ducks
10-27-2005, 08:14 AM
Fate of game ball a well-kept secret
By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer
October 27, 2005
HOUSTON (AP) -- As the corks popped and champagne sprayed in the Chicago White Sox's locker room, a conspiracy was unfolding.
If any of the Sox knew what happened to the game ball, none were saying.
``I don't know, I really don't,'' World Series MVP Jermaine Dye said.
ADVERTISEMENT
[-71724]
``I have no idea what happened to it,'' said Bobby Jenks, who earned the save.
Mark Buehrle knew the answer, but he wasn't telling.
``I can't say,'' said the Game 2 starter. ``I know who has it, I know where it ended up, but I'm not going to say. Who knows? Maybe I stole it and put it in my locker.''
The game ended when Astros pinch-hitter Orlando Palmeiro grounded to shortstop Juan Uribe, who threw the ball to first baseman Paul Konerko. The 1-0 victory secure, Konerko ran toward the mound and disappeared in a cluster of celebrating players.
When asked about the game ball's fate after it popped into his glove, Konerko wasn't revealing anything.
``I'm not doing interviews,'' he said as he partied with his teammates on the pitcher's mound.
The final-out ball from last year's World Series caused all kinds of commotion.
Boston first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz caught a toss from pitcher Keith Foulke to finish off a sweep of St. Louis, then kept the ball and squirreled it away. When the Red Sox wanted the souvenir, it touched off a debate: Were the Red Sox, Mientkiewicz or Major League Baseball entitled to the prize?
Eventually, a compromise was worked out and Mientkiewicz loaned it to the Red Sox for a year.
CATCH OF THE GAME
Astros second baseman Craig Biggio was hoping for some friendly fan interference on Chicago shortstop Juan Uribe's acrobatic catch in the ninth inning.
With one out and Jason Lane on second, Chris Burke popped a foul ball down the left-field line. Uribe ran over, his eyes to the sky, reached into the first row of fans, caught the ball and fell headfirst into the seats.
``The guy goes into the stands. How'd he pull it out?'' Biggio said. ``If I was a fan, I would've mauled him.''
Sox third baseman Joe Crede was ready to make a play on the pop before Uribe went for it.
``I thought a fan caught it at first,'' Crede said. ``But as he came back over and I saw he had the ball in his hand, I started screaming, 'Three, three, three!' so the guy wouldn't tag up.''
Uribe also made the championship-clinching putout, beating Orlando Palmeiro by a half-step on a bouncer up the middle.
FAN APPRECIATION DAY:@ Not long after their season ended in disappointment, the Houston Astros came out of their dugout to greet the loyal fans who hung around to say goodbye.
``We wanted to come back out,'' first baseman Mike Lamb said. ``These fans love us and we love them. That was the emotional part, saying thank you.''
The fans were hardly the factor the Astros hoped they'd be at Minute Maid Park. Houston went 36-17 at home this year with the stadium's retractable roof closed and the noise trapped inside.
But major league baseball officials ordered the roof open for Games 3 and 4, diminishing the decibel level.
``I wish the roof was closed, to see how loud it could've gotten,'' Biggio said. ``It's not an excuse, but to witness it would've been something.''
KEEPSAKE JERSEY:@ Before he agreed to any postgame interviews, Astros slugger Lance Berkman went around the Houston locker room with a black marker and asked each of his teammates to autograph his jersey.
BIG HURT, BIG SMILE
Frank Thomas tried to hobble away from a bevy of teammates chasing him with bottles of champagne in Chicago's clubhouse after the White Sox won the World Series.
Caught in the corner of the clubhouse with a trash bag covering his broken left foot and a smile on his face, all he could do was laugh as he was soaked by the bubbly.
``This means everything to me,'' he said. ``Whatever I do after this is extra. I just always wanted to get right here.''
Thomas missed the first two months of the season recovering from offseason ankle surgery before hitting 10 homers in his first 69 at-bats. He missed the rest of the season after breaking his foot in late July.
``It doesn't matter that I didn't play in the Series,'' he said. ``I'm just so happy for the team.
EXTRA BASES
The Astros are the first team to be swept in their first trip to the World Series. ... Chicago's 1-0 victory marked the 23rd time a team has clinched the World Series with a shutout. It was the third straight year it's happened. ... Astronauts Bill MacArthur and Valery Tokarev greeted fans on a giant video screen from the international space station before Game 4. ... Game 4 lasted 3 hours, 21 minutes -- 2 hours, 21 minutes shorter than Game 3, the longest in World Series history.
By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer
October 27, 2005
HOUSTON (AP) -- As the corks popped and champagne sprayed in the Chicago White Sox's locker room, a conspiracy was unfolding.
If any of the Sox knew what happened to the game ball, none were saying.
``I don't know, I really don't,'' World Series MVP Jermaine Dye said.
ADVERTISEMENT
[-71724]
``I have no idea what happened to it,'' said Bobby Jenks, who earned the save.
Mark Buehrle knew the answer, but he wasn't telling.
``I can't say,'' said the Game 2 starter. ``I know who has it, I know where it ended up, but I'm not going to say. Who knows? Maybe I stole it and put it in my locker.''
The game ended when Astros pinch-hitter Orlando Palmeiro grounded to shortstop Juan Uribe, who threw the ball to first baseman Paul Konerko. The 1-0 victory secure, Konerko ran toward the mound and disappeared in a cluster of celebrating players.
When asked about the game ball's fate after it popped into his glove, Konerko wasn't revealing anything.
``I'm not doing interviews,'' he said as he partied with his teammates on the pitcher's mound.
The final-out ball from last year's World Series caused all kinds of commotion.
Boston first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz caught a toss from pitcher Keith Foulke to finish off a sweep of St. Louis, then kept the ball and squirreled it away. When the Red Sox wanted the souvenir, it touched off a debate: Were the Red Sox, Mientkiewicz or Major League Baseball entitled to the prize?
Eventually, a compromise was worked out and Mientkiewicz loaned it to the Red Sox for a year.
CATCH OF THE GAME
Astros second baseman Craig Biggio was hoping for some friendly fan interference on Chicago shortstop Juan Uribe's acrobatic catch in the ninth inning.
With one out and Jason Lane on second, Chris Burke popped a foul ball down the left-field line. Uribe ran over, his eyes to the sky, reached into the first row of fans, caught the ball and fell headfirst into the seats.
``The guy goes into the stands. How'd he pull it out?'' Biggio said. ``If I was a fan, I would've mauled him.''
Sox third baseman Joe Crede was ready to make a play on the pop before Uribe went for it.
``I thought a fan caught it at first,'' Crede said. ``But as he came back over and I saw he had the ball in his hand, I started screaming, 'Three, three, three!' so the guy wouldn't tag up.''
Uribe also made the championship-clinching putout, beating Orlando Palmeiro by a half-step on a bouncer up the middle.
FAN APPRECIATION DAY:@ Not long after their season ended in disappointment, the Houston Astros came out of their dugout to greet the loyal fans who hung around to say goodbye.
``We wanted to come back out,'' first baseman Mike Lamb said. ``These fans love us and we love them. That was the emotional part, saying thank you.''
The fans were hardly the factor the Astros hoped they'd be at Minute Maid Park. Houston went 36-17 at home this year with the stadium's retractable roof closed and the noise trapped inside.
But major league baseball officials ordered the roof open for Games 3 and 4, diminishing the decibel level.
``I wish the roof was closed, to see how loud it could've gotten,'' Biggio said. ``It's not an excuse, but to witness it would've been something.''
KEEPSAKE JERSEY:@ Before he agreed to any postgame interviews, Astros slugger Lance Berkman went around the Houston locker room with a black marker and asked each of his teammates to autograph his jersey.
BIG HURT, BIG SMILE
Frank Thomas tried to hobble away from a bevy of teammates chasing him with bottles of champagne in Chicago's clubhouse after the White Sox won the World Series.
Caught in the corner of the clubhouse with a trash bag covering his broken left foot and a smile on his face, all he could do was laugh as he was soaked by the bubbly.
``This means everything to me,'' he said. ``Whatever I do after this is extra. I just always wanted to get right here.''
Thomas missed the first two months of the season recovering from offseason ankle surgery before hitting 10 homers in his first 69 at-bats. He missed the rest of the season after breaking his foot in late July.
``It doesn't matter that I didn't play in the Series,'' he said. ``I'm just so happy for the team.
EXTRA BASES
The Astros are the first team to be swept in their first trip to the World Series. ... Chicago's 1-0 victory marked the 23rd time a team has clinched the World Series with a shutout. It was the third straight year it's happened. ... Astronauts Bill MacArthur and Valery Tokarev greeted fans on a giant video screen from the international space station before Game 4. ... Game 4 lasted 3 hours, 21 minutes -- 2 hours, 21 minutes shorter than Game 3, the longest in World Series history.