AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Philadelphia Phillies fan learns about karma the hard way

It’s a phrase that has existed for generations: “What goes around, comes around.” And now a mean baseball fan, who stole a home run ball from a 10-year-old kid celebrating his birthday, is learning – in a very painful way – that you “reap what you sow.”

If you somehow missed it – the clips have gone mega-viral – type “Phillies Karen” in any search engine and you’ll see lots of videos of an event which happens at any game where a home run is hit into the stands. (If you take 5 minutes to watch the video now, the rest of this column will be a lot more enjoyable.)

In a recent game between the Phillies-Marlins in Miami, the Phillies’ Harrison Bader hit a home run into the left field stands. A scrum ensued and a dad emerged holding the ball. He promptly walked over to his 10-year-old son and deposited the home run ball into his kid’s glove. It was a beautiful moment.

Immediately a woman wearing a Phillies jersey runs over to the dad, grabs his arm and starts screaming that he stole the ball from her, that she had it first so she should get the ball.

She doesn’t give up, and to keep the peace the dad defused the situation by grabbing the ball from his kid’s glove and giving it to the lady. (The dad said it “killed him” to take the ball out of his son’s glove.) She was mercilessly booed by nearby fans, aghast that a grown woman would steal a ball from a 10-year-old kid. But she had her ball.

Then karma struck quickly, and on multiple fronts.

The hometown Marlins got wind of what happened and some bright soul in their organization put together a big goodie bag for the boy, with all kinds of great Marlins swag.

The Phillies likewise heard about the kid having the ball stolen from a cranky fan, and they invited the boy and his family into the dressing room after the game, where the birthday boy got an autographed bat from Bader and posed for some photos with the Phillies centre fielder who hit the home run ball.

The CEO of Camping World heard the story of the mean woman and decided to reward the dad and the boy. He gave the boys’ family tickets to the World Series and a brand-new RV.

Who knew that cruelty and selfishness could lead to so much generosity?

But wait, there’s more karma, this time in the direction of the Phillies fan, who is now known as “Karen” to the millions of people who watched her cruelty on social media. (“Karen” is a pejorative term for a woman who comes across as entitled or excessively demanding.)

For her meanness, there are unconfirmed reports that not only will “Phillies Karen” never again be allowed inside the Marlins’ stadium, she is permanently banned from every ball park in Major League Baseball. As a result of her cruel selfishness, she might never again see a MLB game in person. Way to go Karen!

Blowout Cards, a trading card company, has offered ‘Phillies Karen’ $5,000 for the ball, under one very delicious condition: she has to write the words “I’m sorry” on it. (At press time there was no word whether she was going to keep the ball or swallow what’s left of her obliterated dignity, sign her apology and take the cash.)

So to recap, “Phillies Karen” might be permanently banned from every stadium in baseball. She hasn’t left her house in days, because if she dares going out in public, she says she gets ruthlessly booed and yelled at. She is a prisoner of her own doing, thanks only to her greed.

None of this happens if the lady had simply minded her own business and let the kid keep the home run ball.

Meanwhile, the kid whose home run ball she stole got a visit to the Phillies dressing room, was given an autographed bat, gobs of Marlins souvenirs, tickets to the World Series and a new RV.

Thanks to karma, a birthday nightmare turned into a birthday of a lifetime.