Quote:
Originally Posted by Snapolit1
Ah, I respectfully disagree. I am sure balls in the stands belong to the team that purchased them. The fact that they try to negotiate with people nicely is strictly for good public relations. If they wanted a cop to take it out of your hand I have reason to think they could. Nowhere on the back of your ticket to my knowledge does it say balls, bats, and other things that end of in the stands are the property of whoever retrieves it. Yes the practice is not to do take it back but it doesn't mean anything legally.
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Right. Practice and good relations versus what is legal are two very different things.
I don't claim to be a lawyer, but here is my take on this:
They may be told that they CAN throw a ball into the stands, or they may have not been told they can or can't at all. Regardless of what they are told, does not change who the technical owner of the ball is. The person tossing or hitting the ball into the stands or catching the ball was potentially not involved in the negotiation of what can and can't be done with the ball(in one case a player which is technilcally an employee and in another a fan nor person which the previous owner has no imposing power over). They are simply the catcher/potential new owner of the ball and may be subject to different rules and guidelines since MLB or the team can impose rules upon its employees.
Even if a player were given explicit permission to throw a ball, or multiple balls that doesn't mean they can throw all balls. Even if you threw all balls into the stands that still wouldn't necessarily constitute an ownership change. I think the distinction is that just because you hold it doesn't mean it is yours, but I may be very wrong about this.