June 2011
6-12-11 PNC Park
This one will be short. There was batting practice today. The Pirates hit from before the gates opened until around 11:35 or so, so for the first half hour, the only place to snag baseballs would be out on the Riverwalk.
The Mets came out to hit, but only hit for about 25-30 minutes, as not all of their players took batting practice.
I snagged only one ball. It was a ball that I found as I made my way over to the right field foul pole area in the main lower seating bowl.
That’s it.
I left right after BP.
STATISTICS:
Game: 1 ball (1 found)
Season: 206 balls (80 hit, 47 thrown, 53 device, 226 found)
Games: 35 games
Average: 5.89 balls per game
Career: 1,328 balls
Attendance: 26,452
6-11-11 PNC Park
Amy and I were up at 7AM today as we drove out to our new house with a building inspector. The purpose of the inspection was to make sure there wasn’t anything majorly wrong with our new house that we recently purchased. After living in dorms in college, a small townhouse, and a one bedroom apartment, it’s now time to get my dream house. Especially since our daughter is due in just seven and a half weeks. So, after spending just under $200k, I was hoping that there wasn’t going to be any needed fixes, since the house is newer.
We spent time standing around in the master suite while the inspector did his thing in each room and the bathrooms.
The most alarming thing that happened, for me, was the discovery of a stink bug. Here I am crushing it in the bedroom.
I hate those things.
After that, we moved downstairs to the family room, where the worst discovery was that the racks in the dishwasher could use replacing.
Lastly, after an inspection of the kitchen, it was down to the basement and the theater room.
Amy and I sat down there and tossed a ball back and forth.
There wasn’t really any bad news to be reported. A little bit of normal settling was found, but it shouldn’t be a major problem.
So, overall, the house inspection was a success. Amy and I went back to our apartment, took a 2.5 hour nap, then headed to PNC Park.
Upon entering, there were no balls, but after a few minutes of being shut out, I noticed a lefty slice a ball down the line. It settled by the fence in foul territory.
I ran over and was able to grab it with an extreme full body stretch.
Ball #2 was a scrum ball that another fan botched (in the black). It hit his glove, and trickled a few rows down to me.
Ball #3 was snagged via the glove trick by the foul pole in left field.
Herbie Andrade made it interesting as he fired balls at my glove as I reeled it in. I had some trouble at first because my glove is basically falling apart, with the lacing coming undone. Herbie hates me anyway since he saw me change into Diamondbacks gear earlier this homestand. He refused to toss me a ball the other day because of that very reason.
Ball #4 was a clean catch of a Matt Diaz home run that I caught here,
Followed by another clean catch of a Pedro Ciriaco home run, bringing my total to five balls on the day.
I would go the entire Mets batting practice without snagging another baseball. As they ran off the field, I glove tricked a ball near the bullpen, bringing my total on the day to six.
I stayed for the whole game, but didn’t snag anything else. It was a standing room only sellout crowd. Anyway, the Pirates won. The game ended in a timely fashion too, so hopefully there will be batting practice tomorrow.
Today’s baseballs (is it me, or does the Diaz home run look lopsided?)
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 6 balls (4 hit, 2 device)
Season: 205 balls (80 hit, 47 thrown, 53 device, 25 found)
Games: 34 games
Average: 6.03 balls per game
Career: 1,327 balls
Attendance: 39,273
6-10-11 PNC Park
The New York Mets are in town for a four game series. I would stay for the entire game, as my fiancee Amy had to work today.
The day got off to a good start as Kevin Correia tossed me ball #1 of the day shortly after the gates opened. Here he, second to the left. The group you see below from left to right is Chris Resop, Joel Hanrahan, Daniel McCutchen (obstructed), Kevin Correia, and Josh Harrison.
Hanrahan especially seems to dislike the regular ballhawks, for no other reason than he sees us get balls. I wish he’d be a little less rude about our hobby. It wasn’t that long ago (2009) that he had a 7.71 ERA for the Nationals and was dubbed ‘Gas-Can’ Hanrahan for his ability to come into the game and douse the situation with gasoline for the other team to blow the game wide open.
Now he’s a shut down closer. He just seems a bit arrogant / unfriendly, which I hope will change.
My second ball was a ground rule double that took a huge bounce, hit off of a railing separating the handicapped section from the lower bleachers, and settled at my feet, basically. Here’s a straight on view of where I snagged it:
That was all I got during the Pirates batting practice, which ended around 5:14. When the Mets came out to hit, I was able to glove trick a ball in left field, despite manager Terry Collins closing in on it. It was a quick 10 second glove trick execution. Unfortunately, Collins stayed in the left field corner and gobbled up at least three other balls I could’ve glove tricked.
Ball #4 was thrown to me by Chris Capuano in left:
And at 5:30, when right field opened, I was able to get Jason Pridie to throw me one as well.
My sixth ball was glove tricked a bit later back in left field near the foul pole. I stood in foul territory to the right of the foul pole.
My seventh and final ball was a home run hit by Ronny Paulino. I was distracted by a potential ground rule double by the bullpen. The next ball was a home run that I caught a glimpse of as it was in mid flight. Since I got a late break on the ball, I wasn’t able to get into position to make the catch, but I did catch it immediately as it hit a bleacher and deflected right to me here:
As for the game, I tried for two warm up balls, failed, and walked around to pass the time until the 7th inning, when I would leave to go get the car to park close by so Amy wouldn’t have to walk far when she got off of work.
It was pretty crowded in every outfield section anyhow:
Here’s the most interesting picture I took from this 8-1 Mets blow out win.
Gross.
Anyway, here’s today’s baseballs, along with the T-shirt giveaway:
Sweet spots:
Notice that ball #4 (Capuano) is stamped off center,
As is ball #6 (glove tricked):
Somewhat rare.
Tomorrow brings a Saturday Sky-Blast sold out game. Fun.
STATISTICS:
Game: 7 balls (2 hit, 3 thrown, 2 device,)
Season: 199 balls (76 hit, 47 thrown, 51 device, 25 found)
Games: 33 games
Average: 6.03 balls per game
Career: 1,321 balls
Attendance: 24,653
Note: Last year, my 33rd game was on June 15, 2010.
My stats after that game were:
2010 through 33 games: 206 balls (110 hit, 53 thrown, 19 device, 24 found)
Average: 6.24 balls per game
If you hadn’t noticed, I have snagged 34 less batted balls through the same amount of games. That’s because BP at PNC Park has been pretty poor by and large this year. Statistics last year were buoyed by the likes of Lastings Milledge and Ronny Cedeno in the final group. My thrown balls are almost the same, glove tricks are way up, as the other glove-tricker at PNC Park isn’t being as aggressive as he was last year. So, with crappy Pirates BPs everyday, all regulars at PNC are experiencing deflated stats. Nick Pelescak had 173 last year at this point, all of our ‘hit’ numbers are down.
6-9-11 PNC Park
Today was the final day that the Diamondbacks were in town, and I for one, am not sorry to see them leave. They just don’t hit many balls into the stands, which makes for a boring batting practice.
To make matters worse, the Pirates did not hit today. They skipped batting practice, so at 5PM, when the gates opened, the Diamondbacks were already on the field hitting.
Upon running in, I was able to get Charles Nagy to toss me ball #1. Here he is talking to ex-Pirate Zach Duke.
My second ball was tossed to me by Esmerling Vasquez in left field:
And ball #3 was a ground rule double that I snagged in section 136. Nick Pelescak gets an assist as he slowed the ball down by deflecting it. Playing ground rule doubles can be a tricky thing.
I snagged it here,
and moments later I snagged another ground rule double for ball #4 in virtually the same spot.
My fifth ball was yet another ground rule double. It hung up in the air and I snagged it over the man in the light blue shirt.
My sixth and final ball of the day was via the glove trick by the foul pole in left field.
The Diamondbacks stopped hitting at 5:42 PM, I immediately left the park when they were done.
Today’s baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 6 balls (3 hit, 2 thrown, 1 device,)
Season: 192 balls (74 hit, 44 thrown, 49 device, 25 found)
Games: 32 games
Average: 6.00 balls per game
Career: 1,314 balls
Attendance: 12,468
6-8-11 PNC Park
After a dismal two ball day yesterday, things got off to a much better start. I snagged two balls within the first fifteen seconds today. That’s right, it took a full BP to get just two yesterday.
Upon running in, there were several fans already in the stands for a season ticket holder batting practice viewing event. They were near the bullpen, so I ran towards the foul pole, where I found ball #1 in the third row back. Also, a home run landed near the foul pole as I entered the bleachers and was picked up by a Pirates season ticket representative. He tossed it to me for ball #2.
My third ball was glove tricked directly behind the left field foul pole after the Diamondbacks came out to hit.
(By the way, the Pirates ran off the field at 5:05. Perhaps at 90 degrees it was too hot to take a full BP?)
By the way, the entire first group of Diamondbacks were ALL left handed, so there was virtually no chance of any batted balls landing in left field. Rather than go over and play the Riverwalk for deep home runs, I elected to stay in left field and hope for a toss up. It paid off as Josh Collmenter tossed me ball #4 of the day.
I had planned on running over to right field as four home runs landed there during the Diamondbacks first group, but I watched as the ushers systematically scanned each and every row and picked up all four. So, figuring that there wasn’t much to be found in right, I ran over to foul territory to see if a foul ball that had been hit earlier in batting practice was still there.
It paid off as I found ball #5 in the handicapped section in foul territory. As I was leaving to return to the right field bleachers, a batter hit a foul ball into the upper seats. I simply turned around to go claim it. I had seen where the ball landed, but I couldn’t find it. Two other ballhawks started to come over to look and claim it for themselves, so I pulled some trickery and bent down as if I had found it, and stood back up holding the previous ball that I had found. This bought me another minute or two, as the other ballhawks went back to their spots along front row in foul territory. Eventually, I found the ball, it had rolled the whole way down to row A in section 130. It was ball #6.
Back in left field, there wasn’t much action to be had. I went the next twenty five minutes without anything until Xavier Nady hit a ground rule double that I snagged here:
The entire batting practice there were three home runs to left field. That’s it. It didn’t help that the Diamondbacks were being frugal and were tossing up precious few baseballs. Nick Pelescak capped off batting practice by shouting at the Diamondbacks as they ran off the field, “You’re all a bunch of cheapskates!”
The D’Backs BP has been the worst I’ve seen this year. One more game with them this year on Thursday, and then the Mets come into town for 4. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Today’s baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 7 balls (2 hit, 2 thrown, 1 device, 2 found)
Season: 186 balls (71 hit, 42 thrown, 48 device, 25 found)
Games: 31 games
Average: 6.00 balls per game
Career: 1,308 balls
Attendance: 14,015
6-7-11 PNC Park
Tough day.
Got shut out for the first half hour.
At 5:29, I went over to snag a ball in foul territory that was just sitting along the railing. Right when I went over to snag it, Xavier Nady hit another ball that rolled right up against the wall.
Nick Pelescak also was apparently going for the same ball(s), and it turned into a big unnecessary race. Knowing that Nick is in an all out war to hang onto #3 on mygameballs (against the Baltimore Ballhawks), I realized that I had to hustle in order to avoid a shut out.
In my haste, I slammed my left hand off of a railing hard. I caught my middle finger and bent it awkwardly to the side. As I sit here the next morning, I still can not make a fist, or use my left hand. It’s pretty aggravating. If I could go back, I’d gladly trade the balls I snagged today and take a shutout to be at 100% full health.
Anyhow, I was able to grab the Xavier Nady ball, and Nick got the other one. The ball was career ball #1,300.
The only other ball I snagged today was a home run in center field that was misplayed by another ballhawk and bounced to me. I don’t know who hit it.
I left immediately after batting practice to go put an offer in on a house that Amy and I like.
STATISTICS:
Game: 2 balls (2 hit)
Season: 179 balls (67 hit, 40 thrown, 47 device, 23 found)
Games: 30 games
Average: 5.97 balls per game
Career: 1,301 balls
Attendance: 12,378
6-5-11 PNC Park
It was a Sunday game, which was a day game following a night game, thereby decreasing the chances of batting practice.
I got to the stadium around 11AM, and saw no trace of the batting cage or screens. So, I hung out on the bridge for twenty minutes, where I could see directly into the park. I then left, resigned to the fact that there would be no batting practice. Coupled with 35,000 people at the game, it just wasn’t worth running around all game for a ball or two.
I started walking back to the car when I got a text from my fiancee Amy, who was working the game. She told me that they were wheeling out the screens and that batting practice would be on.
I jogged back to the park and made it into the left field bleachers by 11:35, 35 minutes after the gates had opened.
Only the Phillies would be hitting today.
And, it was packed.
I glove tricked ball #1 and ball #2 towards the left field foul pole:
The stadium was absolutely packed. Check out the bleachers:
My view straight ahead:
I decided to move towards the foul pole where I would have slightly more room to move.
The move paid off, as I caught a Ben Francisco home run ball on the fly here for ball #3:
I didn’t snag anything else until the 5th inning. A large group of people left the front row in center field, so I went down for a minute to give myself a chance at an Andrew McCutchen warm up ball. He fired a perfect strike to me, while I was on the phone with Amy, who I was meeting up with for some food on her break.
That would be my fourth and final ball of the day.
Today’s baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 4 balls (1 hit, 1 thrown, 2 device)
Season: 177 balls (67 hit, 40 thrown, 47 device, 23 found)
Games: 29 games
Average: 6.10 balls per game
Career: 1,299 balls
Attendance: 35,505
6-4-11 PNC Park
Amy and I spent the afternoon being shown a couple houses by a realtor and then headed to PNC Park.
Today was a Fireworks night, and the Phillies were in town. AND it was the largest crowd ever recorded in PNC Park history. That doesn’t make a good ballhawking environment.
When I ran in, there were no balls to be found, perhaps because batting practice got started a little later than usual because of this:
Fan-photo day with the players on Federal Street from 3-4 pm.
Immediately upon entering, Kevin Correia tossed me a ball to put me on the board.
I would go the next thirty minutes without snagging anything. The home runs that were hit, were over my head and were gobbled up by other fans. Eventually, a fan in the front row misplayed a home run ball. The ball hit his glove square and fell back onto the field. It was an easy glove trick opportunity. I asked the fan, who was maybe 14, if he wanted me to get the ball for him. He said yes, so I glove tricked it, and handed over ball #2.
It turned out to bring some good karma, because I snagged two more balls within the next minute. One was a clean catch of a Matt Diaz home run ball here:
And another was a Chris Snyder bomb that sailed between the rotunda and upper bleachers and bounced into a concession stand, where it was thrown to me by a worker.
At the end of the Pirates BP, I was flat out robbed by a Phillies fan. Daniel McCutchen looked directly at me and tossed me a ball. This guy in Phillies gear, who the ball was clearly NOT intended for, quickly reached in front of my glove and intercepted it.
My fifth ball was glove tricked here during the Phillies BP,
and I glove tricked another near the end of the BP over along the left field foul line. That was it for today.
There wasn’t much point of trying for home run balls unless they were right at me or toss ups. Here was my view for the last 45 minutes or so of batting practice:
After batting practice, I left, went to the gym.
Here are today’s baseballs (five pictured because one was given away):
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 6 balls (1 hit, 2 thrown, 3 device)
Season: 173 balls (66 hit, 39 thrown, 45 device, 23 found)
Games: 28 games
Average: 6.18 balls per game
Career: 1,295 balls
Attendance: 39,441
6-3-11 PNC Park
It’s been about 10 days since my last game. I’ve cut down on the road trips since last year, as an average trip to Cleveland costs $75 a game, and a trip to Washington or Baltimore averages about $100 a game in gas and tolls. It wasn’t worth it to me.
Amy and I have spent the last ten days scouring the housing market. I’ve decided that I want to have a nice house for my baby daughter (due in August) to grow up in. Our current one bed room apartment just isn’t cutting it.
Amy and I have been putting together lists, driving around, and scratching off 80% of the houses we drive by. We’ve toured six solid contenders so far, and are looking at houses in the $150,000-$200,000 range. All of the ones we like are 200k, which is a huge commitment. So, as you can see, at least for the time being, I would rather spend my money on a house than ballhawking trips as I have in the past.
Anyhow, my first two balls of the day came from Brandon Wood. The first one was thrown to me from left field, but fell well short. The ball rested on the warning track, where I glove tricked it for ball #1.
I usually do not use my glove trick during the Pirates batting practice. I figure that if I am seen using the glove trick it will make the Pirates pitchers less likely to want to toss me a ball. However, since many of the Pirates pitchers seem to dislike the fact that I am there every game, I just went for it.
Wood did not see me use the glove trick, and turned and threw a perfect strike to me for ball #2 at the end of the Pirates batting practice.
My third ball was glove tricked during the Phillies BP in left field, and my fourth ball was a clean catch of a home run here:
My fifth and final ball was glove tricked in right field.
It wasn’t any usual glove trick. It was the first time I ever glove tricked a ball from a top the Clemente wall.
I spent the last twenty minutes in left field, but didn’t get anything. It was just too crowded.
Here are today’s baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 5 balls (1 hit, 1 thrown, 3 device)
Season: 167 balls (64 hit, 38 thrown, 41 device, 23 found)
Games: 27 games
Average: 6.19 balls per game
Career: 1,289 balls
Attendance: 33,861
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