Joba Wanna Be

Most of us have probably imagined what it must be like to be famous…well let me re-phrase that. Most of you have given this a thought because obviously with 30 years on the radio I know first hand what it’s like to be famous. Come on…have a sense of humor here as I say this with tongue-in-cheek. But really whether it was imagining you were a sports star as a kid
or a well known singer later we have probably all fantasized about what it must be like to be recognized everywhere you go. It’s pretty harmless unless that is you take it to the extreme of say Ryan A. Ward.

The 30-year old Toms River resident just happens to look very much like New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and he took advantage of that last summer. It’s one thing to have people tell you that you resemble someone famous but in Ward’s case he told others that he was Chamberlain.
He signed autographs, accepted a couple of free meals and drinks at local places and even got a date or two out of it. But all good things must come to an end and they did last August when on two occasions he was hit with warrants…the second of which landed Ward in jail for a day and a half.
That came after someone who thought they had an autograph of the Yankees pitcher took it to a sports memorabilia store and learned it was a fake.

The gig is now officially up as Wednesday in Belmar Municipal Court the not-so-famous Ward pled guilty to three counts of disorderly conduct. The judge fined him $2500 and sentenced him to two years probation where he will continue with an alcohol treatment program he has already started. He also has to stay out of the bars and restaurants where he duped people for two years and maybe the toughest part is he has to live and act 24/7 like Ryan A. Ward and not Joba Chamberlain. In the end nobody got hurt all that bad but can you imagine what it would have been like if Ward was the spitting image of Alex Rodriguez?