What would your kids do with Judge’s home run ball?
Dream a little kids, and put yourself in Cory Youmans’ shoes.
You might recognize him as the baseball fan who caught New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s record-setting 62nd home run against the Texas Rangers on the next to the last day of the regular season. The homer — the most ever in the American League — surpassed the 61 hit by Roger Maris in 1961.
Now comes the big question: What will Youmans do with the ball?
He could keep it as a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir, give it to Judge for free or sell it to him, or sell it for an estimated asking price of $2 million at an auction. As of this writing, Youman hadn’t announced his decision.
There’s really no wrong decision. After all, Youman caught the ball and it’s his, fair and square. But on the other hand, Judge is about to become one of the wealthiest players in Major League Baseball, so what’s a couple million from his bank account for the historic ball?
Compare Youmans’ options to the $5,000 then 19-year-old Sal Durante received in 1961 after catching Maris’ blast. That’s the equivalent of $50,000 in today’s dollars. No telling what the payout would be today from an auction.
Which brings me to how this is a great learning opportunity for your kids.
What would they do if they owned the home run ball? It could make for a lively discussion about instant wealth and fame, and family values about money.
My two — now adult — sons and my son-in-law texted back and forth after Judge hit the record homer on what they’d do with the ball.
“To be clear,” one son said, “I’d want some real valuable merchandise in return for the ball. A signed rookie (baseball) card might do it. But I don’t feel like it would be my right to auction it off. I played no part in setting the record.”
Added his brother, “I don’t want $2 million in merchandise. Keep it clean, straight cash. Go through his agent. … I’d write Judge a heartfelt thank you and give him the right of first refusal, but you sell it.”
And this from my son-in-law: “Why would you give it back, just to be a nice guy? Why not make some money off of it. It’s basically like winning the lottery. You could put your kids through college.” What would I do?
I’d feel uncomfortable holding out for millions from Judge or through an auction. It’s not in my DNA. I know, that’s boring, but I’d probably settle for an autographed jersey or two from Judge along with a great story about my brush with history.
Again, there’s no wrong answer. But here’s a final thought: My son-in-law’s cousin has a roommate whose boyfriend is friends with Youmans, or so I’ve been told.
Does that entitle me to at least a small cut?
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