New York Yankees: Christian Lopez Has Been Fairly Compensated for Jeter's Ball

After Christian Lopez caught Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit and summarily handed it over to the Yankee captain, the debate raged as to whether or not Lopez was fairly compensated.

He received four Legends Suite tickets to Sunday's 1-0 Yankees win over the Tampa Bay Rays, four seats in the Champions Suite for the rest of the season (including playoffs and World Series), and five pieces of memorabilia all signed by Jeter.

Oh, and that DJ3K hat that the Yankees promptly displayed on his head as they trotted him around Yankee Stadium.

Some believed he should have sold it at auction, while others believed his best route was to demand a six-figure payment from the team or Jeter himself in exchange for the memento.

Most did not think that Lopez received nearly enough in return.

Yesterday we learned that Lopez should be expecting a visit from the taxman.

So began the debate again, this time about who should step up to the plate and cover the 23-year-old's tax bill, expected to be as high as $15,000—the Yankees or Jeter himself.

I, for one, wondered if Jeter had not already taken care of Lopez financially, and simply asked the Yankee fan to "keep it quiet."

Well apparently I, along with everyone else, was not thinking clearly.

Perhaps it was due to the product produced by the company responsible for taking care of the bill, should the IRS send one his way.

Miller High Life, "the champagne of beers", has announced that they will take care of any taxes Lopez owes on the prized ball.

But that's not all.

Not only does Lopez not have to worry about his tax bill, but Modell's Sporting Goods also announced that from July 13 through July 19, five percent of any Yankees merchandise they sell will go to Lopez to help with his tax bill and nearly $100,000 worth of student loans.

Not a bad haul for someone who was simply in the right place at the right time.