10-3-09 Great American Ballpark
My first game of the 2009 season was a Pirates vs Reds game at Great American Park. I figured the best way to close the season was by making my final game of the 2009 season a Pirates vs Reds game at Great American Park.
I left my house around 11 AM, and arrived just before 4 PM.
Unfortunately, the gates at Great American don't open until 90 minutes before the first pitch, so I would have to wait around until 5:40 to get in. I was thinking, "I should've gone to Baltimore." (To see the Blue Jays vs Orioles).
I sat outside the center field gate, read the newspaper, checked scored on my phone, and waited for the gates to open. While there, Cincinnati natives tried to engage me in conversations about the NFL and the Steelers, a subject that I didn't really care to talk about at a baseball game. Unlike most Pittsburghers, I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to the Steelers and Penguins.
When the gates finally did open, I ran in and snapped a quick picture.
BANG!
A ball hit two rows behind me. I ran over and picked it up. It was ball #1.
BANG!
Another ball hit a section to my left. I ran over and grabbed that one as well.
I looked in to see who was hitting. It was #44 Brandon Moss, a player known for his batting practice displays of power, which hasn't translated to actual game play yet.
Jason Jaramillo, the Pirates backup catcher came up next and launched a ball several rows over my head. No matter, there weren't many people there, so I was able to run up a few stairs and pick it up. It was ball #3.
I was happy that the stands looked like this for most of BP,
which was a bit surprising, since it was a Saturday game. It was also pretty chilly, which you can see from the garb the Reds fans are wearing.
I would go on to get my fourth ball of the day from Brandon Moss. He hit a home run to my right that landed in a seat and stayed there. I picked it up, for ball #4.
Right field isn't the most ideal place to ballhawk due to long railings that take up five rows. It pretty much contains you to just one section.
The final Pirates group came up to hit, and it was filled with light hitting right handed batters. Before making my way over to left field, I decided that I had to search for easter eggs, because there was a ton of empty space where fans hadn't passed through yet.
Also, Pirates power hitters Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit had already hit before the gates opened, possibly putting some bombs at least 10 rows up into the seats.
The methodical search, up and down every row, would yield ball #5
and ball #6.
I then headed over to left field.
There were a few home runs hit, but none in my vicinity.
I was hoping that the Pirates would hit until 6:25 or so, since the game wasn't to begin until 7:10, but was disappointed to see the players run off the field at 6:05.
Check out the picture I took from left field of the emptyness of the right field bleachers. This would be a nice place to ballhawk if they would be normal and open at 4:30 on Saturdays (like PNC Park and Progressive Field).
I had a whole TWENTY FIVE MINUTES of ballhawking. No wonder I
didn't do so well here earlier in the season (eight balls over two
games).
If I hadn't had bought a ticket directly behind the Pirates dugout, I may have left to get back to Pittsburgh at a decent hour. Plus, 411 isn't a great looking number to me. I wanted to get one more ball.
I walked around the stadium and snapped a few more pictures:
Before the game began, I got Andy LaRoche to toss me his warm up ball, except right before he was about to release it, he pump faked upon seeing a four year old girl with her glove up, two rows behind me. He paused and pointed at the girl and underhanded the ball. The ball floated two feet to my right. I should've reached out and grabbed it, and given it to the girl, but I didnt. I watched it float slowly by and land in the little girl's glove. I started kicking myself for not catching it - it would've been ball #7 of the day.
I would have to try and get a ball by some other means.
I had great seats to do it:
Front row behind the Pirates dugout/camera well.
I was just to the left of where the players entered/exited the Pirates dugout.
It was a perfect spot to get a ball.
In the second inning, Pirates' first baseman Garrett Jones tossed me ball #7 as he came off the field. I was a bit disappointed that he had switched the warm up ball tossed by the coach with the game ball that he was bringing in towards the dugout.
I watched in subsequent innings as he did the same thing.
With the Pirates trailing by a large margin, I left in the 6th inning to make the four and a half hour drive back to Pittsburgh. I got home sometime after 1:30AM.
Was it worth the trip for 25 minutes of batting practice? I'd say so. I ended the season on a positive note, with seven balls, and 412 snagged during the 2009 season.
Coincidentally, 412 is also my telephone area code, which is somewhat cool.
Today's baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 7 balls (6 hit, 1 thrown)
Season: 412 balls (217 hit, 125 thrown, 70 device)
Games: 81 games (10 of which didn't have BP)
Average: 5.09 balls per game
Career: 578 balls
Streak: 96 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.
Attendance: 24,539
I left my house around 11 AM, and arrived just before 4 PM.
Unfortunately, the gates at Great American don't open until 90 minutes before the first pitch, so I would have to wait around until 5:40 to get in. I was thinking, "I should've gone to Baltimore." (To see the Blue Jays vs Orioles).
I sat outside the center field gate, read the newspaper, checked scored on my phone, and waited for the gates to open. While there, Cincinnati natives tried to engage me in conversations about the NFL and the Steelers, a subject that I didn't really care to talk about at a baseball game. Unlike most Pittsburghers, I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to the Steelers and Penguins.
When the gates finally did open, I ran in and snapped a quick picture.
BANG!
A ball hit two rows behind me. I ran over and picked it up. It was ball #1.
BANG!
Another ball hit a section to my left. I ran over and grabbed that one as well.
I looked in to see who was hitting. It was #44 Brandon Moss, a player known for his batting practice displays of power, which hasn't translated to actual game play yet.
Jason Jaramillo, the Pirates backup catcher came up next and launched a ball several rows over my head. No matter, there weren't many people there, so I was able to run up a few stairs and pick it up. It was ball #3.
I was happy that the stands looked like this for most of BP,
which was a bit surprising, since it was a Saturday game. It was also pretty chilly, which you can see from the garb the Reds fans are wearing.
I would go on to get my fourth ball of the day from Brandon Moss. He hit a home run to my right that landed in a seat and stayed there. I picked it up, for ball #4.
Right field isn't the most ideal place to ballhawk due to long railings that take up five rows. It pretty much contains you to just one section.
The final Pirates group came up to hit, and it was filled with light hitting right handed batters. Before making my way over to left field, I decided that I had to search for easter eggs, because there was a ton of empty space where fans hadn't passed through yet.
Also, Pirates power hitters Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit had already hit before the gates opened, possibly putting some bombs at least 10 rows up into the seats.
The methodical search, up and down every row, would yield ball #5
and ball #6.
I then headed over to left field.
There were a few home runs hit, but none in my vicinity.
I was hoping that the Pirates would hit until 6:25 or so, since the game wasn't to begin until 7:10, but was disappointed to see the players run off the field at 6:05.
Check out the picture I took from left field of the emptyness of the right field bleachers. This would be a nice place to ballhawk if they would be normal and open at 4:30 on Saturdays (like PNC Park and Progressive Field).
I had a whole TWENTY FIVE MINUTES of ballhawking. No wonder I
didn't do so well here earlier in the season (eight balls over two
games).If I hadn't had bought a ticket directly behind the Pirates dugout, I may have left to get back to Pittsburgh at a decent hour. Plus, 411 isn't a great looking number to me. I wanted to get one more ball.
I walked around the stadium and snapped a few more pictures:
Before the game began, I got Andy LaRoche to toss me his warm up ball, except right before he was about to release it, he pump faked upon seeing a four year old girl with her glove up, two rows behind me. He paused and pointed at the girl and underhanded the ball. The ball floated two feet to my right. I should've reached out and grabbed it, and given it to the girl, but I didnt. I watched it float slowly by and land in the little girl's glove. I started kicking myself for not catching it - it would've been ball #7 of the day.
I would have to try and get a ball by some other means.
I had great seats to do it:
Front row behind the Pirates dugout/camera well.
I was just to the left of where the players entered/exited the Pirates dugout.
It was a perfect spot to get a ball.In the second inning, Pirates' first baseman Garrett Jones tossed me ball #7 as he came off the field. I was a bit disappointed that he had switched the warm up ball tossed by the coach with the game ball that he was bringing in towards the dugout.
I watched in subsequent innings as he did the same thing.
With the Pirates trailing by a large margin, I left in the 6th inning to make the four and a half hour drive back to Pittsburgh. I got home sometime after 1:30AM.
Was it worth the trip for 25 minutes of batting practice? I'd say so. I ended the season on a positive note, with seven balls, and 412 snagged during the 2009 season.
Coincidentally, 412 is also my telephone area code, which is somewhat cool.
Today's baseballs:
Sweet spots:
STATISTICS:
Game: 7 balls (6 hit, 1 thrown)
Season: 412 balls (217 hit, 125 thrown, 70 device)
Games: 81 games (10 of which didn't have BP)
Average: 5.09 balls per game
Career: 578 balls
Streak: 96 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.
Attendance: 24,539
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