Old comments
I try to answer all the comments I get on this blog, but every now and then, life gets so busy that I truly don't have the time. All-Star Week was one of those times, and I fell way behind on the comments, but I promised everyone that I'd catch up and answer them at some point, so here we go...
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July 10, 2007 -- Just checking in...
CUBS0110-
Yup, I've already counted the Derby balls in my collection, but I'm still not sure whether to count the Morneau homer as a game ball. Soriano would've been an unlikely guy to hit me a homer since he's a righty and I was stuck in right-center field. No Mays balls for me. I wonder if those were All-Star balls or regular balls or what.
JOHN-
Thanks, but I can't take credit for single-handedly making the Derby exciting.
MIKE.LOS-
Perhaps other people are more likely to get hit by lightning than catch a ball on national TV, but as cocky and egomaniacal as it may sound, I was really expecting to catch one. More than one actually. I was so disappointed when all the lefties choked because I was sure I'd get at least one or two more homers in that spot. (By now you know how many balls I got during BP.) "Ship out of luck." Nice. The tickets were given to me by a friend, so I didn't have to pay anything or worry about how far in advance to start looking. Crazy, huh?
CHARLIE-
I hadn't thought of that...catching the first and the last one. That would've been sweet!
RAMONES-
You mean you thought of me as soon as the ball left that bat? Cool. And thanks. I'm glad you were watching.
JOHNMCRAE1-
I didn't know that about Amazon. Thanks for pointing that out.
EVAN.BIZZZ-
Sadly, the All-Star Game was about as bad as it gets (in terms of snagging, that is).
ETHAN-
"Woooot!" indeed. Well said.
DILBERT195-
Aw, shux. Thanks so much.
PSU532-
Yeah, I was staying pretty close to all the action, but as you may have read by now in my entry about the Home Run Derby, some guys (like Tony Gwynn) weren't signing.
GREG-
Yeah, great. Everyone got to see how frustrated I was.
NCSUWOLFPACK92-
Good to know. Thanks. I still haven't seen a tape of the game, and I'm not sure I even want to--except for maybe getting to see what Ichiro's inside-the-parker actually looked like.
TSWECHTENBERG-
My begging was caught on camera? Oh jeez. I waved to him in Japanese. I didn't realize until now that you were the first one who posted a comment about my big snag.
AAAAAAAAAAAA4082-
The "dude" running around the stands was definitely not me. I stayed right near my ticketed seat, but I know who you're talking about.
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July 9, 2007 -- NYC to San Francisco
TSWECHTENBERG-
I think a red cap would've been overkill.
PUCK COLLECTOR-
So you recommend the iPhone, huh? I did have to stay in my section during BP. I did okay there during the Derby, but the section was brutal at the All-Star Game. The look on my face was ridiculous. It's like I didn't know where to look.
PSU532-
Close. Red Sox, Mets, Angels, Padres. I should've brought a Tigers cap. Verlander was near me during BP before the All-Star Game, and he tossed his ball to someone else after scanning the crowd to find a worthy recipient.
LALEPH-
Heh. No joke.
JOHNJAMAHONEY-
Why...thank you.
MSTADLEN-
Hopefully you're speaking again by now.
STEDFUNK-
Are you new on the blog? I don't remember seeing your email address before. Either way, I'm glad you saw me.
ALEX-
That's true. I owe an awful lot to San Francisco...my two biggest snags, in fact. You got great eyes if you saw me "shuffling" for the Rios ball. That's exactly what I was doing.
JONELI-
Great description of my reaction. When I first read it, I was back in my hotel room after the Derby, and I had no idea how I'd reacted after catching the ball, or what the camera might've showed, so this was great. When's your next game?
GREG-
Aww, you don't like the shirt? I was thinking about wearing it to Shea every day from now on.
CUBS0110-
Thanks.
STEVE-
Awesome. I'm glad I came through for you.
JOHN-
Excellent idea. Thanks for doing that. I read the whole entry when I got back to NYC, and it was really entertaining.
CHRIS-
Glad you saw it (and I'm glad I was wearing that shirt). The ball has already become an official part of my collection.
EVAN FROM SHEA-
God, I haven't seen you in forever. What's going on? I seriously need to get back to Shea soon, but I've been so busy, and a lot of the home games have recently been on weekends. For the last month, I'd been planning to go to the game on July 25th, but then I got invited to a couple other things at the last second--things I really shouldn't miss--but if Glavine ends up going for his 300th win that day, how could I miss that?! I'm in a tough spot. Anyway, thanks. Hope to see you soon. If not on the 25th, then maybe three days later, but do I really want to be at Shea on a Saturday? Uh, not really. Maybe August 7th or 8th. Ouch. That's a long time from now.
NICK-
Where the hell have you been? When are you going to post that long-promised blog entry about your baseball trip?
SAMMY-
Thanks very much.
NCSUWOLFPACK-
Hard to say. Teams are most likely to skip BP before a day game when they've played the night before, and that's the situation you'll be dealing with on July 29th. If the game on the 28th doesn't last too long, that'll help your chances of getting some BP the next day. But even if there's no BP, the players will still come out and throw, which is not nearly as fun, but at least you'll have some chances to get a ball.
MUNKITTR-
I didn't get punched, and I haven't seen the footage, so I'm not sure who you're talking about. Are you talking about the guy who ran right up to me from the left after I made my catch?
CP-
Thanks sooooo much for putting that clip on YouTube. Unfortunately, the folks at MLB have already taken it down due to copyright issues, but during the day it was up, my dad took it upon himself to share it with everyone he knows. Anyway, I now have the clip on my own site, and anyone can view it by clicking HERE.
TSWECHTENBERG-
I love you.
HDAVID27-
Thanks for counting, and thanks for the advice about the bullpen. That's pretty funny. I did see the grass pattern.
MARKSHARK22-
It was hit by Justin Morneau, and no, I didn't use the glove trick. I caught it on a fly.
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July 6, 2007 -- Look for me on TV...
JOHNMCRAE1-
As it turned out, the glove trick was barely a factor thanks to overly strict security. I was excited to see the young Mets in the All-Star Game--Reyes and Wright--plus Manny and Ichiro who are also favorites.
GREG-
I think you set the record for the longest comment ever. I did a word count: 1,262 words. My lord. Anyway, I know the feeling about waking up at home and thinking about seeing a game so far away later on in the same day. Coors DOES look like Camden on the outside. Good call. Very cool that you got HoJo to hit you a fungo. I've had coaches do that before, and it's always lots of fun. One time at Kauffman Stadium (check out this horribly dorky pic from the trip), Billy Hatcher kept hitting fungos into the seats after BP, and I got three of them. So you were 40 feet up when you used the cup for your 199th career ball? You were much higher up than the Loge at Shea, right? Congrats on your 200th ball. I remember mine vividly. It was a foul ball during the game hit by Walt Weiss at Shea. Fireworks are the worst, and the usher who stopped you from using the trick sounds just as bad. Funny about the Mets "exploding for two runs." So wait...some other kid was trying to challenge you for a ball that was being returned to you? What the ****. At how many MLB stadiums have you now snagged a ball?
PUCK COLLECTOR-
I'd say it's more scary than interesting about the security situation at Coors. It makes me worry about Citi Field. I don't know what I'll do if I can't get down to the dugouts there. Maybe take up a new hobby.
MICK-
I came close to two Gold Balls. What a shame. If only I had an 80-inch vertical leap.
JENNIFER-
A friend hooked me up with those tickets.
ALLMARSH-
Both, I think.
REDSOX342445-
You expected me to get sixteen balls at the Futures Game? Well, I got half that many and could've gotten a few more during the game if I hadn't been wandering around and taking pictures.
CUBS0110-
No worries. There wasn't much action, and I wasn't in my seat for most of the game.
BERGIN42-
Congrats on all the autos, and for unintentionally making Grady Sizemore think that you're a stalker.
SURFNUSA-
Maybe I should file a patent for that game...
STEDFUNK-
Fantaztic.
DROO5757-
Glad the shirt worked.
EVERYONE-
Is there a way to find out what the attendance was for the Home Run Derby? If so, I'd love to know so I can add it to this page on my web site.
I made an attempt, but I can't find an official Home Run Derby attendance. I imagine it's the 'same' as the All-Star Game, since they sell the tickets in strips, but don't know exactly.
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I agree with Ceetar, though I'm not sure. I'd just say it was a sellout.
http://baseballstuff.mlblogs.com
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I'm not really new, I've been reading your blog for about a year, I've just never commented. I've always been too lazy to sign in, but when I saw you on TV I spazzed haha
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I'm sure it was a sellout, just go with the attendance of the ASG..
P.S- 3 games, 2 BP's at Dodger Stadium this week= 17 Balls, ( at the 1st BP and 8 at the next!!!
--Ethan
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CEETAR-
Oh well, thanks for trying.
CHARLIE-
Yeah, but I want the *exact* number.
STEDFUNK-
That's hilarious. I'm glad I finally did something worthy enough to make you sign up. :-)
ETHAN-
I'm too big of a perfectionist to approximate something like that. Nice performance at Dodger Stadium. I hate that place more and more every time I see a game on TV there.
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Zack I know what you mean about being perfect. I probably would spend a good hour looking for the attendance.
It's terrible. I can't think of a worse place. I tried to set up the glove trick, and it worked when I tested it! . . . Too bad there isn't ONE spot in the stadium where I could use it... not to mention I would surly be kicked out for attempting. I'm hoping when I go to Cincy, SD, and ANA I can use it!!
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i saw an article that siad the Home Run Derby had never had a perfect attendance.
and how do they count attendance?
tickets sold, or how many fans actually showed up to the games?
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Zack,
Have you ever been hit by a batted ball during batting practice? I see people get hit all the time that aren't paying attention. I got hit in the foot once at Qualcomm Stadium in 2000. One of those back to back BP HRs in the same section. I was concentrating on where the first one was rolling around in the aisle when the second homer nailed me in the foot. It really hurt and I learned my lesson. Just curious if you or anyone else that comments had been hit before.
Leigh
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Leigh: I've run into seats and railings, but luckily, i have never been hit by a ball.
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ETHAN-
There's got to be *one* place where you could use the trick under perfect circumstances. No? What about along the edge of the bullpen, like where that side wall starts low, just past the outfield wall, and then slants up toward the back of the bullpen? Doesn't a ball ever roll up against that wall? If I were a regular at Dodger Stadium, it would be my personal mission to use the trick at least once. No ballpark is trick-proof.
PUCK COLLECTOR-
Attendance is measured by the number of tickets sold. That's why you'll still see a high attendance when it's rainy and the seats (at Yankee Stadium, for example) are half-empty.
LEIGH-
A couple years ago at Shea, some righty smoked a line drive into the seats. The ball landed in my row, about 20 feet to the right of me, and it somehow skipped off of something and bounced up and nailed me right in the chest. I had NO time to react because the ball easily reached the seats at 80 to 100mph and didn't lose much speed after bouncing, and I remember thinking how lucky I was that the ball hadn't bounced up a litter higher because it easily could've hit me in the throat or face. That was scary, especially because I was paying attention and still had no chance. I've been hurt worse than that, though, by running into seats and railings and armrests.
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Zacker:
Thanks for the reply.
You had it made in the shade with the tickets for the all-star game...
Positive thinking goes a long way and especially when your ready for the long ball!
Can you swim and will you be taking a kayak course for your next adventure in SF?
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Hey Zack, remember a few months ago when u put on a post that map that showed where your most recent visitors were from. I also have an account on statcounter.com, and I was wondering how you got that map.
http://baseballstuff.mlblogs.com
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OK. Thanks! I know that in the A.L its tickets sold, but when I was in Pittsburgh, my dad said that he thought that the N.L counted attendance differently.
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Yeah, sorry about the long comment. I didn't realize it was that long until I posted it. Cool about the Billy Hatcher fungos. Actually, I used the trick for ball #199 from the concourse just to the right-field side of the batters eye (look at a picture of Coors if you get a chance), not from the second deck in right field. But I definitely could have done it from that second deck if I'd had a chance. It's quite a bit higher than the Loge at Shea, but my string is so long, I could easily reach the bullpens at Shea from the upper deck. (I didn't bother cutting the string short because it wasn't a hassle.) Yeah, that's right, the kid tried to catch MY ball that was being returned to me. He was about half my height (so I'm guessing he was about ten or so), which is why I didn't bother fighting back. But I did give him a mini-lecture on sportsmanship afterwards. I've now snagged balls at 11 Major League stadiums.
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MIKE.LOS-
You're welcome. I'm an excellent swimmer, but I don't think there are any kayaks in my near future. If I lived in San Francisco, I'd definitely make an attempt at #756, but there's no way I'm flying back out there just for that unless someone pays my way.
CHARLIE-
Click "recent visitor map." See where that is?
PUCK COLLECTOR-
Hmm. As far as I know, it's tallied up the same way in both leagues.
GREG-
From the Upper Deck at Shea? Have you gone mad? That'd be a cool stunt for a TV show...a competition to see who could retrieve a ball from the highest point. When I have my own "Snagging Hour with Zack Hample" show, I'll arrange that for one of the segments. Yeah, don't be starting any fights with ten-year-olds. Eleven stadiums? Nice.
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well i figured u could get a bunch before the game on the boardwalk, i guess that was a little much
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REDSOX-
You're right. I could've gotten more out there if I'd been paying attention from the start...and if I'd even gotten there for the start of BP.
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Hello Zach,big fan by the way. But i was wondering if you were going to the july 25th game against the pirates because i'm going. And if you are i thought i could meet you in your corner spot and chat. so please answer back as soon as possible. Thanks.
P.s. i was wondering if u can tell me how to get a players autograph
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Whoops...didn't see this comment 'til now, but we ran into each other anyway so it all worked out.
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