Zach Hample in Talks to Return Ball, for Monetary Compensation

"Tons of memorabilia and promotion," isn't cutting it for Zack Hample, the long-time Yankee fan who caught the ball from A-Rod's 3,000th hit. Hample, who has written a book on the intricate technique of catching stray balls, has claimed to have caught over 8,000 balls from stadiums across the country. The milestone which made Rodriguez the 29th player in MLB history to achieve such a tremendous fete happened on Friday, June 19th at home in the Bronx.

On the big night he told reporters that giving the ball up was not an option. However, recent coverage of the situation has revealed that he is now, "thinking about it." Initially, Hample posted this tweet on his Twitter account: "That man deserves favors from no one, least of all a fan." The tweet has since been deleted and in it's place is one:

Zach Hample has received his fair share of grief since his new-found fame. Many feel as though he should willingly give the ball to Rodriguez, similar to when Christian Lopez returned Jeter's 3,000th hit ball in 2011. Evidently there are negotiations happening in which Hample will be monetarily satisfied. This begs the question, would you give the ball back? And if so, would you do it for free or for a cost?

Here is the video of Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit, courtesy of MLB.