Hire Jeter Fan's Generosity

Lopez and his prize. (Reuters)

A fan who caught Derek Jeter's 3000th hit ball (a home run) chose to return the ball to the Yankee SS and asked for nothing in return. This selflessness should most definitely be hired.

Christian Lopez, 23, a cellphone salesman and Yankees fan from Highland Mills, NY, said: "Mr. Jeter deserved it. I'm not gonna take it away from him. Money's cool and all, but I'm 23 years old, I've got a lot of time to make that. It was never about the money, it was about the milestone."

Were Lopez a Red Sox fan he might have felt differently since he potentially walked away from a big payday. Milestone home run balls fetch the most, topping out with Mark McGwire's 1998 70th home run ball going for $3 million (we suspect the price has dropped a bit since). Other similar balls, like Hank Aaron's 755th, which sold for $650,000, have gone in the six-figure range. Three thousand-hit balls are a lot tougher to price, however, as few if any are on the secondary market. The only other player to get his 3000th with a home run was Wade Boggs, and he got that ball back, too. Even without a definite market value it's safe to say Lopez had a pretty high-priced item.

Lopez didn't exactly get screwed, though, since the Yankees rewarded his generosity with tickets to every home game for the rest of 2011, memorabilia and a clubhouse meeting with Mr. Jeter. One website estimated the value of Lopez's haul at $12,300.

It's refreshing to see someone behave like Lopez, especially when compared to the ugly saga involving Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball in 2001. When the ball landed, there was a scuffle and two fans claimed ownership of it. The dispute eventually went to court and a judge ruled that the ball would be sold and the profit split among the two men. Sure, they got to share $450,000 two years later but neither deserved any money since they acted like jerks. With all the greed that's out there, hats off to Lopez for behaving like a mensch.