Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — What a trainwreck. The Dodgers somehow have the knack for turning what should be wonderful moments into PR nightmares. What should have been a cause for celebration–the first home run from a franchise player– quickly devolved into what practically amounted to a mafia shakedown. But if Shohei’s people are smart (a big “if”), they can turn these particular lemons into some tasty lemonade.
The situation involves the ball that Ohtani deposited into the right field pavillion for his first homer of his Dodger career. The couple who managed to snatch the home run ball after nobody caught it on the fly were subjected to what they described as strong-arm tactics by the Dodgers staff to secure the ball for Shohei’s trophy case. In excruciating detail, the Athletic dropped a report on the couple’s experience that paints almost everyone involved in a bad light.
The woman who came up with the ball, Ambar Roman of Whittier, told the Athletic that she felt like she had no choice but to accept the low-ball offer made by Dodgers’ staffers in the wake of the homer. “They really took advantage of her,” her husband Alexis Valenzuela said. “There were a bunch of (security) guys around her. They wouldn’t let me talk to her or give her any advice. There was no way for us to leave. They had her pretty much cornered in the back.”
Instead of holding out for top dollar, something they said they weren’t interested in doing really, Roman and Valenzuela ended up trading the valued ball for a few relative trinkets when it comes to sports memorabilia. A signed bat, an autographed ball, a couple of hats. Not exactly the haul of the century. And according to Chris Ivey, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions quoted in the Athletic article, the value of the authenticated home run ball could be as much as $100,000. He said the five items that the Dodgers gave the fans would be valued at around $1,000 each. However, the value for the Ohtani home run ball is considerably higher. “This has all the ingredients to hit that number ($100,000) and go well beyond it, absolutely,” Ivy said to the website.
But here’s where the opportunity comes in. Ohtani, in the wake of the gambling kerfuffle, could use all the positive press that he can get his hands on. And, the dude has plenty of dough, as has already been established. So the solution seems to be a no-brainer. The first chance he gets, he reaches out to the couple, offers to set-up a meet-and-greet photo op. At the photo op, he thanks the fans for returning the ball, and apologizes for the way that they were treated by the Dodger Stadium staff. Then, in the coup de grace, he presents them with a pair of season tickets for the rest of the year, paid with on Shohei’s dime. Instead of seeming like an uncaring jerk, Shohei would come off as the righter of wrongs and avenging angel (no pun intended) of the outfield.
The couple would be all smiles, and with 75 pairs of tickets in hand, they can parlay their good luck into a bunch of money selling the seats on the secondary market. Shohei gets his ball, the couple doesn’t get stiffed, and everybody is happy.
Or, the team could ignore the complaints of the couple and come across as absolute douchebags. After the gay nuns from last summer, the last thing the Dodgers need is another PR firestorm. The team says the conversations with Roman and Valenzuela are “ongoing.” I pray that the team or Shohei or both step up and make things right for these fans.
