Lost in translation
A couple months ago, I was interviewed for a Japanese magazine called "Sportiva." I finally got the article translated, and the result is hilarious (if not a bit disturbing). Check it out...
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American Sports Now vol. 61
The Major League's biggest topic this season is, of course, 'Matsuzaka'.
If you watch the game on TV, don't miss the voice from the stand speaking in funny Japanese, "Chotto bouru nagete Kudasai" which means, "Excuse me, please throw me the ball."
You can hear it when Matsuzaka finishes warming up in the bull pen, or on his way from the pitcher's mound to the dugout.
That's Zack Hample's voice. He's the man who has collected 2,961 major league balls.
Last year Zack directly caught Barry Bond's home run ball at Petco Park in San Diego. That moment was televised, and his only remarkable catch on record. He's gathered half of his near 3,000 balls by catching foul balls that came into the stands.
When he was 12 years old his parents took him to the 'New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals' game at Shea Stadium in New York. During their batting practice, Zack caught a ball as it came into the stand. Since then he has become maniacal.
The next year he gathered 14 balls. And by the age of 14, he'd collected 128 balls.
He went to see 450 games and never missed getting at least one ball at each game for 16 years. He made many efforts to get balls. If the next batter was right-handed, he'd run to the left stand. If left-handed, he ran to the other side.
For that purpose, it's very important to gather data on each player in the batter's line up. Moreover, he came to read each team's signs to guess how the pitcher would throw a ball and how the batter would hit a ball.
He gathered one third of his collection by asking the players.
He's studied foreign languages like Spanish and Yiddish, and in order to get player's balls, he can
say the one sentence "Excuse me, please give me your ball" in more than 27 languages. He even learned sign language for Curtis Pride, a deaf player. Of course he's studied Japanese because of the Major League's acquisition of so many Japanese players.
Zach asked Nomo for his ball in 1998, but another fan got it. He say's, "I have only one ball from a Japanese player, Kaz Matsui. I think it'll be very difficult to get one from Matsuzaka.
Zack goes to 30 stadiums for his collection and knows each one of them very well. Being born in New York, he's a big fan of the New York Mets. However, he's collected caps from all the teams. When he has to run to both sides of the stands after balls, he changes caps as he goes.
In April 2004, at the Mets vs. Expos game, Zack got 19 balls! That was a new personal record.
Some people hate him. They call him "dirty ball collector." They even stopped him from entering Shea Stadium. He says he doesn't bother other fans, and sometimes gives his balls to children.
"When I catch a ball, I feel like a player," he says.
He wrote two books on his experiences, calling himself a "free writer."
And what about the 'private life' of the "King of Snag" who's travels all over America for his collection? "I have my girlfriend who has no interest in baseball. As long as she loves me, I'm happy." "It's hard to have both a love relationship and a hobby of snagging balls. But doing the best of both makes it worth it."
Larger Headlines:
The maniacal collector of nearly 3000 baseballs is now seeking Matsuzaka
You must respect his devotion. Even after he was ordered not to enter the stadium, he still persists.
You can see him going after the ball somewhere. When watching TV from now on, this will become another point of interest to look for.
yeah I found the map. thanks.
I've never gotten a ball from Kaz, and i don't think I have one from a player from a different country than the U.S.
http://baseballstuff.mlblogs.com
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Actually, I have gotten a ball from Manny Corpas, who's from Panama. I also got a ball from a camera man, who appeared to be from Japan.
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i needed a laugh, thanks....
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One of the biggest mistakes in this article was the writer's claim that Matsui is the only Japanese player to have thrown me a ball. I told the writer (in writing!) that I'd also gotten balls from Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Irabu, Kazuhisa Ishii, Takashi Kashiwada, Satoru Komiyama, Akinori Otsuka, Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Ichiro Suzuki, Kazuhito Tadano, and Masato Yoshii. I have no idea how THAT would've gotten lost in translation.
Another mistake: No one has ever called me "dirty baseball collector." I told the writer that other fans occasionally got mad at me and called me "greedy" 15 years ago when I was first collecting and didn't give any balls away, but "dirty baseball collector"? Sheesh. Maybe he was thinking about those two ballhawks in San Francisco when he wrote that.
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Wait, hold up? "They even stopped him from entering Shea Stadium"? Is that true?
Yeah, retrieving a ball from the upper deck would be so cool, and might make for some interesting television. I can't wait for that TV show. Heh heh.
Yep, 11 stadiums. I've BEEN to 13 Major League stadiums (PETCO and Olympic, both before I knew about the world of snagging).
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That was hilarious. It was almost as funny as the deadspin articles.
So greg, when did you discover the world of snagging?
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good read
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Puckcollector - I started collecting baseballs 13 months ago (last June). And you?
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GREG-
Haha. No...that's another one of the many untruths. Bummer about Olympic Stadium. At least you can go back to PETCO .
PUCK COLLECTOR-
Deadspin Shmeadspin.
STEDFUNK-
Glad you liked it.
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Hi Zack....
Akinori Otsuka is the BEST for throwing up balls. I've gotten balls from him and my recent Ichiro catch. I also caught one from So Taguchi this year. 3 Japanese for me. Getting back to yesterday, I've also run into a bunch of seats and stuff too. Where you caught the Bonds ball in PETCO there is a silver table/armrest thingy you have to stand behind. I ran into that thing full steam in 2004. Yeah, it left a mark. When's your next game?
Leigh
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Wow Greg! 200 balls in 13 months!
I got my first ball in 1st grade, then got Zack's book in 2nd, and I really got into snagging when I saw this blog last August. Unfortunatly my mom says I cant ride the train myself, so I often only catch half of BP, and when I'm old enough to ride the train (at least in my moms opinion) The New Yankee and CitiField will be jam packed. I'm up to 36 or 37 balls.
But I have 56 hockey pucks if that counts for anything. :)
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Oh and Zack, so you really steal signs?
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LEIGH-
I've found that the Japanese players are usually generous about tossing balls to fans. I know the silver thing that you're talking about, but I wasn't standing behind it. In fact, it helped block the people who WERE behind it. Haha.
PUCK COLLECTOR-
How old are you? I wasn't allowed to travel alone to games until I was 14, but by then, I'd already been riding the subway by myself to and from school for two years, so that really helped my argument. I don't steal signs. That claim (among many others) is totally absurd.
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Puckcollector - That's funny because exactly one year ago today, I had 31 balls. Now I have 215. You're on a good pace, so just keep at it. That's really cool about all those pucks. Are those all from NHL games? How many games did it take to get that many?
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Greg all the pucks are from NHL games. It took me 30 games I think. I don't have the tickets with me.
Zack, I'm not 14, but I'm very close, and my dad thinks its fine for me to ride the trains, but my mom thinks that I'm gonna get kidnapped by some rapist on Metro North in a train car full of other people.
Well I think next summer I will be allowed to take the trains and if I'm not, I'll get around it, and if I can afford tickets, go to a TON of games.
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PUCK COLLECTOR-
Tell your mom that Zack Hample says it's okay, and if she still doesn't listen...
http://www.redbagcollection.com/slapyamama-y.gif
(I was just given a container of this seasoning last night. I'd never heard about it before, and it's goooooood.)
LEIGH-
Forgot to say that my next game will (likely) be on July 24 in Philly.
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daisuke matsuzaka is my dad!... just kidding!!! lol.
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