So Saturday’s game was a little different than usual games in New York and all that. First off we went to enjoy the National Aquarium in Baltimore…

That was followed by their Dolphin Show at the Aquarium – nice and indoors too – because it was scorching out!

After that we went back to our Hotel room and then off to Camden Yards – where our “Season Ticket Holder” tickets got us in at around 4:40 because there was a Season Ticket Holder “State of the Orioles” meeting with the O’s Team President taking questions from the audience before batting practice. The only answer that stood out to me was when he said that “no player is untouchable” while the players were stretching, playing catch, getting ready for BP in right field. You can see the view here – pre BP.

Meanwhile, in Center Field Jake Arrieta was having a catch with a bullpen catcher. Once he finished throwing he started to walk in towards the bullpen so I called out for him and asked for the ball. Being practically the only one there… he tossed it right to me.

Behold the first ball I’ve ever caught outside of New York!

A little briefly after that BP started – the crowd started to fill up a little bit and the O’s starting hitting them out to left. Camden Yards is small and both teams make it look that way – you need to be able to move amongst the seats and not be that close to the front rows to grab homers here. So here I am waiting for the O’s to start hitting them out.

Here was my view for much of Orioles’ BP.

So about a third of the way into BP, Ty Wigginton laces a shot towards my section. I race down about 3 rows where there’s a small crowd developing in the row below (very competitive for homers here – especially on a Saturday), stick my glove out and reach for the highest point and ‘smack!’ my first Camden Yards home run caught on the fly!

Then later in the Blue Jays portion of batting practice – I had moved down a little and was in practically the same section. A righty smacked one deep towards my section, I scooted down into an open aisle and as people below me were reaching up and missing the ball – it landed in the palm of my glove on the fly. Home Run #2! ALSO – first time I’ve caught more than one home run on the fly in any park. Pretty cool eh?

What was really cool was the ball was one of the cleanest I’d ever seen! We took a picture when we got to our seats – here take a look!

Jenna and I went and grabbed Lemonades after BP – I drank through all of mine quickly (shocker) but Jenna had hers still with her at the game. We bought an O-shaped pretzel along the first base side of the field level (practically behind our section that night – 17). But back on topic – in about the middle of the game – there’s a family next to us (mother – grandmother?/aunt and daughter) who are about to go walk down to the concourses so we needed to get up. So they’re walking down the aisle and the little kid says “ooo” and takes Jenna’s lemonade, Jenna starts to look at me (I didn’t notice yet) and gives me a weird new signal I haven’t seen before. So I let them pass as I’m standing out of the aisle for them. So when I sit down, Jenna tells me “she took my lemonade!!” We had noted how everyone was so friendly in Baltimore but we didn’t realize this would happen – we laughed it off – a lot. Then when they came back, what did they have? A new Lemonade.

We had to leave early out of this game to go have dinner – our pick for the night? Fogo de Chao – a Brazilian steakhouse nearby. This (blurred) picture is the best I got of how they serve you …

everyone walks around with skewers and asks you whether or not you’d like a piece. See here Jenna is trying the Brazilian flavored steak. A great place to go! Here was my plate after a little while.

We also tried the fried polentas and they were good too! Overall a great place to go for a good meal. I know where I’m going again when I get a chance!

The other good news was: since the O’s had a malfunction in ordering the Brooks Robinson Jerseys promotion – we got vouchers for sending out to get a jersey which comes with a coupon for discounted tickets in September/October!

3 balls (1 home run)
1 – Jake Arrieta (Left Center)
2 – Ty Wigginton HR (Left)
3 – Blue Jays TBD HR (Left)

10 straight games with at least one ball

With that, guess what is now full?

Jenna’s gift to me of a baseball holder is now filled with baseballs! (Chronicled before here Baseball Collection)

So far this year I have been to…
7 Games
26 Baseballs  (3.7 per game)
(of those ones I’ve caught they have been
2 Game Balls
6 Home Runs – 5 of which were caught on the fly

So this game was kind of different…

First I met Greg again (who I saw on Tuesday) and we eventually all made it in the park… We were both there for the opportunity of all… Twins baseballs – since they opened their new park “Target Field” this year- we were hoping to grab a Target Field commemorative baseball.

Jenna met me at 6 – by that time I already had 5 baseballs. The first one I asked for by a #62 on the Mets who was shagging flies in left field. I asked for it and he turned around and gunned it right to me – pretty hard too – I almost wasn’t expecting a throw that fast. So I caught two balls in Mets portion of BP – not bad for a Friday – but once I saw the Twins out I had a goal to hit the Twins dugout.

For a few minutes I got to watch Ron Gardenhire and his coaches throwing knuckleballs to each other in front of the Twins dugout before their BP started. We exchanged a brief hello, which was cool, and then once he finished throwing – I don’t remember if I even had to ask, but he tossed the ball right to me.

From there I went out to right field because the Twins have a lot of lefties and they were (I hoped) ready to put on a show. A few balls trickled down – I asked Matt Guerrier to toss me a ball and got it in the right field corner. Then all of the sudden – a home run comes almost directly at me off of Justin Morneau’s bat. People behind me were already playing for it, I was caught on the edge of one of the walls that extends out to the Modell’s part of right center… so I got ready real quick as people were ready behind me and stuck out my glove as high as I could and ‘smack!’ caught it on the fly.

Then as batting practice was about to end – I took my usual favorite nesting spot in right center by the bullpens – got Nick Blackburn’s (I believe it was him) attention and he threw a ball about 30 feet to get it to me. That’s 6 – one shy of my Citi Field and current high.

Here they are…

These were our seats for the game… a good view.

Here were the six…

The game went by really fast – so fast that we only snuck down during the 9th inning. Which is where I saw Greg again and we made sure to stay out of each other’s way. This was our view in the 9th.

After the game ended – we waited for the Twins relievers to walk back to the dugout and, low and behold, Matt Guerrier tosses me my seventh ball of the day – since I was the only one decked out in any Twins gear. Matched the record! Then I got this photo with Jenna with #7 on the day.

7 balls (1 home run)
TIED PERSONAL HIGH
NEW SEASON HIGH
1 – #62 ? I’m not sure who he is but he gunned it right to me!
2 – ? (it was in center though!)
3 – Ron Gardenhire (Twins Dugout)
4 – Matt Guerrier (Right Field)
5 – Justin Morneau HR caught on fly (RF)
6 – Nick Blackburn? (I believe it was him in Right Center)
7 – Matt Guerrier (Twins Dugout – Postgame)

9 straight games with at least one ball

So one good thing about this day was it was a trip to a new park I haven’t ‘been’ to before: Yankee Stadium. So I snapped a bunch of photos with my dad’s camera as I waited for TJ to meet me there.

So here was the line to get in at around 4:55, right before the gates open at 5pm. Ouch by the way, you only get to see 30 minutes of Yankees batting practice. Here is their bag check, by the way…

So it took me about 2 minutes to get in, get to the right field seats and get a ball tossed to me by Mark Melancon (who got optioned to the minors the next day- ouch) but I already thought, hey this Yankee Stadium must not be that bad – and Thank goodness I’m not shut out! After that, I went over to the left field seats (since the righties were hitting) and tried for a few home run balls. Came very close, even with me still keeping on my ankle brace on for safety, to two homers but just missed out on them. Very different to get homers at Yankee Stadium than Citi Field, since you’re judging where the ball will come down about 10 feet lower than you would at the giant walls of Citi.

You’re right on top of the field which is nice. Soon enough TJ got there, the Orioles went on the field and the crowd started to fill up.

Soon enough, security emptied everyone out of the section who did not have a ticket… somehow I got by that (TJ did not, ah the magic of sneaking past by the row) and soon enough a ball hit the warning track, my only competition was another security guy asking for my ticket. So I fumble around, forgetting where it went, and by the time the ball lands I ask if I can go ask for the ball… he says “you can try.” That made me run over and roll my eyes, thanks to you driving everyone out – me and 3 others are the only ones here. So I go over in the above corner, near the bullpen, ask (who I believe was) Matt Albers for the ball and he flips it right to me. Twice as many as I was probably expecting at Yankee Stadium.

After that we went picture crazy, this is TJ and I before the game and the next one is our seats (twice)…

Now the one comment I had about this place was… everyone had a beer in hand. Even going to the bathroom, people were holding a beer and going to the bathroom. It was a very different experience. The Yankees won in what turned out to be a very fast game, who knew the Yankees could play a 7:05 game that ended before 10pm?!?

6 straight games with at least one ball

My version here, but told better here. (Many thanks to Zack Hample for the photos!)

So this day was special for many reasons. First off, I got to see my good friend TJ who I don’t get to see often anymore. He’s busy teaching in the Bronx for now so he got out and got to Citi Field as fast as he could.

So he met me around 5ish. Another fun fact about the day, my cellphone was on low battery from when I got to the park until it finally died at about 10:30.

So onto our day at the park, I got there and I of course saw good buddy Zack Hample getting geared up for the season. There I met a few of his friends and got to know Greg, Matt and Ben and we posed for a photo after collecting balls during BP. That can come after this first photo, Zack took of me and Matt getting ready for the first game of the season! I was excited probably from 3:30 on once I left work to get to the park and finally get the year underway. Yeah I’ve been watching baseball since like, well, have I really stopped watching specific plays and stuff at work? Well, only for a week for the NCAA Tournament did I actually stop watching baseball related stuff. Anyway, here’s Matt & I getting ready to enter… but of course

Citi Field had other plans. What sucks is, they only opened two turnstiles of self scan ticket windows. Two turnstiles, all game, that’s it for the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. So all, eight or so, lines sucked in to two ticket lines. Now, I don’t like this for the sole (and good) point I have: not everyone even scans their own groceries at Stop and Shop or wherever you go… so why let them scan their own tickets?!?! It’s a recipe for disaster. That coupled with the 38,000 about to come through wasn’t a good job.

After that, Zack raced up the stairs ahead of us… I lagged behind with my ankle (hurt playing basketball, in soft cast for another week – last week!). So once I realized that EVERYONE was in left field I did the only logical thing, worked center and right-center field.

Ball #1 was given to me by #58 Arroyo and I asked nicely a few times after he said he’d give me one when BP was close to ending… I waited some more and got one. Then, I believe, Angel Pagan tossed me my second ball of the day in center as well. After that, I moved over to right center where (TJ would meet me there) and I called out to “Fernando” Nieve. The security guard there kept telling me I had the wrong name, so once I got the ball I showed him my roster sheet and poked fun a little. I find it better to play nice with the security guards there and as long as you’re nice, use the word “sir” and “excuse me”, things will go well.

It was at this time I finally coached TJ up to get his own ball, he called out pitching coach Dan Warthen when a ball landed, and he tossed it right to him. Yay, I put pressure telling him that the last three times someone has come with me they got a ball too… but he came through and the streak is alive!

When Marlins BP started, I found a ball that was stranded in front of a very old man who helps the high class seats on the third base side, he wears green and said he couldn’t go on the field. I made nice with him and he asked a security guard if he could grab the ball lying there and toss it to me, he did and voila #4.

We went back to center and I got a ball from Dan Meyer in my Marlins gear. Then TJ and I made our move over to the right center again. TJ called out for Cody Ross to toss him a ball but Ross went for a kid instead.. The kid missed it so Ross said now he had to give it to a Marlin fan (his mistake as TJ had my 2nd Marlins hat on) and he got it. TJ immediately, before I could give him a ball from my backpack, went over and gave it to the kid. Then TJ called on Tim Wood and got a ball from him.

After BP we gathered around with Zack, TJ met him finally that day, and we went through our numbers and took a picture in Marlins gear. Zack has this photo up but he gave me this one too..

in order left to right: TJ (3), Me (6), Zack (15), Ben (1), Matt (3) and Greg (9)

Look at all those “throwback” teal hats! More on that later… So we settle into our nice seats in section 124 after going to the Shake Shack line, followed by a nice Shackburger, fries and shake (yay, Strawberry is there now!).

TJ and I made our sneak down after the 6th I believe and after that, the game did get real exciting. We were talking about all the crucial situations and I was saying how it could be possible to bring the closer in now in the jams in the 7th or 8th. By the way, here’s the WPA of the game by FanGraphs.

So this was a real exciting game, TJ had to leave at 10 to get back to his apartment but I stayed and enjoyed the whole game. So after being heckled enough times for being a marlins fan by a few kids, I kept moving over til I found all these guys in a section near the Marlins dugout for the 9th inning.

So I got down there, sat between Greg and Ben hanging out. Didn’t know but Greg is at Manhattan, good ol’ MAAC school and told me how much everyone hates the head coach there and I gloated (if you can call it that) that Marist’s win over Manhattan was their only win this year. However the we talked about 3rd out balls and trying to go for one and then we both really said the same thing, we’re waiting for a ground ball to the third base coach and we should do well. So Greg had the aisle seat and I asked if one comes down, can I go for it.. so he said yes and I planned my little route. Figure that 3rd out balls in an extra inning game, might not be a smart idea so lets hope for a grounder…

Before you know it, Wes Helms 2-1 pitch is grounded to third base coach Joey Espada. So I make a run toward the first row on the dugout to be next to the crowd of many many teens. Of course I had a few advantages over them: one would be height, two a glove, three marlins gear. However I didn’t know his name so I turned back for a second to see Greg and, practically all of them (as I remember? memory not as good), saying “Joey!” to give me his name. So I yell as quick as I could get it and he tosses the ball up in the air for many hands and a glove to compete for. Let’s just say, I won that battle by stretching out real hard and being like a wide receiver: catching the ball at its highest point. Glove beats bare hands, who’da thunk it.

My first game ball, awesome.

Me
#1 Arroyo 58 (center)
#2 Pagan
#3 Nieve (right center -ish)
#4 ball rolled to track from security guard
#5 Dan Meyer (cener)
#6 Joey Espada game ball top 10th

TJ
#1 Dan Warthen (right center)
#2 Cody Ross (right center) … given to kid.
#3 Tim Wood (right center)

2009 A Review

• Part One: MAAC Tournament, Marist Alumni Weekend 2, Citi Field trip, June Vacation, Recap on my Connecticut experience
• Part Two: O’s Game, Meeting Zack Hample
• Part Three: Mets game with Keith & met Zack again, 2 more Met games to end the year, Postseason Baseball, Trip to Yankee Stadium, Marist Alumni Weekend
• Part Four: Thanksgiving, December fun and Christmas.

Also links to all the posts are previously chronicled on my web site or others. I tried my best.

Baseball Games

• 5/10/09 at Citi Field (1, Jenna: 1)
• 7/27/09 at Camden Yards
• 9/8 & 9/10 at Citi Field (4, Keith: 2; 7, Adam: 1)
• 9/22/09 at Citi Field (4, Danny: 2)
  

Reading List

• Watching Baseball Smarter
• As They See ‘Em
• Founding Brothers
• Losers: The Road to Everyplace but the White House
• Next
• Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity
• Power and the Presidency
• Season of Life
• The Audacity to Win
• The Men Who Stare at Goats
• The New New Thing

So while my parents were trying to find a halloween costume to wear they stumbled upon some of the long lost baseball supply. Other than the glove I can now give to my girlfriend, I found this.

What it looks to be? A Cal Ripken chase baseball.

So I reached out to Zack Hample:

Yep, that’s the ball from when he caught/passed Lou Gehrig. You can find a picture of a new one in this blog entry:

http://snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/07/7609_at_citizens_bank_park.html

-Z

Pretty cool eh? Now if I can just figure out how I got it. If we picked this up somewhere, who would be playing with a ball like this and then maybe lose it?!

I got there early. Early enough I walked around, went to the New York lottery promotion stand and bought one of the scratch off tickets.

I lost.

But that’s okay because I am about to see my friend Danny. Danny is a Braves fan and he’s going to meet me. Until then I’ll have the stadium to my own, kinda. I rush inside once the gates open. At first I run down the left field steps by the foul pole to find an easter egg ball next to a seat. Then I ran back down the steps, watched Nick Evans catch a ball in the outfield. As the only fan I asked him for it, he turned right around and lobbed it right to me. One more from Josh Thole in left center field and another in right centerfield tossed up by Sean Green meant this was a good day.

Then Danny came and I was ready to help him get his first baseball. He brought his glove and after a home run in right center ricocheted off a seat and back on the field I told him to move down and ask Bobby Parnell for it by saying hey and please as well. It worked. Problem was, it was a practice ball. (And by the way, every ball I got was a Yankees 2008 ball) So then we went to left field for a little while and Danny got picked out by Ken Takahashi as he threw him a scuffed 2008 All Star Game ball. Pretty cool!

By the end of BP not only was I hungry but by the time I got food at the Shake Shack I found a 2nd ticket stub to move down! Both tickets were 2 sections from each other! Nice!

Here they are (Danny’s haul)

Here’s what I got.

These were our seats.

That’s right, Danny’s head is bigger than each scoreboard!

So later in the game we made our move and had a few close calls on foul balls but to no avail.

That Jurrjens guy did pretty well and the Braves won 3-1. Later in the game I wanted to get on the third base side so we were looking around for ticket stubs and nothing, then we didn’t get to ask anyone who was about to leave. I’m already thinking “oops, stupid idea” and I see Danny dart past the security guard who left their post. I walk down after him and we got about 10 rows or so away. I told him to wait and that we cannot go past the person in the burgundy shirt (security guards).

In the game we went to on 9/10, there was a security guard who escorted everyone who tried to sneak past him back up to the usher. I think he had Citi Field confused with Yankee Stadium.

So that was our night. We ended up doing well.

3 straight games with at least one ball
3 straight games where attendee has had at least one ball

Previously chronicled here

For my girlfriend’s brother Keith’s birthday present we decided to take him to a game at Citi Field. Problem was, she couldn’t make it and the first day of school was the next day. I said too bad we’re going and off we went on to Citi Field.

I did not know then but 20 minutes before the gates open I ran into a familiar face, Zack Hample. So Keith got to meet Zack, both forgetting each others names slightly thereafter, but that’s okay. I ridiculed Keith for his obscurely small glove which prompted Zack to tell a story on how a former pro player at a baseball camp he was at was fielding grounders with an even smaller glove.

So we eventually all enter the park. We agree that we’re going to try our best to stay out of Zack’s way (a great idea for many). As the gates open we see Zack bolt through the turnstiles and up the stairs toward the left field seats. They’ll be his for now, Keith and I ventured to centerfield where we got four out of the six we’d snag on the day.

We helped Zack get one ball with his glove trick in center field. A ball landed near the warning track, Zack saw it and came to our position. I told Keith to get to the side of him so the security guard wouldn’t see Zack and his “device”. Then, in about 30 seconds, the glove trick was done. So fast I only had time to shoot 3 pictures. (below)

So here I am after I got Josh Thole to throw a ball right to me. It’s a Yankee Stadium 2008 baseball. The Mets are good like that.

One of mine was pure luck later when a ball bounced from the left field seats into an empty row where I was walking where I could simply scoop it up. I was walking towards the Marlins pitchers warming up and a convenient bounce if that. My last baseball came from Tim Wood when I was decked out in Marlins gear. His baseball came with the “Practice” stamp right on it.

We made our way down to the 2nd row thanks to acquiring tickets from a leaving fan.

Here were our seats for the last inning or two.

Here were our results:

9/8/09

Me: 4 from Josh Thole, Sean Green, HR bounced to seat, Tim Wood…
Keith: 2 from John Maine and Bobby Parnell…
Zack Hample: 10 & a lineup card

9/10 was a different day. I chose another date to go and we splurged hoping to grab a foul/3rd out ball. Instead I set my record for the year. You could tell it was going to be a good day when a Home Run ball bounced right into our section and I made the scramble to grab it first. From then on, I got into a zone. Asking Omir Santos for a ball in centerfield. Then getting John Maine to motion to me after I yelled for Bobby Parnell for a ball. Parnell inspected his glove, nodded to Maine and Maine tossed me a 2008 All Star Game ball! That was truly cool.

Then I ventured to right center field. Near the deepest part of the right field seats to ask Josh Thole for a ball. A kid on the other side asked “Hey Thole!” but my “Hey Josh, can I get that ball from you please” won out in the end. I think players like it when they know you know their first name and more than whats on the back of their jersey.

Then after the Marlins pitchers warmed up, I asked Brendan Donnelly for his warmup ball after his long toss with Matt Lindstrom. On the 8th it was crowded and I did not get a ball in the corner, but today, no competition got me that one.

Then in left center field I asked Brett Carroll for a ball where he then proceeded to ask me whether or not I’d change out of this Marlins gear I had on. I remember saying something to the capacity of “I love baseball” (this is true) and I convinced him enough that he tossed the ball right to me. The last one for batting practice for me was deep in left center field, as Cameron Maybin went to retrieve a ball off the warning track I got above him and asked him for it, he flipped the ball up and I secured the catch for #7 on the day.

9/10/09
Me: 7 from HR LF seats, Omir Santos, John Maine (ASG), Josh Thole, Brendan Donnelly, Brett Carroll, Cameron Maybin…
Adam: 1 from Sean Green

2: Streak of games with at least one ball
2: Streak of games where attendee with me got at least one ball*

The second number there I am proud of.

Our first, of likely many, trips to Citi Field. Myself and Jenna on our first trip. It costs 18$ to park anywhere near the park, I supposed part of that money went towards the poor construction of the exits to the park. I used to get out of Shea and onto the LIE in under 10 minutes, it might be trouble to do that at the new park.

I am under the belief that the man who threw me the ball was Matt Capps. He was unavailable to pitch until Tuesday and did not do any throwing with the other relievers when the Pirates came out for BP. He noticed my old Pirates hat and lobbed me an easy ball and I secured the catch with both hands. Brand new ball see?

First of the year, second overall. After BP we wandered around the ballpark’s field level for a little while. After that it was time to find the promenade deck seats. After those stunk we made a decision to try and take a look at the standing room on the field level.

After the game was over we snuck down to the Pirates dugout and asked the Pirates bullpen members for a ball. After it looked like we weren’t going to get anything, a ball rolled over onto the dugout from below, Jenna quickly snatched it with both hands. 2 for us!

That’s right. We both got baseballs. The game was boring, Mets dominated and won 10-1. I will say that our seats were obstructed and I’ve been told that the Promenade Reserved, supposedly like many seats, are obstructed from certain places.