Man Who Caught A-Rod's 500th Homer Ponders Next Move

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ A New Jersey man who caught Alex Rodriguez' 500th career home run had three things going for him, according to his brother: A bulky build, great hands and a little heavenly help.

Monday, August 6th 2007, 3:53 pm

By: News On 6

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ A New Jersey man who caught Alex Rodriguez' 500th career home run had three things going for him, according to his brother: A bulky build, great hands and a little heavenly help.

``He's got great hands. I've been throwing the football to him since we were really young ... He would catch the ball any which way possible,'' said Brian Kowalczyk, whose brother Walter, 29, emerged from a scrum of crazed fans with the prized ball Saturday.

The 6-foot-4-inch Walter Kowalczyk caught the ball and used his roughly 250-pound frame to protect it as he was swarmed by other fans in the seats beyond the left field wall. He was immediately rescued by stadium security guards who took him to a suite to watch the rest of the game and then drove him home, said his brother.

Brian Kowalczyk, 31, said he believes the brothers' deceased grandfather, who loved baseball as much as his grandsons, also had a hand in the catch of a lifetime.

``I think he might have willed the ball to him,'' he said.

Brian Kowalczyk said his brother, who has been staying in New York with his fiancee as his family has been swarmed with interview requests, hasn't decided what to do with the baseball. He said his brother isn't granting interviews.

Although the value of baseball memorabilia has stagnated recently because of the widespread federal inquiry into steroids use, items such as home run balls and jerseys can still fetch steep prices at auction.

Walter Kowalczyk's MySpace page says he makes $30,000 a year, and his brother said Monday that the lifelong Yankees fan was forced to sell his house after being unemployed for a spell.

Kowalczyk grew up near Trenton, playing both baseball and football during high school, and his brother said he referees high school football games. According to his brother, Walter Kowalczyk started studying labor law in January at Rutgers University.

``I am like a more intelligent version of Seinfeld, yet I can be all the characters in the show,'' wrote Walter Kowalczyk on his MySpace site, according to the Daily News. ``I am an intellectual, or someone who does a great job pretending to be.''

Brian Kowalczyk said his brother has been considering going on a New York sports radio show, ``Mike and the Mad Dog,'' to ask the hosts' opinion on what to do with the ball.

Rodriguez has said he would like to have the ball.

``It's his ball. I think it's obvious that I would love to have the ball, but we'll see what happens,'' Rodriguez said in Monday editions of the Daily News. ``I'm just going to let it sit for a few days.''

Jason Zillo, a spokesman for the Yankees, said the team is willing to make an exchange with Kowalczyk for the ball. ``If his favorite player is Roger Clemens, I think Roger Clemens would give him some stuff,'' he said.

Brian Kowalczyk said his brother, who's a big fan of Derek Jeter and former Yankee great Don Mattingly, used his entire savings to buy his season tickets and has been going to every game he can.

The Kowalczyk brothers are going to Shea Stadium Tuesday night to watch the Mets take on Atlanta, but Brian Kowalczyk said when it comes to catching game balls, he doesn't have his brother's touch or luck.

``I never even caught a foul ball in Little League,'' he joked.