August 2010
Wednesday, August 25 2010, Brewers V.S. Dodgers
Today of course started like any other day with a split of motz sticks at Friday’s and 0 baseballs during Brewers BP. Seems to be an occuring thing… It sucks!
I had seats in the Tundra Section and when I walked into the section I found a goose egg for BASEBALL #1. I saw Prince hit it there during Brewers BP and just kept my eye on it the whole BP so I could go and grab it.
Then after the first group was through for Dodgers BP Andre Ethier hit one out to the section and I leaned over the railing and caught it for BASEBALL #2. The guy next to me was not too happy. He said were not supposed to move from where were standing that was my ball. I told him no ball is anybody’s until it is in their possession. He then proceeded to tell me that George the usher would tell me the rules and that he wasn’t going to let me get another baseball today.
Matt Kemp lifted one to deep RCF and I knew it was going behind me our I’d make a leaping catch. Option one happened it went right over my head into the Tundra Seats behind me then it took a favorable bounce and I leaned over the section and picked it up for BASEBALL #3. The guy then proceeded to ask George the rules and George told him that I did nothing wrong. I’m shocked. He hates me with a passion. But, thanks, I guess,
During the game Matt got Lorenzo Cain to toss him Andre Ethiers’ 20th homer of the year and 95th of his career. Pretty sweet. Too bad I wasn’t sitting where I should have been. Kicking myself a bit on that one. But Matt deserved it. Good work.
3 Baseballs, 2 batted, 1 goose egg
Season Total: 112
Games: 30
Season Avg: 3.73
Career Total: 266
This time last year I was at 103 baseballs on the year. So I’m 9 ahead. I really haven’t had any huge days this year which has killed me. Nothing above 7 baseballs this year in a game if I recall. I was at a 3.4 average so obviously I’m doing a bit better than last year. Nice to see some progression. I’m still aiming for that 300th baseball this year. I’m 34 away from 300, with 7 games left right now. Maybe I can throw 2 more games in there. I’d need to average 4.86 baseballs a game. It could be a rough road. Hopefully I get there!
Tuesday, August 24 2010, Chicago White Sox V.S. Baltimore Orioles @ US Cellular Field
Today started with our normal train ride from Waukegan to Chicago at the 2:10 time. Matt, Sal, and I. When I was paying the guy for my ticket apparently I was mistakin’ him for his paper. We ended up talking for a bit and he told me to have fun at the game. Keep this in mind for later.
When we got to the gates they Opened at 5:35 to let us in to BP. Matt and I hustled to LF where he got a baseball right away. So, I decided to go to RF. The bullpen catcher was just finishing up a session with a pitcher and he tossed me a baseball for BASEBALL #1.
Shortly after Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon retrieved a baseball I proceeded to say, “Hey Alfredo! What do ya say?!?!” He proceeded to hook me up with BASEBALL #2 on the day and I thanked him for the baseball.
Then about 3 minutes after that Orioles IF Julio Lugo fielded a fly ball and lightly under my breath because I didn’t know if he had seen me get the other to I said Julio. He then turned and I threw up my arms and he hit me up with BASEBALL #3. I had 3 baseballs in the matter of 10ish minutes…
I moved back over to LF to play fly balls and see what I could get. A ball was smashed and bounced up the steps, off of a guys hand and started dribbling down the bleachers and I picked it up with the bare hand! Do not pick up a rolling ball with your glove! So I was at BASEBALL #4.
Four baseballs was my goal on the day. After I picked that one up I heard some BOOing and junk towards my buddy Matt. Apparently he dropped a ball right to him and it landed in the moat. I proceeded to “cup trick” it out while Matt was still gettin’ a lot of ****. The last 3 mins of BP left he went on a tare and snagged 3 baseballs on the fly like back to back to back and everybody shut up. He ended up with 8 baseballs and I was at BASEBALL #5 and that was it for the day!
We took the 10:35 train back from Chicago and we had the same conductor as before so we chatted for a bit before we got on the train then on the train I talked to him and I asked if he had any kids. He told me he had a daughter and I asked if he wanted a baseball for her. He said sure, but I might throw it at you when you walk off the train. He was quite humorous. We talked some Madden, some NBA and a bit of where he was from. Moral of the story, he was cool and he made the train ride go a bit quicker. (Fo Sho), He’d get that. Hopefully he’ll be checking the blog out sometime.
5 baseballs, 3 toss up, 1 batted, 1 device
Season Total: 109
Games: 29
Season Avg: 3.76
Career Total: 263
Saturday, August 21 2010, Brewers V.S. Padres (Happy Birthday Wiley!), Chases’ first Ballhawk Exp.
So I had an extra ticket for this game and I would hit up my cousin Chase who is going to be a Freshman in High School and hes a bad ***. He’s a ladies man too girls. Give him a call sometime. Anyways the day would begin with the car ride of Chase, Brady ( My Brother ), and I to Miller Park. We arrived and went to Friday’s.
I had my usual seat at Friday’s and had my usual interaction with Ryan Braun when he came to the outfield. Almost right away Extreme Ballhawk Chase got a baseball courtesy of Brewers bullpen Catcher as well as Brady getting a baseball.
The gates would open 2 hours ahead of time so we finished our motz sticks and went to the LF bleachers.
I ended up chasing down in the rattling bleachers BASEBALL #1 hit my Casey McGehee and it was my 100th baseball of the year!
Shortly after that I ended up catching BASEBALL #2 on the fly off the bat of Casey McGehee.
Then after the Weeks hit a ball that rattled in the bleachers that I managed to chase down for BASEBALL #3 and then that group was done.
The next group had Braun in it. He hit one and it was going first row in the section to my left so I ran over and stood in row two and put my glove up ready to catch it and then the guy next to me stuck his glove up and it nicked off his glove and I caught it before it hit the ground for BASEBALL #4!
Batting Practice was about over and the Padres started and the stadium was packed and the Pads weren’t hitting many up to the bleachers. So I went over to RF and got an unidentified Padres player to toss me BASEBALL #5. I was done for the day and it was the first time I hit 5 baseballs in 8 games. Maybe Chase was good luck?
As for the game Sal joined us and Braun made a huge diving catch then came up the next inning to blast a Home Run! The Brewers won the game!
5 Baseballs, 4 batted, 1 toss up
Season Total: 104
Games: 28
Season Avg: 3.71
Career Total: 258
Tuesday, August 10 2010, Twins V.S. White Sox @ US Cellular Field
This was my second trip to US Cellular Field on the year. The White Sox are battling the Twins in the mits of a pennant race. This should be a fun game especially sporting my Twins apparel. Once again we’d be taking the 2:10 train. Sal, Wiley(He needs to do some blog updating himself), and I. The gates would open a little late at 5:34 and we hustled to the LF Bleachers. I was 1 away from 250 career baseballs and 5 from 100 on the year. Could I do both of the goals on the day?
The first thing I did was run over to the bullpen down the LF line and I spotted a ball that was gettable with a device. So i pulled it out (lolz) and I retrieved BASEBALL #1 and my 250th baseball of my career! I would have rather had my 250th tossed to me or caught but I’ll take what I can get.
Then I went over the the first row of LF and got Twins Pitcher John Rauch to toss me a baseball for BASEBALL #2 on the day. In the matter of about 7 or 8 minutes.
After that I roamed to RF because the power house lefties in Jason Kubel and Joe Mauer were taking BP. I was standing about 8 rows back and ended up catching me one on the fly while almost being tackled. BASEBALL #3. The Twins fan in the front row goes, ” OH! and the Twins fan catches over all of the White Sox fans!” I just laughed and gave him the “head nod”.
My last ball came via the “cup trick” as well and it put me at BASEBALL #4 on the day and I was sitting at 1 baseball from 100 on the year.
The Twins would go on to blast the White Sox 12 to 5 hitting 4 home runs during the game. Including a JJ Hardy bomb which was kind of nice to see a former Brewer taking it to a Chicago team. 
Wiley and Sal Decided I made a new friend at the train station. Haha
4 Baseballs, 2 device, 1 toss up, 1 batted
Season Total: 99
Games: 27
Season Avg: 3.67
Career Total: 253
Sunday, August 8 2010, Brewers V.S. Astros
The gates opened and Matt and I wondered to the LF bleachers to see the Brewers getting ready to take BP. The first group is all lefties but one in Carlos Gomez. We decided to go to RF to play for Kottaras. Sure enough he smoked one over my head and I ran up the stairs to see it ding around in the second level concourse and I ran over to pick it up for BASEBALL #1.
That put me one baseball closer to 250 as I was sitting on 248 after that pick up. The Brewers second group took BP and then the Astros came out and took BP. I had never seen both teams take BP on a Sunday. Granite the Brewers only had 2 sessions but it was something different. I decided to park myself down the LF line on the first level to try and get an Astros toss up. I had to keep an eye on foul balls just in case as well. Sure enough, crack off the bat a foul ball is tailing my way and I leaned over the railing as far as possible and made the play! BASEBALL #2! That was the first BP foul ball I had ever caught. I thought it was kind of cool. But, that was it for the day and it was a scorcher in the bleachers. The Crew took the game 11-6 to sweep the Astros.
2 baseball’s, both batted up
Season Total: 95
Games: 26
Season Avg: 3.65
Career Total: 249
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