Results tagged ‘ Yankees ’

Update on “The Kid” Jake Shuster

So after I wrote the story about lil’ Jake Shuster and his awesome home run catch I emailed several contacts with the Rays and even a couple with the Yankees. Why? I did this because I thought maybe someone in either organization would think it was as cool as all of us did and help us get him to one of the Yankees / Rays games this week.

I was really hopeful that one of the emails that went to the Rays would stir up just a little interest in getting him to one of the games at Yankees stadium so he could meet Brad Hawpe and get the ball signed. I figured there would be no response to from the Yankees as they had nothing really to do with it at all.
So with no responses from anyone to my attempts I gave his mom Stacie some contacts and some info. She either called or emailed the Yankees and while they didn’t offer to set up a meeting or anything they did send him a fan pack with some pretty cool stuff.
Jake’s mom sent me a message telling me about the package just after it arrived and Jake was really surprised and very happy! This may be a first for me but to say something good about the Yankees, that is a pretty classy thing the Yankees did!
So if anyone from the RAYS reads this ……… let’s hook this kid up with tickets to the game on Wed or Thurs and get him to meet Brad Hawpe! 

ALCS Game 5 – Angel Stadium – 1 Ball

Knowing that this was likely the last game that we were going to see in Anaheim actually made the afternoon more fun. Rob, TC and a few other regulars were out in right field for out final BP of the season. We all had a good time running after baseballs. Every time a ball went into the corner where I usually stand I would count it and tell everyone I just got another one!

It was all in good fun! At one point Rob said that he wasn’t going home empty handed. In fact if he had to he was going to rush the Angels locker room and steal a ball if he had to.

Ok so I only ended up with 1 baseball and I don’t even know who hit it but the last day of the season is always fun! With the 1 ball today I end the season with 91 balls caught. 

The great thing is that early next season I will be hitting a few different milestones. I will talk more about those later. Right now I have to get ready for another exciting day at work!

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ALCS Game 3 – Angels Stadium

Yes even though it was a day game they did take batting practice however for me it was totally uneventful and crowded. Since I did not ask for any baseballs I went home empty handed!

There were only a handful of balls hit into the right field stands today!

Here are some photos from the game!

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9-22-09 Yankees vs. Angels – 1 Ball – A few autographs

This won’t be a long post but Tuesday night was a lot of fun!

I got to the ballpark around 1:15 in the afternoon. Instead of going after Yankee autographs right away I decided to go and get some Angels autographs. It was pretty uneventful until about 3:15 when Torii Hunter drove up. Let me just say that Torii is the class of the organization and possible the entire league. Every time I have been out there that Torii signs he always has a smile on his face, he is always fun and talkative with whoever is out there and you can just tell he loves this game! THANK YOU TORII for being such an awesome ballplayer but more important being an excellent role model for the kids that watch you play!

Here is the ball that I had Torii sign:DSCF1423.JPG

About 15 minutes later Bobby Abreu stopped by and signed a few autographs for the 4 or 5 of us that were waiting by the Angels players parking lot. I had Bobby sign an old game ball from earlier in the season.

Then it was around to the front of the stadium once all of the Angels players were in. It was now around 4pm and basically all of the players were in the park. We did see the final Yankees team bus go around back a little after 4. Then about 4:20 (yes I said it) MR. OCTOBER pulled up. As he walked up to the main gate he signed some autographs while telling everyone to shut up. Partially because he was talking on his hands free device for his cell phone. It was actually more likely because he didn’t want to hear the guys saying “Please Mr. Jackson it’s for my kid” YEAH RIGHT it is for you and will be on Ebay next week!

Anyway, here is the ball that I got signed by R-E-G-G-I-E!

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That was it for autographs before the game it was now time to head into the stadium. The usual cast of characters was in line Rob, Chris, myself and a few other regular Ballhawks.

I went into the right field corner for the end of Angels BP and there was only 2 balls hit down there. One took a hop off a seat and away from me and the other wasn’t close. I headed up to the right field pavilion for the Yankees. Yankees BP is always tough because of the amount of people out there. However I know that I will get a ball regardless.

I just had to be patient and find the right spot. I stood along the wall in a spot where I have seen many balls hit by the Yanks in the past. While I was standing in this spot I watched a shot hit down the right field line. I believe it might have been Robinson Cano that hit it.

Anyway, this shot went into the first row of the stands. There wwas a Yankees player signing autographs nearby and most of the fans were not paying attention. ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO BP!

The ball nailed a fan in the head just above the eye opening a big gash and blood everywhere! The fan fell to the ground and players, fans and ushers began waving arms and hats to get help there. It took the EMTs on site almost 10 minutes to get there. In the meantime the Yankees players (yes the hated Yankees) brought over towels and ice to the people attending to the fan while they waited for EMT’s.

About 25 minutes after getting hit the fan was taken out on a stretcher. I belive at least that part of it might be on You Tube somewhere. It was definitely a scarey sight since we heard the ball hitting the fan about 120 feet away from it!

A little later in the group Nick Swisher stepped in and hit a ball right at me. I had to stretch out as far as I could to get in front of the other 6 or 7 gloves and hands but I did and it was in my glove! This would be BALL#1 and the only ball I would snag that night!

The game was exciting with the Angels making a comeback from a 5-0 deficit and then losing 6-5 in the end. After the game I hung around to get some more autographs. I got a handful of Yankees on a ball that already had Mark Gardener and Robinson Cano. The players I got tonight were Ian Kennedy, Shelley Duncan Jose Molina and a couple others.

So it was a good night for autographs and as long as I get one ball I am happy!

 

Upcoming Games

It is likely that I will be in Anaheim on Tuesday for the Yankees vs. Angels. I don’t really care much about going to games when the Yankees are in town however in the past 2 years I still haven’t had the luck of chasing down a commemorative Yankees ball. It gets frustrating because of all the bandwagoners that come out when the Yankees and Red Sox come to town.

Do I mind the competition? Not at all because I know I will still get my 2 or 3 baseballs regardless of the size of the crowd. The down side is that you have to line up at the gate 45 minutes to an hour early to get in the park. Well that is unless you know ways around that ;-)

After Tuesday’s game it is likely that I will hit Saturdays game vs Oakland as well. I am also going to bring some info on Baseballs 4 MADD for Kurt Suzuki. Saturday is also a likely clincher for the Angels as well.

After that it looks like I will make 2 games next week likely Tuesday and Thursday since Thursday is the last regular season game in Anaheim. That will be it until the playoffs the following week. I already have Dodger tickets for all of the games and will hopefully get Angel tickets as well early next week.

If you are looking for Dodgers Playoff tickets for NLDS games 1 or 2 check out my website http://mlballhawk.com

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