Ball debate goes round and round

For at least one more time, Doug Mientkiewicz had to talk about The Ball yesterday.

By now we're all sick of it. The ball Keith Foulke fielded and threw to Mientkiewicz for the final out in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, ending the Red Sox' 86-year title drought, is on display at the Hall of Fame.

So for that reason, the ball is significant. Yet it has caused such a fuss, such a mess. One that Mientkiewicz has been a central figure in the past two years, and one he hopes is over.

It appears, however, his hard feelings towards Sox CEO and president Larry Lucchino never will subside, Mientkiewicz yesterday refusing to even acknowledge Lucchino as a member of the Red Sox organization.

``I tried to put it past me by now," said Mientkiewicz, whose Royals were in town last night for the start of a three-game series. ``Just kind of forget about it. The one thing I will say is the Red Sox fans have been the most understanding. I can't say that for everybody else around the country. I kind of wish it would die. I still get it everywhere."

Mientkiewicz batted third last night and got some boos and some cheers, perhaps reflective of his time in Boston, during which he admitted he didn't put his best foot forward. Yet he played a role in that title season -- a late-inning defensive replacement at first base who even chipped in to play second when the Sox were in a pinch.

Mientkiewicz probably would have kept the ball indefinitely until he told the Globe's Dan Shaughnessy he had it in his possession, maybe eventually sticking it up on his mantel or selling it to put his kids through college, as he once joked he would.

``It started out as a halfhearted joke. It's turned into death threats on my family," said Mientkiewicz. ``People like to make a joke of it. At moments it was very funny. At moments it wasn't so funny. All of the teammates I talked to on that team told me they were gonna do the exact same thing I did [keep the ball]. Hopefully sometime soon I'll get to say my side of the story."

If it's more than what he detailed yesterday then spare us, please, even though death threats have taken the situation entirely too far and for that, Mientkiewicz has our sympathy.

``Random people," he said about the threats. ``People telling me what my wife was wearing, telling me she's not coming home tonight. Everybody wants to make a joke about this. I giggle, too. [But] when you start involving family members getting hurt . . . it's not fun. [Threats] happened a few times. Not every day, but it happened a few times."

Mientkiewicz's anger was aimed directly at Lucchino. ``The Red Sox were fine," he said. ``It was just one particular man. I hope I never see him again."

Lucchino flew back from San Diego and got to the ballpark early during last night's game. Lucchino was going to leave it alone, but since Mientkiewicz brought up the matter again, well, sometimes it's hard to walk away from a good verbal sparring match.

Yet Lucchino was surprised it was still an issue, especially since the sides eventually agreed to give it to the Hall. He said through spokesman Dr. Charles Steinberg that he was acting on behalf of the fans and the organization to get the ball so it could be shown on the team's World Series trophy tour and then settle in at Cooperstown.

``I didn't want to be remembered as the guy who stole the World Series ball," Mientkiewicz said. ``Because I hear the word `stole,' and stole is kind of a harsh word. But, it's the first one I ever won, too. Every other player who has caught it kept it. I think I'm one of a few, if not the only one, who decided to give it up. I've been trying to give it to the Hall of Fame for almost two years. But someone from the other side wasn't about to give it up."

Mientkiewicz was referring to Lucchino; the Sox actually filed a lawsuit to recover the ball which was dismissed before the sides reached their agreement.

``I've talked to a lot of people who have caught the last out of the World Series and their exact quote for the most part was, `They can ask all they want, they're not getting it back,' " Mientkiewicz said.

``I just wanted to do what was right by everybody. The minute this kicked up . . . I tried a lot of ways to make it so everybody was happy. I didn't feel I was getting 50-50 trying on both sides. And it's not the Red Sox. I think John Henry is a great man. Theo [Epstein] is a tremendous man. Everyone I've met with the Red Sox is 100 percent professional . . . except for one person."

Added Mientkiewicz, ``There are a lot of harsh things [Lucchino] said other than `stole.' He called me a rent-a-player, a `B' player. I didn't do anything. I didn't trade myself for Nomar . . . then who's the idiot if he traded Nomar for a rent-a-player? What does it say about what goes on? I don't want to cause a whole big ruckus. I just want it to die."

But he went on.

``I won't even associate [Lucchino] with the Red Sox," Mientkiewicz said. ``It's not fair to the other people who have been bending over backwards to be professional about it. It was partly my fault because I thought the protocol was they call me for the ball. I waited as long as I could not knowing we have to call them, so that's my fault. I didn't really understand it. I never thought I would ever touch something that would go into the Hall of Fame. That being said, I'll take responsibility for that."

He also addressed Foulke's comment that he wished he had asked Mientkiewicz for the ball.

``He never asked me once about that," Mientkiewicz said. ``Those things get lost in the shuffle. I gave Derek Lowe his ball [when Lowe won the ALCS clincher against the Yankees] and Derek said point-blank he's not giving it away. If you look at the grand spectacle of baseball, the Red Sox won a World Series . . . 86 years ago . . . no one has ever gotten down, 3-0, and come back to win it . . . just think about that ball."

An important ball. But just a ball.

``People say I fought for it. I didn't fight for it," said Mientkiewicz. ``I was not gonna let a big bully [Lucchino] bully me around under the circumstances. I was just at the point where I'm not gonna let them walk on me. I'm not gonna accept that.

``The thing that makes me really upset about the whole thing is behind closed doors, if they would have come up to me before three months after the World Series, this never would have been an issue. If it was that important to you, you wouldn't have waited to figure out where it was."

Sox chairman Tom Werner later weighed in by saying, ``I thought Doug's comments on Larry were completely inappropriate. Larry was just doing his job and what was best for our organization and our fans, who deserved to be able to cherish a memento of that wonderful time.

``We wanted that ball for our fans the moment the World Series ended so our fans could view the ball as a part of that historic event. We all wanted the ball to be displayed as an appreciation to our fans."

Mientkiewicz was asked if he had any regrets.

``The thing I'm most ashamed about is that it took away [from] some of what went on here," he said. ``Crazed city and fans, when something we should have been celebrating turned into an absolute . . . when I'm sandwiched between the tsunami victims and the Laci Peterson trial on the CNN ticker, something's wrong in Hong Kong . . . It's not right."

Right, wrong, or somewhere in-between, it was just a ball. The next time we even think about it will be during a leisurely walk through Cooperstown.