8/8/07 at Shea Stadium
Let's start with a brief photo tour...
This was the view of Shea Stadium from the John Rocker Memorial Subway Platform:
This is what Citi Field looked like:
And this was half the line that formed outside GATE C for batting practice:
The stadium opened at 4:40pm, and it was business as usual. I raced up to to my corner spot in the right field Loge and got three balls tossed to me during the Mets' portion of BP. Guillermo Mota under-handed the first from the warning track down below. Scott Schoeneweis flipped up the second from the 
bullpen after saying, "You get a ball here every day." Jorge Sosa threw me the third from about 100 feet away after hearing me call out to him in Spanish.
I rushed to the Mets' dugout before the players and coaches came off the field and wiggled into a narrow space in the front row. I was hoping for a ball from first base coach Rickey Henderson, but settled for one from bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello.
I switched into my Braves cap (get over it, Mets fans) and headed back up the Loge, this time in left 
field where I got my fifth ball from Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell. He had just finished a bullpen session with the rehabbing Mike Hampton, and he teased me repeatedly by tossing the ball five feet short. Eventually, though, he put a little more muscle into it and reached my outstretched glove. It felt great to get a ball from a member of the '86 Mets.
Ron Mahay threw me another ball, and that was it for BP. Not great. Not bad. It would've been better if I'd been in position to catch the ONE home run that landed in my section. Matt Diaz hit it toward the end of BP. It was a rocket. No time to move. So frustrating. I'd been begging for balls for 90 minutes and finally there was a batted ball that I actually could've caught...on my own...on a fly...but no. I was standing in a stupid place, trying to get Tim Hudson to throw me a ball by pointing out the fact that we have the same haircut.
Throughout the day I'd been crossing paths with my friend Greg (aka "gregorybarasch" to those who 
read the comments). We'd played catch while waiting for the gates to open, then shared snagging stories and strategies, and later did our best to stay out of each other's way. I caught up with him after BP. I had six balls. He had five. I was sweaty and disgusting. He wasn't. We had an usher take our pic. He then got his sixth ball at the Braves' dugout and wanted to have a new pic taken, but I claimed there wasn't time, and we headed up to the Loge.
Greg is a kind young man. There are certain tunnels in the Loge that are better for foul balls, and he let me have them--that is, until security kicked him out of his tunnels. After that, he had to stay near me so we ran back and forth together all night, playing righties and lefties on either side of home plate.
In the fourth inning, Kelly Johnson swung underneath a 3-2 fastball from El Duque and fouled it right over my head. I scampered up a staircase. The fans bobbled it. The ball landed on the steps and rolled to me, and just like that I had my second gamer in as many nights.
In the fifth inning, El Duque lost the no-hitter.
In the sixth, the Braves turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.
In the seventh, Luis Castillo tied the game with a two-out, two-run, broken-bat single. The jagged barrel of the bat FLEW into the seats and hit a man in the face. There was blood everywhere. He was taken away on a stretcher. It was terrifying.
In the eighth, Moises Alou hit a solo homer to put the Mets on top, 4-3.
In the ninth, Billy Wagner loaded the bases with no outs, then got Jeff Francoeur to ground into a 5-2 forceout and induced Andruw Jones to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play. Carlos Delgado caught the final throw and pumped his fist. Game over. Please drive carefully and arrive home safely.
STATS:
• 182 balls in 26 games this season = 7 balls per game.
• 481 consecutive games with at least one ball
• 104 lifetime game balls
• 16th time snagging a game ball in back-to-back games
• 5th time snagging a game ball in back-to-back games in two different cities
• 3,143 total balls...moves me ahead of Tony Gwynn (3,141) and Robin Yount (3,142) and into 17th place on the all-time hits list. Next up is Paul Waner (3,152).
If you're wondering why I'm comparing balls to hits, click here, and if you're new to the blog, welcome aboard. For the regular readers who might not know, my latest NPR interview aired yesterday. Sorry I didn't give a heads-up, but I didn't find out 'til the last minute, by which point I was just about to head out to Shea. The interview itself was taped last week and lasted 70 minutes. Then it was edited down to about half an hour, so if you have that kind of time to spare, you can listen to it here. I've gotten LOTS of emails and phone calls in the last 12 hours (including interview requests and inquiries about my Watch with Zack business) so if you're waiting for a reply, hang tight and I'll get back to you within the next day or three...
Zack, I LOVE the latenight posts. About 2hrs and 40min ago I experienced a 4.5 earthquake. Scary. Anyways, nice post, especially the back-to-back gamers.
Evan
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Another great post and another great day for snagging at Shea. Nice job Zack and Greg. Padres are out of town till next week and I'm going through snagging withdrawl and getting the shakes. Nice job on the back to back gamers. I was curious Zack....do you keep the gamers seperate from the non gamers in your storage area?
Leigh
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have u had a watch with zack yet?
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Dear Zach, My 81 year-old husband, Malcolm Wells, would love to send you a book of his on baseball. Do you have a mailing address? We heard you yesterday on Fresh Air,NPR. You and this blog are really impressive. Thanks in advance for answering this e-mail.Karen North Wells
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By the way, I ended up with seven balls (home plate ump Larry Poncino handed my my final one after the game). Where did you disappear off to at the end of the game. I saw you chase a foul ball up in the Loge in the 9th from underneath the net behind home plate, but couldn't find you afterwards.
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hey zach, I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now. I was at Shea last night too. Congratulations on the great snagging. I didn't get any balls, but I should've had one. I'm going to Florida on vacation next week ang going to two Marlins games, anyone have any tips?
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Hey nice job snagging , at shea i know that they cut off field level but when you go up to the loge during the game , around the end of the game do they let you back into field level ?
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EVAN-
I like being able to get into bed having finished my blogging. Even if I have to stay up until 6am (as I've done the last two nights), it's worth it because I start the next day with an open schedule, and I can get lots of other things done.
LEIGH-
Sorry about the withdrawal, but c'mon, it's only a week. It's not like it's the off-season yet. I used to keep my game balls separate back when I didn't used to label them, but now that I write the number on the ball, I just throw 'em all together. I figure I can always comb through all the balls (if I have a spare week) and take out the gamers if I ever need to.
PUCK COLLECTOR-
I have. The mother/son at the Home Run Derby was a "Watch with Zack" experience. I've already booked games with two clients for September, and I'm getting LOTS of inquiries and requests now that I've had a chance to talk about this on the radio.
KAREN NORTH WELLS-
Thanks for getting in touch. I'd love to check out your husband's book, although I can't promise when I'll have time to read all of it. As soon as I get home (I'm at work now with a little time to spare), I'll email you with my mailing address, and we'll take it from there.
GREG-
Ahh, very good. I was wondering how your night wrapped up. I stayed up in the Loge during the last half-inning. I *really* wanted a second foul ball, and with Billy Wagner throwing smoke, I figured there was a decent chance. Also, I knew you were hogging the tunnel behind the plate, and I knew I wouldn't get anything at the dugout, so I viewed the situation as all or nothing. As SOON as the game ended, I bolted for the exit ramp to beat the crowd.
PATRICK-
Thanks. Sorry you went home empty-handed. What happened? Did you drop a ball or get knocked over by an unruly fan? I hear that security at Dolphin Stadium has gotten really strict even though the crowds are small. I was there back in 2000, and it was pretty tough, but the Marlins have always been good about throwing balls into the crowd.
SOXSUXYANKS-
To get back into the Field Level late in the game, all you need to do is ask people on their way out for a ticket stub. It's incredibly easy, and it's pretty stupid for the Mets to even bother closing off the Field Level in the first place. It accomplishes nothing.
MR. WILPON-
Loosen up the rules a bit at Citi Field, okay?
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A few days ago, I got back from the trip of a lifetime, my 3 week ballpark tour! I come back with around 30 autographs and my first baseball, given by Chad Durbin of the Tigers at US Cellular Field in Chicago. I snuck in to a few hotels that I knew players were staying at while guards weren't looking, and it paid off. It was a great trip.
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Awesome! If you get a chance to share some more details, I'd love to hear them. Congrats on ball #1.
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hey zack when can i ask the questions?
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I finally posted the first part of that road trip I took.
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Zack, I didn't get a ball cause I didn't see it coming until it was right next to me and when I got my glove up it was to late and the guy next to me got it. Thanks for the heads up on the security at Dolphin Stadium, I figured it would be easy because of the small crowds but I guess it isn't. I'm goin on Friday when they're playin the Giants and I'm gonna try to go after a Bonds home run ball. Leavin tomorrow, be back next Saturday.
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ANDRE-
Give me a call tonight after the Mets and Yankees games are over.
NICK-
I'll check it out when I get a chance, which unfortunately might not be for a few days.
PATRICK-
Good luck going after Bonds. Don't get trapped with a lot of people, even if you think it's a spot where he's likely to hit one. Pick an emptier spot. Play deep. Play the odds THAT way.
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oh i forgot to ask you zack where is the best place to sit at yankee stadium for bp?
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Probably right field, although the entire place is nothing short of a ball-snagger's nightmare these days. Get there early and grab a spot in the aisle, right behind the outfield wall. Or hang back a bit and try to find an enpty row where you can move a bit for home runs. There are more chances for balls if you're closer to the outfield wall, but it's insanely crowded, and that's the spot where I got injured a couple weeks ago so I wouldn't really advise anyone to go there.
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I finally got another ball!! (first since early June)
There was no BP, I simply asked Ryan Dempster for it, and he gave it to me!
I guess I have a long way to go to get to your pace
(I really need to get a good rubber band and get the glove trick going)
Good luck on your next game.
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Congrats, and don't worry about the slow pace. In my early days of collecting, it took a looooong time to get my numbers up. You just get better at it as time goes by. Learn from your mistakes. Look for routines and patterns and tendencies. And yes, get the glove trick going. That'll help you get LOTS of balls.
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Hey Zack!
I just wanted to tell you I just emailed you. I was wondering if you could answer my question.
Chris
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Next time you oughta post your questions as comments.
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