Results tagged ‘ dodger stadium ’
DOUBLE DUTY – 10/8/2009 – Dodger Stadium 1st then off to Anaheim
WHAT A DAY FOR BASEBALL IN LA!!!
I am going to put together seperate posts for each game! There is a lot to write about unfortuantely it doesn’t involve me getting any baseballs. BUT WHO CARES!
The freaking Dodgers stuck their hand into a pile of CRAP and pulled out a ROLEX!!
Then after leaving the Dodger game, yes I stayed for the entire game, I ended up in Anaheim just before the start of the 5th inning!
Ok since I did not have a camera with me at all on the 8th I don’t have any pictures for this post and since it has been 10 days since I went to these games and I did not get any baseballs at either park I have given up on writing this entry. Sorry!
It was fun however watching a miraculous win and then seeing the Angels beat the Red Sox.
3 Playoff games in 2 days and 3 WINS!!
6/2/09 – Dodgers vs. Arizona Dodger Stadium – 4 Balls & Clayton Kershaw autograph
I headed out the front door today just before 10am so I would make the 10:18 train into LA. I should have waited for the 12:58 train because I ended up at Dodger Stadium at 2PM. Gates for the game don’t open until 5:10pm. Thankfully at Dodger Stadium you can go into the Top Deck and just hang out and watch what is or isn’t going on in the stadium.
As I walked towards the field I could see what was going on and it was what every Ballhawk loves to see……. the groundscrew on the field setting up for BP!!
In this picture below you can see the people hanging out just sitting around watching whats going on in the stadium.
Around 2:30 or so Arizona came out and took some early BP. They launched at least a dozen balls into the left field pavilion where I would be sitting later in the day. For some reason however I did not take any pictures of Arizona’s early BP. That might have been because I was on the phone with my wife and my mom during most of that time.
As it got close to 4:15 the Dodger Pitchers were in the cage and the rest of the team was stretching down the left field foul line.
Here are a few other random photos that I shot between the time I got there and the time I went down to the Left Field Pavilion when the gates were opening.
Top left is a pic of Downtown LA from the top deck. Top right is a pic of the scoreboard and the Think Blue sign.
Bottom right is the players parking lot and then the pic on the bottom right has a little story. As I was standing out in dead centerfield (again no pic of this area today for some reason) I saw a ball hit towards the right field stands. Since some of the doors are open occasionally there is the chance it goes under the seats and rolls to the fence and you have a chance of getting it. Well this ball somehow bounced into an area where the AC units are and that is where it stayed.
Ball #1 of the day came when I was standing out behind the centerfield gate waiting for the LF Pavilion seats to open. Mark Loretta launched a ball deep to centerfield that made it past the fencing that is set up for fans to stand against during BP. Since the gates were not open the gate to get into the centerfield area was still closed. I was standing just behind it talking to the security guard as the ball came out. It took a nice bounce and rolled right under the fence to me!!
Then it was time to go into the stadium. After seeing early BP and knowing of all the balls that were hit into the stands early I thought there was a chance that there would be a ball or 2 just sitting in the stands. There were only 5 of us that were there at gates opening and we all ran in looking for “Easter Eggs”. I had my eye on one spot and ran to it and grabbed BALL #2 of the day. I thought I heard a ball hit the seats while we were all looking but I wasn’t sure. As O was telling a guy where I found the ball that I got I looked up there and there was another balls sitting about 2 ft from where I picked up the first “Easter Egg” and that was Ball #3
So now I had 3 balls and I was just in the stadium ….. could this be a day I set a season high for baseballs?? Abolutely NOT!! The Dodgers were absolutely PATHETIC during BP only hitting about 5 balls into the stands and NOTHING close to me. The one good thing that happened during Dodgers BP was the fan that called Clayton Kershaw over to sign a picture. After he signed the picture and a ball for a woman I asked if he would sign a ball for me and he did. Here is a picture of Kershaw standing in the outfield with Kuroda and my boy Brent Leach! The other picture is of the Kershaw autograph that I got on a ball caught last week!
So as I told you the Dodgers side of BP sucked however Arizona pelted the stands with a shower of baseballs however the only problem was none of those shots were anywhere near me either! I noticed Chip Hale chasing down balls in left field and as it got close to the end of BP I decided to do something I rarely do…….. BEG for a baseball. So as Hale came over to a ball that was basically right in front of me I said ,”Chip, may I PLEASE have that ball?” Almost the second that he heard me say please he looked up and tossed the ball right at me. Then all of the sudden this little punk (about 20 or so) jumped in right next to me bumping me and causing the ball to go off both of our gloves and falling into the gap between the seats and the fence. I ran down the ball and then launched a short tirade against this jackA$$!!
This guy was unbelievable, not only did he do this to me but there was a player in the left field corner trying to give a kid a baseball. He threw at least 3 balls to the little kid (5 or 6 years old) that the kid missed. This guy grabbed at least 2 of them and others around were telling him the balls were for the kid and he ignored them and kept the balls. He also basically raped a guy trying to get another ball that came out on the fly. The guy did hold his ground and made a nice catch and then the guy that caught the ball said “if he does that again I will deck him!”
This isn’t the first time at Dodger stadium that there has been some jacka$$ acting like that and it definitely will not be the last time I am sure!
As for the game itself, here was my view from my seats in the 305/307 aisle. Justin Upton launched a Grand Slam in the 2nd inning to my spot but just one aisle over in the 307/309 aisle. One of these days I will pick the right place to sit for an easy home run catch!!
- 4 consecutive games with 3 or more baseballs
- 3 consecutive games with 4 or more baseballs
- 17 balls in last 4 games
Game Summary and Season Stats from MyGameBalls.com
Does not include 6 WBC balls in the above season stats from MyGameBalls.com
WBC Championship Game and another near miss of HR #100
Monday started out pretty good. I got to the left field gate just after 3pm and was basically alone there until 3:50 other than volunteers for the flags on the field. Once the gates opened at 4 there was still only a handful of people. Once I got inside I took up my spot near the 307-309 aisle a couple rows up.
My first ball of the day was hit by a Japanese righty and I caught it on the top of the staircase in the aisle. When I looked in my glove to see what the ball looked like I was totally amazed at what I saw. This ball was PERFECT and did not have a mark on it. You would have thought I took it right out of a box. About 15 minutes later I made another grab of a BP ground rule double that just made it over the fence in the same place. This ball was also almost perfect except for the spot where it hit the warning track. The rest of BP was pretty quiet with only a handful of balls coming even close to where I was.
So let’s go on to the game shall we?
First off let’s just say that the atmosphere was game 7 of the World Series exciting. I wish the American baseball fans got this into games. Anyway, the Koreans were getting no hit through 3 or 4 innings, in fact it was a perfect game for most of that. Then we got to the 5th inning with Japan up 1-0 Shoo-Shin Choo stepped to the plate.
All night long I was spending more time under the stands hoping for a HR that just cleared the fence. I have seen many lefties hit home runs towards the 315 stairwell and I headed over there. 
As you see in the picture on the left are the stairs that go up to section 315 and the wall and railing in front. To the left out of camera shot there is a TV monitor that you can see what is going on in the game on. I watch that and listen for the crowd as well. Shoo-Shin Choo came up and hit a HR that hit just past the stairs in the photo. For some reason when a ball is hit and clears the fence then hits the ground here it bounces straight up most of the time. Choos HR did the same. It bounced straight up and hit the metal trough that holds TV wires. As I was moving towards it a little body came down the stairs. Had it been anyone else I might have thrown a forearm or body check and grabbed the ball. Actually this kid played it perfect coming down the stairs at the perfect time as the ball was making its bounce up off the ground after hitting the metal trough above. He got the glove under it and the hand on top and was gone back up the stairs.
I think I screamed and yelled for rest of the game. I was literally less than a foot away from the ball! DAMN DAMN DAMN!! Even now I am still frustrated. How much better can I play this guy! I mean I went there because I just had that gut feeling that a HR was coming. I was certain when he hit the ball it was going out and I was right there! UGH!!
Here is a photo of the THIEF and the Dodger Stadium Security that did NOTHING to keep this kid from standing on the stairs ALL NIGHT LONG!! Had he been in a seat even if it was in the first row that ball was MINE!!!
Dodger Stadium security is usually horrible anyway, they are always quick to throw people out for being fans of the visiting team and in the pavilion they act as if they are the Riot police with lousy atitudes because they really hate their jobs. Oh well, it will be much better when game HR #100 is a ball that some Dodger player wants back I and simply tell them NO!
Really, I swear, I am not bitter at all! Next time though Ms. Security supervisor …… DO YOUR JOB!!! The rest of the game was great with a 9th inning run to tie the game and then Japan winning in the 10th on Ichiro’s double!
Here is one last photo for those of you that have not been to Dodger Stadium that shows the space between the wall and the seats from a different angle. If you play it right during BP or the games you can occasionally get quite a few baseballs!
5 WBC balls in 2 games at Dodger Stadium and 1 WBC at the Petco Workout day
6 Balls Total - 4 hit/caught – 1 thrown – 1 found
WBC – Saturday semi-finals
Saturday was the first official game to “Ballhawk” at for the 2009 season. While the balls caught during BP go under the spring training list on the career if a home run is caught during these games I would count it as a game HR since the games are sanctioned by MLB.
Saturday started off great. I got to the stadium around 3pm to find that the parking lot gate where I was would not be open until 4 or so the guard told me. I decided to walk around to the parking lot gate that I usually go in when driving. When I got there it was wide open and I walked down to the stadium. When I got to the stadium gates they were just about to open and it was only 3:30. I have to say I was pretty excited about that! Only 9 people in line so it was going to be a good day or at least I hoped it would be.
When the gates opened I walked in and went straight to the first staircase near centerfield since everyone else went the other way. I walked up the stairs and in the first row I found ball #1 of the day. It was a WBC ball that was a little scuffed and had a fairly readable lable.
Venezuela was on the field and I was in the aisle of section 307. Miguel Cabrera came up and hit a ball that I was sure would just make it over the wall. I went down the aisle about 3 steps and made the right hand turn going down the steps to the gap between the wall and the seats. As I got down there I watched the ball every step of the way. It just cleared the fence and then with a basket catch I caught the ball just in front of the railing that keeps people away from the wall. That was my 2nd ball of the day.
My 3rd ball came on a ground rule double bounce during BP off the bat of a Korean right handed batter. I am not sure who it was. Both balls #2 and #3 were also WBC balls and were in similar condition to ball #1.
No pictures for tonights game because someone not only forgot their camera but had a dying battery on a cell phone as well so he saved it for twittering.
That’s it for Saturday night …………. Mondays Championship Fiasco is up next!
World Baseball Classic Championship Ticket Package & “Ballhawking 101″
For those of you that are new to my MLBlog ……..WELCOME!!
I have put together a package that includes tickets to the World Baseball Classic Championship game and a day of fun for you as a “Ballhawking 101″ client!
Over the past few years I have received numerous emails from fans wanting to go to a baseball game with me so that I can help them with getting autographs, catching baseballs and acquiring their very own “Piece of the Game”. In fact I received so many emails that I even published my first book called “Taking Home A Piece Of The Game”
I started taking fans to games and showing them the in’s and out’s of Ballhawking and autograph chasing in 2007. To begin the 2009 season I have now put together a great package for the World Baseball Classic Championship game!
The package includes:
Your ticket to the World Baseball Classic Championship Game at Dodger Stadium on Monday March 23, 2009
Your Ballhawking 101 fee
A copy of the Revised Edition of my book “Taking Home A Piece Of The Game” personally autographed by me
A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE on the Ballhawking 101 fee if one of us does not grab a baseball at the WBC Championship game!
On the day of the game we will pick a place to meet up and head over to Dodger Stadium. If you are interested in getting autographs we can possibly meet up ahead of time and go to the hotel where the teams are staying early in the day. Once we get into Dodger Stadium I will share my expertise with you on how to go about getting as many baseballs you can during batting practice!
Once batting practice is over we will work our plan of attach for the game. This is where we check out the line ups and figure what areas in the Left Field Pavilion are good and will give us a shot at a Home Run ball during the game!
During the 2006 World Baseball Classic at Angels Stadium I caught a Miguel Ojeda Home Run so it is definitely possible to pick the right spot!
There is only 1 of these packages available the cost of this SPECIAL WBC Championship game package is $449!
For more information or to purchase the package please email me at ballhawk09@gmail.com
This Week In Ballhawk History – First Dodger Stadium game and Game HR
On August 31, 1987 I went to Dodger Stadium for the very first time. The Dodgers were playing the Phillies that night and of course that meant Mike Schmidt was in the lineup. After an uneventful 7 innings my brother and I decided that it was about time to leave. I saw that Schmidt was coming up in the top of the 8th so I told my brother to go ahead and I would catch up with him right after Schmidt hit.
8/13/08 Dodger Stadium – 5 balls and a lot of fun!
It looked as if I was not going to make any game at all on Wednesday night. Both the Angels and Dodgers were in town. At the last minute the decision was made to go to the Dodgers game and to sit in the ALL YOU CAN EAT PAVILION in Right Field.
We pulled into the parking lot at 5:30 which was alread 20 minutes after the gates opened. We walked into Autograph Alley (centerfield) as we got up to the stadium because the gates for RF do not open until 5:40. Jimmy Campanis was signing autographs and you can also walk out onto the warning track in Center Field during BP.
5:40 hit and we headed off to the AYCEP and up to the seats. I was standing on the aisle right off of Section 308. After having a few balls sail over my head hit by Chase Utley and another Phillie, possibly Greg Dobbs, Ryan Howard stepped in the cage. Howard then hits a towering drive right towards me. I step back a row and made the catch.(ball #1)
I have to admit I was nervous about this because I am back to using my $12 Wal-Mart special glove. The Wilson A200, yes A200, not A2000! My glove is the cheap plastic version of that but ya know what, IT WORKS!!
Shortly after that Geoff Jenkins was shagging out in right field and tossed a ball up into the stands. It bounced off of about 5 sets of hands and hit the first row where I was waiting for it and picked it up! (ball #2)
Shortly after I grab this one some out of shape overweight wannabe softball player comes over and stands right next to me telling me that I have gotten enough and that I should give the balls to kids etc. Ok so I am not in the greatest shape and I too am/was a wannabe softball player but at least I bring a glove to the game so I can catch a ball!
Chase Utley stepped in for his last couple of swings and hits one right at me and Mr. Softball. He is just to my left as we stand in the stairwell. Thankfully the ball was hit just to my right and far enough to where I could reach for it and he was not going to have a chance at it unless he grabbed my arm or something crazy like that. As the ball came down he stuck his hand in front of my face and across my body. I stuck out my Wal-Mart special and the ball went past his bare hand and right into my glove. (Ball #3) If Mr. Softball had a glove with him he might have actually been able to make the catch.
#1 rule of Ballhawking: ALWAYS BRING A GLOVE!!
Right after I caught my 3rd ball of the day he proclaimed that I would not get another ball and then he proceeded to stand almost right in the middle of the aisle blocking the staircase. The best part of it was that the last group of the Phillies were all right handed and there wasn’t a ball hit out to RF. However I knew that there was going to be at least one more chance for a baseball.
Phillies coach Gregg Legg (great name) was another person that was patrolling right field during BP. There was a group of people that kept yelling at him for a ball. Even I jumped into yelling, “Hey Legg let’s see that Arm!!” Ok so that really wasn’t as funny as I thought. Anyway, a ball was hit towards Legg and I was 99% sure that he would throw it up to the group of people just to my left. The only problem, MR. SOFTBALL, was right in the way of the open row to get to it. No problem though, I saw the group of people and figured that most likely it was going to bounce off of their hands and fall to the concourse below. So I went around MR. Softball and down the stairs as if I was going to the bathroom. Just as I got down the stairs the ball fell from above and right into my glove.(ball #4) OH was Mr. Softball mad, if he was only as smart as a Ballhawk!!
Shortly after that Batting practice was I headed off to the concessions area for the ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET!!
It is simply a great deal, especially when you get a promotion code that reduces the tickets from $40 plus ticketmaster fees all the way down to $25.25 which includes the TM fees. On the menu in the AYCEP was Dodger Dogs, Peanuts, Popcorn, Nachos, Soda and Water. It may not seem like a lot but it is still well worth the price.
So now I have had my first and even a second fill of food and I am ready for the game. As the Dodgers come out to take the field in the first inning I head down towards the same spot that I was during batting practice. Every half inning the Dodger outfielders throw up the balls after they are done warming up. Andre Either in RF and Matt Kemp in CF will switch off during the game taking turns tossing the ball up. Andre Eithier was first and there I was standing right in the aisle with my glove in the air. Eithier looked right at me and launched the ball in my direction. As it got closer I realized that it was going to be a little bit high. I ended up having to jump for, yes I actually got off the ground, and made the catch.(ball #5)
And now onto the game, in the first inning the Phillies Ryan Howard homered to left field and the Gregg Dobbs homered to right. In fact the Dobbs home run went to the gap between the wall and the seats. If we had not moved up to the big aisle and stayed in the front row where we were the entire time during BP most likely I would have retrieved Dobbs’ home run.
The games goes into the 3rd inning and up comes Manny. I head down underneath the Pavilion seats to a place where I think Manny could hit an opposite field HR. The picture here shows the view of the gap between the seats and the wall. It also shows where I was and were Manny’s home run hit.
As the ball went up I thought I might be in pretty good shape. As you see on the replay and in the other picture as the ball comes down my head pops up as I climb over the railing to go after the ball. If the ball stays in the gap between the stairs and the wall it’s mine, I am positive of that as I was the first person there. Way back in 1987 at my first Dodger game I was in the Left Field pavilion and picked up a Mike Schmidt HR that someone misplayed. It fell in the gap right in front of me.
Anyway back to Manny’s home run, as I hop the railing I see the ball bounce off the railing going up the stairs, hit the concrete walkway and go right back out onto the field. As I go up the next staircase to try and get it as they toss it into the stands I see it go towards the staircase it hit off of. A lady about to go up the stairs carrying 3 or 4 beers got a great surprise in her tray as the ball landed right in it.
Yes it was a little frustrating knowing that I was so close to my 100th career game home run and a little ironic that in a past post I mention how it would be cool for that HR to be hit by Manny.
At least I know that I am still pretty good at figuring out where some of these guys can hit home runs. There really is a little more than luck when it comes to getting baseballs!
The game was pretty exciting, the Phillies were up 6-1 at one point and the Dodgers chipped away capping it off with a Nomar Garciaparra home run in the 9th. After the game we went out to see if we could get some Phillies autographs. We saw a few of the players come out however none of them were really in the mood to sign seeing as how they blew 2 games in 2 nights in the 9th inning. The one person that did stop to talk and sign was Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. Here is a picture that I had taken of myself with Mr. Kalas. The really cool thing, he is from Chicago too!
It was definitely a great night at Dodgers Stadium and good to finally have a night where I felt like I was back in form. I am pretty sure that game home run #100 is going to happen soon!
Tonights Totals:
5 Balls
4 Nachos
7 Cokes
2 Bags of Popcorn
1 Bottle of Water
1 Harry Kalas photo & autograph
Remember you can always email me at MLBallhawk@gmail.com
Go to a game with Major League Ballhawk, John Witt!
For just $100* you can spend a day with me at a game at Dodger Stadium or Angels Stadium of Anaheim.
We will hang out and get autographs and I will give you a crash course in becoming a “Ballhawk”.
You provide the tickets for us to get into the game and I will provide the most entertaining day of fun you might ever have at a baseball game!
Best of all I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee. If you don’t go home with a ball that either you caught or I caught I will give you the entire $100* back!!
*$100 is for per “Ballhawk”. For additional “Ballhawks” please add $35 for each additional person in your party.
For Yankees or Red Sox games please add $50 to the base price and additional ”Ballhawks” are $50 as well.
Frequently Ask Questions
$100 – Are you crazy??
Actually that is very reasonable! Although I haven’t written a book on getting baseballs I am still an EXPERT and Professional Ballhawk. That along with the fact that we will spend around 5-6 hours together plus my time to get to the ballpark and the cost of gas I feel that is more than a fair price. Throw in the fact that I GUARANTEE that you WILL go home a baseball, possibly some autographs and you will have a great time at the game and I think you are getting a great deal!
How Do I pay for my day at the Ballpark with you?
You can pay via GOOGLE CHECKOUT or by money order. I do require that you pay for your outing the day that you book it. If your game is rained out or canceled
for any reason we will simply reschedule it. If something comes up and you have to cancel all together I will simply refund your money!
Can you Guarantee that I will get a baseball?
Absolutely! As long as we meet before the gates to the ballpark open and there is in fact batting practice taking place you will have a
100% money back guarantee! I can not guarantee getting a baseball without batting practice, sorry! So basically if you or your guest(s)
do not catch a baseball and for some reason I do not catch a baseball to give to you then I will give you that full 100% refund!
**It has not happened yet**
What if we don’t have tickets?
If you do not have tickets then I can get them for us. One of the typical “Ballhawk” tricks is get the cheapest ticket available and then sneak down into a better location. This is the route we will use unless you want to me purchase premium tickets which would guarantee us a seat in a specific location. For those of you that want to watch the game as much as having a chance at getting a Home Run Ball or a Foul Ball during the game I would suggest letting me buy the tickets! I will find the best seats available for us and you will simply need to pick up the cost.
A $100 ticket deposit must be paid in advance along with your “Ballhawking” fee. This is simply to protect me from a cancellation and loss of money for the tickets. If you cancel 7 days in advance all money would be return. If it is less than 7 days before I will take out the cost of the tickets from your ticket deposit.
What would you charge to go to a game in another city?
It would be the same fees for a game in Anaheim or LA however I do require you to cover my transportation to and from your city of choice
as well as lodging for the time that I am there. You will also need to provide tickets for the games!
If you have any questions or to schedule your Day at the Ballpark with John please email mlballhawk@gmail.com
Here are some of the articles from the past for those of you that want to know a little more about my hobby/obsession!
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