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American Morning

Getting on the Ball

Aired August 28, 2002 - 09:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: If you're looking to get an autograph from your favorite tennis hero at this year's U.S. Open, Jeanne Moos reports, it helps to be on the ball, a large one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the U.S. Open, there are balls, and then there are big balls.

(on camera): Do you bounce it, or you don't bother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

MOOS: Do you ever dribble this ball?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never.

MOOS (voice-over): This ball's meant for scribbling, not dribbling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anna Kournikova.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Serena Williams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jennifer.

MOOS: Even big names like Capriati are relatively accessible here at the Open, where you can watch the players practice. But, if it's autographs you want, it pays to be on the ball, the big ball.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lindsay Davenport here.

MOOS: Lindsay loves the oversized balls.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT, TENNIS PLAYER: Oh, it's so much easier. I always gravitate towards those when there's a group of kids wanting an autograph. It's big, it's round, it's no problem.

MOOS: Wilson sells the official U.S. Open jumbo ball for $40. It consists of a basketball bladder with a felt skin.

BRIAN DILLMAN, GLOBAL MARKETING, WILSON: We sell over 4,000 a year, and it's the hottest item out at the U.S. Open every year. Fans run around with their balls, trying to stake out their favorite player: for instance, Pete Sampras.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, because I'm a little kid, I say, "excuse me, excuse me," and I get right up to the front. It works half the time.

MOOS: The other half...

(on camera): Did you get him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I didn't.

MOOS (voice-over): And some don't know who they did get.

(on camera): You don't know who this is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS: It's your only signature and you don't know who it is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS (voice-over): Though you see mostly kids clutching their big balls, there is the occasional adult.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the reason I came here, to see Mark Philippoussis.

MOOS (on camera): Who drew the heart?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He did.

MOOS: This part is the signature. You added this to show what this was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Otherwise, you would never know one from the other. I mean, look at these scribbles.

MOOS (voice-over): Or as Mia here prefers to call it...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scribble scrabble.

MOOS: Here in the land of the big ball...

(on camera): Sorry, we're doing a story on big balls, and I just noticed this little one.

(voice-over): Most tend to be lime green. Hey guys with the balls. Well, that could be a lot of people. The minority orange balls are sold at Wal-Mart.

(on camera): How much did your tennis ball cost?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: $8.

MOOS: $40 vs. $8?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, you're in New York at the U.S. Open. It's an $8 hamburger and a $40 jumbo tennis ball. MOOS: Bounce yours.

(voice-over): The bounce test ended in a tie. The Fierberg family travels to tennis matches, collecting autographs on the keepsake ball that they display on their fireplace.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love our ball. Our dog's name is Wilson. We named our dog Wilson.

MOOS: Meet Wilson, alongside his namesake. Reminds us of Tom Hanks in "Castaway" using a Wilson volleyball to keep him company.

Forty dollar big balls -- what a racket.

(on camera): We're not going to let this touch the ground.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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