I
attended my first game of the season on April 7th, but with all the time spent
at the game and a busy Easter, I didn't get the chance to write. Most of the stuff and pictures I wanted to include are
still at home. However, I feel like this entry needed to come first, so I guess
it all worked out.
One of the many reasons I think baseball is so great is how simple it is to literally bring home a piece of the action. Catching a foul ball is something every fan dreams about. It's the most sought after souvenir in all of sports. An average MLB ball sees only 7 pitches of live game action; at that rate, plenty of balls are left over for fans, right?
Yet most fans come close to taking home this prize only a few times in their life, and very few are actually successful and walk away with one.
In my first entry (here), I mentioned a guy named Zack Hample. Zack is an avid baseball fan to say the least, and has been attending games since 1990. What makes Zack different is he has caught more balls than any person in Major League stadiums ever.
“So, like a hundred, right?”
One of the many reasons I think baseball is so great is how simple it is to literally bring home a piece of the action. Catching a foul ball is something every fan dreams about. It's the most sought after souvenir in all of sports. An average MLB ball sees only 7 pitches of live game action; at that rate, plenty of balls are left over for fans, right?
Yet most fans come close to taking home this prize only a few times in their life, and very few are actually successful and walk away with one.
In my first entry (here), I mentioned a guy named Zack Hample. Zack is an avid baseball fan to say the least, and has been attending games since 1990. What makes Zack different is he has caught more balls than any person in Major League stadiums ever.
“So, like a hundred, right?”
“Even more?! TWO hundred?”
“Okay dude, five hundred balls is the most that’s even possible.”
Over the years, Zack and other baseball enthusiasts alike have popularized the term “Ballhawk”; a fan that goes to games to try to catch as many baseballs as humanly possible. As I’m writing this, Zack has caught 5,852 balls, in 49 different stadiums.
I’m serious. He’ll pass six thousand sometime this season.
If this at all sounds amazing or interesting to you, go and check out the links I put in the first entry. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Zack actually has a day job as a writer. Even before then, at the age of just 20, he published a book, How to Snag Major League Baseballs:
“Okay dude, five hundred balls is the most that’s even possible.”
Over the years, Zack and other baseball enthusiasts alike have popularized the term “Ballhawk”; a fan that goes to games to try to catch as many baseballs as humanly possible. As I’m writing this, Zack has caught 5,852 balls, in 49 different stadiums.
I’m serious. He’ll pass six thousand sometime this season.
If this at all sounds amazing or interesting to you, go and check out the links I put in the first entry. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Zack actually has a day job as a writer. Even before then, at the age of just 20, he published a book, How to Snag Major League Baseballs:
More recently, though, he’s also published Watching Baseball Smarter, which is basically an idiot’s guide to the game of baseball, along with a lot of things more knowledgeable fans will appreciate as well (as the title suggests):
And his most recent, The Baseball, has every little tid-bit of information you would want to know about the ball itself, along with a thorough and detailed section about how to catch one on your own:
After reading his
first two books and keeping up on his blog for a few months in the offseason, I
was inspired to give Ballhawking a try in 2010. I had never caught a Major League ball, and always wanted to, so it couldn't hurt to get involved in this second-rate sport.
I quickly learned I was in over my head. There were a lot of things I didn't account for and ended up as roadblocks in my quest. It required determination, common sense, a little skill, some luck, and more time than I could ever imagine.
The key to catching a ball is to attend batting practice. Basically, it's 2 hours of guys blasting balls as hard as they can all over the field before the game. Usually, bullpen pitchers retrieve these balls, which was how I planned to get one; by simply asking them politely.
Most games, I would devote (more or less) an hour to go to batting practice. All this time wasn't wasted though; I observed a lot of situations first hand and in person that I tried to remember for the next game. Every one I went to, I picked up a little something I could use to help me in the future.
Overall, my first season wasn’t the most successful. I came home with a grand total of zero baseballs for the year. I wasn't heartbroken, but a little disappointed. I though for sure in roughly 10 games of giving just a little effort, I would walk away with at least ONE ball. Ever heard the phrase “Darkest before the dawn”? That stood to be very true in my case as well...
At my last game of the 2010 season on August 8th, my wonderful girlfriend Kyra and I were sitting in great seats in section 424 of the upper deck at Wrigley; the best place to catch a ball during a game in the whole park.
I quickly learned I was in over my head. There were a lot of things I didn't account for and ended up as roadblocks in my quest. It required determination, common sense, a little skill, some luck, and more time than I could ever imagine.
The key to catching a ball is to attend batting practice. Basically, it's 2 hours of guys blasting balls as hard as they can all over the field before the game. Usually, bullpen pitchers retrieve these balls, which was how I planned to get one; by simply asking them politely.
Most games, I would devote (more or less) an hour to go to batting practice. All this time wasn't wasted though; I observed a lot of situations first hand and in person that I tried to remember for the next game. Every one I went to, I picked up a little something I could use to help me in the future.
Overall, my first season wasn’t the most successful. I came home with a grand total of zero baseballs for the year. I wasn't heartbroken, but a little disappointed. I though for sure in roughly 10 games of giving just a little effort, I would walk away with at least ONE ball. Ever heard the phrase “Darkest before the dawn”? That stood to be very true in my case as well...
At my last game of the 2010 season on August 8th, my wonderful girlfriend Kyra and I were sitting in great seats in section 424 of the upper deck at Wrigley; the best place to catch a ball during a game in the whole park.
In the 7th inning, Alfonso Soriano fouled a pitch back over the screen, and it came right to me. And I mean RIGHT to me. Like, didn’t even have to move a step. The once in a lifetime chance I had been waiting for had finally come!
But alas, I was unprepared and didn’t bring my glove because it was raining earlier that morning.
(Number One Ballhawk rule of all time- Bring your glove! How do you expect to catch anything otherwise? I had brought it to numerous games before that season, but figured I should just enjoy the last one before going down to ISU).
I vowed, at that moment, with my hands still stinging with the pain of a lost dream, to never let this happen again.
I read Zack’s third book, The Baseball when it was released that off-season. I soaked up as many tactics and strategies as I could about how to get a ball. I even prepared myself for a little heartbreak, just in case things didn’t work out. I knew going into last season that Wrigley is one of the worst places for Ballhwaking. (I’ll defiantly come back to this later).
The first game I had in 2011 was at Wrigley on April 2nd against the Pirates. Based on what happened the year before, I determined the earlier I got there, the better. More time should equal more baseballs! I was waiting outside the gate two and a half hours before the game was to start. I can't say for sure I was the first fan to grab my spot in the stands, but I can for sure say I was within the first 20. Out of 40,000 people, that's not too bad.
I was patient yet worried, as each ball tossed back to the infield or thrown to another kid made my heart sink. But about 20 minutes into the Pirates portion of BP, (I’m going to abbreviate batting practice from now on, forever) a ball rolled up to the right field foul line, and I positioned myself right above it. Before I could even finish asking for it, pitcher Ross Olhendorf flipped it up, just within my reach.
Now, let me tell you, when I saw him release that ball knowing it was destined to be mine, I got the most rewarding feeling of excitement and joy that I've had at a baseball game in a while. It wasn't in my possession yet, but I was watching it float into my hands, and it was MY ball.
As soon as I grasped it in my glove, I silently put my hands up in the air, looked to the sky, and thanked the baseball gods for making this moment possible.
From then on, I only went up. I was still starting out, but the first one gave me a ton of confidence. It WAS possible, and all my time spent researching and analyzing had paid off.
In total, I caught 9 more balls in the 2011 season:
Most of them weren’t that exciting, half of them were boring toss ups with nothing original about them. I could tell the story of every one, but who wants to read that when you weren’t even there? I can talk about them for hours though, so feel free to ask!
A big part of this blog is also meant for you to see how I personally Ballhawk at games. I want to keep you updated on my triumphs and (probably very frequent) failures. Based on my experiences last year, I’ve compiled a few attainable Ballhawk goals I’ll be trying to achieve in 2012:
- Average 1 ball at Wrigley and 2 balls at every other Major League park.
- Catch a game used foul ball.
- Catch a BP homer on the fly.
- Successfully pull off the Glove Trick (wait until you see this entry).
- Get a toss up using Spanish.
- Use my connections to have a conversation and get a ball.
That last one is
pretty interesting- Jeremy Accardo and the now retired Neal Cotts went to ISU,
Brad Ziegler played for the Schaumburg Flyers, and (try to follow me here) my
Mom’s best friend lives a few houses away from the parents of Sean Marshall’s
wife. Any link between you and a player will strike up a conversation. The
season gets very monotonous, and it’s an odd change of pace for a player. Just
make sure it’s something they don’t mind their teammates or 50 other fans
hearing and knowing about.
To keep up with my Ballhawking this 2012 season, keep track of my profile on MyGameBalls.com. I’ll be sure to document those right away after a game. And, if that’s not enough baseball for you, I’ll occasionally put updates on Twitter.
To keep up with my Ballhawking this 2012 season, keep track of my profile on MyGameBalls.com. I’ll be sure to document those right away after a game. And, if that’s not enough baseball for you, I’ll occasionally put updates on Twitter.
First game entry (and second game of the season) to come soon!
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