Doug Flutie's Drop Kick Football Available On Ebay

[Eric]

This one has a story behind it.

We know the historical signifance- Flutie converts first drop kick since 1941. Fan catches ball. Patriots don't get it. Hall of Fame doesn't get it. it's now available on ebay- at a starting bid of $25,000
http://cgi.ebay.com/DOUG-FLUTIES-HISTORIC-DROP-KICK-FOOTBALL_W0QQitemZ8768278686QQcategoryZ86827QQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem

After inquiries from the Patriots, the seller had an incredible list of demands. The Patriots said "No Thanks." Can't blame 'em. See Below

Patriots won't pay for Flutie's drop-kick ball
Wire services
Jan. 30, 2006 12:00 AM
Stacey James, New England Patriots executive director of media relations, couldn't understand why his phone calls were not returned, until a fax showed up on his desk last Monday morning that made it all clear.

Ever since Doug Flutie's drop kick split the uprights on New Year's Day, the Patriots had searched for the football.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame called James seeking the ball. But because the Patriots had lined up before Flutie's kick as if it were a play from scrimmage, the net was not raised behind the goalposts, so the ball went into the stands and the waiting arms of a fan who shall remain anonymous at the Patriots' insistence.

James told the Hall he wasn't sure he could find the football. The team reviewed film to try to locate the lucky fan but came up empty - until James got a phone message from someone purporting to have the ball or at least know where it was. James left several messages in return but the caller didn't reply until the morning of Jan. 23, when a fax arrived from a lawyer.

According to the fax, the law office represents Mr. X, "who is in possession of the football recently drop-kicked by Doug Flutie. . . . My client understands that the New England Patriots may have an interest in purchasing that historic football."

Then came the fan's terms and conditions, as written by the lawyer:

"1. Payment of $100,000 on delivery of the football.

"2. A guarantee of eight season tickets for 25 years in the end zone (preferably sections 142 or 143). The season tickets will be paid for annually by my client at the then-going price for season tickets. The Patriots would not be expected to pay for the tickets.

"3. Delivery by the Patriots to my client, sometime in September 2006, of a Tom Brady Patriots football jersey signed by all the team members as of the beginning of the next football season."

The lawyer's letter goes on to explain that his client "has had a number of offers for the football already, but he is a real Patriot fan and would prefer to see that historic football wind up in the Patriots' possession."

The Kraft family, which owns the team, chose to ignore the whole matter. As someone in the organization said Friday: "I hope he enjoys the football."

[icollectDCsports]

I have no problem with a fan making some cash on a lucky break like this, but the fan's demands were unrealistic.

[trsent]

I think this guy should get some help, as his demands are about as unrealistic as me asking for Drew Bledsoe to return to town.

Like they care about his stupid football.

[Nathan]

This sounds a lot like the demands of the fellow who caught the glove that Livan Hernandez threw into the stands. If I remember right, it was something like $18,000 cash, playoff tickets for this past year, and season tickets for the entire upcoming year. Hernandez's response was basically "Enjoy the glove!"

[vsrg]

I might be wrong about this, but since the drop kick was a surprise play and not a planned kickoff or traditional field goal attempt, wouldn't he have kicked a regular game ball and not a "K" marked kicking ball as shown in the listing? As I recall, the Pats set up as if they were running a regular, non-kicking play, so the refs wouldn't have known to call for a "K" ball.

[Eric]

I think the referees were tipped off that it was a possibility before the game.

Chris Berman had told Belichick that Flutie could do it. He had seen him do it in practice. And if I remember correctly one of the coaches mentioned it to the officials before the game that it could come up. That said, wouldn't it be plausible that a K ball would be put in on conversion?
Just some pointless speculation by me.
Thanks for caring
Eric

[BaseballGM]

This sounds a lot like the demands of the fellow who caught the glove that Livan Hernandez threw into the stands. If I remember right, it was something like $18,000 cash, playoff tickets for this past year, and season tickets for the entire upcoming year. Hernandez's response was basically "Enjoy the glove!" i was at that game and remember that dude...hope he enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame.

[Eric]

It seems the ebay photo is of one side of the ball

http://i13.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/47/63/12_1.JPG

and the getty image shows the other side of the ball

http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/56530675.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CEA07D04476CA74AC6
http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/56509726.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE8CF4F08E24F05970

[flaco1801]

you really think hes asking too much???? i think all of these lucky fans have been giving up their possesions to easy (imho). lets see he wants 100k. you think thats a lot of money? lets check how much these guys are getting paid. im sure there are some on the roster getting paid and they havent played a down (umm thats ok yeah?) 100k is chump change to these owners, or have you been under a rock to see these escalating salaries. he wants 8 seasons tickets at cost price, and thats outrageous? pay the the lucky fan. the publicity would be worth the money. and psst i bet they can haggle a bit dont you? sheesh. you guys are really cheap with someone else's money.

[nate]

Remember, Bob Kraft is first a very smart business man that has turned a franchise around. I'm sure it ticked him off that a lucky fan got a lawyer and made demands for a football that should be in the hands of the Hall of Fame or the Patriots Organization. But asking $100,000 or even $25,000 for a football? Chump Change? They should take the fax to the HOF and display it for a good laugh.

[icollectDCsports]

I think the issue of the use of a "kicking" ball in this play is very interesting and deserves some followup. Were the officials tipped off? Or did the officials just have the ball ready for the play under the initial assumption that it would be a kick and they didn't think or bother to change to a regular ball when the Pats lined up for the conversion? If it was the former case, I think that's a little irregular.

[Eric]

This comes from the column
Ask Jerry Markbreit
The former NFL referee answers readers' questions every week during the season.

As an avid reader of this column I know your were smiling a little on Sunday when Doug Flutie successfully attempted a drop kick. It seemed the Patriots tipped off the officials that they were going to try a drop kick as there was only one official under the goal post instead of the standard two. I thought that during a drop kick, the opposing team is not allowed to rush in to attempt a block, but the Dolphins seemed to try to block it. Also, what is the difference between a drop kick and a free kick after a punt? --Patrick Flynn, Hadley, Mass.

I am glad that you enjoy the column, and you are correct about my smiling when I heard about Doug Flutie's successful drop kick! This is my 50th year being involved with football at all levels, and I have never seen a drop kick. I doubt if the officials were notified of the drop kick because, if they were, there would have been two officials under the goal post to make the ruling. The reason only one official was in that position was because the formation looked like a two-point try. The only time the defense is not allowed to rush in and attempt to block a kick is when a fair catch kick is awarded. A fair catch kick is an option when a successful fair catch is made and the receivers choose a free kick from the spot of the catch with the defense restricted from being any closer than 10 yards from the spot of the kick.

[cohibasmoker]

Doesn't hurt to ask.

[Nathan]

flaco,

Any successful businessman (and Bob Kraft certainly is one) will tell you that the best way to be successful is to cut your costs and maximize efficiency. Kraft has turned around a nauseatingly bad franchise not by overpaying for washed-up players with name recognition, but by underpaying those without name recognition. Can't argue with the results.

So why would Kraft overpay for publicity (in case the dropkick and the 3 Super Bowls aren't publicity enough) with no tangible benefits?

Personally, I'd be curious to see what a ball of actual historical significance would be worth. What of the BC '84 Hail Mary Ball, the '66 Ice Bowl ball, the Tom Dempsey 63-yarder ball? Fact is, this ball DOESN'T have historical significance. Drop kicks used to be the norm in the NFL, and just because one was successfully converted for the first time in 64 years doesn't make it anything more than an oddity.

[Eric]

FYI

I wrote the seller to ask for a photo of the other side of the football to see if it was similar to the ones in the getty image photos

His response was

"buy it and you can look yourself"

[trsent]

FYI

I wrote the seller to ask for a photo of the other side of the football to see if it was similar to the ones in the getty image photos

His response was

"buy it and you can look yourself"

Ok, that does it, everyone needs to email the seller and ask them for a photo of the other side of the football now.

Don't hesitate, do it now!

http://cgi.ebay.com/DOUG-FLUTIES-HISTORIC-DROP-KICK-FOOTBALL_W0QQitemZ8768278686QQcategoryZ86827QQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem

Here is my email to the seller:

"Could you please provide a photo of the other side of the football? I have a customer interested in this item, but we need to photo-match the ball with photos of the event and we cannot properly photo-match the ball without complete photos of both sides of the football."

[trsent]

Response from lance7329:

"not sure what your looking for i thought i had all the pertinent angles but you and about 6 others have also asked for this. so i will do it on the 21st today being a holiday and the banks closed. i assure you this is the real ball i have no reason to lie"

Let's see, we wanted to see more photos because you have no feedback on eBay and when our friend asked for more photos, you were a jerk who told the guy, a respectable buyer of sports memorabilia, to buy the item and then he can see the back of the ball himself.