A lucky State Senator from Wyoming

September 24, 2008 by Benjamin Kabak 36 Comments

Now, why on Earth would we be talking about a State Senator from the Great State of Wyoming on a Yankee blog? Well, he caught himself the last home run ball at Yankee Stadium and doesn’t seem so willing to give it back. Perhaps we should all write to Steve Harshman and tell him to do the right thing. That ball belongs in New York with the Yankees and not in some safety deposit box in Wyoming.

steve (different one)

he owns something that is possibly very valuable. i don’t see how it’s the “right thing” to just give something of value to a company that is worth over a billion dollars.

let the yankees buy it from him.
- frits
  
  i agree with this sentiment. let them give him some game tickets to the new stadium or something. its not necessarily the right thing to do to simply give it back, just because it has value.
http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Pablo Zevallos

Who the fuck cares about a fucking state senator in fucking Wyoming? Not to mention that he’s a republican! Give it back douche!
- jose
  
  LOL!!
jsbrendog

he didn’t catch it, another guy caught it through the netting and security came, took it from him and gave it to this guy, who wanted to remain anonymous as “steve”

now we know why, because the yankees security took the ball from the rightful guy, a “schmoe,” a “working man,” and gave it to a politician.

typical.
- steve (different one)
  
  ok, i didn’t read the article all the way through.
  
  if this is true, he should give it back.
  - http://www.samiamsports.blogspot.com SAMIAMSPORTS
    
    Who the Hell cares how he got it…Bottom line is he has it and nobody else does. If it were me I would hold on to it and get as much as I possibly could.
    - steve (different one)
      
      what i meant is that he should give it back to the guy who “really” caught it.
      
      not to the Yankees.
      
      the Yankees can buy it from him.
- frits
  
  according to that dude’s version of the story. it depends on who you believe. not automatically true that what you’re saying is correct.
  - jsbrendog
    
    when you were watching the game they showed a gentleman grasping it through the net with a death grip. his hand was on it closed and everyone around him was patting him on the back. then joe morgan and jon miller acted as if that never even happened when they showed this wyoming guy holding the ball and beig like yeah woo!
    
    i saw it.
- nyfan
  
  Couldn’t agree more.
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca Optimist Prime

I tried emailing (what? I’m bored and need to kill time before class) and I got a response ‘delivery failure: message exceeds storage limit’.

So apparently people are on him for it.
- radnom
  
  Good to see this issue is blocking any serious emails pertaining to legitimate governmental matters the Senator might be involved with.
  
  Oh wait, he’s from Wyoming, nevermind.
  - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca–Optimist Prime
    
    Amen.
frits

his phone number is 307.262.8075

listed on his website, sans area code. but i found the area code.
frits

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2008/members/h37.htm
Frank

Yeah I saw that dude catch it through the netting. It looked like he wasn’t going to let it go for the world. Then 5 minutes later the camera goes back to that area and some completely different guy has it. That’s BS. I thought the Yankees made it clear any important memorabelia was the property of MLB and the Yankees? I mean, the players weren’t even allowed to keep their uniforms.
- frits
  
  did not know this. i retract my earlier comment.
  - Relaunch
    
    The ball isn’t property of the Yanks or MLB. Artifacts from the stadium are. The guy who has the ball can do whatever he wants with it. He has no obligation of giving it to the Yanks. Yanks built this mentality themselves by overcharging for everything (tix, food, parking, etc). He should get as much as he can.
    - jsbrendog
      
      but he didnt catch it the guy who caught it should get it. this politician shouldnt get to keep it because security took it away from a regular fan and decided he should get it because he has sway
      
      load of shit
      - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
        
        It’s not like this is Ted Kennedy we’re talking about here. The guy’s a state senator from Wyoming. What “sway” does he have? I agree the situation sucks for the guy who originally had the ball, but it’s silly to think this Wyoming guy was given the ball because he “has sway.” He’s some lucky shmo who was given a baseball.
      - Barry
        
        no one caught it the net did.
- steve (different one)
  
  thought the Yankees made it clear any important memorabelia was the property of MLB and the Yankees?
  
  yes, but i don’t think this can apply to foul balls and home runs.
Harry

He was a legislator, not a senator. Misleading.
- jsbrendog
  
  whatever he is he IS NOT the one who caught the ball
Andy in Sunny Daytona

Did the Yankees comp his tickets, or did he buy them?
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  Why would the Yankees have comped his tickets?
  - Andy in Sunny Daytona
    
    Because he’s a Congressman who votes on shit.
    - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos
      
      Sure… in Wyoming. Why would the Yankees care about a state senator in a state that has no professional sports or clout of any kind?
      - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
        
        yup. what he said.
        
        stop demonizing the guy. he’s just some random dude from wyoming, he didn’t get special treatment,
bkight13

My take from watching and reading the article. The guy holding it through the net was security I believe. It appears Steve contolled the ball on the net, security took over to avoid a scrum until they could retrieve it from the net. Russo then grabbed it from security, was tackled and forced to give it back to Steve. It’s rightfully Steve’s ball.
- nyfan
  
  Russo wasn’t tackled. Steve “caught” the ball through the netting, security told him to release the ball, and when he did it bounced up and Russo caught the ball. Security then made him hand it over.
http://knickerbockerchatter.blogspot.com Bruno

“That ball belongs in New York with the Yankees and not in some safety deposit box in Wyoming.”

HEAR HEAR
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos
  
  Still wrong.
The Honorable Congressman Mondesi

I’m a little late getting back to this discussion, but here goes: Why say everyone stops bitching and moaning about a Jose Molina home-run ball? Some random guy randomly got the ball and he has every right to do whatever the F he wants with it.
- nyfan
  
  Right. Very Honorable of you.