Major League Ballhawk

August 23, 2011 – Angels vs. White Sox – 5 balls

mlballhawk — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:27:02 +0000

This one is going to be pretty short since I didn’t have a camera with me to take photos.

This was my first game since the All Star Game and only my 3rd game of the season. I went down to the stadium early, about 1:30pm for 1 simple reason. To try to talk to a couple of people that I know on the White Sox to see if I could get a ticket for the game. I don’t really like asking for tickets but since Tuesday night was a Chia Pet giveaway I really didn’t want to spend $15 to get in.

As I was walking up I saw a big line waiting to spin some wheel and then a press conference area set up under the hats where we usually get autographs. The Angels were officially announcing that they had resigned Jered Weaver.

The local Radio station was giving away FREE TICKET for the game so I was not going to have to ask either of the people that I know with the White Sox. I ended up with 4 tickets and even found someone that was willing to buy my extra 2 for $20 so it turned out pretty good!

The gates opened and I was headed off to right field. The usual suspects were up there, Rob & Devo. It’s always a good time with these guys. Devo missed a catch early and I grabbed it off the ground and then I missed a catch and Devo grabbed it. I made a nice catch on a ball in the front row off of Carlos Quentin shortly after.

As most of you know I have worked in baseball and have been a clubhouse manager. Jake Peavy was on one of the teams I worked for a few years back. Last year at the end of the season I saw him as he went into the stadium in Anaheim and we talked for a few minutes and he hooked me up with tickets for the last game against the Angles. On this night I just yelled down to him after he was done warming up in the outfield and said HI. He promptly turned, asked me how I was and then fired a strike right to me.

I grabbed one last ball on a ricochet off the bat of Adam Dunn and then Rob and I headed over to left field. After a few minutes I saw a spot in the 6th row that was pretty open. The only person around was a mom guarding the families seats and belongings. I told Rob I was going to go down a few rows on a HUNCH to catch a ball. Less than 2 minutes later someone sent a fly ball right at the Mom and I stepped in and saved her life. Ok well at least I saved her from having a big bruise on the right side of her body. That was my 5th and final ball of the day.

I decided not to stay for the game as I had to head back to Arizona to clean out my office. Yes, again another job in baseball that as soon as the season was over, so was the job. It was fun however spending the summer with Jose Canseco and a few other former Major League misfits!

I think that I might make a game or two before the end of the season. I am not sure where it will be but if I know more than a day ahead of time I will let you know. I have also had some people ask about my book. Yes, “Taking Home A Piece Of The Game” is still available on Amazon.com for $5.49 and Yes if you buy a copy and send it to me I WILL SIGN IT and send it back to you! I have also had a few people send my friend Zack Hample’s book to me so I could sign my 2 pages in there as well!

Just make sure you send a self addressed envelope big enough for me to send it back to you in!!

Ball #	Ball Type	Time	Location	Method	Player
271	Practice	BP/Pre-Game	LF Bleachers	Hit
270	Practice	BP/Pre-Game	RF Bleachers	Hit	Carlos Quentin
269	Practice	BP/Pre-Game	RF Bleachers	Hit	Adam Dunn
268	Practice	BP/Pre-Game	RF Bleachers	Thrown	Jake Peavy
267	Practice	BP/Pre-Game	RF Bleachers	Hit	Russell Branyan

A Few Changes …………….

mlballhawk — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:50:31 +0000

First off I would like to let everyone know that my websites MLBallhawk.com and Majorleagueballhawk.com are no longer active. Usually with GoDaddy your domain comes up for renewal and you have 60-90 days to renew and expiring/expired domain …… guess what?? Both of mine were gone after 31 days!! Along with losing the domain names I have also lost my regular email.

My new email address is mlballhawk69@gmail.com

I do have one other website that links to my MLBlog and I am sure that some of you have found it by accident. For now I am not going to publicize that one but soon it will become a full fledged website!

Stay tuned!

Upcoming games -

I have had a lot go on in my personal life as well as with work and plan on getting out to a few more games in the coming weeks. I hope to snag my 3000th regular season MLB baseball at some point over the next month! I will let you know where I will be in the coming weeks. There is a good shot that I will make a game in Colorado in the near future!

MLB ALL-STAR GAME – July 12, 2011 – 3 Balls

mlballhawk — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:31:22 +0000

A friend of mine from L.A. had an extra ticket to the All Star game last night. Thankfully I was able to make it out to Phoenix in time for the gates opening and batting practice!! I had a pretty good day in spite of the huge crowds during BP!

This will be a pretty short recap since I did not have a camera with me. My friend Devo from Anaheim called me after the Home Run Derby on Monday night and told me he had an extra ticket. I rented a car and headed off to Phoenix on Tuesday morning. I arrived at Devo’s hotel around Noon, we went to get some lunch and then headed over to Chase Field.

Ballhawk John Witt holds up his 3 balls caught at the 2011 All Star Game

This was my first time at chase and I decided to hang out by the Pool in right center. Shortly after BP started the stands filled up pretty fast. I was lucky enough to get Jonny Venters of the Braves to toss me a ball early. After that it was almost impossible!

I moved up to the catwalk that you see to the left and the right of the batters eyes. At Chase Field they actually call it the Home Run porch. We had to stay back behind the lowered section of seats there but it was still a great place to watch BP from. Jered Weaver of the Angels was being hounded by a guy and his kids for baseballs and when Weaver finally tossed one up the father got in front of his son and caused the ball to pop out of his glove. The great thing about that was the fact that it bounced right INTO my glove!

The last ball of the day for me was a random toss up not to long after getting the ball that Weaver tossed up!

2 All Star Balls and 1 Home Run Derby baseball!

I was really excited about that because this years All Star game was 100 times better than the fiasco in Anaheim last year!

Below is a picture of me with the 3 balls that I caught and an All Star Game Program that I found after the game!

I will have the story up late tonight or early tomorrow morning!

: Ballhawk John Witt holds up his 3 balls caught at the 2011 All Star Game

No Way Jose! Canseco Returns to MLB Field For First Time in Over 10 Years

mlballhawk — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:14:45 +0000

Anaheim, CA – On Sunday night one former baseball player returned to a Major League field for the first time in almost 11 years. The LA Angels were hosting the Dodgers on ESPN’s Sunday night baseball. The Angels made a comeback late in the game to pick up the victory 3-1. While Angel fans were excited about that comeback there was a much bigger one that they awaited.

With an announced crowd of over 42,000 fans the game ended and about 20,000 remained. Why did those 20,000 people hang around? The Angels were hosting the Steve Garvey ALS Celebrity Softball Charity game. For many seeing former Angels and Dodgers players and a few celebrities would have been exciting enough but tonight there was a bigger story.

Jose Canseco returns to a MLB Ballpark for the first time in over 10 years!

That story was the return of, none other than, Jose Canseco. When interviewed by a reporter for Fox Canseco replied, “This is the first time in almost 11 years that I have set foot on a Major League baseball field.” Canseco added that it felt good because he was on the field for a great cause, to raise money for ALS (Lou Gherigs Disease). When Canseco was announced to the crowd as an honorary member of the Dodgers many fans yelled out that the Dodgers should actually sign him!

Canseco earlier in the week had tweeted “Come watch me destroy a softball July 3 at Anaheim Stadium. I will show u that even at 47 I am the best power hitter on the planet and steroid free.” Canseco, who claims to be steroid free, was scheduled to take part in a HR hitting contest against former Angels legend Tim Salmon.

Canseco, who is currently the manager of the North American Leagues (independent) Yuma Scorpions, was first to take some practice hacks. His first few swings looked a bit rusty but that might have been from going from a baseball swing to a softball swing. Earlier this week Jose hit a couple of Home Runs against the Calgary Vipers in NAL action.

About 7 or 8 swings into warm-ups Canseco launched a ball that went at least 480 feet over the bullpens in left field. A few more swings produced some shots that put balls farther than most baseball players had hit them in Anaheim. Tim Salmon stood by and watched and then took some swings of his own and produced nothing close to what Canseco had done. The highlight of the night came when on-field MC and former Angel Rex Hudler picked up Canseco’s bat and saw that it said “JUICED” on the barrel. He touched Jose’s bicep, made like it was on fired and walked away. Canseco smiled but really didn’t seemed that amused by the antics.

The contest started and about 4 swings in Canseco had his first long ball of the contest. Canseco’s mammoth blast came late in the first round. This was a shot that came about 10 rows short of the aisle above the left field seats. Time Salmon only hit 2 balls that cleared the outfield wall and they barely made it that far.

There was a 2^nd round and it was pretty lackluster as Canseco hit two more over the wall. There was a short fence set up at about 160 ft. which gave the guys 1 pt. and then a ball over the big league fence gave them 2 pts. The final score of the contest was 13-9, Canseco won.

Rex Hudler makes fun of Jose Canseco's softball bat .... "JUICED"

As soon as the HR hitting contest was over about half of the remaining 20,000 people left the ballpark. There was still a good crowd in the stands for the celebrity softball game. In his first at bat in the Celebrity softball game Canseco didn’t disappoint, he launched a blast just short of the Big League fence in right center but still good enough for a HR in this game.

When informed that his Yuma Scorpions had been tied going into the 9th inning in Chicago he wanted to find out what happened. A Scorpions front office member that was on the field in Anaheim check his laptop only to reveal that the Scorpions had lost 3-2 in 10 innings. Jose will return to him minor league gig on Thursday night in Chicago.

It was obvious that Jose is comfortable on the diamond and he was having a good time away from the day to day grind of his regular job as manager of the Yuma Scorpions. He was cordially greeted by all the former players but did not have much interaction with anyone during the game. This is a guy that wants to be a part of a Major League organization.

In a way you feel bad for Canseco because he is responsible for cleaning up baseball and possibly making it a better game. However he also broke the cardinal rule in baseball which is what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse. Break that rule and your life in baseball is basically over. Especially when it is something that can change the course of players making or not making the Hall of Fame, including himself!

July 3, 2011 – Angels vs. Dodgers – 2 balls and Media Credentials

mlballhawk — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:45:38 +0000

It will be a day or two before I get this entry up but it is a pretty cool entry.

It will tale me a day or so to write it and get photos loaded etc …….. stay tuned!!

Finally ……. Back on MLBlogs!

mlballhawk — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:47:32 +0000

I won’t have much to report for a while. There is an outside chance I will get to the All-Star Game in Phoenix, otherwise it will be mid-August before I actually get a game!! Crazy I know but sometimes you have to work to pay bills! If only we could all chase baseballs for a living like Zack Hample!

Clinton Lumberkings vs Cedar Rapids Kernels – Clinton IA – 4/18/11

mlballhawk — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:49:37 +0000

Last night I went to a minor league baseball game in Clinton Iowa. I ended up with 2 baseballs during BP and 2 during the game (foul balls). The main objective of the night was taking photographs! Here are some of the images I shot at the game. Baseball totals up top are NOT updated yet.

Charlie Sheen – Meeting the Warlock

mlballhawk — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:30:25 +0000

As many of you know and have read this week Charlie Sheen is currently on tour with his “Violent Torpedo of Truth / Defeat Is Not An Option” Tour. It started out rough in Detroit on Saturday and then on Sunday he came to Chicago.

Right now I am in the Chicago area and I decided that I would make the journey into the city to try to take some photos for the photo agency that I freelance for. It’s cool because occasionally you see your celebrity photos in magazines or online.

So I climbed into the car and off I went. The day didn’t start off to good. When I got downtown I drove around in circles looking for a place to park. I pulled into a parking garage and was shocked to see the cost. Anything over 6 hours was more than $20. Then I looked and saw that it said 0-20 minutes $6. Needless to say I sucked it up and paid the $6 to get the hell out of there. Since they have no cashier on duty you can’t even plead your case for a free out.

So after 45 minutes of searching I found a parking lot about 5 blocks away from the Chicago Theater that was only $14 for all day/night. I parked there, grabbed my camera and MLB ball and was on my way. I walked into the alley where the stage door is and found a handful of autograph collectors there. After standing there about 20 minutes security came out and told us we couldn’t be in the alley. It was about 2pm and we were all hoping that Charlie would show up like a baseball player does, about 5-6 hours before gametime.

We waited and waited and waited and nothing happened. A couple of times an SUV would go down Wells St. and we would all hope it turned in. Occasionally we would walk around the Theater just to check on other doors etc. At one point a TMZ photog came by and he tipped us off that Charlie was traveling in a big black bus. 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours and still no sign of Charlie. Then there was movement, more security guards and the head of security came out. It was now about 5pm. We were hopeful that he would be there soon.

Right around 6pm a large black tour bus pulled into the alley. As the bus pulled in the security guards put up rails behind it to keep the media and fans at a distance. We were on the other side where there were only 25-30 people vs 100-150 towards the front of the Theater. We were also much closer to the Stage Door than the others.

Charlie hopped off the bus waved at us and then turned and went towards the back of the bus to where all the media was. He shook hands and handed out a few T-shirts and that was about it. He didn’t say much of anything and after a couple of minutes he ran inside the theater.

That was definitely NOT a good sign. It looked as if we had wasted and entire day and nothing was going to come of it. I really didn’t even get any good shots because I only had the standard lens on my camera. So it was looking really bad at this point. I did get a shot of one of the Goddesses (Natalie Kenly) as she got off the bus but even that didn’t turn out to good because she was so far away.

At this point I was sore from standing, frustrated because I didn’t get a good photo and tired because I hadn’t had much sleep the night before. I decided to make the 5 block walk back to my care to grab a snack and a drink and to drop off my camera bag. About 7:05 I got back to the alley and 2 of the autograph guys were still hanging around. I figured at the least maybe one of the goddesses would need something from the bus and would come out and then I could get a shot of them. What happened next was EPIC!!

At 7:30 the head of security was back outside and so were a few other security guys. Then it happened, at 7:40 Charlie came out of the stage door. He had something in his hands and as he walked towards the bus he looked around. It was almost as if he was looking for someone to talk to. One of the autograph guys yelled out, “Charlie can you please sign for us??” Then all of the sudden Charlie was walking towards us.

One of the guys out there getting autographs was a guy that paints boxing gloves with celebrity photos. He had a boxing glove with Charlie as Rick Vaughn painted on it. It was really cool.

As Charlie got to us he said “Guys I’m not going to sign but here are a couple of T-shirts that I just signed for you”. The guy to my right reached out and grabbed one and I grabbed the other. There was a facsimile signature in the lower right corner and then Charlie had signed it across the white SHEENIUS! lettering in a black marker.

I can honestly say that ever since I was a kid I have been around Major League Baseball players and celebrities and I don’t really ever remember being star struck but it happened to me on Sunday night. I think it was actually more shock that he just randomly walked over to us.

The guy with the painted boxing glove showed it to Charlie and he said it was “BITCHIN’”

The boxing glove was the only thing that Charlie signed and here is a picture of it.

I have to admit I have been around people that have had both drug and alcohol adictions and at this point I can say with about 99% certainty that right now Charlie is clean. While there were only 3 of us there I think we were all trying to talk to Charlie at the same time.

I did get to ask him if he got the book that I sent him but each time I started he got sidetracked. He did say that his publicist gets everything that comes
to him but when I mentioned that I sent it to him at his house under his REAL name he smiled. Just then one of the other guys asked him something and he went into Warlock mode and told the guy to watch out for ******** Trolls” and some other stuff. At this point I was taking pictures for “work”. So I am hopeful that the smile meant that he did in fact get it. I wanted to ask him a lot more questions but I just snapped photos and listened to his rant on other things.

Here are some of the photos that I shot – the watermark is there to protect the images. Many of them you will find on the internet and there is a chance that one will be in an issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine as 2 have showed up on their website already!

One of the guys asked Charlie if he could get a picture with him. I asked 2 security guys to take my pic with Charlie and they refused but one of the autograph guys did take it for me. It was the highlight of the night. It was cool when he gave us the signed shirts but the picture made the time and money spent well worth it.

It was truly one of the coolest moments from meeting any celebrity. The fact that he randomly came over towards us and came bearing gifts along with the fact that he hung out and talked with the 3 of us for 5 or 6 minutes was even better.

I still stuck around another 2 1/2 hours until the show was over to wait for Charlie to come out and try and get a few more photos. After the show another one of the Goddesses came out, Bree Olson, and she had to put some stuff away in her suitcase.

Charlie got on the bus and came back out. One interesting character that we met over the course of the day was a guy named Darren Owen. He went to high school with Charlie and they played baseball together. He hadn’t talked to him in 15 years and had brought Charlie a box of expensive cigars. He talked to everyone and their brother to try to get to hand them to Charlie himself. Finally at the end of the night they let him over by the bus and he got to talk to his old friend. It was pretty cool to hear some of the stories this guy had.

Darren is the guy that Charlie is shaking hands with (right).

I will only bore you with one last photo which is simply me in front of the marquee with my prize of the night. My Charlie Sheen autographed SHEENIUS! T-shirt!

A loooooong day turned into a great day! Stay tuned for my meeting with FLAVOR FLAV coming soon!!

It Really Should Be A National Holiday!

mlballhawk — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:51:21 +0000

Happy Opening Day everyone!

Whether your team plays today or tomorrow the baseball season is OFFICIALLY HERE!!

Damn …… that was a loooooooong off season!!

2011 MILESTONE TRACKER – Ballhawk Version

mlballhawk — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:34:55 +0000

First let me say that I am VERY DISAPPOINTED that MLB.com has taken the MILESTONE TRACKER off of the stats page. While there are still ways to check on who is coming up on what milestone it was much nicer to be able to just go and click once or twice to find it.

With that said here are some upcoming Milestones that are of significance to all of us BALLHAWKS!!

2011 MILESTONES UPCOMING – this is prior to the regular season and will NOT be updated so you will have to do the math as the season progresses to know if they have been reached or not.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX – 12 HR’s away from 10,000

Jim Thome – 11 HR from 600

Jim Edmonds – 7 HR from 400

David Ortiz – 1 HR from 350

Magglio Ordonez – 11 HR from 300

Miguel Cabrera – 3 HR from 250

Aramis Ramirez – 11 HR from 300

Derek Jeter – 16 HR from 250

JD Drew – 12 HR from 250

Prince Fielder – 8 HR from 200

Jason Bay – 9 HR from 200

Russell Branyan – 11 HR from 200

Garrett Atkins – 1 HR from 100

Andre Eithier – 2 HR from 100

Corey Hart – 2 HR from 100

Carlos Quentin – 3 HR from 100

Josh Hamilton – 7 HR from 100

Derek Jeter is just 74 hits away from 3000

Chipper Jones is just 10 hits away from 2500

There you have it …. the condensed version of the Ballhawk Milestone tracker!

GOOD LUCK!!