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 I went with some buddies from work.. Geoffrey, now my friend on the Facebook, took some awesome pictures so I snagged them off facebook and throw them on here.

I also met Greg – who I met at Citi Field with Zack and a few others on 4/7/10 at Citi Field – and we tried to work around each other and not get in each other’s way… it seemed to work out.

So I got in early to batting practice and it was a very slow day. The Mets didn’t hit many home runs at all.. So I decided to move over to, the always reliable, right field. I used to not think it was reliable at all but it turned out to be where I caught every ball on the day.

The first ball I caught was in right center and I called out for Raul Valdes and he tossed it right to me. The second one was a little more fun. Ike Davis hit a bomb to practically where I was standing in right center – all I had to do was stand, extend my arm and pluck it from the sky. Davis has crazy power – he tends to hit a ton of homers to right center. For the third ball, I called out some Tigers players. First, I called out another player but someone grabbed the ball before I could – old guy got it so I was okay with it. However, he then decides to show his other family members the ball by throwing it to him – and the throw lands short and back onto the field. Oops. Soon after I called out Eddie Bonine for a ball and he tossed it right to me. Tigers baseballs have a nice sharpie mark on them – it is unique.

When the game started (after a long Shake Shack line- worth it) I sat with work friends and my brother Matt  arrived; however, so did the rain. Here’s a cool shot of me giving a look while someone sports a funny umbrella.

Then the rain – and a rain delay came down  which was okay because it meant we got to explore the (then packed) Caesars Club. Weird – I couldn’t find a Caesar salad in Caesars Club. However, I did get a picture with the three baseballs I got that day.

I was really anxious the first 20 minutes when there was no real activity so I started to get worried – I was banking on at LEAST 1-2 because I wanted to give one away. Luckily it worked out and I gave the first ball I caught to Jodi later – happy birthday!

So later on – once the rain stopped and play began – we went back and enjoyed a met win. Later on I got this photo with my brother Matt who came after working in the city.

Cool stuff. Mets won 14-6 – they are great at home so far.

3 balls (1 home run)
1 – Raul Valdes
2 – Ike Davis HR on the fly
3 – Eddie Bonine

8 straight games with at least one ball
6 of last 8 games with attendee getting at least one ball

I promised Jenna I’d name this the 25-month anniversary special once I mentioned it as a response to a certain other inside jokes.

However there are more jokes… (Oops no photos – sorry!!)

We got to the park super early and I got in and what did I see? Mets infield practice, ouch. The Mets are coming off an off day so I should have thought this was going to happen, oh well. So the crowd filled in a little – a little competition – and then the Mets started hitting.

My first action was a Jeff Franceour line drive home run that I played perfectly off the bounce and picked it up in front of a guy. Jenna had to go to the bathroom and missed it – but I got a phone call 5 minutes later (when I noticed she kept calling)… so I answered.

She says, “look what I got” in section 128 or so down the left field foul line she is standing with a ball in hand! She tells me she saw me grab the first one, and barely after that, a David Wright home run comes flying toward my section. I move down one row and in a few seats, cell phone in hand with Jenna watching from afar, and catch it on the fly. How about that for a first home run caught story…

After that we moved over to right field where I got a ball from John Maine and then the Phillies began to hit. The Phillies did something that most teams SHOULD do: they used their portion of batting practice to actually PRACTICE. All the players started by hitting the other way – off the end of the bat. I got one ball from the Phillies, calling out Brad Lidge who saw me ask and tossed the ball right up to me for ball #4 of the day.

With a crowd of 33,026 there… things were a little tough – but we did alright. Of course all that practice DIDN’T pay off for the Phillies as R.A. Dickey struck out 7 Phils en route to an 8-0 Mets win.

4 balls (2 home runs)
1 – Jeff Franceour HR
2 – David Wright HR on the fly
3 – John Maine
4 – Brad Lidge

7 straight games with at least one ball
5 of last 7 games with attendee getting at least one ball

So I waited Monday until the game was called a rain-out and they scheduled a doubleheader. Luckily Stubhub made a great service, emailed you and said how to get makeup tickets. They said we could use the tickets for Tuesday’s doubleheader so we decided to do that. Chris and Adam met me there later on, Adam made it in the 5th? – I want to say and Chris met us in the 7th.

It was a terribly cold and windy day, but still when Adam got there I made him go to the Shake Shack. We both bought shakes, and it was still worth it. It got so cold later on that I had a 3rd-4th? layer, putting my dodgers t-shirt over my Marist sweater to keep warm and stay in dodger ‘blue’.

Normally I try to avoid this series because, there are many old Dodger fans who come out to Ebbetts (err, I mean) Citi Field (face it, they’re practically the same on the outside) and come to the game. These games are also normally in the summer and they’re crowded and tough to get any number of balls.

So my plan was, since it was a doubleheader and I got there in the top of the 2nd inning (4:10 start, left work at 3:30), to go for 3rd out balls. I thought I was in luck early but balls scattered through the crowd, and I was also ready for any grounder to the third-base coach Larry Bowa (like how I got my FIRST game ball – 4/7/10 at Citi Field). However once I met up with Chris and Adam, I stopped until the 2nd game was about to start. When I saw warmups on the field, I snuck down again and missed out on Blake DeWitt and Jamey Carroll having a catch. Still determined I waited for 3rd out balls to start game two. At the end of the 2nd inning (I believe) Jamey Carroll caught an infield pop up to end it and came to the dugout. I staked out a good position, clear of anyone else, and Caroll underhanded the ball right to me – I made a clean one handed catch on it too.

Here are a few shots of the ball that I took when I got home, recovered from the cold, and all that.

5 straight games with at least one ball

[streak is over - didn't really have a chance though - 4 straight games where attendee has had at least one ball

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

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.