Pete,

Please dont write about this kinda BS ever again. Your much better than that. Write about actual baseball.

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Hope I don't have to, but this is not just a nuts and bolts baseball blog.

If I had a say, I'd ban this guy who caught the Wieters ball from Camden Yards for life...what an ungrateful cat!

Frankly , in my opinion anyone with any conscience should not be looking for any "deal" . If anything , an autograph should suffice .
It's greed anyway you look at it .

Look, this is just another example of just how far the orioles, what used to be a revered organization, has sunken.
They could have used this type incident to make themselves "look like" they care about the asses in the seats. But yet again they don't know a good opportunity when it hits them in the face. Sad, so very sad. I remember when every citizen of this town bled orange and black. This is 2009 not 1972 or 84 the orioles don't belong to Baltimore any longer. They belong to King Peter. For years we asked to have Baltimore on the road jersey. Honestly I am embarrassed to have my city's name on that product.

Gee Wally, how is this the Orioles' fault? The guy agreed to a deal and tried to change it later. Now he's saying it was a "misunderstanding." Yeah, whatever. He thought that he could bleed them drier. The Orioles could have told him to shove it, but gave in and offered him tickets. Now he's probably feeling a little guilty, and a lot hungover. He's a total ass-clown. Don't defend him or you'll be one, too.

Pete - thanks for the help with the spelling . You're a good man , I don't care what they say about you :-)

Wally is spot on, and Jack you are wrong. Let's assume in that brief moment following the catch that the Mayfields agreed to give the ball to Matt for a piece of gum. Then the next am the Mayfields wake up and have buyers remorse and ask the O's for tix for their fam, a meet and greet, etc. The O's need good PR opportunities. They should have given that to them and taken the PR opp. This is NOT about the Mayfields, and whether 1 ball, 2 balls or whatever they want, is fair. The O's could have milked this for a good PR opportunity and they BLEW IT. They seem to try to win every battle, and forget the war.

BA Ray - with all due respect to your opinion , I 'll stand by mine .

I love it how frustration turns even minutiae into a microcosm of what's gone wrong for the last decade, and, an opportunity to vent familiar arguments that are, frankly, beaten to death. Mistakes happen. No, it is not endemic of a larger systemic problem with the franchise. I'm sure Wieters is in the habit of greeting fans all the time. In the minors it happens all the time. Someone misunderstood something and didn't pass on the words, which made Mayfield look like he was trying to get a little more to an uninformed stadium official. Simple mistake that is easily corrected in good faith. What's the big deal?

The writing is on the wall. When this team's talent starts to rise, a lot of fans will be so brain-locked, from years of bracing for the worst, that over-analytical fans will be left with examining the Camden bathroom walls for graffitti for evidence of impending doom. ;)

Hey BA Ray: Why don't you ask the Orioles how the "fan" conducted himself after Wieters came out of the clubhouse to meet him. Why don't you ask the Orioles whether he started renegotiating the deal LONG before he got home. Ask how much the guy and his moronic buddy had to drink and whether profanity was used. Ask whether he immediately threatened to go on WNST and rip the organization - while Wieters was still standing there. Do that, then report back to us.

The only reason I'm an O's fan is because I grew up with this team. If it wasn't for that I would be loving seeing this team lose. Baltimore fans are some of the most obnoxious in all of sports. First, everyone bitched about not having Baltimore on the uniform and said they wouldn't return to park until they did. The organization then does, but still no one shows up. Then a minor "incident" like this happens, that's almost insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and now fans are embarassed that Baltimore is on the uniform. If you're so upset because of something so petty, and something you obviously know so little about, become a fan of another team, and stop subjecting the rest of us to your bitterness.

Concerned citizen and Jack:
I grant and respect your points, but mine was slightly different. Regardless of Mr mayfields behavior (good, bad or other) I'm certain that the O's, with a little creativity and humility, could have turned this into a positive PR opportunity. Businesses don't often get opps to spin a positive story, and this one has turned out so that all parties involved look bad. The O's did not have to "turn the other cheek", and even if they were right, they could have handled this differently. I find it difficult to believe that they couldn't have managed Mr Mayfield. They just seem to struggle grabbing opportunities. IMO.

The Orioles DID turn it into something positive - they gave this loudmouth drunk tickets to a future game and will allow his kids to meet Wieters. What don't you get here? Or are you just determined to find fault with the organization, no matter what? If I'm in charge there, I ban this clown from the ballpark for good. Instead, they're inviting him back. And this "fan" attended one game all year - the one where he created a huge stir. Your 15 minutes are up, pal.

@ Concerned Citizen. Perhaps you have a point. Perhaps you have a very good reason to sound so bothered by all this. But you should just drop the name-calling and just come out and admit who you are...at least the Mayfields did that.

One guy at the Orioles accepted the deal with Mr. Mayfield, and another person was there when the bat and ball were signed. There was a miscommunication between the two Orioles officials. There was no upping the ante or anything of the sort by Mr. Mayfield.