IMO Albert Pujols and MLB lost a golden opportunity to connect with fans. After hitting his 639th HR that drove in his 2000th career RBI at Comerica Park, Tiger officials attempted to retrieve the ball. After several offers of memorabilia that were rejected a staffer said MLB can't authenticate the ball and therefore it is worthless on the market. After the game Pujols said he wouldn't give a penny for the ball and that the fan should just keep it.
If MLB had congratulated the fan and offered to take him and his 2 friends at the game to a private suit and authentic the ball and memorialize the moment with photographs, and congratulate the fan for "winning the lottery", how much different would MLB be viewed? As it is they look like total boobs in all this.