute ago, TroutField said:

I also am dumbfounded by that.

MLB and fans have acted like he has never played major league baseball In the LA market before. Kind of odd

I think MLB is going to reinstate him as a rookie. 

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, T.G. said:

Dan Patrick had Blum on his show this morning to talk about the story....  He said some have valued the ball at $100K and the Dodgers definitely pressured the lady.  They have supposedly invited her back to the stadium to take care of her.  It's interesting that this made a nationally syndicated radio show....

Ohtani going to the Dodgers is a big deal, plus the gambling scandal. Of course this is going to be national news.

[Jeremiah]

17 minutes ago, T.G. said:

I don't understand how Ohtani's first homerun ball as a Dodger is worth $100K.

Honestly, I don’t get the memorabilia market either. It does seem the team was being pretty shady with the fans, though. Fans have been trading significant HR baseballs for team gear for decades now, so they should have been ready with a generous offer. They’re a very wealthy organization. They can afford to take care of fans. Now they look like cheapskates.

[Taylor]

Let's say you were the person to catch the home run ball, and you knew it was valuable to the Dodgers and Ohtani. What would you want for it?

I'd be stoked just to catch a HR ball, because that's a once in a lifetime experience (unless you go to a lot of Marlins or A's games). Giving it up would be difficult.

[James]

2 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Let's say you were the person to catch the home run ball, and you knew it was valuable to the Dodgers and Ohtani. What would you want for it?

I'd be stoked just to catch a HR ball, because that's a once in a lifetime experience (unless you go to a lot of Marlins or A's games). Giving it up would be difficult.

4.5 should do it. 

[cals]

10 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Let's say you were the person to catch the home run ball, and you knew it was valuable to the Dodgers and Ohtani. What would you want for it?

I'd be stoked just to catch a HR ball, because that's a once in a lifetime experience (unless you go to a lot of Marlins or A's games). Giving it up would be difficult.

I’d probably take a dump on it on tik tok.

[Taylor]

4 minutes ago, cals said:

I’d probably take a dump on it on tik tok.

Yeah, but what would you do with the HR ball?

[Sully151]

1 hour ago, T.G. said:

Dan Patrick had Blum on his show this morning to talk about the story....  He said some have valued the ball at $100K and the Dodgers definitely pressured the lady.  They have supposedly invited her back to the stadium to take care of her.  It's interesting that this made a nationally syndicated radio show....

That’s crazy. It’s not like it was his first home run in the Majors, or even a milestone homer. It was his first home run on a new team.

The ball should really go into the Hall of Who Gives a Fuck.

 

[TroutField]

25 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Let's say you were the person to catch the home run ball, and you knew it was valuable to the Dodgers and Ohtani. What would you want for it?

I'd be stoked just to catch a HR ball, because that's a once in a lifetime experience (unless you go to a lot of Marlins or A's games). Giving it up would be difficult.

I’d hold onto it. If they wanted to give me a crazy offer i couldn’t refuse then the ball is in their court. 

[Stradling]

I’d sell it. 

[Blarg]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

I’d sell it. 

You'd have to go through Ippei. He's the guy that handles Ohtani's finances. 

[T.G.]

41 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Of course this is going to be national news

It's only a story because the Dodgers pressured the fan.  That doesn't seem like national news to me.  I bet stuff like this happens all the time - where fans get fleeced when trading in a ball that has some historical significance. 

[Amazing Larry]

44 minutes ago, Jeremiah said:

Honestly, I don’t get the memorabilia market either.

When you think of it as "art" and a way to wash money it all starts to make sense.

[Amazing Larry]

11 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I’d sell it. 

With all the hype around him I'd put it on the market immediately. The dude could rip his shoulder to shreds tomorrow and then you're stuck with a piece of cowhide that nobody cares about.

[T.G.]

47 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Let's say you were the person to catch the home run ball, and you knew it was valuable to the Dodgers and Ohtani. What would you want for it?

I'd give it to Ippei and trust he'd know what to do with it.

[Taylor]

10 minutes ago, T.G. said:

It's only a story because the Dodgers pressured the fan.  That doesn't seem like national news to me.  I bet stuff like this happens all the time - where fans get fleeced when trading in a ball that has some historical significance. 

If this stuff happens all the time, maybe it's good to shine a light on it? Shitty business practices shouldn't be ignored just because they're common.

[Stradling]

21 minutes ago, Blarg said:

You'd have to go through Ippei. He's the guy that handles Ohtani's finances. 

Haha. It wouldn’t be Ohtani’s. 

[Stradling]

13 minutes ago, Lhalo said:

With all the hype around him I'd put it on the market immediately. The dude could rip his shoulder to shreds tomorrow and then you're stuck with a piece of cowhide that nobody cares about.

While I am not totally educated on sports memorabilia, I’m in the baseball card world enough to figure out how to put the ball on the market. I’d get it up for sale ASAP. Then I’d sell it and buy a few cards I’ve always wanted but am too cheap to go get them. 

[T.G.]

9 minutes ago, Taylor said:

If this stuff happens all the time, maybe it's good to shine a light on it? Shitty business practices shouldn't be ignored just because they're common.

I suppose.  In my initial post, I said it was "interesting" that this made national news.  That doesn't mean it shouldn't be news. 

The whole thing sounds shady, but we only have one side of the story.  I'm not saying it didn't happen, it just wouldn't surprise me if Blum was looking for this to be more of a story than it might be.

[Duren, Duren]

They should get it authenticated as soon as possible. Once leaving the stadium there is the possibility of some shady dealing. But the ball itself would have certain marks of identification though forgeries and substitutions are known to have happened. 

In this case there is video but that just refers to the catch. Not what happens after. 

With Dodger personnel all over this it puts pressure on the ball holder. Easy to get swept up in the moment and easily persuaded to give it up for what turns out to be minimal compensation. And the ephemeral feel good moment of being a good Dodger supporter. Try taking that to the bank! 

Obviously there is a world wide market for Ohtani stuff. Holding on to it and waiting for potential deals is smarter. And even if no one bids it's still a one of a kind item that will go up in value over time. 

Historically there has been a wide diversity of what happens to these historic balls. Many just settle for a picture and handshake. And some token gifts. Others have sold things or donated them to baseball museums. 

The guy who caught Maris' 61st (Sal Durante) had some minor fame for many years and became a friend of Maris. But that was a different era. 

https://nypost.com/2022/12/02/sal-durante-who-caught-roger-maris-61st-home-run-dead-at-80/

If the collectible world wasn't so mercenary and cut throat being a good citizen and team loyalist would be nice. But giving away something potentially worth really big bucks is naive. 

[Slegnaac]

2 hours ago, Taylor said:

...

I'd be stoked just to catch a HR ball, because that's a once in a lifetime experience (unless you go to a lot of Marlins or A's games). Giving it up would be difficult.

I can tell you haven't been sitting in RF with @PattyD22 the past few seasons.

[mmc]