It all started in Chicago, where a 24-year-old disgruntled bartender named Ron Grousl a loyal Chicago Cubs fan threw back a home run ball hit by Hank Aaron in 1970 in Wrigley Field.

It turns out he was still pissed at Aaron because the year before, when he caught another home run by the legendary hitter he tried to give Aaron the ball, Aaron walked away, apparently trying to get off the field quickly because Cubs fans had been throwing beer at him during the game. Ron was quoted saying Get this out of here I don’t want it. 

From this unlikely beginning, the tradition continued. Cubs fans routinely throw home runs back that was hit by the other team, usually under pressure to do so from the crowd. So if you are at a game and you see this happen. You can thank Ron. This is Past Ball Podcast and as the Great Bob Uecker said Get Up Get Outta Here! 

The Past Ball Podcast is a podcast that gives you a quick story on some of the craziest, wildest, funnies, or just plain informative on America's Past Time. Unlike a catcher in a passed ball, we will not drop the ball on give you the past.

Do you have a topic or story you want us to cover? Feel free to email us at pastballpod@gmail.com.

Shoutout to Collin Wood at Artota Records for the tunes you hear in this episode. If you are looking for custom tunage email him at collin.wood0804@gmail.com

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