I have 2 (Game) Balls

A few HR came near me but none were to be mine. After hundreds of baseball games in my life ya think one would bounce my way, but sadly no… SO FAR!

after 100’s of games attended. Gotten dozens of BP baseballs, though.

I did get one of those t-shirts the strike force girls shoot out though.

my Uncle gave me 4 seats behind home plate for my birthday. After the game we stayed and hung out. We then got up and started walking back to the diamond club and Hudler was looking out of his broadcast window. So I proceeded to yell at him to toss me his ball that he is always tossing during the game. Well he then dropped out of his window and it landed by the tables in the diamond club and I ran after it (knocked over a couple tables getting to it) and picked it up. I was excited and then security told me to give it back but I then ran! Woot and had my first and only game ball.

August 1999. Foul ball versus Cleveland.
One handed.

Mine came off the bat of Lloyd Moseby of the Blue Jays. My dad and I were sitting along the 3rd base side when a high pop foul came our way. It hit in the row in front of us a couple seats away, and landed in an empty seat. I asked my dad if he was going for it and he said, “I was until you knocked me down”. I was probably in my late twenties, so that made my dad in his sixties. Lucky he didn’t break a hip or something.

Sitting way out near the RF foul pole one afternoon. Wally Joyner pulled one that came right to me. It was weird, all those people and it came right at me. Hit my right palm, bounced off my forehead and ended up in the hands of the guy behind me. I felt like a ’tard.

But I have given two away to nearby kids with gloves as an adult, as I can’t stand to watch grown ups keep them.

couple of years ago at Spring Training I had one come right at me out in the bleachers while I was double fisting a couple of chrome bottles and it ended up hitting the woman directly in front of me in the shoulder. I initially felt guilty for not moving and letting it hit her, but she turned around and actually gave me a dirty look for not making the attempt. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders cuz its simple math for me, two beers > baseball.

1. Angel Stadium: My dad and I (I was 12) were in the Row J, Section 120. It was the last game that Tim Salmon played as an Angel. Salmon came up (I believe it was the fifth inning) and fouled a pitch right back, straight over the screen. I caught it in between the hands of a drunk guy in front of me. (Earlier in the game, he had tried to steal the ball I had caught during batting practice.)

2. RFK Stadium: We went to a Nationals-Phillies game in D.C. in 2007. My parents had to go to D.C. for the “American Dental Association’s Annual Convention”. They decided we could go to a game while there. Luckily, there were only 10,000 people at the game that day, so we actually got to pick our seats. We were the only people in one of the sections behind home plate. Aaron Rowand fouled a ball back (virtually same as Salmon’s) and I caught it in my glove once again.

just have a bunch of official minor league game balls from quakes games

I have been to a zillion a games, and sit on the first base side wher foul balls could go. Many come close but no where close enough to where I could catch them.

I tip my cap to you lucky souls that have gotten one. Unless you are Steve Bartman, that seems like a curse

But this is an awesome story nonetheless. Not involving me, though.—Stop me if I’ve already told it!

My friend’s dad’s company has tickets about 8-12 rows up from the Angels dugout. My friend’s brother and his friend who was a girl (not g/f) are at a game together a few years ago. They’re both about 16.

John Lackey is not starting that day, but he’s standing on the top of the dugout steps. Every now and then, he looks back at the crowd. In maybe the third inning, he looks at the crowd, pauses for a second, and the girl turns to my friend’s brother and goes “Oh my gosh, I swear he just looked RIGHT AT ME.” They shrug it off, but Lackey goes back into the dugout.

About a couple of innings later—the fifth, I think—Lackey re-emerges. He has a ball with him. He turns around and scans the crowd for a bit, making like he’s going to throw the ball to someone. The crowd clamors for the ball.

John reaches back, tosses the ball—DIRECTLY to the girl.

She turns it over.

There’s Lackey’s phone number on it.

but a friend I grew up with once got a foul ball at a Red Sox game. For some it always looked and felt smaller to us than other baseballs. Maybe subconsciously we always felt it HAD to be different in some way. That or it was before they started juicing the ball!

but he certainly didn’t seem to have a problem with it!

but it’s gonna happen, dang it.

The first was in San Diego at the old Jack Murphy Stadium. Giants v. Padres in either 1985 or 1986. A foul ball off the bat of Jeffrey Leonard down the right field line goes right over me and my brothers head to the guys sitting behind us (we were 11 and 10 at the time). Seeing how excited we were, they end up giving us the ball. I guess we really didn’t catch it, but we did end up with it.
The second ball was given to my sister when we went to an Angels v. Yankees game in New York back in 2001. Darin Erstad tossed it to us as he was heading into the dugout after warming up before the game. I ended up getting Tim Salmon and Eckstein to sign the ball too. Cool stuff.
I have also caught a couple of BP balls while out in left field of Dodger stadium, back when they had Piazza and Karros. Those dudes could MASH. I still remember a ball hit by Piazza went so high, and yet so far and was going WAY too fast to try and catch with out a glove (had to chase it down). My roommate at the time caught one ball during BP that hit the top of the wall and bounced directly to him. Classic.

was how I got my first game ball. I was twelve. Little League ruled.

No other game balls at games I was attending. I was visiting DC this summer and went to a Nats vs Rangers game. I forget who, but a Ranger hit a homer in to my section. I got a hold of it and tossed it back onto the field. Everyone around me was really bummed.

I guess the Nats don’t really have die-hard fans yet.

When I was about 10 years old my dad and I went to the ballpark and sat in the upper deck a little left of homeplate. Just as we got our food a batter pops one up right to our seats. I was a little too distracted by my food and missed the entire thing until the ball bounced off my head and travelled back down to the lower deck. Being 10 I burst out in tears but now it’s kinda funny

And I’ve been to Angel Stadium so many games in my life. However, I do know that feeling that you get when you see it coming toward you.

I was at the game in ’07 where Anderson got 10 RBIs and I was sitting in the front row right next to the bullpen near the rock pile. I brought my glove this time because I knew that homerun balls have landed in the seats we got tickets for. So its about the 9th inning and because of Anderson the Angels were smoking the Yanks. Most Yankee fans already left while us Angel fans were enjoying the embarrassment.

So I’m sitting there and A-rod comes up who had already hit a homerun in that game. A pitch or two in and he hit a drive, I saw it come towards my direction. I stood up ready and excited to catch my first ball and that’s when the wind took it. The ball quickly curved into the bullpen. It was pretty sad, but I did get a taste of what it would be like to have caught that ball and that was really cool. It still would have been awesome to have caught it though.

Oh and I was lucky enough just to be at the game. One of the best games I’ve ever seen.

And I’ve been to Angel Stadium so many games in my life. However, I do know that feeling that you get when you see it coming toward you.

I was at the game in ’07 where Anderson got 10 RBIs and I was sitting in the front row right next to the bullpen near the rock pile. I brought my glove this time because I knew that homerun balls have landed in the seats we got tickets for. So its about the 9th inning and because of Anderson the Angels were smoking the Yanks. Most Yankee fans already left while us Angel fans were enjoying the embarrassment.

So I’m sitting there and A-rod comes up who had already hit a homerun in that game. A pitch or two in and he hit a drive, I saw it come towards my direction. I stood up ready and excited to catch my first ball and that’s when the wind took it. The ball quickly curved into the bullpen. It was pretty sad, but I did get a taste of what it would be like to have caught that ball and that was really cool. It still would have been awesome to have caught it though.

Oh and I was lucky enough just to be at the game. One of the best games I’ve ever seen.

Mid-June, I think.

Foul ball comes up our way, and a guy across the aisle catches it. He magnanimously gives to a boy with Downs Syndrome sitting near us, who’s been talking all game about getting one—we and the crowd around us burst into applause…or a classic studio-audience “awwww.” Anyway it was pretty cool.

sitting 2 sections up the 3rd base line from the dugout, i caught a foul ball off the bat of some texas rangers catcher.. and of course, as soon as i got home from the game, i watched the replay on fsn, and blam! i was on tv! woot. lol..

1. when I was about ten I was sitting in the first row behind home dugout. I got my glove on and I am paying attention. A very, very high pop fly is hit over the home dugout. Instincts kick in and I stand up and spread my arms and call out, very loud “I got it!” I wait and wait and wait and when the balls finally comes down, the Angels 3B (Tom Satriano?) snags the ball at the threshold of the dugout. Does he flip to me, the cute kid standing there looking totally embarrassed for mis-judging the ball so badly? Nope. I still carry the shame.

2. I have told this one before, so I will be brief. My oldest brother was at Dodgers Stadium in the bleachers during an World Series game against the Yankees. It’s late and he leaves his party to make the final beer run. While he was standing in line, he watches on the monitor as Reggie Jackson hits a home run and the ball lands in his empty seat! His pal was a weenie, and flinched away from the incoming ball. The guy sitting in the row right behind the empty seat reaches over to picks up the idle baseball. A World Series Reggie Jackson home run ball. I hope the beer was worth it.

against the Orioles. Brian Roberts was batting left handed. He fouled a pitch down the 3rd base line. I knew it was going to be close, but….

…the ball hit off of the hands of the guy one seat behind and one seat to my left (closer to the outfield)…and literally dropped into my hands.

Now this was my 51st birthday. I thought about it for a moment. I thought it was great that I finally got a foul ball at a game! But I also thought I hadn’t “earned” it (the hands of the guy behind me were hurting). So…I gave him the ball. He was so surprised and grateful. His GF was even more grateful. Well, that’s the story…

I paid for a buddy to come with my GF and I and he promised that if he got a ball he’d give it to me. Foul ball down the firstbase side and everyone in my section was awestruck with a ball that was incoming. Out of nowhere -someone dives in front of an elderly couple and wrestles the ball away away from their blue-haired asses. It was my buddy…still got the ball to this day.

Also, John Lackey was giving the eyes to my lady-friend, so I made her get an autograph from the big Texan. Couldn’t figure out if I was offended, or flattered that he wanted to break off a piece with my girl.

I want to catch one so bad. Not keep it, I’m too old for that now, but catching one would be awesome.

Sitting out in the ol’ family section… He blasted one… Hit the corner of a seat about 40 yards away and bounced right into my pops hands… It was cool seeing my pops (who had had a huge beard, and hippy hair) on the jumbo screen dancing around.

We got it autographed after the game… When we told him that it was his HR ball, he said he wished he had some…

I have probably 30 BP balls…. Got 5 in one day… (3 me and 2 from pops)… plus a Bobby Bonilla 89 All Star work out HR.

The first came in 1984 in our original seats (Aisle 27, Row E, Seats 5,6,7,and 8*) off the bat of Gary Pettis. It was in May, and Pettis swung for the fences (as usual) but managed a lazy fly ball into the 5th row.
The second came June 18, 2005 against the Marlins, and came off the bat of Carlos Delgado. This game went extra innings and was a great pitching matchup between Lackey and Dontrelle Willis. Vlad supplied all the offense, with a solo shot to tie it in the 8th and another solo shot in the 10th to win it.

The 2 that I missed:

Both came off the bat of Mark Grace while attending a Cubs-Braves game in 1990. During the same at bat he hit two right at me, but thanks to the Pabst-infused folks at Wrigley that afternoon, they decided to tackle a 16/17 year old kid (me) mere seconds before the ball would have been caught. After the 2 melees, I was removed by security as I was bleeding from both knees, hands, elbows, and forehead. The Cubs were blowing them out and these foul balls were hit in the 8th inning. When I was taken to security they asked to see my ticket stub as they were going to remove me for sitting n the wrog seat. He was pretty angry with me until he realized I was in the right seat, to which he said, “usually by this time these seats have been vacated” and then I was taken to first aid.