More On The Ryan Howard Near-Lawsuit (It’s Not About The Money!)
Looks like more details have come in regarding the near-lawsuit between the family of a 12yo girl who caught a Ryan Howard home run, and the Phillies’ organization for allegedly entering an illegal contract with a minor (at least, that appears to be the case the family’s lawyer had against the Phillies).
From the article:
This was not about money, Vanegas insisted, although she admits that she contacted a Miami TV consumer affairs reporter after co-workers told her that the ball’s historical significance gave it added value. (emphasis mine)
So you didn’t have a lawyer sue the team for the money, even though you only got in contact with a lawyer after finding out the ball’s potential value? Uh-huh.
The reporter, in turn, put her in touch with Kent.
As Krunk put it, when a lawyer gets involved, isn’t it always about the money?
(By the way, go to 0:42 in this YouTube clip, and then try to convince me that this case was not about the money. Then, go to the 1:00 mark, and you’ll hear the lawyer use the phrase ‘criminal theft’ to describe what the Phillies did to this girl. CRIMINAL THEFT??? For argument’s sake, let’s say that the girl did agree to trade balls with the team. Fine, stick to the ‘illegal contract with a minor” case, but criminal theft?
I can’t watch any more of that clip. If anyone wants to finish the clip and add to my remarks, please post a comment to this blog entry, and I’ll add it here.)
In addition:
“They’re saying I stole the ball from Mr. Howard,” Vanegas said. “I didn’t steal anything from Mr. Howard. Whoever caught the ball, the ball belongs to that person.
“Why did they take the ball away? Because they knew it was a very valuable ball. They took advantage of my daughter.”
Where in the hell does the mother get this idea that the Phillies were accusing her of trying to steal the baseball from Mr. Howard? And why does she suggest that the ball was ‘taken away’? As far as I’m concerned, when you trade one item for another (even if the trade is ridiculous, like an ice cream cone for a pebble), you’re not technically getting your ice cream taken away from you. Or am I just splitting hairs here? Also, if it’s not about the money, then why would you care about why the Phillies want the ball back?
Going on:
According to the lawyer, security officials escorted Valdivia to the clubhouse during the July 16 game and a Phillies equipment manager persuaded her to give up the ball, telling her to come back after the game and that Howard personally would give her a signed ball. “She thought he was going to sign the ball she caught,” Kent said. “She’s 12 years old. She didn’t have a clue.”
Sorry, being 12 years old isn’t an excuse for not having a clue. “Give us the ball, and in return, we’ll give you a signed ball” is pretty clear in my book; we’re talking about two different baseballs here. And I’ll ask again: where were the parents during this alleged illegal contract with a minor? Furthermore, the lawyer said it himself right there: someone in the Phillies persuaded the girl to give the ball up. CRIMINAL THEFT?
Valdivia came back as instructed, Kent said, but Howard did not appear and a club official sent her home with a different ball autographed by Howard.
What? No breach of contract lawsuit?
Finally:
“People are talking so much crap about the ball, and that we just wanted it for the money,” she said. “We had no idea what it was worth. I don’t think Mr. Howard had any idea what was going on. I blame the Phillies’ administration.”
Until your co-workers told you how much it was worth, and then you were more than happy to speak to a lawyer to get the ball back. But it wasn’t about the money, right?
Final thought: do you realize that the ball is probably worth way more now than it would have been had the girl not been ‘robbed’ of the ball in the first place? The ball is now encased in an acrylic holder, authenticated by the Phillies, AND, I’d argue, has extra value because of the controversy surrounding it. But it’s OK; it’s not about the money.
Office review to come shortly…maybe.
[…] Fair a third time. - In another twist to the Ryan Howard near lawsuit, which I discussed here and here, CNN reported something that I had not yet read anywhere else: A Phillies employee, Jennifer says, […]