Mientkiewicz, the Red Sox and the Ball: It has been a hectic week, so I completely missed the boat on blogging about the World Series ball fiasco. I commend to you the fine analysis that the SportsProf has, as well as some of what Prof. Volokh wrote this weekend. Off Wing Opinion also offers an interesting take. My opinion was summarized quite nicely by Paul Finkelman in his op-ed yesterday:

Doug Mientkiewicz, the first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, caught the final out of the 2004 World Series. After celebrating with his teammates, Mientkiewicz ran into the dugout with his glove and the ball. He later gave the ball to his wife, who stuffed it in her purse, and they took the ball home. He now says it belongs to him. It doesn't.



The Boston Red Sox, who won their first championship since 1918 last year, want Mientkiewicz to return the ball. The Red Sox say it belongs to them and their fans. It doesn't.



For most baseball games, the ball is provided by the home team and therefore belongs to the home team - in this case, the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston's opponent. For World Series games, Major League Baseball provides the balls but in effect gives them to the home team to use during the game. Thus, there are only two plausible owners of the ball that Mientkiewicz caught: the St. Louis Cardinals or Major League Baseball.

I recommend the rest of the article, as well as this article from USA Today on where Series-ending balls have ended up in the past. It seems that players have a number of Series-ending baseballs, and only one Series-ending baseball is in Cooperstown. But Mientkiewicz, unless he wants to be shunned by the Red Sox faithful, should donate the ball either to the team or the Hall of Fame. Holding on to it for personal gain seems economically sound, but a bit petty. This is, after all, a special ball and as Indiana Jones might say, "It belongs in a museum!"

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