Would You Have Given Back Derek Jeter’s 3,000 Ball?

July 11, 2011 12:36 PM

Yankees fan Christian Lopez poses with Derek Jeter after catching a home run, the was 3000th hit of Jeter’s career at Yankee Stadium on July 9, 2011. (credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) – Christian Lopez, the Yankees fan who caught Derek Jeter’s home run for his 3,000th hit, was posing for pictures with fans at the back of the lower-level stands on the third-base side Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

Lopez is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame for giving back Jeter’s ball rather than saving it or selling it for big bucks.

According to Steiner Sports, the ball is estimated to be worth around $250,000. Instead of cashing in, Lopez received pricey season tickets among other goodies.

“The head of security sat us down and they are like ‘So what do you want?’ I was like ‘Oh wow I didn’t really think about this,’” Lopez told WFAN’s Ed Randall on Sunday. “I was like ‘I guess I really just want to give the ball to Jeter. I mean the guy deserves this.’

“They were like ‘Oh.’ They were like really shocked.”

Listen: Lopez with Randall on giving back the ball

But would you have done the same?

Lopez’s father, Raul, who was oh-so-close to catching the homer, admitted to the New York Post that he would have had second thoughts about handing over the prized ball.

“I think I would have handled it differently if I had held on to the ball,” he said.

“(The ball) landed right in my hand, and then it bounced out,” Raul “Chico” Lopez told the paper. “I can’t believe I dropped the ball.”

The 23-year-old Lopez, from Highland Mills got his $65 tickets through StubHub as a birthday present from his girlfriend, Tara Johnson, 22, also from Highland Mills.

“He got his tickets from his girlfriend, so he owes her quite a bit,” Jeter said after meeting Lopez. “He’s going to be paying her back for quite some time.”

“I would have done it over again 100 times,” Lopez told The Post. “I think I did the right thing.”

What would you have done? Sound off in the comments below…

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Rabbi Willie Wonkaberg

i would have given it back for 10 million dollars
LMAO
i need money and i need it now!
http://ethicalfutures.wordpress.com
Danny Gaze

I would have definitely gave the ball back………….. in .exchange fro $250000..
levi

As much as baseball players love the game, or any other pro sports, it’s their way of making a living…that’s why they bargain and haggle over contracts, money. Fans can capitalize too, if they’re lucky…in these hard economic times, I must say I certainly would have kept the ball…giving it up only for a hefty pay off. There is absolutely, positively nothing wrong with that or with what lopez did.
Joseph Didonato

That ball should have never went back to Jeter. I would have auctioned that ball off. Jeter could care less about that guy or anyone else.
streven polinsky

i think now the Yankees and Jeter should come to bat…….Payoff the taxes and all of his loans…. he did a good deed and its just coming back to bite him in the……
Let Jeter and the yankees do the rite thing….. He Did
Jerry

As always catchers prize!

Highest bidder is the american way!

If not Jeter then another who wants it for his mantle piece.

Now the poor shortsighted soul has to pay taxes on his yankee seats and gifts, all which would have been avoided if he would have simply kept the ball and registered it as Jeters 3000 hit selling it at a later date!
Junior

Heck no! I would want 1/2 of what is it worth, then gave him back the ball. He does not need the $$$$, most of us do.
Debbie

This guy is a true Yankees fan. In his HEART he felt it was more memorable for Jeter to have it than he. When he went to the game he didn’t expect to catch the historical ball, most people ..SEEK MONETARY GAIN..but obviously he just wanted the memorable experience of not only handing the ball back to its rightful owner but meeting him as well.
People can perhaps learn a thing or two from this guy. He will definitely be blessed.

solo

If the Yankees can charge $13 for a beer, I can ask for $500,000 for the ball.

tired of this S__T!

HELL-NO! now on top of 100k for student loans he’s gotta pay 14k in taxes on top of it all? Jeter should step up to the plate and pay for EVERYTHING!
what the hell is going on here? he can write it off on his taxes anyway!!
If I was the kid I’d throw back all of the gifts! just like the ball!

lydia

Jeter is no different than all the fans who would make him pay up for the ball. Jeter makes us all pay up to see the Yankees.
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Pete

I woud have milked it for all it was worth. They are all over paid cry-babys.
And now, Jeter won’t play in the all star game be cause he is, ” Emotionally drained.”

Bullcraqp.

beard

The all-star game is bull im fine with jeter not playing

tampa ray

money only matters to mlb players when it is their money, they go on strike for a few more million. When it comes to a fans money, its time to be generous. What a stupid kid, he could have sold the ball and had his future childrens college education taken care of.
MrHooah

I would have given Jeter the ball too. The only reason that ball is worth anything is because of jeters accomplishments as a person, jeter trained most of his life and has become great it doesn’t matter if he’s rich or poor it was his training and drive that made this moment possible. So Christian gave him 250k big deal, it’s just money, money that could of made his life easier but that’s not what he wanted all he wanted was to give his favorite player back a ball that means alot to this mans hero. The only reason the ball has any worth is because of jeter so what he chose to do with it was his choice. Who knows maybe 250k would of ruined his life too made it complicated, we all work for money and short cuts to cash deminish our self worth and our morale to work hard, I say props to him for not wanting a hand out in life!
MSavage

Sure I would have given back Derek Jeter’s ball……………..for about 500,000 US dollars. Just a drop or two in the bucket for him anyway.
CBS=NAZIS

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ATHOUSAND TIMES NO
Steve

Too All, He is a good Kid! But, smart, I don’t know? Age will tell you a lot and at my age, I would sell the ball.
Pleased

The young man is a class act. If I were Mr. Jeter, I’d hire him for my staff, as an exceptionally honest and reliable person.

TJ

Jeter should hand over $100k and send a good message to all. Rich give back, and regular guys can be nice and generous also. C’mon Jeter, give this guy some money, most other people would never let you see this ball again.

pugphan

I’ve been a Yanks fan for more than 50 yrs, and believe me even it were a Mantle,
(da man in me time), ball I would’ve been pragmatic. That kid is an idol worshipper;
Jeter, (da multimillionare), deserves this; he worked hard for it; hey I’m only 23 I got plenty of time to make money. That kind of dough sometimes only comes once in a life time. I have to wonder, does his family have money? How does his girl, dad, family feel about it? Anyway it’s too late now. smokersodyssey.com
A FAN

When talking about ” THE RIGHT THING TO DO” Think about Jeter, and others like him, holding out for the most money they can get befor signing a contract knowing it will raise ticket prices for fans. Is that the “RIGHT THING TO DO?. Professional athletes think only of themselves and do not worry about the fans and how the high ticket prices may affect them. As they do, Christian should have thought about himself and his family. That would have been “THE RIGHT THING TO DO”

All the idiots who think Christian did the right thing

Oh, but it’s Jeter’s ball, he earrrrned it, he’s such a class act, he would do anything for his fans!

If I caught that ball I wold have also handed over my wallet, the keys to my car, and signed my house over to him, that’s how much I, as a *real fan* owe him!
Sam Williams

I agree with u 100%. after the game a fan asked Jeter for his autograph and he flat out said NO! Why should we care about these athletes who seem to forget its b/c of the fans they make the $$ that they do

GREG

YES ALL OF US YANKEE FANS LOVE JETER. HE IS A CLASS ACT AND A MULTI MILLIONARE LETS NOT FORGET THAT. THE GUY THAT CAUGHT THE BALL IS A TRUE BASEBALL FAN AND A GOOD GUY. BUT LETS FACE FACTS BY SELLING THAT BALL TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER IT WOULD HAVE MADE A FINANCIAL CHANGE TO THAT GENTLEMAN IN THIS HORRIBLY ECONOMY. THE YANKEES DO ONOT GIVE A HOOT ABOUT THEIR FANS AS YOU CAN SEE WITH THE TICKET PRICES THEY CHARGE TO THE LOYAL YANKEE FANS.
MIke

Thank you Eric and Ben. This is SO entertaining!

(Go Red Sox!)

Eric

No problem, Mlke, but I gotta give a big NO to the Red Sox part. GO YANKEES!

C’mon Everybody

I think we should all surrender our balls to Jeter.He is a class act afterall.
Nonie

Of course the ball has more meaning to Jeter than anyone else. Give to him. It is the right thing to do.

Ellen

Nonie, your a class act for saying you would give the ball back to Jeter. A class act for sure.

Johnny Handsome

Make no mistake about it, Christian Lopez will be enriched far more than 250K.. Check back on him on about 6 months.
Bernie Sanders

i hate jeter i would have kept the ball until they begged for it !
Randy

I would of did the same for a man like Jeter. Jeter is a class act. He is a player who start a foundation in his rookie year and continues it until this day. He has not been in negative news in his career. He even let the Yankees stiff his in his last contract, just to continue to play baseball. It was Lopez’s ball. He should be able to do with it as he sees fit, and that was giving it to Jeter.