Now Foulke Wants to Take 'The Ball' From the Fans

And He Wants His Shoes Back!

"Foulke said he still believes he deserves to have the ball. A teammate, who did not want to be identified, agreed.

" 'It's not on my mantel where it should be,' Foulke told the Hartford Courant Wednesday...

" 'As far as I know, I've never heard of a team wanting the ball so badly,' Foulke said. 'It's one of those deals where I got the last out. I think that's kind of the common practice in baseball [to give the ball to the pitcher on the mound].'

"Foulke said he had asked Mientkiewicz for the ball over the winter following the World Series but was turned down. Now that it's in Cooperstown, Foulke knows he has no chance to get his hands on it.

" 'Speaking of the Hall of Fame, do you know where my shoes are?' Foulke asked. 'I'm still looking to get back our stuff that went in after last year. We've got to find it. They said they're only keeping it for a year. I would imagine the White Sox got their display in there now. I want my stuff back.'" -- 4.27.06, Hartford Courant

And Now 'The Ball' Is Speaking Out About Minky's Abuse

" 'I know that the ordeal is over now, and I'm aware that this sort of thing happens to baseballs every day, but Doug Mientkiewicz took a part of me that I will never get back,' said the scuffed, dirty ball, which will be restored to its original condition by trained professionals in the coming weeks. 'Mr. Mientkiewicz absconded with me, and brought me into a world of lies and deception for his own petty financial gain. He locked me inside a small box for months at a time for what he called 'safe keeping.' I can tell you, there is nothing safe about darkness.' " -- 4.27.06, The Onion

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