Finally. While Opening Day was a spectacular way to start the season, what with the temperature in the 70’s and the demolition of Kansas City, my luck since then hasn’t been so hot. First there was the game that was snowed out against the Twins. Then a couple of one-run losses to the Red Sox, then a Friday night game against the Angels that was thunderstormed out and featured this ominous warning “All fans located in the upper decks are instructed to seek shelter in the lower deck.” Then last night, it all came together. I had great seats, they were about 25 rows up from the Rangers dugout between home and first, the weather was beautiful, Jeremy Bonderman was on the mound, and a kid from AA was making his major league debut for the Tigers.
As for the game itself, both pitchers started off strong. They were both consistently in the strike zone, and it hardly seemed that either pitcher went to a 3-2 count (the game ended without any walks for either team). After Kevin Mench and Hank Blalock gave Texas a 3-0 lead in the 4th inning, Dmitri Young answered with a shot that can only be described as majestic. It was a 447 foot blast to right center, that for a time looked like it had a chance to actually clear the bleachers and reach the concourse.
The fifth inning starts off with a Richard Hidalgo home run, but that was just to set up an awesome strike out by Michael Young. Well, maybe that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but let me explain. With Michael Young up to bat, he hit a foul pop up. This foul pop up carries well over our heads and hits the facing of the third deck. I tip my head back to take a look and I pick up the ball. I’m watching it and realize that the ball is coming right back. You know how athlete’s talk about being in “the zone” and how when everything is going well things seem to slow down? Well, I think I was in the foul ball “zone.” The crowd seemed to get really quiet, and as the ball slowly dropped towards me, I could even see the backspin on it. After what seemed like a long time – and was actually probably about 2 seconds – I reached up without even leaving my seat and felt the ball cradle into my hands. My first foul ball. I received a nice little localized acknowledgement from the folks sitting around us, and then I think some stuff happenned in the game but I’m not really sure because I was busy holding my new prize.
The Tigers then began a comeback where everybody participated, even “the kids” (Shelton, Giarratano, Nook). They knocked Ryan Drese out of the game and Brandon Inge drove in the go ahead runs against a drawn in infield. Most impressive was the bullpen where Kyle Farnsworth and Ugueth Urbina came in and struckout all 5 batters they faced.
In the end a great night, great seats, a Tiger come from behind win, an impressive debut, and my first foul ball. What more could a guy ask for?
Congrats on the ball! I’m laughing about that, though, because I’m so uncoordinated I always put my husband on foul-ball duty. I just know one day I’m going to catch one right in the nose.
Congrats Billfer – the foul ball still eludes me, game after game.
Congrats on the foul ball! That’s one of the (many) things I love about Fenway– the fans pay attention to EVERYTHING, and if someone in the crowd makes a good play on a foul ball they got a rousing cheer from the park.
Congrats on having some good hands there… even after a deflection those balls are still going pretty damned fast.
The closest i’ve come to catching a ball was at a Mud Hens game last year when i was walking around the ballpark and a homerun was hit off of the left field netting in fifth third field. My brother and i both ended up getting hands on it during bounces, but neither of us came up with it. I’ve never even come close during a major league game.
Catching a baseball is just another one of those little, tiny, insignificant things that make me love the game of baseball so much. No other sport comes close in providing the excitement, tradition, and intricacies of baseball.
God do i love this game.
grats on the ball. i was at the game and i think i even remember the play. i was 10 rows behind the rangers dugout and remember thinking if i sat where i sit 75% of the time when i go to tigers games (no matter what my ticket says), i would have had a chance at it. that is about the same spot i got my one and only ball, about 3 yrs ago.
i forgot to mention that i also really enjoyed the game. it was fairly quick, and watching farnsworth throw 101mph (according to the stadium radar) was exciting.
one other note- i was filling out my all-star ballot and couldnt decide if i wanted to vote for dmitri young, and he was at the plate. so i decided to see how he did at the plate first. he hit a home run, i’ll let you guess how i voted 🙂
Jason-
I was in section 123, 24th row so I was in the same area as you. So you very may well have seen it.
Funny postscript. I got home and left the ball on the counter. I left for work the next morning before everyone was up. When my wife called in the morning I explained where it came from and told her to show my son (he’s 4). I get home and I asked him if he saw the ball and he was all excited and he told me how much fun he had playing with it outside! I tried to suppress my initial reaction of “you did what?!” and replace it with, “Oh that ball isn’t for playing with outside” (in as measured and even a tone as possible – and really I thought I had done ok, no yelling or stern talking at all). Well, the boy saw right through it and he felt so bad he started crying. We went and got the ball and it was fine. We found a special place for it in his room and all was right with the world.