Jeffrey Maier will not forget 1996. You, in all likelihood, like the rest of us, have forgotten who Jeffrey is, wherin lies a truism that deserves 15 minutes of thought.

He is a 12-year-old who caught the “home run ball” off Yankee Derek Jeter’s bat in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, a ball that wasn’t going in the stands but for being pulled in by Jeffrey, who was skipping school that day. A trivia question was born. The aftermath of the story is more worthy of consideration than “the catch.”

In this the age of spin, some call it marketing, he is the ultimate classroom example. Let’s spin this story. First, as the spin doctors of Major League Baseball and most of media might like to view the story.

“Jeffrey Maier is all that is true to the American tradition of baseball. He is why the game should still be viewed as `America’s pasttime.’ Here was a young fan, to be sure making a mistake in judgment in skipping school, who loved the game and wanted to have that special day at the park.

“What fan among us has not stolen a day for our favorite game, either to watch on TV or go to the yard, or even sneak that portable radio to school or work to listen covertly. We all smile at that, as we should smile at Jeffrey.

“We understand that such acts are not designed to cheat anyone of anything. They are acts of pure joy designed to add a moment to our lives that we can treasure forever. That’s why he was at the yard.

“As far as reaching out over the playing field and catching the ball, that was an instinctive reaction that any youngester would have. That was a play to be judged by the umpire and while the ruling appeared wrong when the replay was viewed, it created a moment never to be forgotten in sports history. Such are the vicissitudes of human involvement in sports which are afterall, human games.

“The media attention of Jeffrey, calls from every talk show in the country and limo rides and tickets for the next game, were simply a celebration by all of us in a very human moment. Jeffrey Maier lived a baseball dream that we all shared in and that is to be treasured.

Now let’s view the same story through the eyes of Time magazine that voted Maier’s catch the worst moment in sports this past year. Here’s how Time, and many others who decry the undue influence of sports in this country, might spin this story.

“When a delinquent hooky from school is heaped with rewards and positive publicity without regard to the lie told his parents as to where he was going to be, and where he was supposed to be, there is a serious problem as to how we are defining what is right. The fact that all of this is supposed to be excused because baseball or any other sport was involved is a mockery of principles.

“The interference in making the catch isn’t even worthy of being talked about. It is just a flash in time regarding an incident that may live in sports history, but is of absolutely no consequence to anything of importance. Turning Maier into a 15-minute star is of consequence for the message it sends.

“Time after time, we are asked to overlook or justify everything from criminal acts to school delinquency because sports is involved. The Yankees and every radio, television and newspaper that played up the incident could have cared less about Maier and what the message was being sent. He was the next lead story, the next 30 seconds of video, the next pawn to be used in their own rating wars.

“Limos and tickets and talk shows for a truant? The message is make yourself part of any public event the press is covering and you too can have a shot at 15 minutes of fame. Run on the field during play, throw snowballs or batteries or knives at the players, all of which has occured and make sure your picture is being taken.

“Look as ridiculous as possible so the camera will shoot you and you can be on SportsCenter. You might even want to get as drunk as possible before the game so the antics you perform for the camera will be really outrageous.

“What is the message of the Jeffrey Maier incident? Time magazine says, `In addition to fame’s 15 minutes, Jeffrey will be getting his own baseball card, courtesy of Upper Deck. Gee, maybe there’s a new slogan in this. Baseball delinquency-Catch it.”

So, there you go. In the age of spin, it’s how you spin it. If we would only remember that for every story, not just in sports. Finding those reporters and writers and media outlets whose object is the truth is becoming increasingly difficult as our sources of news and sports all seem to have an agenda to push that is less concerned with the truth and more concerned with the spin.

We might do ourselves a favor this new year and remember knowlege allows us to decide for ourselves what to believe and what to reject. Once we stop doing that we’ve given our lives away, including the one that cares about sports. Happy New Year.