Twins fan lends a helping hand

Posted at 8:55 AM on June 11, 2007 by Chris Dall

Here's a note from MPR producer Jim Bickal, who was inspired to send us the following note after watching yesterday's 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals:

I’ll admit that I’ve often thought about how fun it would be to have a chance as a fan to do something that would help my team win a game. Of course, the opportunities to do this are rare. I figured I would have to be sitting in the first row down one of the foul lines and a Twins batter would hit a ball that was in the stands but playable by an opposing fielder. Knowing that a fan can touch a ball that is in the stands without being called for interference, I would be sure to grab the foul pop, thus preventing the fielder from making the play and giving the Twins batter another chance to hit.

But in Sunday’s game a fan did something that had an even bigger impact on the game. In the first inning with a runner on second base, Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young hit a ball in the upper deck down the right field line that was initially ruled a home run. But Twins manager Ron Gardenhire argued that the ball was foul and after all the umpires discussed the play, the call was reversed. Gardenhire was able to make a convincing argument because spectator Brent Webber of Sartell, who caught the ball with his bare hands, was clearly in foul territory. Had Webber muffed the catch leading to a scramble for the ball, Gardenhire wouldn’t have had a clear marker to show that the ball was foul.

Vive la fan!

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