Coors Field!

awesome. seeing 3 teams, including the mets, on one trip is awesome. bet you bring home at least 35. im going to shea tomorrow. if they dont play tonight, and they didnt play yesterday, theres almost a guarantee they take bp tomorrow, right? its downpouring 3 hrs before 1st pitch. i doubt theyll play. sorry goislanders4.

dam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im not going to another mets game for 2 weeks

Hey, check it out. Your trip coincides with "League Champion Collectible Replica Trophy" night and "Colorado Rockies Floppy Hat" night! Lucky you!

EVERYONE -- I mentioned this a couple months ago in a comment, but I'm going to a game at each of the three SoCal ballparks starting next week. I know pretty much everything I need to know about PETCO from Zack's entries in 2006, but if anyone has tips for getting baseballs at the two LA ballparks, they'd be greatly appreciated.

nice dude thats cool glad your headed out that way and hope you do well as always

anyway im home from college and hopefully going into NYC tomorrow for the reds hotel after the game...please play tonight please! no double headers tomorrow i beg please no

anyway your boy gustavo chacin just got designated for assignment so i thought youd like to know...you really did a number on him...did he deserve it that bad for a measly ball...yeah he did case closed glad to see that you ruined that scrubs career and made room for a nice player on the jays

Cool, I love taking trips out of state to go to ballparks. Coors is one that I really want to go to. Speaking of baseball trips, I am 90% sure that I am going to D.C to see the D-Backs. Also, I want to go up to Seattle for the Yanks. Good luck on your next games and can't wait to hear about them!

I'm going to a Cubs/D-Backs game on Saturday, and I'll be trying out the "bring a hat of the opposing team" trick for the first time. I picked up a D-Backs hat for 10 bucks, and hopefully it'll be a good investment. The only other time I did something similar was when I brought a Cardinals jersey to a Cubs-Cards game and I got 2 balls that day. So hopefully I can get t least that tomorrow.

Is this an expenses paid trip, because that would make it about 10 times sweeter, even though 4 teams (including the Rockies) in 5 games sounds like snagging heaven.

Awesome to see you're seeing an Indians game. Go tribe! Too bad its not at the Jake (pro, whatever) Cant wait to hear who gives out baseballs and who doesn't. Have fun

yesssss. mets rained out. going to both games tomorrow whoooooooo. do i count both as a separate game? i do hafta leave, buy more tix, and go back in. there will be bp the first game, obv not the 2nd. imagine 2 bps in 1 day lol...

cant wait.

NJMETFAN-
Thirty-five balls in five games? It could happen, but it might be tough if I'm not allowed to use the glove trick. You have to count the games as separate games because of the separate admission, and I hate to say this but there might not be ANY batting practice. The teams might just want to conserve their energy. Not sure. I'm actually curious to know what they do, so let me know.

GOISLANDERS4-
That sucks. Sorry.

GREG-
Yes, lucky me. I'll be giving those trinkets to whoever hooks me up with tickets.

JONELI24-
Sorry about the rainout, and good luck if you end up going to the hotel anyway. What do you mean Gustavo got designated? He was already in the minors, no?

DNESBITT14-
The D'backs in D.C. should be cool. Not sure about the Yanks in Seattle. Those games are gonna be packed.

CUBS BASEBALL-
I hope the hat works for you. Let us all know how you do.

BENROUSE03-
Actually, my publisher IS going to be picking up a nice portion of the tab. I'm really happy about that. Heaven indeed.

CSPARKS-
I'm hoping to get balls from Grady and C.C. Think it'll happen?

Finally! No offense to the past two entries but i want to read about your ball snagging abilities and trips to different ballparks. I went to Shea last night for the rain delay. When I was chillin by the bullpen, Feliciano acknowledged me with a cold shoulder and a pair of eyes that rolled around his head before he turned his back to me. After Oliver Perez was throwing for 15 minutes (?) he threw that ball up to me. I would've never attempted to get it if it wasn't for this MLBLOG of yours I read. I go to the ballpark for the game more than wanting to get a game ball but, after I read every entry you've posted, my 19 year old mind has been inspired. But don't worry. I collect ticket stubs more than game balls haha. Thanks man.

hi zack, sorry i was not commenting in a bit but my dad was in the hospital. I have only gone to 1 game this year and snagged 1 ball, thanks to your tips. i hope you enjoy your self on this trip and be sure to take lots of photo's. i actually had a dream about u a couple days ago and dreamn't that I met you and you taught me how to snag at game. lol, just a little thing,

but anyways are you going to any other stadiums this season? ex- wrigley, comerica, progessive field?

from sanjib

Sup Zach, Been reading your blog for a while, my boy and I love it. We will be out there fetching balls on floppy hat day. Good luck snaggin at Coors Field it can be tough at times. Although I bow to the Master. See ya in the bleachers, Will Be wearing a Rockies jersey here and big green floppy Rockies hat.. Peace brotha...D
Batting practices this year...3
Balls snagged 2
Autographs this season...Tulo, Barmes, Morales.

You are the Teacher !!

Sounds like an awsome trip. Good luck!

great to hear you are going out to denver. I'm sure you'll like it! anyways i thought i'd let you know that cc seems pretty reasonable to get a ball from...i was in front of the dugout in the met and when he and westbrook got done throwing he tossed me the ball and then even signed it for me....on of my fav balls except the one jeter threw me in seattle. BUt anyways, i'm going to be going to oakland for a couple games in early june so i'm wondering if you or anyone has any snagging tips? Thanks man

you can use the glove trick, but just not over the bullpens. try though, and remember to go up to the level above the main concourse cuz it overhangs the pens better. look at the entries that me and greg wrote last year. mines from late august.

I got a ball from C.C. in Baltimore last year, so you should have no problem doing the same in Denver.

The glove trick prospects at Coors are not good. I posted that report about my trip there last year here: http://snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/archives/2007/07/look_for_me_on_.html
If you want to read that again, it might help you out a little bit.

zack, where can I send fanmail to you?

DONNIEANKS-
No offense taken. I'm so glad to hear that I inspired you. Feliciano needs to get traded. Other than the fact that he's a great relief pitcher, he's useless.

SANJIB-
No need to apologize! Just take care of yourself and your family. I hope your father is doing okay, and that you are too. Just as I told "donnieanks" above, I'm glad to hear that my blog helped you snag. I hope you make it back to another game soon. I'm honored to hear that you had a dream about me. That's really cool. There's a chance I might go to Wrigley this year, but probably not any of the other ballparks you mentioned. I might go to Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico if the Mets and Marlins play a series there. But mainly, I'm just planning to go to games in Philly, Baltimore, and Boston. (And in Denver, of course.) As for fan mail, are you talking about dropping something in the mail Or just emailing it? You can always write to me at zack@zackhample.com, although I usually answer blog comments quicker, so this is a pretty good place to get in touch. I actually took one of your comments on this entry and put it on my web site. Is that okay? If you tell me your age and hometown, I'll add that info to my site. Here's the link, in case you want to check it out:

http://www.zackhample.com/baseball_collection/fans.htm

CHILCOTEJR-
Wow, thanks. Everyone's saying such nice things. I really appreciate it. Looking forward to meeting you, but won't half the people there be wearing a Rockies jersey and a floppy hat? You know what I look like, so it'll probably be easiest if you you look for me and give a shout. Just...forgive me in advance if I'm not very talkative during BP. You understand how it goes. I'll be on a mission...and so will you.

JBERG08-
Thanks!

REDSOX342445-
Oakland is a pretty tough place to snag. The seats along the foul lines are set waaay back from the field, and I'm pretty sure that the bleachers have their own entrance. Even if they don't, it would take quite a while to run back and forth from there into foul territory, in case you want to alternate between catching homers and getting players to toss you balls. I haven't been to the Coliseum in almost a decade, but I remember there was an aisle right behind the front railing in the second deck that was pretty good for foul balls. Good news about C.C.

FATHER PUCK & GREG-
Thank you both for directing me to your comments. I remember how tough it was for you. I heard from a friend out there that because of several recent glove trick sightings, the Rockies have added a line to their "A to Z guide" in which they say that ball-retrieving devices are now banned. (Thanks a lot.) I'll probably get away with using it a couple times, and if I have a media credential, that might make it easier. But then again, maybe not. I got in all kinds of trouble a couple years ago in Baltimore even when CBS was filming me. So who knows.

alright thank you, i guess i'll just have to make the best of it...

Alright Zack, since you are sitting in my seats while you are out here at Coors, if you get in trouble, I don't know you and you don't know me:) Dan

thanks so much zack!!

here is my info for it:

Sanjib, 14 yrs, Chicago, IL

Zack,
Good luck in the High Altitudes. Are you going to a game soon. I wanna read about you getting your 3400th ball. Good luck.

AC

Greg-
I live in LA and frequent Dodger Stadium, I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you have.
Evan

First time using a visiting team's hat - success.

First some quick background. For those of you who've never been to Wrigley Field, the bleachers are general admission and have their own entrance. That means you have to have a ticket if you want the best snagging spots. That also means that if you go alone (or at least have no one to save your seat) you are pretty muck stuck in one spot - assuming you want to keep a good seat. So for most people, to get a ball during BP at Wrigley, you either have to stake out a spot along the wall, or be really good, or really lucky.

So on with the story. During Cubs BP it was the usual. A few balls hit near me, but since there was a herd of people between me and the landing spot, I had no chance. And then there are a few people in left field who seem to be allergic to tossing up a ball. So nothing during that. Then as the D-Back's pitchers started heading out to right field. I quickly took off my Cubs gear, and threw on the D-Backs hat. And sure enough, as Doug Staten finished throwing, he scanned the crowd, saw my hat, smiled, pointed, and threw one right to me. Score! I'm gonna be needing a few more hats! So anyway, having just got a ball in right field, I headed back to left. The spot I had been standing in earlier was taken, but I was able to squeeze into a spot farther down the line. Chip Hale, The D-Backs 3rd base coach, threw a ball to Dbacks fan, but that was pretty much it for tosses. Luckily, near the end of Arizona's BP, a ball was heading towards me, but I knew it was going to be short, luckily when it hit the field, I was able to balance myself on the railing and lean over to catch the bounce.

That hat got me two balls. One from being "an Arizona fan" and I wouldn't have had the other one if I hadn't been forced to find a new spot along the wall. If I didn't have the hat, I would have probably walked home empty handed.

And Zack, you gotta tell me what day you might go to Wrigley. I won't bother you, but it would be cool to see a master at work.

Hey Zach , Your right most will be wearing a big Floppy hat on floppy hat day. But mine is really big and green and a Korean lady sewed on the Rockies emblem. Anyways we wont bug you during BP but would love to see the glove trick first hand...Be cool have a safe trip out...Don

Evan - I'll send you an e-mail.

Zack,
That is awesome. I am jealous. Coors Field sounds cool. We lucked out today and snagged a Yankee Stadium Comm ball at the COPA today. Man was I pumped. I promised my dad if I got one he could have it. I will send you my pic of it. A very cool pic. We got the the COPA in the background with the Yankees on the field during the game.....I also got to do the glove trick for (2) COPA Sec Guards and (1) Detroit Cop today out in the Visitors bullpen, very cool. Ball fell out of my glove on the way up twice (I must be getting rusty...). Nailed it on the 3rd time up...Many fans watching cheered me on. Love the thrills....Also (Thanks to you..) was able to get Dice-K to toss me a ball after asking him in Japanese for a ball....No luck with Okejima (Boston) or Kei Igawa from the Yankees yet...Back to the COPA..(2008 Snag count is up to 70 (not incl (2) giveways..)
Mike in Detroit (SnagFan)

Before, i was on my dads name, but here is my report from Denver.
http://snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/archives/2007/08/joining_us_via_.html#comments

ill prob say this again before you leave, but remember that fair territory doesnt open until 5:30. sorry about the glove trick.

Mike in DT: Did you snag the YS comm ball during BP or behind the dugout, cuz it seemed at YS that there were no comm balls in the BP buckets. i didnt see any of them hit.

darrel rasner!!

This is my entry from coors last year. btw i was on my dads name last comment.

http://snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/archives/2007/08/joining_us_via_.html#comments
remember fair territory doesn't open up until 5:30, and there is a row of handicapped seating(where jamison has his seats) that you need a ticket to get to, and that was prime snagging location. try to get down there. if we give you Yanks tix, is it possible that we can end up with the replica trophy?

mike in DT: did you snag the comm ball during BP, or behind the dugout, cuz as far as i could tell, when i was at YS, the comm were not mixed into the BP bins

PUCK..Snagged during BP at the COPA

wow, the first comment didnt come up after i typed it, and of course after i type the comment again of course the first comment appears.

thanks mike

ok sorry, i havent had internet access since friday night. before yesterday at shea. i had to go down the nj shore right after the first game cause i had to get my house together since me and my friends are gonna stay there after our prom this weekend. anyway, the snag update. i knew i wouldnt be at the second game, but i was 5th in line at 10 am. we ran in. the cages were set up but not a player was in sight. i asked an on field guard, and he said theyd hit in 1/2 hr. 1/2 hr?? the gates had opened 5 mins late, and by that time it was 10:50. 11:20?? ahhhhhh. so we went up the the rf loge because we had seen guy conti standing at the bullpen door. there was absolutely no other action. when we arrived, the pen was empty. then david weathers started pitching to his kid in short left field. the kid was crushing it. so we ran to the picnic area, unguarded. there was a ball in that gap. for some reason my cup wasnt working?? it wouldnt pick it up. i was pissed. then bullpen catcher mike stefanski came out and tossed a few balls up, since there were about 70 laying there. me and trevor each got one. then we went under the bleachers. somehow trevor bribed the "alcohol consumption supervisor" to lift him over a fence, to that little gap under the picnic area. im sure you know where im talking about. he got the ball i had been trying to cup trick, as well as one stuck in the fence. he raced back up into the bleachers and got one from edinson volquez just before i got there. we were kicked out of the bleachers, so we went to the field level, left field. by the triangle. trevor got a ball from francisco cordero. 20 mins later, johnny cueto threw me one. at the end of bp, bill bray threw me one at the dugout. so basically, i was outsnagged 5-3 by my 9 year old brother. embarrassing. but whatever.

thats why its good to be little and cute, you can outsnag your older bro.

REDSOX342445-
Yeah...sorry again I can't tell you more.

DAN-
I don't know who?
:-)

SANJIB-
Thank YOU. You may have already noticed that I added the info.

AC-
Thanks. The way things are shaping up, I might end up snagging No. 3,400 on this Denver trip. I don't know. Hopefully I'll snag 29 more balls before then. It's still more than a month away.

CUBS BASEBALL-
Awesome. I'm glad to hear that the hat worked out for you, and thanks for sharing all the details. I'm not sure when I'll be at Wrigley. I have an offer for a free trip, so it's just a matter of figuring out when.

DON-
Got it. Really big and green. That shouldn't be too hard to find.

MIKE IN DETROIT-
...and I'm jealous of YOU for getting a ball from Dice-K. I'd love to be able to add him to my list, but I haven't even been within 100 feet of him since he started pitching in the majors last year. Very cool about the commemorative ball. You now have as many of those Yankee Stadium balls as me.

PUCK COLLECTOR-
Thanks for the link to your old comment. That was very helpful. How high above the bullpen is the second deck? In other words, how much string do you think I'll need? As for the replica trophy, unfortunately I already promised it to the guy who's hooking me up with tickets in that FRONT row. Snagging heaven, baby. I can't wait.

NJMETFAN-
Okay, so you might've gotten outsnagged, but it still sounds like a good day for you both. Meanwhile, your cup has been officially designated for assignment.

I'll answer on behalf of Puck Collector: That second deck in right at Coors is like five (maybe ten) feet higher than the Loge at Shea. Your string should be fine.

Here's my schedule for the next week-plus (weather permitting):
Tommorow at Shea
Wednesday at Shea
Friday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim (or whatever it's called now)
Monday at PETCO Park
Tuesday at Dodger Stadium

Should be fun. I'm hoping I can get a ball at Dodger Stadium. I've heard some bad things about snagging there. Other than that, I'm really looking forward to this trip.

im going to shea tonight. i completely renovated the cup again last night. it should be good to go.

um i think greg told me to bring like 40 feet last year when i went cuz i asked that same question so you can reach the pens, AND the batters eye. bals land in there too, and you may be able to get some of those. but like greg said, you should be fine

wow, thank god i forgot to check my fantasy team. pettite would have started and he got lit up!

Tribe's Cabrera turns 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3393381

The only miscue by the 22-year-old Cabrera was that he didn't keep the ball. "He flipped it into the stands and right as he did cried out, 'Oh, no!'" first-base coach Luis Rivera said, serving as the Venezuelan's interpreter.

psu, you stole my comment! i was just about to post that. im suprised they didnt have security get the ball back.

i went to shea last night. it sucked so badly. security was extra tight, there was no bp, and it was cold. still ended up with 4, 2 thrown by oliver perez, one by guy conti, and one by jesus flores. all have a commemorative logo, 1 nats and 3 shea. i could have easily had more, w.o security. but-I SAW RANDY ST CLAIRE THROW SOMEONE A BALL. no joke. when the pitchers were jogging, he was standing by the wall in left field, behind the foul line. some guy up in the loge was just standing there, didnt ask or anything, and randy walks over and throws him one.

The problem with Dodger Stadium is that you have to enter, stay, and exit on the level of your ticketed seat. You can't just wander to the field level or bleachers during BP. The field level now has box seats close to the field, which I believe are guarded by the usher. Basically, you can't buy a cheap seat and move around. Be prepared to spend a lot.

islthrasher: dodger stadium- random, but good info.

not really random cuz greg was asking about dodger stadium...

Sweet I'm going to the 19th one. Hope I see you there, and I'm mainly going to see my favorite player after he got traded (Jamey Carroll) and just chat with him and hopefully meet you (I sit in section 118, but will look for you)

-charlie

oh, whoops i must have missed that comment. sorry

zack, where does the expresion "a player got the golden sombrero" come from. for those who dont know, a golden sombrero is when a player strikes out 4 times in a game.

whoops i must have missed gregs comment. sorry

zack, when a player strikes out 4 times in a game, they say he gets the golden sombrero. where does that expression come from?

Zack,
As you know me and my friend Max went to Safeco last saturday. We got there 30 minutes before the gates opened and were surprised we weren't the first ones in line at the right field gate. "Gilligan" as he is commonly known goes to all 81 games and always gets in line at least 45 minutes prior. He does go for balls but we doesn't move around and only stays in his little spot for BP. Anyways the gates opened and we dashed into the right field bleachers. Nothing was hit AT ALL to right field for 15 minutes or so, so i went down the 1st base line for an attempt at some foul balls. Meanwhile Max stayed in right field and I see a ball drop into the gap between the wall and the seats and see Max right on it with the glove trick. I thought it would be easy for him but it wasn't. Right as he was pulling up the ball the usher who plucks balls up that drop down there comes over to his glove and took his string and cut it on some sharp railing. The usher then gave him his glove and threw the ball to someone else. Without saying a word. I hate Safeco. They are EXTREMELY stingy and don't allow glove tricks to be lowered on the actual field. Anyway, he finally got one from the same usher because some lady said he deserved it or something. I wasn't so lucky during BP and went to my seats pretty disappointed. I knew I couldn't get shut out AGAIN so in the bottom of the ninth I snuck down halfway to the visitors dugout and at the final out ran down there. The mariners had the final out so I didn't get that ball but I knew players and coaches from the bullpen usually have some balls and sure enough, I asked Mark Salas (bullpen coach) for a ball and he reached in his bag and tossed it to me. Yup, 1 ball is pretty wimpy but at least I wasn't shut out so it's fine. I'm going on friday but It'll be hard because it's JJ bobblehead night.

Puck, no problem. I should've directed it towards Greg. It's actually LS, but lowercase doesn't show it. I would change it to something Braves related, but can't figure out how to put a nickname on here lol.

Sportz, that sucks about Safeco. Did they allow the glove trick in other areas of the stadium?

Thanks for the info, lsthrasher04.

I went to Shea tonight. Seven balls. Too tired to share details now...

Puckcollector,

You should know this! In Hockey 3 goals a hat trick. Similarly, 3 strikeouts can be considered a hat trick. And 4 gets an even bigger hat, a sombrero!

(At least that's what I think..)

Wow! love ur way of thinking. but a) no onme in America cares about hockey, and the term "hat trick" was coined in Motreal by the equipment mangaer of the canadiens, who would make a hat for any player who scored 3 goals in a game, and b) why a GOLDEN sombrero?

BTW, in my rec league game today, the coach of the other team had the kids pull a hidden ball trick. why are parents so competitive, its only baseball?

i got my dads amazing dugout seats for my birthday, next tuesday may 20 at yankee stadium. baltimore is coming in, and a-rod is scheduled to be back. anyone planning on going?

lsthrasher-

Thats not true about Dodger Stadium, if you enter 2 hours before the game starts you can enter at any level with any ticket(excluding the bleachers). Closer to game time, they start making people enter where there ticket says to, its weird I know, but its the way it is.

i am. ill be early for bp too.

that last comment was about tuesday vs the O's

ok. i guess ill see you there.

Thanks, Evan. Never arrived that early.

No problem

EVERYONE-
I'll be at the Mets-Nationals afternoon game tomorrow at Shea Stadium with Watch With Zack clients. If I don't have the entry up by tomorrow night, then I'll post it on Friday for sure, so stay tuned. Sorry for not posting anything recently, but I haven't been to a game for a while, and I've been really busy with other stuff.

PUCK COLLECTOR (and Greg)-
Thanks for the info about the string length. I'm not sure if the string I currently have on my glove is long enough.

PSU532-
Incredible. Why wasn't I behind the dugout THEN?

CHARLIE-
Excellent! I'm really looking forward to meeting you...finally, after all this time...so just track me down and give a shout.

SPORTZFREEKA-
Man, that is AWFUL. Sorry to hear that. I've had my string cut off by ushers in plenty of ballparks, so it's not just Safeco. I always carry an extra piece of string just in case. Congrats on avoiding the shutout. Better luck at your next game.

GREG-
Still no details for us?

NJMETFAN-
I might be at that Yanks-Orioles game. Not sure yet. I won't know 'til the last second, as usual, but I'm definitely considering it. I can't believe what you said about Randy St. Claire. Tell me you're kidding. Congrats on getting four balls on such a lousy day.

I went to Shea again tonight. I got nine balls after snagging seven last night.

First, the details of the balls I got yesterday:
BALL #1: Underhanded by Matt Wise in RF Loge.
BALL #2: Fungoed (yes, fungoed) by Sandy Alomar Jr. in RF Loge.
BALL #3: Thrown by Willy Harris at Nats dugout before Nats BP started.
BALL #4: Tossed by Jesus Colome after catching during BP.
BALL #5: Retrieved using cup-trick from gap behind left field fence from Loge.
BALL #6: Tossed by Cristian Guzman after catching in front of dugout before game.
BALL #7: Tossed by Brian Schneider after strikeout to end top of 3rd inning (my first Shea commemorative ball).

And tonight's balls:
BALL #1: Thrown by Billy Wagner during BP (my second Shea commemorative of the year).
BALL #2: This one was pretty cool. I had been asking Tom Nieto to fungo me a ball like Sandy Alomar Jr. had done the day before, but he wouldn't do that. Guy Conti saw me getting ignored and picked up a ball, then flipped it to Joe Smith and told Smith to throw it up to me. I guess that's the only way I'll ever get a ball from Joe Smith.
BALL #3: Shortly after tvehe Smith ball, I saw a ball roll to the low wall along the first base line from the RF Loge. It got stuck under the padding of the wall, and I sprinted down there, waltzed into the chained-off blue seats, peered over the wall, and picked up the ball.
BALL #4: Back in the RF Loge, I caught a BP homer by a Mets lefty. It tailed to my left significantly, but I made the easy catch and got some minor applause.
BALL #5: I went over to shallow LF, and got a ball lobbed to me by the Nats bullpen catcher.
BALL #6: Now up in the LF Loge, I saw a ball sitting in the corner of the grass, just where the warning track starts curving towards foul territory (not sure if that description makes sense). Joel Hanrahan was running on the warning track with the rest of the Nats pitchers. As he got close to the ball, I got his attention and asked for it. He snatched it, then ran his next sprint. When he got back to the corner he tossed it up.
BALL #7: Tossed by Manny Acta at the Nats dugout after BP.
BALL #8: Thirty seconds later, a Nats coach (possibly Tim Tolman) threw another one up generically and I reached through a sea of gloves and hands and somehow ended up with it.
BALL #9: The bottom of the seventh inning ended with a groundout to pitcher Saul Rivera, who tossed it to Aaron Boone. On his way back into the dugout, he flipped me the ball. Strangely, it was not commemorative. (It's likely that he switched balls and tossed me the next inning's infield warmup ball and kept the groundout ball.)

Of the 16 total balls over two days, three were blue-ink training balls, two were green-ink training balls, and the rest were regular balls/Shea commemorative balls. It was a fun two days.

My stats:
- 92 balls in 12 games this season
- 371 lifetime balls
- 77 consecutive games with at least one ball
- At least 4 balls at every game this season

I'm flying out to California tomorrow night. I'm not expecting to get a ton of balls on this trip, but I'll see what I can do. When I get back, I'll post a report and set up a gallery of the baseball-related photos I take there (like I did after my Spring Training trip).

Good luck at Shea tomorrow.

I'll look forward to snagging with you, but how come, whenever i can get to a game before the gates open, you come to that game too? Battle of the glove tricks!

puck thats funny..i just bought my orioles hat on ebay, since i usually dont see al teams. its bright orange with the bird. very eye catching. i cant wait. what gate will you be at?

Hey Zack, how do you ask for a ball in Taiwanese (is that even the name of the language)? The Dodgers (who I'm seeing twice on my trip) have several players from Taiwan.

just saw you on tv at the mets game...after the 3rd inning when beltran lined to kearns, you were behind the dugout...ive seen you at least 3 times today lol

gate 6. thats the gate in right.

my recaps 5-13 and 5-14

Tuesday 5-13:
Well i went to the hotel and it was really slow...we didnt see anyone untill 1:00 and that was good ol Manny Acta, easily the nicest manager in baseball by far...after that jon rauch (hes bleeping huge-6'11") and he said later...after that noone came out for 20 mins and the 4 of us there were getting worried...it was 1:30 and i had 1 autograph...the next time i looked at my phone was 2:05 and i counted 36 autos...literally 10 players came out and it was so quick and awesome...then i got HOF Don Sutton on a baseball and gave it to a friend (i didnt have anything so i got a second for someone else) called it a day at the hotel and headed over to Shea...the F train didnt get to the 57th street station for about 20 mins and in that time i ended up missing Ryan Zimmerman at the stadium, but i did cristian guzman 6 times and odalis perez 4 more times making it 9 times total for him on the day...then i headed over to the line where i met up with GREG and we chatted

BUT HERE COMES THE WORST THING EVER: I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO FORGET TO BRING MY GLOVE...I STILL HAVENT UNPACKED FROM COLLEGE AND I JUST SIMPLY FORGOT...THAT IS THE ULTIMATE SNAGGING NO-NO AND I PULLED IT OFF

anyway according to Greg the stadium opened 2 mins late and i headed over to RF...i asked mike pelfrey for his ball and he said yes...i could see it was a commemorative ball and i was excited...he tossed the ball, and although i was relieved i wouldnt get shutout i was mildly dissapointed to see that the logo was badly scuffed and almost completely illedgible (spell check?) anyway i was satisfied considering i didnt have a glove and i basically tried for autos the rest of the day...i got tim redding 3x and matt chico 4x over the dugout and that was it

53 autos (new record), 1ball

matt chico 4x
shawn hill 8x
john lannan 2x
odalis perez 9x
jon rauch 4x
tim redding 3x
saul rivera 2x
chris schroder 3x
ronnie belliard 3x
aaron boone 1x
cristian guzman 6x
nick johnson 2x
elijah dukes 3x
austin kearns 2x
manny acta 1x

pictures with dukes, paul lo duca (who couldnt sign cause of his broken hand), don sutton, and johnson, kearns, and boone

great record setting day and wednesday was just as good.

Wednesday 5-14
the day started quicker...i was at the hotel maybe 5 mins and austin kearns walked out...i was exhausted and aggrivated as some woman on the metro-north sitting next to me complained like 5 year old about the difference between express and local trains and how the other train was "going to beat us to grand central" after i asked her how old she was she got it and kept quiet but it was a good 10 mins of that...anyway, i let kearns walk by, figuring hed be back later and he was...the hotel was quicker and i pretty much got the same bunch of guys...but luckily i had found i card of don sutton and he signed again and he signed the card and inscribed it "HOF 98" very nice, polite, great guy...anyway i headed to the subway and the machine ate my $2 so i had to go to another machine and in the process missed 2 trains (&*$^#&*^&*#!%^$@!$%) i finally got to shea and met Greg again...noone outside...gates opened I HAD MY GLOVE! WOOT WOOT...anyway i got Matt Wise to throw me BALL #1 when he was done warming up with Scott Schoeneweis. it was also a commemorative but nicer than the one i got the day before but still not a good one...a ball was hit into the dream seats and i went and got it for BALL #2 was a regular ball...then i got Duaner Sanchez to throw me ball #3 when he was done warming up with Pedro Feliciano. A brand new gorgeous commemorative that simply made my day. then a bunch of spanish kids started to yell at him cause they had asked him for the ball but not only were they annoying and demanding about it they were rude and thats exactly what duaner told them..."i dont give balls to children who are rude and demamding" he said in spanish and a guy next to me who i had been chatting with translated for me he said his son was behind the dugout and he called him over to where he was and when he came over i watched him for alittle and then billy wagner started signing some autos so i got him (full auto-every letter) on my ticket stub...then i headed over to the LF side and almost immediately got BALL #4 from Moises Alou who tracked down a fly ball hit in BP and tossed it around his back directly to me...this little boy and his family quickly came over and started to chat with me...this little guy couldnt have been more than 6 or 7 and was adorable...so i knew the next ball i was gonna get i would give it to him...then carlos delgado hit a slicer that one hopped into the seats it was in between a row with the pole in the middle on my side i thought it would be nice if the kid actually got the ball himself so i held up and let him grab it and i have never seen a kid happier in my life...he wasnt jumping for joy, screaming or anything, it was like he got 20 balls before but you could tell he was just excited...i asked him whos your favorite met? "jose reyes" he replied. i asked: "do you like carlos delgado?" and he goes "yeah, he bats lefty like i do!" so i told him that carlos delgado hit the ball and as he started jumping ryan church i believe hit a slicer and this little guy beat out 2 adults and grabbed it...his family was just so excited and happy...we started talking i told them about myself and some experiences that i had...then this kid who i had met who told me he had been to over 300 games and never gotten a ball...so my mission was to help him...he did and got one of the blue traing balls so i traded him my regular one for it (i didnt have a blue training one and i kinda wanted his 1st ball to be a real one and he was more than happy to trade) and i helped him get 3 autos from jesus colome, elijah dukes and austin kearns...then along the LF line while coming in from fielding, moises alou started signing and he signed the same stub as wagner INTERLOCKING HIS AUTO AND BILLY WAGNERS---WHATEVER I HAVE THEM BOTH ON CARDS ANYWAY...later i got a ball from Jose Martinez and gave it to alittle girl next to me who had a glove but even on a chair couldnt really reach over the fencing...then i got austin kearns down by the field to sign a card before the game

after the eighth inning i headed down to the dugout...i got maybe 2 rows down and an usher tapped me on my sholder and said i need to see your ticket...i said "i know manny acta" and he simply said okay and let me go...cool
then i headed down to the dugout after the game manny acta was walking in with jesus flores and i got manny acta to toss me his lineup cards...i gave the mets one to Greg's dad to give to him just simply share them...i was more than happy to get just one...i kept mannys over willies only cause manny was the one who gave it to me

30 autos, 5 balls, 1 lineup card
jesus colome 4x
odalis perez 2x
jon rauch 1x
aaron boone 1x
cristian guzman 8x
nick johnson 2x
elijah dukes 2x
willie harris 1x
austin kearns 2x
rob mackowiak 3x
manny acta 1x (on the lineup card-i decided to count it)
don sutton 1x
moises alou 1x
billy wagner 1x

great day(s)
total: 83 autos, 6 balls, 1 lineup card
season: 149 autos, 6 balls, 1 lineup card, 4 hotels, 2 games

Hey Zack,
I have a quick question; do all the gates at Chase Field open at the same time?
thanks,
Jonathan

Jonathan - yes they do. For 6:40 games it is 4:30, except on Saturdays where season ticket holders can get in at 4.

zack, what about the golden sombero? where does that come from?

Puck,
This might help you out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_sombrero

yeah that helped

dnesbitt,
thanks

Jonathan

joneli24, nice recap. What was up with Lastings Milledge? You weren't able to get his autograph?

I'm heading to Yankee Stadium at 4 PM today for Mets/Yanks. I'm praying it doesn't rain!!!!

EVERYONE-
I'm working on my blog entry about yesterday's game at Shea. It'll definitely be up at some point this afternoon. Maybe early evening at the latest.

PUCK COLLECTOR-
I would've been at all the recent Yankee games if A-Rod weren't hurt. HE is the one I'm after. Not you. :-)

GREG-
I'll email you. And...wow to your 16-ball report. Very impressive.

NJMETFAN-
Seriously? I watched some of the game last night when SNY re-broadcasted it, and I didn't see myself.

JONELI24-
That was a *sick* report. I can't imagine things being any better, except for the annoying woman on the train and forgetting your glove. But seriously, you milked it for all it was worth and made some kids happy along the way. Doesn't get any better than that.

Anyone see this scary baseball snagging story from Philly?

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080514&content_id=2699949&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

Yikes. Wow. No, I hadn't heard about that until you shared the link right here. Thanks.

Hey Zack,
That's great to hear you'll be at the Tribe series. I will be at the first two games likely. Do you know where your seats are? I will buy my tix in the next two days or so.
My flight is with Frontier. I hope they are still in business in June. lol.
See you in the Outfield during BP. Hope to get to meet you.
Dan in Akron Ohio