Everyday 'guy' tells corporate giant to 'stick it'

Tigers’ fan who caught Albert Pujols’ 2,000th RBI ball destroys Ilitch family, 97.1 The Ticket host on Facebook

When Ely Hydes woke up on Thursday morning, he had no idea what was in store for him through the day ahead of him.

In case you have not heard, Hydes is the Detroit Tigers‘ fan who caught Albert Pujols‘ 2000th RBI ball during Thursday’s game between the Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. Rather than exchanging the ball for memorabilia and a meet and greet with Pujols, Hydes made the decision to keep the ball.

Balls hit into the stands become the property of the person who catches it, so Hydes deciding to keep the ball was 100% his right.

On Friday, Hydes took to Facebook to give a little bit of insight into what exactly unfolded after he caught the ball and to call out the Ilitch family (especially Chris Ilitch) and Kyle Bogenschutz (Bogey) of 97.1 The Ticket.

*We are bleeping out words but feel free to see Hydes actually wording in the Tweet from Tony Paul.

“Holy . Ok. You all win. I’ll post my first social media update in 5 years. First, yesterday was surreal. I considered it an honor to catch Pujols’s ball and tried to act all day with the honor I thought it obligated me to.

Couple answers to questions I’ve been getting. When I was yelling “Anne Frank!” It was in response to everyone from the media and the stadium telling me NOT to let ANYONE touch or hold the ball. I thought it was obvious, but perhaps I’m just a nerd for history. I say, “Watson and Crick (And Rosalind Franklin!)” and you say “DNA.” I say “Neil Armstrong” and you say “one small step for man…” I say “Anne Frank” and you say “people are truly good at heart.” People were so cynical over the ball that I felt compelled to let every person and their monkey’s uncle pose with the ball and hold it. The ball is right here on my coffee table. Anne Frank wins. Now go vote.

Second. I am not rich. I am a broke-a** law student. I did not do this out of any sort of “entitlement.” Anne Frank, ya’ll. I had the best of intentions. This ball will most likely end up in the hall of fame. I’m sorry if no one can “authenticate” it, but the only reason I ended up with it is because Tigers management treated me so terribly.

Number 3 and this is the big one: (F___for any news media that want to quote me) The Ilitches–the living ones of the younger generation. They have ruined the damned game. They are greed incarnate. Their people treated me like garbage. I had to physically put money into their ushers’ pockets because no one in Comerica is allowed to take tips. They charge 11 bucks for a beer now. They share zero profits with the city. They own most of my goddamn neighborhood–and thanks to bryant gumbel, I now know they have owned it for years and let it fall into blight in order to use that as leverage to get hundreds of millions of dollars from a city of the poorest people in America in the middle of filing for bankruptcy. Hey Chris Ilitch: YOU. You are scum.

One more thing: everyone yesterday was cool as hell. Special shoutout to the dude from the Detroit News–you were the coolest guy all day. Shout out to Dennis Fithian and Jeff Riger–you guys were exactly as cool as I was hoping. I’ve listened to y’ll for years and gave you shoutouts all day. I quoted “Quentin Berry” as my favorite tiger and told Caputo to suck it, lol. What a great day.
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Willy3411

Willy3411

Lawton, Oklahoma, USA

Retired old guy. Loves sports, music, and karaoke. Not shy about singing.Love to travel. Love to go to beaches and warm weather outdoor events. U.S. Air Force Veteran. I am here for the blogs. I am an amputee. My lower leg is gone.

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