Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

[xpress34]

Re: Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

xpress34 - I will be coming to Denver this year, hoping to score ONE commemorative baseball to put in my mancave. Please, do not fear, I will not be kicking your glove or taking your space away, but if you are at the game, I'd definitely like to stop and say hi! (Plus, I haven't seen Cuddy in nearly 2 years; us Minnesotans miss him.)

Tony -

Drop me a PM with your eMail and let me know when you'll be in Denver. Even if you don't catch a ball at BP or during a game, the Game Used area does sell GU balls from the games.

-Smitty

[tony433433]

Re: Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

You, sir, are NOT a ballhawk.

You are just like the rest of us who happened to love the feeling of catching a baseball during BP - which is the only reason why anyone would show up 2 hours prior to first pitch. If the baseball is within your five-foot vicinity, then it is all fair game. But if you have to do a 50 meter dash and could care less who surrounding you, then that is another story.

I have met plenty of fans who caught BP baseballs and gave them to family with toddlers. Their reaction of receiving a baseball is priceless. There is NO entitlement in the kids' eyes when you hand them the ball. But on the other hands, there are parents who shout everything under the sun at the players for a baseball, and when the players reject the notion -- here comes obscenity!



And for people who think I am envy/jealous/etc -- why would I want to be OCD/ADD just to catch thousands of USELESS baseballs? And yes they ARE useless in the eyes of the GAME USED universe.

I couldn't agree more, the baseballs caught in BP are useless in the eyes of the Game Used community. But is Zack actually selling these BP balls or even his game HR catches? It's his prerogative to go out and catch all these balls if he wants to; if he starts to get violent or pull unethical shenanigans, then I think we can all have a problem.

I know that this is only one side of the story, but here is Zack's opinion on what happened that night:

http://zackhample.mlblogs.com/2013/04/20/41813-at-yankee-stadium/

As for jealous? Heck yes I'm jealous of Zack. I am not jealous of his ball count, but I am jealous of the fact that he is being sponsored and flown to every major league stadium this year sounds like a dream "job" (if you can even call it a job). Oh well, in a few decades I hope to accomplish the "every stadium" feat.

[marino13]

Re: Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

The picture of Zack and Didi holding onto the baseball, is the same picture on the wall inside Yankee stadium's security office.

It is true when people say "There is no bad thing as bad publicity".

But in this case, "a simple act of returning the item to rightful owner, is NOT what it is crack up to be."

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

I've only met Mr Hample once - at Coors Field a couple of years ago - but he was 'hobbled' at the time... I believe he was in a walking boot.

That said, I did not get to witness his 'antics' firsthand, but I have witnessed them from other so called 'ballhawks'.

One 'ballhawk' in Denver actually kicked my glove when a ball landed in front of me and I covered it as I was leaning down to pick it up. He admitted he was trying to kick it loose because I did not have 'control' of the ball. He's a guy I know too - when I stood up, I politely told him that if he touches me again trying to pursue a ball - or to knock a ball away from me - it will be the last time he uses that appendage for the foreseeable future.

If I was in the presence of Mr Hample 'bearing down' on me in pursuit of a ball, it would not 'almost' come to blows - I would drop him like I would anyone else who has no apparent concern for anyone's safety as he runs like a fool into me.

I do not get into scrums for balls, fight for balls, etc. If they are coming to me, all I expect is a fair chance to catch it cleanly,then it's up for grabs if I miss it - as long as you aren't trying to climb or crawl over me to get to it.

My only 'almost came to blows' instance was last year at Coors Field. Not even a hit ball which makes it worse. I was behind the visitors dugout trying to get Big Mac to sign a book. He couldn't because of the crowd and he offers to throw up a ball to me. Everyone moves, he throws the ball and a douchbag to my left steps towards me and reaches over with his glove and snags the ball. He didn't touch me, just stole a ball that Mac intended for me... I had a few choice words with him before i was warned about my language by Coors Field usher who said nothing about his actions. I then turned towards him and told him he should run and he didn't want to be there for me to repeat myself. He took my advice. Mac made it up the next day by signing multiple items for me.

It happens outside Wrigley Field, too...one very into himself ballhawk actually ran into a guy riding his bike on Waveland Avenue at full speed (him, not the bike) pursuing a BP home run.

Dave M.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Zach Hample and your croonies of ballhawk....

Those posters who are not Zack Hample or ballhawk fans in general may be amused (or nauseated) that he was a phone guest on one ESPN show multiple times about 10 years ago.

I don't remember the host's name, but he called himself the Sports Doctor and had a early/mid 2000s weekend overnight show on ESPN radio. He'd invite Hample on as a guest 3 or 4 times a year.