I want to take you back to when I met Zack Hample in May. Somewhere in the conversation we had during the game, he said one thing that was burned into my memory more than anything else he said that night. I wish I remembered more of his answers to my questions, but it was almost like my mind was somewhere else once he gave me that one response:
"Oh man, you've never been to a game alone? You really need to do that...it's fantastic"
This held a lot of weight for me. Let's look past the fact it was "dangerous and not a good idea", according to my parents. I didn't see a real reason I should think that. I've taken the same route there more than enough times for me to be comfortable. I knew what to expect. I'm smart enough to keep to myself and move quickly through the rougher parts of it (even though there was hardly any of that lately).
There are two sides to my internal argument. The cons:
- Mugging is more likely since I'm alone (I've been told I'm not an expert at street smarts, per se)
- Related to the last point - I would have nobody to help me if I needed it (Flat tire or train delays?)
- Social backlash saying this is becoming an unhealthy obsession
- May go a little TOO wild with running around the park and causing trouble for other fans
- I'd get bored, lonely, and immediately regret the decision
The pros:
- Everything is on my own schedule
- Decided to go the day before without consenting anyone (more long term for future games)
- Would do what I truly wanted for 100% of the time
- No need to worry about my guest having a good time
- I have gone down, done BP and watched a few innings completely alone before meeting up with people; what's a couple more hours? (AND THEN proceeded to go home on the El alone, mind you).
I went for it. Not just because the pros had more persuading arguments than the cons, either.
I also really, REALLY needed to see batting practice here. It developed into a form of OCD for me. I wasn't going to stop coming until I saw BP, and would continue to come until I knew for a fact it personally was not a good park for me. But for the FOURTH TIME IN A ROW, the weather became iffy at the last minute. I tried to stay happy and cheery on the outside because of the "new experience" and everything, but I was actually a nervous wreck.
I went to the right field gate and made it about 40 minutes early. I had no one to talk to, but I made it by just fine. They make iPhones for a reason, you know. You'll see it later, but I was doing my best Orioles impression with a burnt orange shirt to go with black jeans. I'm starting to feel like without the real team shirt, guys realize what I'm doing and penalize me for it. Results are pending on that one.
I nearly slammed my head against the wall when I felt actual precipitation on my arms. There's no way, I thought. My past three times here have all been cloudy, but not a drop had fallen from the sky. I was sunk, I was sure of it. I repeatedly told myself this was a waste of time, but was nowhere near the mindset of thinking Operation Solo Dolo was a bad idea.
When I went inside I just trudged up the ramps and....OH MY GOD!
Did it make sense? No. Was I ecstatic? You bet your ass I was!
Right field was pretty open, so I just waited there for a minute and took in the marvel that is batting practice in this building. It was such a rare sight, I couldn't take my eyes off it.
Any homer that had more than first row distance on it would have been mine easily:
Once I was finally out of shock and decided I had enough standing around, I checked the gaps....
And appropriately found nothing. I knew I would (wouldn't?) since there may be other sly people out there with retrieving devices.
I'm not going to lie - I wasn't here 100% on my own with nobody. Shawn came down from Milwaukee since the Brewers were on the road. He's originally the one who pointed out this stadium was nothing to scoff at, and I'm really starting to see what he was talking about.
I caught up with him and asked him for more strategies. I was surprised to still be ball-less at this point. Since I had nothing at the time and there was no pattern to count on as to where balls would end up, he said to try something new. Do things and go to areas I typically wouldn't, and luck may be on my side.
He took off for right field while I waited a few more minutes in left. While watching Shawn and the balls, I saw him grab a homer that landed a couple rows behind him, as well as a ground rule double that came directly to him. Why can't that be me?!
I was hoping his luck would rub off on me if I joined him in right. I wasn't on top of him, just a few aisles farther towards the foul pole.
After seeing where I chose to hang out, he called me over. We met in the middle of our positions to talk. He asked me, "What do you think you're doing here, buddy?"
"Well, this is pretty much the area you sit at (Miller Park) and figured since it was as open as any other section...."
"Now that's for game home runs. Not in BP."
Okay then. I remembered a story he told me during my last game about some advice Jose Canseco gave him. (Don't question it, that's what he said). Jose said the best bet for BP was playing 370 to 395 feet right down the foul line. Maybe that's where guys aim in BP when trying to hit homers, but I don't know. Ask Canseco next time you see him.
I had nothing to lose. The spot I had was too far behind the bullpen, and I never play as far over as the pole. Try new things...alright!
It wasn't quite working. Lots of doubles down the line, and any balls that reached the seats landed in the front patio area. There WAS one ball, that ended up a section and a half over and at just about the same row. I scrambled over and it came down to me and one other guy with the ball bouncing around. I made a crucial misjudgment for one of the bounces, and went around rather than over a seat. It was a split second, but that's all the other guy needed. If I went the other way, that would have been my first ball.
My Ballhawk senses were triggered after spending just a little more time in the outfield. Barring a miracle, nothing was going to happen for me. I accepted that. I also realized I had access to any seat in the ballpark, especially before the game and only for a few key minutes. Not knowing when the moment would come, I darted around the bowl and anticipated the Orioles jogging off the field.
Before that, however, yet ANOTHER chance presented itself. I was chugging along until I saw a grounder get by the net and rest literally underneath the foul pole. I stopped and looked around and saw nobody immediately coming to retrieve it. Every second was crucial, because in about 15 there were 15 kids waiting for someone to come get it. There was STILL nobody in sight, and I thought about the Glove Trick for just a second. I hesitated due to the setup time and this being Chicago. That may not go so well when I lowered my glove onto the real field instead of the gap or bullpens, especially so close to game time when plenty of fans were inside.
Lets take a minute and think about Shawn's advice. It definitely worked. Two random chances came my way because I did things a little more unconventionally. I'll definitely remember this next time I'm struggling.
I eventually made it down to the first row behind the visitors dugout.
I met a few guys walking in, none of them with balls. If you the reader are an aspiring Ballhawk, this is a good rule to remember. Don't harass players if it's clear it's going to take them extra effort. A ball in their hand or pocket is one thing, but yelling at every single guy makes you look obnoxious.
Anyway, an Oriole got finished hitting. He grabbed a ball and slowly walked back from the first base area. I figured it was for the 7 (or so) year old girl the next section over, but it wouldn't to get in line with him. Half way to me, he started playing pepper and bouncing the ball on his bat. I'll give him major props for keeping it going for 20 bounces or so. As he reached the top step of the dugout, right in front of me, he gave the ball one last pop, lofting it through the air, over the dugout, and right into my glove. Hell yea.
Not the most stress relieving ball I've ever gotten, but it was a rough start to the day. Always nice to get it out of the way.
I then went to meet Shawn in right center, where he'd been hanging out all day. He ended up grabbing four balls, including a Matt Weiters homer on the fly. We talked for a minute about the Cell; it's a pretty discussed topic between us. He REALLY likes it at this park. But he hates Chicago even more. We don't even want you anyway!
We parted ways and I headed to the Sox bullpen like I always do. The visitors may possibly be better, but I feel like I could always take advantage of being on the same level in the first row of seats on the left field side.
I got really, really close to John Danks:
I just sat and watched. Where else can you watch a major league pitcher at this distance?
I was having awful flashbacks to June 11th where the relief pitchers simply kept the ball and put it back in the bag.
Danks finished, and did the normal handshake with everybody. He kept walking from the mound towards the plate, then looped back around to face me.
I had an internal debate about whether to ask him for the ball he still had in his glove. I thought about the tip about being annoying again. For the most part, starting pitchers don't like to be bothered with ANYTHING on a day they're pitching. I didn't want to frustrate him and throw him off. To go along with that, he looked kind of angry. Maybe me asking would just make his bad day even worse. But lastly, he got almost all the way through his handshakes and still had the ball in his glove. Did he bring it in to the dugout with him as superstition?
Once again, Shawn's words came into my head, a general rule about any Ballhawking scenario: "The worst someone can say is 'No'. What's so bad about that?"
Rather quietly, since I was still timid, I held my glove up and asked Johnny if he could spare the ball. He barley looked at me, and didn't give it a second thought.
This goes down as one of the cooler ones I've gotten. I began to freak out right before the game when thinking about this one. What would it mean if he threw a no hitter? I was desperately hoping for that, just to have a piece of history in my collection.
I mentioned before that all it takes to get a good seat at the Cell is getting past that first guard on the 100 level. My ticket said 108, right by the foul pole, but look where I started the game:
That's the third row behind the Orioles dugout. It was MUCH easier to slip by and grab a single seat while being alone. I busted out my camera to take a few pictures, and nobody said a word to me. It was pretty sweet.
I don't remember much of what actually happened in the game. I rarely do, and I really could care less. I was here to catch balls. I stayed here for three innings, with the Orioles coming in three different times. I gave it a shot, but the players either kept the balls for themselves or gave them to one of the adorable (not really, they're my worst enemy) kids in the area.
I realized nothing was going to happen there, so I left. I've been to the Cell a decent amount of times now, and never been exploring. The people I'm with either don't want to walk that much or just want to stay and have a great view of the game.
First was the Fundamentals deck, which I've never seen the view from:
And where I took this shot that I think is really cool:
With all the hustle and bustle I'd been going through all day, especially so close to the field, it was really relaxing to find a silent area and observe the rest of the stadium.
My next stop was the upper deck. More specifically, the worst section in the entire park. You all probably know the Cell is (was, mostly, before it was fixed) notorious for having the worst of the worst seats.
I ventured up the aisle, took a break half way there, and then made my way to the last row of the last section. All I can say is: Holy crap!
It all looks so huge from up here, but it's really not that big once you get right next to the field. I felt like I was a hundred feet away from the nearest PERSON. Not to mention the first row, the field, or even the action at the plate. I could see cars on the Dan Ryan, for God sakes.
The rest of the upper deck was unimpressive, and that's glorifying it. Not many people were there, but it was totally dead regardless. There were a few concession stands, but NOTHING like the 100 level. Not only do they take away the lower level to these ticket holders, but everything up there is at such a lower standard than down below.
It was a foggy night downtown.
Then I saw it, the thing that angered me and made me laugh at the same time:
What complete nonsense. The ignorance they have to post it like that dumbfounds me. You would think they would take anything they could get since they don't have much going for them nowadays, but no. Same bias towards the people with less money that they've had for as long as I can remember.
The view from behind home wasn't that awful, actually.
But I'm definitely more partial to views like this:
Once again, fourth row, walking right past the ushers for the 10th time today. I guess it makes up for my feelings on the rant above.
As soon as I sat down in the bottom of the 7th, Adam Dunn smacked a homer, much to my displeasure.
That put the Sox ahead 5-1. My outlook was not good for the bottom of the 9th, in that there wouldn't be one. I would have the end of this inning and the 8th as my last chances to get a ball from here.
I was done with pictures and just waited for the end. The ball in the 7th went from God knows who on the field to God knows who in the seats. But the 8th, that's a different story.
By this time, the kids rushing up there had died down. They gave up, went home, got a ball, or were told to stop fidgeting around by their parents. It was the perfect situation for me.
So anyway, bottom of the 8th. Tyler Flowers is up. He pulls a ball right past third base, where Manny Mochado makes a diving stop. He gets up as quick as lightning and fires to Chris Davis at first.
As soon as I saw Mochado stop it, I bolted out of my seat. I had to time it right and have some luck, too. The speed of the play and his throw went so quick that nobody else had time to react. Just as Davis caught it to end the inning, I got right down to the top of the dugout.
As soon as he turned, I leaned over to claim as much space of the dugout roof as I could, and boomed out "HEY CHRIS! HOOK ME UP!"
And I'll be dammed, he lofted it up right in my direction. I stayed stretched out to make sure I would be able to reach it. It was one of the easiest catches I ever made.
It didn't register until I sat back down....but THIS WAS AWESOME!
There was no denying this one was a game used, unlike number 33 from Milwaukee that was in a huge grey area. This was an awesome play, too; not a lame fly out or something. But the biggest part was Chris Davis. He was, and still is, leading the MLB in home runs. I'm rooting for HIM more than anything else for the rest of the season. It would make a nice little note on this ball that the last guy to touch it hit the most homers that year.
A dad struck up conversation with me and crossed the threshold of 'comment' to 'interested', so I gave him a card and explained this was number 58. His son got the 1st inning ball I believe, so I gave them the best tips to ensure their success next time they came here.
Here's a better look:
I didn't have the wherewithal to pay attention beforehand to see how many pitches or the type of action it saw. My guess is at least a couple, since the stamp is worn pretty good. It also had a tiny, not very deep scuff mark on the upper right.
I'm really not too sure if that scuff is from the play or something else. I can usually tell what is and isn't playable from umpire preferences I saw during my time as a Bat Boy. The Flyers would have used this, but this is Major League Baseball, a multi-billion dollar operation. Could they spare to throw these balls out? Your guess is as good as mine.
I tried for an umpire ball at the end of the game...
...and Joe West thought the old balding lady with grey hair was more deserving. Oh well. I was still riding my game used high.
My new experiment after games is to try to get the lineup card from one of the dugouts. I squeezed my way through, only to be ignored by the clubhouse guys gathering the equipment.
More experience from being a Bat Boy - I always know where the lineup cards are. It's either on the wall right below me, the wall right in front of that guy, or the back wall right on the other side of the stairs. Maybe not top secret info, but I've known it ever since I worked my first game.
And finally, to supplement last game as well, here's me and Shawn:
My Orioles outfit is pretty solid, all things considered. Black jeans, Pirates hat, and close enough on the orange, I feel.
Coming out of my very first game alone, I can't say enough good things. Everything went absolutely perfectly. This is yet another step in the right direction in this journey.
STATS
- 3 balls at this game
- 26 balls total this season
- 17 consecutive games with a ball
- 58 lifetime balls
- Time Spent at Game: 5 hours, 10 minutes
- Total time spent at games: 78 hours, 10 minutes
- 3 balls X 19,746 fans (that's pathetic) = 59,238 Competition Factor
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