Geez, no wonder Theo left.

Why would anyone want to be part of such a petty organization as the Boston Red Sox have become?

The Sox filed a lawsuit in this week to force Doug Mientkiewicz to turn over ownership of the ball he caught for the final out of the 2004 World Series. They claim that Mientkiewicz has no ownership interest in the ball, that he merely acquired it “through the course of his employment” with the team, and that they are the rightful owners of the ball.

Well, if you really want to get technical, it’s the Cardinals’ ball. MLB policy requires the home team to purchase the baseballs used in the game. I’m no legal expert, but MLB authenticates each baseball, so they’re probably next in line. The Sox and Mientkiewicz fall in line in some order after that.

It doesn’t really matter where Mientkiewicz and the Red Sox fall in the inheritance chain, they’re both being quite juvenile, like two little boys on a playground.

But at least Mientkiewicz is only embarrassing his family. The Red Sox are embarrassing their fans.

Of course, the Sox claim they’re doing this for the fans. The ball has such historical meaning, they say, that it must be displayed publicly, lest each and every Red Sox fan be denied yet another opportunity to get misty eyed over an inanimate object.

Ever since this disagreement originally surfaced about a year ago, I’ve had an unsettling feeling the Red Sox aren’t worried about the fans missing out. They’re more concerned about missing an opportunity to make a buck.

A lawyer for the team said in a statement that the it intends to display the ball for their fans and “has no desire to gain any commercial benefit” from it.

That’s a rather vague statement. Keep in mind that this is a team that made a quick buck recently by digging up the Fenway sod and selling chunks of it to its adoring Nation.

But let’s take the Sox at their word. After all, they did take the World Series trophy on a global tour and allow their minions in for free public viewings. Maybe they plan the same for the sacred stitched horsehide.

One has to wonder, though, is the ball going to be enough to draw a crowd? Perhaps they should collect other memorabilia for a traveling “Death of the Curse” museum. Since the Red Sox own the ball, surely they can lay claim to virtually everything else associated with that final out. They should demand the Cardinals give them debris from the ongoing demolition of Busch Stadium, including yards of its hallowed soil. Imagine being able to run your fingers through the Kentucky bluegrass where Trot Nixon spit his last ounce of tobacco juice before running to the infield to join his teammates in celebration.

The first base umpire who made the final out call should now be the Red Sox’ indentured servant, locked in a glass display case and required to re-enact giving Edgar Renteria the thumb. To give the display an even more authentic look, Renteria should be brought in and forced to re-enact his feeble swing and one-hopper to Keith Foulke.

Oh, that’s right, they’ve already done that.

And, really, how come they haven’t filed suit to force Manny Ramirez to turn over his $6.9 million Ritz condo to the team? After all, he has displayed his World Series MVP trophy in it for the last year.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen enough of this group to know that this is pretty much par for the course. The fact that they’re making such a big deal over a baseball, and have made their custody battle over it public not once, but twice now, tells us all we need to know about where its priorities lie.

If all the Red Sox are interested in is posterity, they’d reach an agreement with Mientkiewicz to turn the ball over for permanent display in the Hall of Fame, which given its significance in baseball history, is its rightful place.

But it seems it’s not enough for this ownership to have finally brought New England a champion and to reap the rewards from a forever grateful fan base. It needs to own every ounce, every square foot, every thread, of the team’s history.

They may not be after more money, but the Red Sox are definitely showing their greed.

Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]