Did pouty kid who missed foul ball deserve replacement?

[Liberal_in_LA]

majority of comments to sfgate say "no"

Did pouty kid who missed foul ball deserve replacement?



You'll be getting real baseball blogging here shortly from The Chronicle's Henry Schulman, but here on The Chronicle Sports Desk, we want to make sure you've caught a video making the rounds.

Brandon Belt's hitting might have been the on-field story of the game for the Giants on Tuesday night. But the off-field story of the game is getting even more exposure, on ESPN and beyond. And it raises some questions about fair play with foul balls.

That story, as caught by the cameras of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, would be of the boy who missed out on a foul ball grabbed by a woman one row in front of him at AT&T Park. He went into pout mode, tightly folding him arms across his chest and screwing his eyebrows together.

Later, however, the Giants made it all better, by handing him a ball. The question is, did he deserve to get a handout from the Giants after his spoiled-brat reaction? Or do you think the woman who got the ball should have handed it over to the kid?

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/giants/detail?entry_id=93569#ixzz1SgBKSdVW

[FSogol]

1. The Giants just created a little Eric Cantor. n/t

[Drale]

3. If that was a Phillies fan I'd agree but

Giants fans are generally thoughtful and nice people.

[PCIntern]

10. HEY!

Your team's doing real well today I see.

[Drale]

11. I didn't say they were but

I've never been spit on by a Giants fan, I can't say that about Phillies fans.

[SkyDaddy7]

34. YES! "A little Eric Cantor" Priceless! nt.

[Forkboy]

42. As opposed to the Dick Cheney's in this thread.

[SkyDaddy7]

43. I am not sure what you meant but...

...I like your signature line! :thumbsup: :hi:

[Forkboy]

45. LOL

I can't believe it took me until this year to see that quote. It was definitely a keeper. :)

As for what I meant, it seems that many are lacking simple compassion for a little kid, expecting him to be a grown up at age 6 (or 8 or whatever). It borders on cruel, and I suspect this was the treatment that Cheney received as a child. Little love, expectations to "man up" at a young age, all for his own good of course. People are treating this kid like shit all because he was bummed that he didn't get a foul ball, something all kids dream of when they go to a ballgame. I don't think this approach creates better adults, just the opposite.

[catbyte]

2. Kid should have gotten a slap upside the head, not rewarded

Sorry, but I'm Old School and you don't act like that.

[FSogol]

7. But, as a business owner, wouldn't you go out of your way to make (even a bratty kid) happy?

Good business.

[Brickbat]

8. If you cater to a brat, he just becomes brattier.

He might need to learn to suck it up a bit.

[chrisa]

75. And plus, giving him the ball equals Socialism!!!

He didn't get the ball because he didn't try hard enough. Now he's expecting a handout. Typical Liebral!!!






:sarcasm: Obviously. :)

[FourScore]

99. I hope you didn't have kids. n/t

[sharp_stick]

4. I caught a foul ball

at Fenway a few years ago and gave it to the little girl sitting about 4 seats to my left. Made her day and her dads day and what the hell was I going to do with a generic foul ball anyway? If I had of kept the thing it would have eventually made it's way into a junk drawer.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. good for you. n/t

[KatyMan]

24. Been going to ball games since 1972

Never caught a ball, never been close, and I've sat everywhere in many stadiums. One of these days! Although I'd probably give it to a kid if one was around.

[sharp_stick]

57. It's the only one that ever came close to me

if it was some epic home run I probably would have kept it but it was just a screaming foul down the third base line. I knocked it down and it was in my lap, when I looked around there was this little girl with a really cute "you lucky bugger" look on her face. I realized pretty quickly it would mean a lot more to her than me.

[ProfessorGAC]

70. Only Caught One Ball At A Game, Sort Of

I was about 10 and we went to a White Sox game. Frank Howard was playing for the Senators and he was bombing them into the seats during batting practice. Both my friend and i caught one. Not really a game ball, but i was happy. After all, i was only 10.
GAC

[Solomon]

83. Ahh Frank Howard. One of my child heroes. The Senators

were so lousy we didn't have many of them. Frank either struck out or hit monstrous home runs. There wasn't much in-between with him.

[ProfessorGAC]

85. Not In Batting Practice!

He was killin' it. He must have hit a dozen into the stands. Geez, about 15 of us (more than one team went) went home with a ball.

But, as a Cub fan, i know your pain. Remember, we had Dave Kingman. 500 feet or "swish".

GAC

[11 Bravo]

87. Hondo! I grew up rooting for the guy the opposition called "Capital Punishment".

I remember staying up late and keep score of Nats games under the covers while listening to the radio when they were on West Coast road trips. (Do you remember the epic home run binge he went on in '68? 10 dingers in 20 at bats - amazing!)

[ProfessorGAC]

89. Sorry, I Don't

I was a Cub fan (yeah, i know, i know) so i really followed the National League. Wasn't a Sox hater, but it was my friend Andy's job (Sox fan) to keep track of the American League. By the way, he got one of Frank's BP homers too. Two best buds both going home with balls hit by the same guy!
GAC

[WCGreen]

53. Same here....

I gave the ball to the first kid I could find...

[chrisa]

73. Haha same. When I get dragged to a baseball game (haha kidding - they're a lot of fun),

I hope a foul ball doesn't land anywhere near me.

[kick-ass-bob]

88. Had a foul hit right in front of me, 2 seats over and in my walking area

AAA game, and an unknown player hit it. I couldn't reach it but a kid (~10) was running down to get it, just as some 50+ year old guy turned around and snatched it and turned away as the kid got there, giving him no attention at all (he saw the kid, no doubt.)

I saw him stick it in his bag... with 4 other obviously used balls. I felt like thumping him in the back of the head. What the hell does he need it more than a 10 year old kid does?

[Scout]

94. what do you think the child did with it? n/t

[former9thward]

5. He learned a valuable lesson in life.

Pout and you will be rewarded. Many of our politicians in DC have learned that same lesson.

[Forkboy]

9. DU's empathy pours out yet again.

He's a fucking little kid. If the lady had any class she would have given the damn ball. Good on the Giants.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. +1

[Forkboy]

23. "This is for your own good."

"We're only doing this because we love you."

"This hurts me more than it hurts you."

"Go ahead then, cry me a river."

"You'll never get anywhere with an attitude like that."


"Adults" sucks sweaty Sasquatch balls.

[Occulus]

59. And my own personal favorite, "Nobody said life was fair!"

You know what? People who go about saying things like "life isn't fair" are always the ones who go out of their way to make sure that's always the case...

[Forkboy]

63. Bingo...you got that right.

:thumbsup:

[former9thward]

66. JFK and Carter both said that life was unfair at press conferences.

Did they try and make sure it is always that way? http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C915176%2C00.html

[Gabi Hayes]

26. really! what's with these people??? so the picture makes him look 'pouty?' so F'n WHAT?

I'd be feeling pouty if some ahole grabbed the ball away from me, too.

as a kid, I LONGED for foul balls when I went to Sox games. I brought my glove many times, in hopes of catching an errant popup

these people are forgetting what it was like to be a child, and deserve to be forced to watch endless reruns of Rachel Rae

EVOO!!!

[Forkboy]

28. A lot of people are bitter because they got treated that way.

Now they like seeing others kids feel the same way they were forced to feel. They suck. Rachel Rae is too kind a punishment. They should have to sit through six hours of me playing music for them. Ten minutes into a Deathspell Omega song and they'll be begging to give the kid a baseball. :D

[onenote]

38. Could you post to the video of the lady "grabbing the ball away "from the kid?

I assume you have such video because otherwise calling the woman who ended up with the ball an "ahole" would be, well, ahole-ish.

[Forkboy]

41. Can't speak for the other poster, but I don't think she's an asshole.

However, the classy thing to do would have been to give the kid the ball. Every kid goes to a ballgame hoping to get one. It would have been a classy and generous gesture, making all involved look good.

[onenote]

58. why that kid? why not the kid next to that kid? Or some other kid?

If you watch the video, at the end you can see two or three other kids in the frame. So what particular claim does the sulky kid have. Also, if you look at the video carefully, the guy sitting next to the lady with the ball is shaking his hand as if it bounced off his hands. He's even farther away from the kid than she is (and closer to the other kids). Its one thing if the ball had bounced off the kid's hand or seat and back to the lady -- in that case I could see it being a nice gesture to give the kid the ball. But if the ball landed in this lady's lap or, asit appears, in the hands of the guy sitting on her right, and some kid behind her to the left sulks that it didn't come to him instead, why should she feel at all compelled to give him the ball?

[Forkboy]

62. Why NOT that kid?

[Gemini Cat]

46. +2!!

Plus, she should not have had her feet on the seat in front of her. Talk about rude bratty behaviour. I hate it when some asshole tries putting their nasty feet on the back of where I am sitting.

The kid is probably between 6-8, why would he be expected to act like he's 30?

Good for the Giants!

[Forkboy]

48. I don't really fault the lady for trying to get the ball.

She's an excited fan, too. But I can't tell you how many times I've seen adults (or ballboys/girls) give a foul ball to a kid, and she should have done so. It's a simple act of unselfishness that would have taught this kid more than what his detractors are trying to teach him.

[Gemini Cat]

52. I agree.

I know I have tried to catch one, so I'm not mad at her.

[onenote]

60. If you watch closely, the guy to her right is shaking his hand

which suggests it bounced off him to her (or maybe he caught it and gave it to her). In other words, it looks like the ball landed closer to a couple of other kids than to the kid making the face. So exactly why should she have given him, rather than the other kids, the ball? Maybe she has a kid, or a little brother or someone who would be very excited to get the ball. Sitting judgment on what "she should have done" from here is easy but not necessarily right.

[Forkboy]

64. Get back to me when you scold people for bitching about an 8 year old.

[11 Bravo]

79. Exactly! For fuck's sake, the kid is what ... eight - nine years old?

Sometimes this place is a cesspool.

[FourScore]

100. Thank goodness there is someone with some sense.

I don't think the lady needed to give up the ball though. There is a little kid inside all of us.

The child showed age-appropriate disappointment. All these "brat" remarks are just unbelievable.

He's a cute kid and I'm glad he got a ball. And his brother too.

[markpkessinger]

12. If I had tried that when I was a kid ...

...my Dad would have tolerated it for about 10 seconds, at which point he would have said, "Listen, Mister, adjust your attitude or we're leaving this ballpark!"

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. It's a fucking facial expression. He isn't confronting anybody.

As long as he's quiet, why bother?

[markpkessinger]

20. I think it has something to do with teaching a kid ...

... How to keep some perspective on the more trivial disappointments that come along in life.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. the camera zoomed in on him. Made him an unwitting celebrity

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

30. And probably that's why he got even more pissed off.

What child likes to be made an spectacle of in a moment of perceived humiliation?

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. Video at link. Father tries to shake him out of pout.

[EC]

13. No, he looks like a little brat.

He should have been taught good sportsmenship by his age. I know kids his age that would have high 5ed the person who did catch it and said congrates...

[NeedleCast]

18. Maybe, but I've seen adults do some nasty things to kids over foul balls

I've been to several 100 minor league games and there's been more than on occasion where I've seen an adult push a kid out of the way or bowl them over to get to a ball. its a baseball fer christ sakes. A used baseball.

[louis-t]

14. No one ever gave me a ball that I came close to catching.

I was 52 years old before I ever caught one. I have been hit on the thumb (Cecil Fielder), had one bounce off of the rope that holds up the screen behind home plate (some long forgotten Royal) and land in the lap of the lady behind me, had one veer at the last second to the right of me as I sat with the players' wives behind the dugout. It makes it more special when you finally do get one.

spelling

[NeedleCast]

15. I usually give em away but probably wouldn't have at a major league game

Been to a several hundred minor league baseball games in my life and have probably gotten 50-ish foul balls. I tend to keep them if I get them from a stadium I've never been to before but if I'm at our local park (Aberdeen Iron Birds) I give them away to whatever kid is around and hasn't been acting like a jackass the entire game. I get the lady at the Giants game wanting to keep it though. That's not going to happen more than once or twice in a lifetime unless you're a season ticket holder sitting near the base lines in "foul ball territory."

I was a Newark Bears game back in like 2006 or 2007 and the team's stadium had lost it's liquor license recently over issues serving minors. I was literally the only person in my section and there were probably not more than 250 people there total. I got at least a half dozen balls in that game because there was no one else to get them. Talk about turning somethign that's normally a little thrill into a chore. I think practically every kid there got a ball or two by the end of the night.

[Bethany Rockafella]

21. I thought he was kinda cute

Reminded me of one of my nephews. Let's hope he doesn't think pouting will get you what you want all the time. Btw, how old is he? Isn't he a little old to be acting like a 4 year old?

[cbdo2007]

22. Was he even close??? I had one BOUNCE out of my hands.....

and was then grabbed by a little kid. Jerk should have at least given it to me for taking the brunt of the pain and knocking it down for him :spank:

[Horse with no Name]

27. Goddamned little brat...what is he? 4?5? What NERVE does he

have acting like he is 4 or 5!

:eyes:

Seriously?
Give the kid a ball.

[Forkboy]

29. +1

[Liberal_in_LA]

31. 5? He looks to be about 8 to me.

[Horse with no Name]

32. I don't know how old he is

but I've got a lot of experience with kids and I would almost bet 6 at tops.

[Forkboy]

33. He should be investing in the stock market now, for crying out loud!

[kick-ass-bob]

92. The kid to his (screen) left is 8 or 9.

This one is 5-6.

[FourScore]

104. +1000

[avebury]

35. Rewarding a kid for bad behaviour is not doing

the kid any favors in the long run.

[mikeytherat]

36. I'll take 100 Pouty Kids sulking about foul balls over Drunken Idiots fighting for foul balls.

mikey_the_rat

[arikara]

37. He's just a little kid

his feelings were hurt, now everyone's staring at him so he's hamming it up a bit. Poor little guy.

[nolabear]

39. Good God, people here who get into fights every time the wind changes direction have no compassion?

This is a CHILD. His feelings were hurt. He looks to be five or six, and at that age a normal child's emotions are written all over his face. Children have to learn to tolerate frustration; it does not come naturally. Looks like his dad was doing fine, smiling and not making a deal out of it and not accosting the woman (who frankly I think should have given the kid the ball...she won't remember it in a year and for him it's a huge, huge thing). Dad will teach him it's not the end of the world much better by being cool than by punishing him for not being mature at six.

Really, though, how can a bunch of adults who throw the kinds of fits people around here throw (and hey, that's what it's for so have at) be so irritated at a disappointed little boy? Damn you all piss me off sometimes. (And yeah, I know what I'm saying).

[Forkboy]

40. Best post of the damn day.

:hug:

[demmiblue]

44. Agreed.

Feelings identification is a very important skill to learn at that age.

I wonder at the adults that think young children should act in a way that is, basically, way above their developmental level.

[BellaLuna]

51. His feelings wouldn't have been 'hurt' if he didn't have some sense of entitlement

Seriously, disappointment is one thing and every kid will feel that emotion. But sitting there with THAT look on his face says plenty about his sense that he should get whatever he wants in life. I'm sure he has used that look and body language before and it has worked for him. We are NOT teaching our kids that we simply do not get everything we want in life when we allow that reaction to be rewarded. It's no different than a kid reacting that way in a store when they want a toy - should the store owner give him one just because he's hurt?

As for the woman needing to give it to him - why? She was excited to have it to. Maybe she has a kid at home she wants to give it to? Who knows what her reason is but it was hers to decide on and that pouty child will just have to deal with it.. oh wait - no he won't - he got exactly what he wanted his behavior to get him after all.

The kid that should have been rewarded was the one who sat there and went with the flow. Now there's a good kid.

[nolabear]

55. I didn't say a thing about what the team did. I didn't say she was evil for not giving it to him.

I just said I thought she ought to. I don't think less of her for not.

And the notion that he wouldn't have shown hurt and anger if he didn't feel entitled is misinformed and incorrect. Anyone would have felt disappointed; more emotionally mature people would just be able to hide it or defend against it better (maybe she had a kid at home is a defense of your emotional response, and a good one). By your logic no child should cry or pout at any loss because they feel entitled to have everything go their way. If he was doing that at ten I'd agree he's overdue to be taught--kindly--that sometimes life goes your way and sometimes it doesn't, and you have to find ways to cope with that.

Infants shriek in rage and pain and fear when they don't get what they want. Two year olds throw tantrums out of conflicting emotions, an incredible drive to grow and explore and communicate and a body that has trouble doing all of those things. Five year olds have mastered growth tasks that would buckle most of us adults in an astonishingly short period of time but they cannot put things together the way adults do. They don't know the nightmare isn't real and they can't keep their emotions in easily. It's up to us mature adults to pat them on the back, tell them we hope they do better next time, and set excellent examples.

Should the team have given him the ball? He was PR for the team; they got their money's worth. The kid got a ball, the woman got a ball, the internet got a story, and DU got another round of "MY kid would never do that or I'd..." And I get to blow off a little at people who read astonishingly negative traits into a few seconds of an upset little boy. Everybody wins.

[kick-ass-bob]

91. lol - do you actually KNOW any 5 year olds?

5 year olds by nature are egocentric. Of course he had a sense of entitlement! They're not old enough to be able to put themselves in someone else's shoes, and it's ridiculous to expect that "good" behavior to be dominant at that age. Ever been in a kindergarten class for any length of time? You'll see this behavior all day long - but over time you will see it disappearing.

wow.

And for the record, if I were with the Giants, I probably would not have given him a ball.

[1gobluedem]

101. +1

Exactly. It's too bad, the kid came close but he didn't get it. And we don't know if this woman had a kid at home, a younger sibling, an over-the-top fan boss, whatever. Maybe it was her dream to catch a foul ball too.

I love kids and I have kids but too many kids have too much instant gratification and get everything they want. Last year we had a 'spin to win' promotion at a local festival; prizes were stickers, plastic sunglasses, CDs, and t-shirts. I can't tell you how many crying kids came back with a parent who explained "I know he/she won a sticker but he/she really wanted a t-shirt. Will you trade?" Huh? It's a game of CHANCE.

You can't always get what you want, sometimes even when you try and try. Better understand that now. I applaud the father who didn't ask the woman for the ball.

[surrealAmerican]

47. It's not even the right question.

Who cares whether he "deserved" the ball or not. It was nice of them to give him one.

Are we only allowed to be nice to people who "deserve" it?

[Forkboy]

50. The kid's detractors aren't even teaching him the lesson they think they are.

Wouldn't an act of unselfishness on the woman's part teach that a kid a far more valuable lesson than "tough shit kid, that's life" does?

DU is a mean-spirited, fucked up joint some days.

[Islandlife]

49. only as much as the kid next to him is entitled to one

An unnecessary gesture by the Giants. Probably went over well in SF.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

56. Do you think it would go less well in which cities, and why?

[Islandlife]

67. Guys on either side were wearing their Giants shirts

I was joking about Giants fans.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

69. I didn't get the joke. PLease explain it.

[Iggo]

77. Went over well in L.A., too.

And we HATE the Giants.

But we like kids.

[JI7]

54. i don't think the lady should have given it to him, but i'm ok with the team giving him one

i don't have a problem with his expression too much other than if it's something he does all the time and ends up getting what he wants as a result.

[Stevenmarc]

61. He looks like the future leader of the GOP

And just like the current GOP, poutrage is rewarded

[McCamy Taylor]

65. As a child, a friend had her hand knocked aside (and bruised) by a grown man who wanted the ball

she was about to catch. So, it isn't always the kids who act like babies. And I don't know how many Mardi Gras bead injuries I have suffered from folks who wanted the beads that were coming right at me. Adults, all of them.

[Liberal_in_LA]

78. true. adults can act like assholes

[Blue-Jay]

68. Oprah should buy the Giants.

That way, everybody would get a ball. YOU get a ball! and YOU get a ball! and You get a ball!

I don't have any feelings about this one way or another. I'm glad they gave the kid a ball, but it isn't really a big deal. Someone saw him pouting and gave one to him. Nice of them, but so what? It's not like he needed a kidney or anything.

[CanonRay]

71. I actually had the same thing happen to me when I was about 6

at a Cubs game...the guy in the row in front of me stood up and grabbed it. I did not do the pout, but I was disapointed, and still remember it vividly 54 years later. The Cubs did not provide me with a ball. I did not get a ball despite going to hundreds and hundreds of games until 2004 at Coors Field. Took a while.

[chrisa]

72. I see SFGate is practicing some serious hard-hitting journalism.

Anyway, he's a kid. He's prone to pouting. lol

It's when adults do it that I get annoyed.

[Gormy Cuss]

81. It's a bog hosted by SFGate, not reporting. n/t

[Iggo]

74. Absolutely!

Giants did the right thing.

[Goblinmonger]

76. Had I been the one to catch it

and had not been there with my kids, I would have given him the ball. Unless it's a ball that is significant and going to give me some cash, why not make a kid happy for christ's sake.

[yella_dawg]

80. This kid's attitued is it's own punishment.

He may never realize that, but he's set himself on a path of lifelong misery.

[11 Bravo]

86. Yeah, because every 6 year old who ever pouts goes on to become either a serial killer, or ...

a Republican. Holy fucking shit! Run, do not walk, to your doctor and demand an emergency vasectomy.

[Catherine Vincent]

82. Typical son of a Republican

:P

[Blue_Tires]

84. deserved or not, he got one -- end of the non-story...

[NeedleCast]

90. What I Learned From This Thread: Every Kid Who Pouts is Hitler

[Scout]

95. you must have some problems then if that's what you got n/t

[NeedleCast]

96. Come On Now

I shouldn't need the sarcasm icon for that, should I?

My post was in response to all the people dogging out this kid for pouting when things didn't go his way. He's a kid. They tend to be emotional. I'm sure all the "life lessons" people posting on this thread never pouted as children. Poor dude is being crucified on DU for doing something that is totally normal for a kid to do.

[FourScore]

97. Exactly. In fact, according to some of the remarks in this thread...

every kid who shows age-appropriate pouting deserves to be taught a "lesson".

Sheesh. He's a kid. He was cute. He REALLY wanted to get the foul ball. He didn't get that one but he got a baseball anyway. It's a cute story. Give it a rest.

[Forkboy]

98. I pity the children of some of these people, I really do.

[FourScore]

103. +1

[Scout]

93. No, he didn't.

and i don't have a problem with the woman keeping the ball she caught either.

that kid has the rest of his life to come to ball games and try to catch one. most people NEVER catch a foul ball.

[snooper2]

102. This thread has over 100 replies

:rofl: