Person I hope to never see at a Giants game again: Alex Popov

In case you are not familiar with this guy, he's the loser who tried to catch Barry Bonds' 73rd homerun ball two seasons ago, but could not hold on to the ball. He claims he was assulted by a mob of unruly fans (apparently there is no chivalry in the bleachers), causing him to lose possession of the ball, which ended up in the hands of Patrick Hayashi. They went to court and many months later, came up with the third-grade solution of 'share the ball.'

I think Hayashi got ripped off. The ball is his. After reading about the incident in various newspapers and sport magazines, I have figured out what happened. Every fan in the outfield sections of the park was hoping to catch the Barry Bonds money ball, and they all brought gloves with them. Some of them even brought baseballs to toss around before the game or perhaps to get autographs or whatever. Popov did have another baseball with him that day, which he said he kept in his coat pocket. As soon as the homerun ball hit his glove, he tried to secure it, but at the same time tried to hide it inside his jacket and switch it with the ball in his pocket, just in case some unruly fans tried to take the ball away from him. Great plan, but poor execution. The mob had approached quicker than he had anticipated, causing him to bobble and ultimately lose the 73 ball. At this point, it is just like a loose ball in basketball. Hayashi is the first to gain possession. Popov never had possession. I'm not promoting violence in the bleachers, but I think Dodgers' game are an exception, and the game was against LA.

They finally agree to put the ball up for sale and to split the profits. After legal and seller fees, they will each probably make $20. In any case, if I see it on eBay, I'll probably bid something like $60.00 for it.