Tagged: The Maniac
4/5/10 @ Miller Park *2010 Opener*
Well, the 2010 season is finally upon us.
After grabbing some breakfast, we took the walk down into “the valley.”
My 1st official (regular-season) view of Miller Park…
…peeking above the trees in the background.
A peaceful walk to the stadium…
…was about to get rowdy…
Do you see what the girl in the yellow is holding in her left hand?
Nothing like a little “brown-baggin” at 9 in the freakin’ morning.
Opening Day in Milwaukee is a total drunkfest. Actually, it deters many of Milwaukee’s best fans from attending. For fear of being puked on, annoyed or just harassed.
Not this fan…
…can you tell by the picture that I’m a tad over my playing weight?
Yeah, so I’ve gained 10 pounds over the long and cold Wisconsin winter. So what.
It’ll be gone by May.
Moving right along.
I took the following picture…
…because it shows two girls toting full cases of beer (the one on the left has it in her right hand/the one on the right has it propped up on her right shoulder).
I’m certain the cases weren’t full for much longer.
Here’s a great photo capturing the true spirit of teamwork…
…two girls sharing the load of a tightly-packed cooler.
My guess is: it wasn’t full of bottled water.
Do you see the guy (above) with the “CUBS SUCK” shirt?
Those things are everywhere. It doesn’t matter that the Cubs weren’t even playing here today.
It’s just the way it is around here.
Personally, I’ll never root against another team. I only root for my team.
It’s no secret I dislike the Chicago Cubs (see “CUBS SUCK” ball). But, I’ll leave that type of display for other fans.
On a serious note…
…this might turn out to be my favorite picture of 2010.
That, my friends…is what the old ballgame is all about.
Alright, enough of the serious stuff…
…more partying…
I told you Opening Day in Milwaukee is ridiculous.
When we reached the ballpark…
…the clock read 10:35 am.
The gates to the stadium were opening at 11:10am.
When we were making our way to the outfield side of the stadium, I ran into this guy with his homemade sign…
…and the other side…
…I’ll add nothing further.
The guys from the local sports talk radio show were broadcasting their show live…
…so, I stopped and said “hello” to my guy Sparky (seated far right with headset).
Here’s my 1st official view (looking through the glass) of the field in 2010…
…hooray for BP!
When I finally grabbed a spot in line…
…I ran into these three guys.
Pictured left to right: Ballhawk Matt, “The Maniac” and Ballhawk Casey.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. “The Maniac” is by far the Milwaukee Brewers #1 Fan.
It’s not even an argument.
When the gates opened, we went straight to our seats…
Normally, I would play lefty/righty and constantly be on the move.
Not today.
Here I am with yellow shirt and arms crossed…
…crossed arms are not a good sign.
I did not have a play on a single ball in BP. I didn’t ask for any baseballs, either. Hell, I barely moved from my seat.
No big deal…it’s never been about the BP ball.
It’s all about the game home runs (to each his/her own is what I say).
Unfortunately, none of those were hit to me either.
Brewers lost 5-3.
2010 BALLHAWKING STATS
- 0 total balls 4/05/10
0 batted baseballs
0 tossup baseballs
2010 TOTAL BASEBALLS
4/5/10 = 0 baseballs
6/27/09 @ Miller Park
When I pulled into the parking lot and into my stall, this vehicle was parked next to me…
…a Pilsner Urquell Czech Republic beer truck/van.
Seeing I’m of Czech ancestry, I got to thinking.
Was this a greater power telling me it was about to be a good day??
OR
Was it telling me to just forget ballhawking for the day and have a few cold ones??
OR
Did it mean nothing at all??
My 1st BALL of the day came from an unsuspecting source.
Know this little guy??
Cam’s two boys can be seen shagging baseballs during BP a few times a week.
This little dude happened to be in the Brewers bullpen collecting the balls that had landed in there. I happened to be standing in the loge bleachers (2nd level) when he was below me. He tried a few times to toss it up before connecting. The 1st toss actually went way over my head and back onto the field. The 2nd toss fell short. The 3rd toss was juuuuust right.
You could tell the little fella was having a blast doing it.
I started to think how cool it would be if I could snag a ball actually hit by Mike Cameron. I wonder how many times a ballhawk has done this??
Getting a ball from both father and son the same day. I’m sure it would be easier to get toss-ups from both father and son, but a toss-up and a batted ball?
I gave it everything I had. It just wasn’t meant to be. Big “Cam” only hit 1 baseball into the bleachers and it was quite a ways from me.
I always say, a ballhawk is only as good as the players hitting or tossing them.
If they don’t hit-there’s no baseballs to snag.
If they don’t toss them up-there’s no baseballs to snag.
I moved to right field after watching Pablo Sandoval’s hitting display the night before.
In the process, I snagged BALL #2 off the bat of TRAVIS ISHIKAWA. It was retrieved on the bounce after hitting in the 5th row and bouncing up another 10 rows.
For the record, Sandoval’s bat was quiet during BP.
The Giants are a very light-hitting team. If it wasn’t for their stellar pitching, they would be the most boring team in the league (that distinction goes to the Pirates).
I was growing frustrated with the lack of long balls. By this time, I was back in left field.
A small group of Giants pitchers were horsing around in left field. Among them, was this guy————————————————>
Giants pitcher BRANDON MEDDERS.
I called down to him and he looked up and behind without turning around. He had a ball in his glove and underhanded it backwards high into the air. When it had finally reached it’s highest point and started its descent, it now became a jump ball. BALL #3-chalk it up.
Much to my dislike, BP ended without any further events.
It was time to wander.
I passed this location of the stadium…
It’s the camera platform located just to the left field side of the batter’s eye.
I know it doesn’t look like much, but something told me to take a closer look.
So, I walked up to the gate…
I pushed the black fabric screen to the side and peered in…
“X” marks the spot where BALL #4 was lying. An easter egg at its very best!
During the game, I once again played the 2nd level below the press box for foul balls.
Once again, I had no luck.
The section where I have season tickets had good luck, though.
Giants stud Pablo Sandoval hit two (2) home runs into the section on this evening.
I need a “Happy” clone so I can be in two places at once.
Final score:
Brewers 7
Giants 6
After the game ended, I tried to get an ump ball from Home Plate Umpire Joe West.
I think I’d have better luck getting a ball that fell from the heavens.
Joe West is a grumpy old man.
I’ll say no more.
2009 BALLHAWKING STATS
- 4 total balls 6/27/09
2 batted baseballs
2 toss-up baseballs
ATTENDANCE: 42,065
2009 TOTAL BASEBALLS
4/7/09 = 5 baseballs
4/8/09 = 10 baseballs
4/9/09 = 10 baseballs
4/10/09 = 3 baseballs
4/11/09 = 5 baseballs
4/12/09 = 5 baseballs
4/13/09 = 11 baseballs
4/14/09 = 6 baseballs
4/21/09 = 5 baseballs
4/27/09 = 15 baseballs
4/28/09 = 9 baseballs
4/30/09 = 4 baseballs
5/01/09 = 7 baseballs
5/02/09 = 4 baseballs
5/08/09 = 11 baseballs
5/09/09 = 1 lousy ball
5/12/09 = 14 baseballs
5/13/09 = 12 baseballs
5/19/09 = 8 baseballs
5/22/09 = 3 baseballs
5/23/09 = 2 baseballs
5/26/09 = 3 baseballs
5/29/09 = 6 baseballs
5/30/09 = 5 baseballs
6/01/09 = 1 baseball
6/02/09 = 9 baseballs
6/09/09 = 4 baseballs
6/10/09 = 0 baseballs
6/11/09 = 2 baseballs
6/12/09 = 9 baseballs
6/23/09 = 6 baseballs
6/24/09 = 9 baseballs
6/26/09 = 9 baseballs
6/27/09 = 4 baseballs
___________________
217 baseballs (34 games)
6.38 average per game
FINALLY,
I would like my readers to meet the MOST diehard and dedicated Brewers fan on this planet.
His name is Robert-but not to you and me.
He’s known around Miller Park as “The Maniac.”
“The Maniac” has been going to games longer than I can remember. His devotion to the Brew Crew is unmatched.
One awesome dude…
…who attends pretty much every single home game.
If you see him, give him a shout-out for me!
The Happy Youngster...Brew Town's Ballhawk 
