Game 14 - 7/2 at US Cellular Field

This was a big game for me and BaseBlog. It was truly a revolutionary step in the right direction for myself, in addition to improving the well being of the blog.

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"

Game 13 - 6/25 at Miller Park

I was rested and re-focused. It was time for another road game, mainly to see my new Ballhawk friend, Shawn.

Mid-Season Blacklight Examination

At this point in the season, I've finally reached my first long break. I was chugging along for three solid weeks, so it was time to relax, reflect, and start working at RBF a little to pay for all of this. I didn't actually want to stop, but the Brewers, Sox, and Cubs were all on the road. As good a time as any, right? I took it as a sign from the baseball Gods telling me to catch my breath.

The single most interesting thing I've learned since I started Ballhawking was the Rawlings method. I wrote an entry about it during the off-season, and went through the entire (very secretive) process. However, the coolest part of discovering that process was finding out that each ball is stamped with invisible ink as a quality control mechanism. When you put a ball under a regular old black light, the numbers magically appear.

Some of my balls from last year that had superb stamps.

Game 12 - 6/11 at US Cellular Field

I was debating whether or not to write about this game. It was an awful experience and one I'd rather not remember. Sure, I went to another baseball game, but it was pretty miserable. I sound spoiled when I say that, but in order for me to enjoy myself as a Ballhawk, I need to see results. That's the whole reason I go to seemingly random games like this.

I should have gotten back on the El when I saw what the skies looked like at 35th Street.