# Prize for catching baseball at a game. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442 "2005-11-17T03:42:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/41 "2005-11-19T04:05:22Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I don’t know if they still do it, but used to be that when a fan made a nice grab of a foull ball at an Orioles’ game, the public address announcer would say, “Give that fan a contract!” Rumor was that they actually did get some sort of honorary contract, but I can’t say it that’s true. I never caught one. ☹ It was Rex Barney who used to say that. Since he passed away, no one else has done it. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/42 "2005-11-19T22:59:07Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > One of my all time favorite baseball cartoons shows a sign on the outfield fence reading, “Hit this sign and win a new suit!” with the businessman out on the field in suit and tie and a glove standing in front of his sign. I believe the sign was “Hit Sign! Win Suit”. It was sponsored by Abe Stark, who owned a Brooklyn tailor shop and later went on to become the borough president. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/43 "2005-11-20T00:43:14Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > I believe the sign was “Hit Sign! Win Suit”. It was sponsored by Abe Stark, who owned a Brooklyn tailor shop and later went on to become the borough president. You’re almost right. It’s in the _Fireside Book of Baseball_ (the first one), and it says, “Hit this sign and Abe Feldman will give you a suit absolutely free”. He’s wearing a glove on both hands! It was printed originally in _The New Yorker_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/44 "2005-11-20T00:55:41Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > Or one of Barry Bonds’ balls. Those balls can be worth quite a bit of money - so they would be fighting over who owns it and can thus sell it. I’d’ve thought steroid-related shrinkage would’ve depreciated them a bit. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/45 "2005-11-20T04:24:16Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > You’re almost right. It’s in the _Fireside Book of Baseball_ (the first one), and it says, “Hit this sign and Abe Feldman will give you a suit absolutely free”. He’s wearing a glove on both hands! It was printed originally in _The New Yorker_. I wasn’t almost right. I was completely right. The sign was put up by Abe Stark. [http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/LA/Ebbetts.htm](http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/LA/Ebbetts.htm) [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub\_your\_park/historical\_signs/hs\_historical\_sign.php?id=8684](http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=8684) [![](http://www.dugout-memories.com/goffebb7.jpg) ](http://www.dugout-memories.com/goffebb7.jpg) [http://www.projectballpark.org/history/nl/ebbets.html](http://www.projectballpark.org/history/nl/ebbets.html) [http://www.walteromalley.com/thisday\_02\_10.php](http://www.walteromalley.com/thisday_02_10.php) The last link is to a photo. The others are to text or a painting. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/46 "2005-11-20T04:25:51Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > I wasn’t almost right. I was completely right. The sign was put up by Abe Stark. > > The last link is to a photo. The others are to text or a painting. Well, that’s all fine, but that not the cartoon I was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/47 "2005-11-20T04:27:35Z")
OK, I see now. You were looking for the cartoon and I thought someone was asking about the real sign. Never mind… ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/48 "2005-11-20T04:50:06Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > OK, I see now. You were looking for the cartoon and I thought someone was asking about the real sign. > > Never mind… OK, now I understand too. We thought we were talking to each other but we weren’t… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/49 "2005-11-20T04:51:43Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > OK, now I understand too. We thought we were talking to each other but we weren’t… Get a room! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/50 "2005-11-20T05:04:31Z")
I heard a presentation from a woman who was an expert on advertising and the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Abe Stark sign was so famous that it inspired the New Yorker cartoon. I imagine that the name was changed in the cartoon because the magazine didn’t want to give Stark a free ad. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/51 "2005-11-20T05:06:08Z")
In case you two would like some period comment on the real sign and the cartoon, the manager of Abe Stark’s shop said that he thinks that Mel Ott was the first one to hit the sign. The sign, being at the bottom of the scoreboard, was not easily hitable. Most drives that low would be caught by the fielder. He also said that Hack Wilson did it 2-3 times, and they had to make up a suit special, as Wilson was a very short guy with giant shoulders. Gil Hodges had to be specially fit also. In the George Price cartoon, the businessman wore a catcher’s mitt on one hand, and a fielder’s glove on the other. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/52 "2005-11-20T05:11:35Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > At ballgames in Japan, as the ball is heading towards the stands, the ushers have whistles that they blow warning fans that the hit ball in headed their way. Once a person catches the call, they are required to return it (cheapskates) at most venues. Although I’ve seen instances where the fan gets to keep the ball but I can’t remember which stadiums. In the US, I wouldn’t be surprised the usher would try to get a signed liability release. ☹ I remember a case a fan sued. The court ruled for the stadium of the theory of assumption of risk. Balls do at times get hit toward fans. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/53 "2005-11-20T05:12:38Z")
Actually, once I got straightend out what was going on here, I do appreciate the history lessons from both of you. I never realized there was all that in back of the cartoon; I just like it. Knowing the story adds something to it. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/54 "2005-11-20T06:07:43Z")
At all U.S. baseball games, fans are told that they need to watch out for flying balls and bats and that they are assuming the risk when they purchased their ticket. At Japanese parks, the stands usually have high fences or nets along the foul lines so fans who would be in the most danger of getting hit by a sharply hit foul ball are safe. The ushers also blow whistles when foul balls come in to the stands. The stadium in Kobe has a few seats which are in front of a fence, but the seats come with individual face protection. [http://home.earthlink.net/~japanbbtrip2003/id21.html](http://home.earthlink.net/~japanbbtrip2003/id21.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/55 "2005-11-20T08:02:44Z")
I found the George Price cartoon on line [here](http://www.thenewyorkerstore.com/product_details.asp?mscssid=SWBTD3LN713M9LHV0UT5AER7715381K0&sitetype=1&did=4&sid=42238&pid=&advanced=1&keyword=undefined&artist=George+Price§ion=prints&caption=&artID=&topic=&pubDateFrom=&pubDateTo=&pubDateMon=&pubDateDay=&pubNY=&color=0&title=George+Price&whichpage=13&sortBy=popular) . ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/56 "2005-11-20T15:51:09Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > At Japanese parks, the stands usually have high fences or nets along the foul lines so fans who would be in the most danger of getting hit by a sharply hit foul ball are safe. The ushers also blow whistles when foul balls come in to the stands. The stadium in Kobe has a few seats which are in front of a fence, but the seats come with individual face protection. > > [http://home.earthlink.net/~japanbbtrip2003/id21.html](http://home.earthlink.net/~japanbbtrip2003/id21.html) That is just bizzare. Why not go all-out and surround the field with plexiglass like a hockey rink? ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/57 "2005-11-20T15:54:47Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Ahhhh - they keep the ball. > > That explains why people were fighting over the ball. The ball itself is valuable. I thought they just threw the ball back to the players. In baseball, the umpire often discards the ball just because it hit the dirt on the pitch. This isn’t just being snippy. Jim Bouton in his famous tell-all book “Ball Four” relates how Whitey Ford in his later years relied on cunning, guile, and a sharpened wedding ring to cut the ball. With his experience the cut on the ball was a distinct advantage. He was made to stop wearing the ring, whereupon his catcher sharpened his shin guard buckle and managed to often cut the ball for him with a swipe of the hand. Gaylord Perry made a living for a long time with what was almost universally presumed to be a spit/Vaseline/mud/sweat/something ball. He even admitted it in a book, but said he’d already quit. Then he pitched the same way for years after. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442/58 "2005-11-20T16:48:31Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Ahhhh - they keep the ball. > > That explains why people were fighting over the ball. The ball itself is valuable. I thought they just threw the ball back to the players. And there’s nothing more amazing than watching someone drop a tray with $25 worth of food/beer to retrieve a $5 ball. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prize-for-catching-baseball-at-a-game/331442.md?page=2)