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New York Yankees Editorial: The Hample Dilemma

By Wayne Cavadi

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Zack Hample is sure doing his best to help Alex Rodriguez look even more favorable to those who still despise him. Hample of course made news by being the guy who caught A-Rod’s 3,000th hit and refused to give it back. Now, Hample, after looking rather disgraced himself in the public eye has had a change of heart… kinda.

As it turns out, Hample simply wants a friend.

Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News recently wrote a story keeping Hample in the limelight, which seems to be really what he wants. Tasch recounts how Hample, before he even caught the ball, was ready to make headlines when he was asked what he would do if he came up with that big No. 3000. 

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“I’ll give him the finger and a dummy ball. That man deserves favors from no one, least of all a fan.”

In the days since, Hample has been in negotiations with the New York Yankees because he has had a change of heart.

“Looking back on that now I completely regret that,” Hample told the Daily News. “I’m sorry for what I said. I certainly was thinking some negative thoughts when this first happened, but upon further reflection, taking the ball with me from the Stadium that night and having time to think things over, I’m not feeling any negativity right now.

“I’m trying to think positive thoughts and come up with a way the Yankees and A-Rod can get the ball and be happy, maybe make a nice contribution to charity. Maybe some perks will come my way at the Stadium, maybe some memorabilia I wouldn’t otherwise have gotten my hands on.”

Here’s the issue. The issue is that people are making this a story about whether or not the tainted legacy of A-Rod deserves to get his hands on the trophy of an accolade that only 28 others have achieved. That’s not the issue. The issue is how Hample has handled the situation.

Hample started out as the bully, vowing adamantly that not only would he not give A-Rod the ball of his 3,000th hit, he would mock him in gesture. What has happened over the past few days is the bully has become the bullied. People are once again rallying behind A-Rod instead of attacking him, and what Hample thought would be seen as an act of heroics against the Steroid Era has completely backfired.

Now, Hample is trying to sound like a nice guy. He is now willing to exchange the ball with A-Rod, but not only that, he’ll do it for charity. Please.

Let’s go back to that tweet last Thursday. What if he had answered right then and there that if he were to in fact catch that 3,000 hit, he would ask A-Rod for a donation to his charity. That’s a selfless act. That is a person immediately thinking of others before himself.

Now, he is using his charity as a negotiating tool. That is a selfish act. What has happened over the past few days, as Tasch has pointed out, is that Hample has gotten the value of what the ball could be worth. Now, instead of using that ball as an act of defiance, he wants to use it as a bargaining chip.

Don’t get me wrong. That isn’t a bad idea, but again, it is the way he did it. He had no intentions of giving that ball back until he realized he was going to be the scourge of New York Yankees fans eyes.

What kind of greeting would he get next time in the Stadium? Everyone originally thought A-Rod would suffer through an excruciating season of boo-birds. That hasn’t quite happened. How would the guy that is taunting A-Rod be received now that A-Rod is having a steroid-free highly productive season in the heart of the Yankees lineup?

Had Hample been in the dugout immediately after the game, and used the ball right there for a photo opp, or front row season tickets, or even a large donation to his charity, I would be ok with it. The fact that he this was an act of defiance and he didn’t stick to his guns and is coming back asking for memorabilia and money is kind of a disappointment.

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