Bear in mind, this is about a ball

[WilliamPitt]

BOSTON -- The red carpet was set up outside the Green Monster. A Brinks truck rounded the corner, two gun-toting guards got out and cameras recorded it all.

The ball used for the final out of the World Series finally reached Fenway Park on Thursday.

"This is quite the thing," guard Joseph Fleury said. "This is the cat's meow."

The Red Sox made a big deal over a slightly soiled sphere with a hologram sticker certifying it as the ball first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz caught in St. Louis last Oct. 27, the final out of the four-game sweep that gave Boston its first World Series championship in 86 years.

Mientkiewicz caught it from pitcher Keith Foulke, then put it in a safe deposit box and claimed ownership. Eventually, he agreed to loan the ball to the Red Sox for one year, leaving the question of ownership to be decided.

Mientkiewicz gave the ball to Red Sox owner John Henry, and Brinks got the ball Wednesday from a safe deposit box of Henry's at a Florida bank. Brinks accompanied the ball on a flight to Boston that landed early Thursday, then transferred the ball to the truck.

...more...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1983562

[InternalDialogue]

1. Reading about a baseball hurts my eyes

I woke up not more than an hour ago from a dream in which I was having problems with my contact lenses. But after I had removed the lenses and was getting ready to replace them, the dream morphed, and instead of trying to just put in new contacts, I had to force baseballs into my orbital sockets.

Ouch.

[Hissyspit]

2. And so many people just don't seem to get it when my friends and I say...

"I hate sports."

Think about how many steroids they could buy with the money they spent on that security.

I teach art and my students can't understand why some of it is worth so much money and why Christo would spend so much money and trouble and effort on installing an artwork to stay up for only two weeks (See "The Gates" project, being set up in Central Park, NYC). I tend to point out that it makes as much sense as drive around a track over and over again as fast as you can until someone hits a wall, or knocking a little ball around outside until you get it in a small hole.

Feel free to flame away. :D

[ThorsHammer]

4. I'm much more on the sports side, but see where you're coming from

I'm one of those sports nuts who will watch about anything (I don't consider car racing a sport, and don't watch it, same for poker), and don't "get" most art. I definitely see what you're saying though, and don't think you're deserving of any flames. What's great to one person is nothing to another, and vice versa.

[cruadin]

3. Saying,..."this is about a ball"... is like saying that....

the Declaration of Independence "is about good penmanship."

It is not the physical object that has any true inherent value---it is the fulfillment of universal human ideals that is represented by that object that serve to imbue the physical object with special significance.

It is both fitting and proper that such objects are treated with reverential awe and wonder. That they are treated as the iconic symbols of our collective identity speaks well of us a nation, for it has pleased God to bestow such blessings of liberty (and World Championships) upon us.

;) <semi-sarcasm off>

[GalleryGod]

5. Spock sighs, "Extraordinary, Captain"

:grouphug: :wtf:

[underpants]

6. This reminds me of George Washington's axe that my family owns

We do own the axe that Washington used to chop down the cherry tree. We had to replace the head and the handle but it occupies the same space.

:eyes:

This guy must have been scheming the entire time as to how he was going to keep the ball. With all those dollar signs ringing up in front of his eyes I am surprised that he made the catch.

Its about the purity of the game and the team. MLB should ban him for life and let him live off the ball if that is what is important to him.

[MikeG]

7. You Red Sox fans need to stop living in the past.

[ohkay]

8. MWAHAHA!!

that was fantastic. Thank you!

[cruadin]

9. You're right---99.97% of New Yawk Yankee fans agree....

it's time to move on. :eyes:

[ohkay]

10. That's Pretty...