Talkin' Jeffrey Maier with the Ballhawks

Sixteen years ago, Jeffrey Maier became a household name in both New York and Baltimore.

Alright, it might be a stretch to call dude a "household name", but the 12-year-old did, at the very least, get his fifteen minutes of fame.

You see, on October 9, 1996, Maier stuck his glove over the rightfield fence at Yankee Stadium and snared what would be a Derek Jeter home run ball.  It was that home run that tied up the game between the Yankees and Orioles and, ultimately, led to the Bombers having the chance to win the contest in extra innings.

And, as is customary when you're reminded of an incident like this (the Steve Bartman fiasco also comes to mind), you've gotta track down those who have "been there" and "done that" and no one epitomizes that more than baseball's premier ballhawk, New York native Zack Hample and Charm City's finest, fellow ballhawk, Tim Anderson.

HOVG:  Gentlemen, as guys spend part of your time at the ballpark trying to get your hands on baseballs...do you agree or disagree with what Jeffrey Maier did 16 years ago?

HAMPLE:  I totally disagree with what Jeffrey Maier did.

ANDERSON:  Do I agree with what he did...interfering with a ball that was in play? Absolutely not. I have never been presented with that exact situation during a game, but there have been a few times where I tracked a ball down the aisle and, as I realized it would be close to wall, made a conscious effort to make sure I was behind the wall.

HOVG:  But can you blame the kid?

ANDERSON:  Do I blame Maier for, at 12 years old, reaching out to catch a ball hit toward him? Not really. He was twelve and he didn't know; as much as I hate to say it.

HAMPLE:  I can't really blame him for interfering, though, because he was pretty young at the time, and it's only natural to reach for a ball in that situation. What bothers me about the whole thing is that (a) the ball clanked off his wrist and he has always been credited with "catching" it and (b) he has been glorified for breaking a rule that I've obeyed countless times over the years.

HOVG:  You've had something similar happen to you, Zack, have you not?

HAMPLE:  I was nearly ejected from Yankee Stadium in 1992 for ALMOST interfering. I was sitting in that exact same spot and reached over the wall for a deep fly ball off the bat of Joe Orsulak that I easily could've caught. At the very last second, I yanked my glove back, enabling Yankees right fielder Dion James to jump and make the catch...and I was STILL berated by security. As they were walking me out of the section, the highlight was shown on the jumbotron; I made them stop and watch it, and they saw for themselves that I pulled my glove back before the ball reached me. Only then did they allow me to return to my seat, so yeah, I'm pretty annoyed by the whole thing.

HOVG:  Tim, you're a fixture at Camden Yards.  Is Jeffrey Maier still a topic of conversation among Orioles fans?

ANDERSON:  Of course Maier is mentioned here around Baltimore and at Camden Yards, mostly to describe how a catch was made, or as a joke when something like it happens during the game. But it still hurts because who knows what the Orioles could have done if that call is overturned? Thank God we have redemption in 2012; this time with replay.

HOVG:  Is there anything teams can do to prevent something like what happened with Jeffrey Maier from happening again?

HAMPLE:  Ultimately, stadiums should just be built better to prevent fans from interfering. Just separate the stands from the outfield wall by a few feet a la Turner Field. That's all it takes. It's so easy. But it's rarely done.

Zack Hample has snagged 6452 baseballs at 50 different Major League stadiums since 1990. You can check out his website (The Baseball Collector) or follow him on Twitter at @zack_hample.

When Tim Anderson is not at Camden Yards, he is online contributing to both The Diamonds Edge and Baseball and Things.  You can find "Mr. Shagtastic" on Twitter at @TimmyWade94.

HOVG Heroes: Nick Adenhart

 TIM ANDERSON on NICK ADENHART

One in every 25,000 people becomes a professional athlete.

The odds are slim. Those who look past the numbers, or at the stat as a challenge, employing hard work and dedication as tools for success, however, are the ones. Growing up in a town barely inhabiting 1,500 residents, nearly 80 miles northwest of a major city, the dream of becoming a professional athlete seems that much more impossible. In 2003, a major league pitching talent was developing in front of Williamsport, Maryland's eyes.

Before his junior year of high school, 16-year old right-handed pitcher Nick Adenhart was named the top junior prospect by Baseball America. Pitching to a 6-0 record with an ERA barely above one, Adenhart lived-up to hype and gained even more by being named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year.

One in nine Major League pitchers received Tommy John surgery, according to USA Today research in 2003.

Committed to play baseball at the University of North Carolina, Adenhart posted a 5-1 record with a 0.73 ERA and 2.2 strikeouts per inning entering the final game of his senior season. With his draft stock rising, Adenhart began to set his sights on the Majors. In Baseball America's Class of 2004 Prospect Rankings, Adenhart was listed number one in the nation, ahead of current MLB pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Phil Hughes, Yovani Gallardo, and David Price, as well as position players Matt Wieters, Dexter Fowler, Mark Trumbo, and Billy Butler.

While pitching his final game in front of reportedly a dozen scouts, Adenhart felt a pop in his elbow while facing the third batter of the game; an injury that ultimately lead to Tommy John surgery, dropping him from the projected number one overall pick to 413th by the Anaheim Angels, prompting him to forgo his scholarship from UNC.

Pitching through the minor league affiliates of the Angels, Adenhart quickly became a serious major league talent again. Ironically, the curveball that dropped him from first to 413th was tearing up the minors, being voted the best in the Angels organization in three consecutive seasons.

One in roughly six minor league players reach the Majors.

As the youngest pitcher on an active Major League roster, 22-year old Adenhart made his big league debut against the Oakland Athletics. Lasting only two innings, Adenhart surrendered five earned runs on three hits and five walks. Adenhart finished the 2008 season with only three starts, collecting a 1-0 record with 12 innings pitched, 18 hits and 13 walks allowed, only four strikeouts, and 9.00 ERA.

In an interview with Baseball America, published April 6th, 2009, Adenhart spoke of his miserable 2008 season and his hopes for 2009. “I got called up, and I was realizing a dream. I felt like I had to not give up any runs and throw a shutout every time out and wow everybody. I put pressure on myself. That was enough of that. I'm just having fun now,” said Adenhart. Fans, the Angels, and Adenhart himself had high expectations for his 2009 season.

Making the club out of spring, Adenhart earned the third spot in the Angels' rotation and a start against the Oakland Athletics on April 8th in Anaheim. Pitching with an assumed chip on his shoulder, – a chip with the memory of the two-inning, five-run, five-walk debut against the A's – Adenhart pitched six shutout innings, striking out five in a no decision.

"I battled early and it felt good to get out of some jams," said Adenhart postgame.

One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related accident in their lifetime.

As a passenger in a vehicle driven by a friend after the game, Adenhart and two others were killed while a fourth was injured when a drunk driver ran a red light and struck the car containing the pitcher, sending it into a telephone pole. The driver, a 22-year old with a DUI already on his record, received the maximum sentence: 51 years to life in prison.

One in one can prevent drunk driving.

Despite the obvious dangers of drunk driving, the statistics are staggering. Nearly three-fourths of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license while those who have yet to be convicted of a DUI have driven drunk an average of 80 times prior.

There are many services available to prevent other drunk driving fatalities and injuries; do not underestimate the power of preventing a friend from driving drunk, or even driving tipsy. One friend – one person – could have saved Adenhart's life. And the life of his friend. And the life of his other friend. And the life of his injured friend. And the life of the driver that is now spending his life in prison. Alternatives to driving when drunk are unlimited.

Taxiserviceusa.com offers a directory of over a thousand taxi services for all fifty states and public transportation is available throughout all major cities.

Major League Baseball is also doing their part in preventing fans from driving drunk after games. Along with numerous shuttles and transportation services to and from the games that can be found on each team's website, every stadium offers a program that allows fans to receive free beverages with their pledge to be a designated driver that night. Also, alcohol sales stop after the seventh inning at all ballparks.

For more information on how you can save lives through drunk driving prevention, visit adcouncil.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Anderson is an 18-year-old that you may have spotted before in the bleachers of Camden Yards.  When he isn't chasing home runs in leftfield, Anderson aspires to be a journalist.  You can read more from him at Baseball and Things as well as over at The Diamonds Edge.

An Open Letter to MLB.com

You remember our buddy Tim Anderson, right?

Sure you do.  He was that cat at Camden Yards who caught home run balls on three consecutive nights in August.
Yeah, you read that right...three consecutive nights!  And then, later in the season, snagged another pair in the same night.

Have you ever heard of such a feat?  Well, the folks at MLB.com must have because they forgot to include the young ballhawk's accomplishment for this year's Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards (GIBBYs).

Here is Tim Anderson's "Open Letter" to the folks at MLB.com.

To Whom It May Concern at MLB.com:

I'm not vain.  It's impossible; I'm an Orioles fan.

But when I visited Orioles.com this evening, stumbled across the voting for the GIBBYs and began voting, I was fully expecting to vote for myself for the "Must C Fan Moment of the Year".

I was sincerely disappointed.

Personally, I feel as if my accomplishments as a fan in 2011 outrank most of the so-called accomplishments by the fans nominated by MLB.com for the Fan Moment of the Year Award.

You're telling me that the guy who dropped his daughter at a Dodgers game to then ultimately drop a ball that was lobbed underhand to him was a good fan moment in baseball this season?

I want a second opinion; ask his daughter.

How about that other Dodgers fan who caught her foul ball in her ice cream? The ball was deflected by her boyfriend who only offered protection by sticking his bare hand out. Be a man, use your body.

By the way, the Dodgers thank you for buying a concession.

Then there's that kid who gave his baseball away to the other kid who dropped it at a Diamondbacks game. He was quite obviously pressured into giving the ball to the crying kid by a stadium employee. Peer pressure strikes again.

Where are these kids' morals?

And that guy who gave his sunglasses to Prince Fielder? C'mon!

I once gave a homeless man a quarter leaving an Orioles game. Were there cameras there? Nope! And “fans” don't wear collared shirts to baseball games and sit in the front row behind home plate.

If this were “Rich Guy Moments of the Year,” then, by all means, deliver that trophy to his office overlooking the Rocky Mountains.

Now, that Rangers fan who caught a screaming foul ball down the first baseline with ease while chatting away on his cell phone (that's his official title these days, right?) really gets on my nerves. I'm all for acting like you've been there before, but judging by that cell phone in your had and those earbuds dangling on your chest, I think you're confused as to where you are in the first place.

This a baseball game, not the office.

He's that guy that sits behind you at the games, chatting away on his cell phone about John at work. You came to watch the American League Champion Rangers and instead, you know what Frank does for a living, where he works and how big of a “jackass” John is.

And look closely at his attire. That's right, he has his iPod Nano clipped to the right leg of his shorts. He can't even watch a baseball game without Kenny Chesney in his ear.

Steve Bartman anyone?

I'm not bitter, MLB.com. Everybody makes mistakes sometimes.

I'm sure ESPN is a little more diligent with those ESPY nominations.

Sincerely,
Tim Anderson
Orioles Fan

Let's help Anderson and see if we can get MLB.com to right this wrong.

And if we can't...perhaps a "Get Tim to the ESPYs" campaign is on the horizon...immediately followed by a "Get a Hot Girl to Go to the ESPYs with Tim" campaign?

And in case you missed it...here's young Timmy in action during that epic three-game stretch in August.

Talkin' Bartman with the Ballhawks

October 14, 2003 is one of those dates that most baseball fans don't know off the top of their head, but tell them that that was the date when Steve Bartman missed making a play on a foul ball hit by Luis Castillo in Game Six of the 2003 NLCS...and they'll tell you EXACTLY where they were.

That's right, gang, the "Bartman Incident" is, officially, eight years old.

So, I got to thinking...how would Major League Baseball's premier ballhawks (author Zack Hample and Camden Yards fixture Tim Anderson) handle the situation if they swapped places with the Chicago Cubs scapegoat.

HOVG: You've seen the Steve Bartman clip a thousand times since it intially played out. What was the fatal flaw in him (or the people around him) NOT getting that foul ball?

ANDERSON: He didn't have a glove. Plain and simple. If he has a glove and some athletic ability, he actually OWNS one of the most infamous balls in baseball history.

HAMPLE: He should've been wearing a glove. It's THAT simple.

HOVG: How would you have handled it?

ANDERSON: I’d have handled it the same exact way. I do not blame Bartman or the people around him for going after that ball. When the ball is coming towards you, you forget there is a baseball game going on. You are worried about being hit in the face with the ball, not if Moises Alou is going to have a play on it.

HAMPLE: If I were a diehard Cubs fan, I would've held back and not reached for the ball so that Moises Alou would've had a better shot. If I were there as myself (without any allegiance to any team), I would've caught the damn thing.

ANDERSON: I hope that if one day a homerun is coming towards the front row in Camden Yards (hit by an opponent), that I would have the wherewithal to let the fielder make a play on it. That's just because I'm out there catching balls all the time and know the field. Bartman wasn't a ballhawk. He didn't know. Can't blame him.

HOVG: A couple of months after the missed catch, the ball sold for close to $115,000...only to be blown up? If you had the ball...what would you have done with it?

HAMPLE: For that much money, I would've sold it. That's what I refer to as "life-changing" money.

ANDERSON: That's tough. I'd like to say that I'd hang on to it for a year or two and then donate it to the Hall of Fame, but I'd find it hard to pass-up money like that. It would definitely pay for my college.

HOVG: You're both known primarily for catching home run balls...is there one that you wished you would had snagged? This could be any ball from the history of the game.

ANDERSON: I'd like to have my hands on a milestone homerun, whether it be from Bonds or someone's 500th or 600th. Imagine having a Babe Ruth homerun ball? Wow. But, a homerun that has been hit recently that I would like to have caught would be Derek Jeter's 3000th hit. I would have had so much fun jerking him around in negotiating for that ball.

HAMPLE: I was right there for (Jeter’s) previous at-bat, then had to move when the seats filled in.  But still, I could've gone back for Jeter's next at-bat because I know the security guard out there. I just didn't make the effort because I assumed that it wasn't going to be a home run. If I'd gone back, I would've been with three feet of the ball, and there's a 50-50 chance that I would've caught it. I'll truly never forgive myself or get over the heartbreak of that moment.

Zack Hample has snagged 5788 baseballs at 48 different major league stadiums since 1990. You can check out his website (The Baseball Collector) or follow him on Twitter at @zack_hample.

When Tim Anderson is not at Camden Yards, he is online contributing to both Sports Nickel and Baseball and That Other Good Stuff.  You can find "Mr. Shagtastic" on Twitter at @sportsnickelTim.

Friday 5: Tim Anderson

Raise your hand if you've ever caught a ball at a baseball game.  Raise your hand if you've ever caught a home run ball.

How about three?

Now that I've got your attention, 17-year-old Tim Anderson did the unthinkable last week.  Not only did he catch homers on three consecutive nights...but he made ballhawking cool.

HOVG:  Break it down for me.  Over the last week, you've gone from being a 17-year-old Baltimore Orioles fan to a Sportscenter conversation piece.  How has this all played out...and what is it like?

ANDERSON: It all really happened so fast. Getting the first home run was nothing special of course.  I had done it before. Getting the second was just cool because I had never gotten multiple game home runs in the same month, let alone back-to-back games. When I caught the third, I was thinking that it was just a really big deal, and that no one would really notice it. Who at any news outlet is going to notice the same fan getting a home run in three games in a row? It's not like I did some crazy dance or anything to get noticed. 

(Fellow ballhawk and author) Zack Hample, who knows a thing or two about being noticed for catching home runs, told me as we were leaving that I shouldn't be surprised if it goes national.  Boy did it ever.  First it was the Orioles' TV broadcast station, MASN, who noticed that I had gotten all three. Then it rocketed to ESPN where I was the #9 top play of the night, then to Baseball Tonight. All of a sudden, I have interviews lined-up for the next day with MASN, ESPN, Orioles.com and the Baltimore Sun. People then tell me that I'm the top story on Yahoo!, a topic on Around the Horn, and mentioned on Intentional Talk on MLB Network. 

Now, I'm just kind of back to being that 17-year old Orioles fan...as hard as it may be to do that. 

HOVG:  What is your strategy when it comes to ballhawking?

ANDERSON: My strategy is pretty much having my glove and giving myself some space. I don't want to have to climb around people to catch a ball, and I definitely don't want to hurt anybody. Besides that, I feel as if it's out my hands. 

HOVG:  You impressed many with the three-straight home runs last week...how many home runs have you snagged overall and this season?

ANDERSON: The third homerun of the streak was my sixth on the season and ninth overall. Here's what I've caught/picked up off the ground:

1 - Adam Rosales - 5/27/10*

2 - Adam Jones - 9/14/10*

3 - Brandon Inge - 10/2/10

4 - Vladimir Guerrero - 4/20/11*

5 - Johnny Damon - 6/12/11

6 - Nolan Reimold - 7/15/11

7 - Carlos Quentin - 8/9/11

8 - J.J. Hardy - 8/10/11*

9 - Alexei Ramirez - 8/11/11*

(* means I caught them on the fly)

HOVG:  And how many balls total are in your collection?

ANDERSON: Unofficially, since I have only been counting for the last season and a half, I have 317 balls (229 this year).

HOVG:  What do you do with your baseballs?  How do you store them?  Do you catalog them?

ANDERSON: Most of the balls I end up giving away during the games. The ones I take home end up going in a large green bucket...which is almost over flowing at this point. I really don't catalog them besides updating my My Game Balls account. 

HOVG:  Outisde of the three straight homers, what has been your greatest feat so far...any memorable stories?

ANDERSON: I'd have to say the Vladimir Guerrero home run that I caught. I made a pretty athletic catch on it and celebrated a good bit afterwards, landing me extended TV time as well as MASN to make a commercial of the celebration. 

HOVG:  Lastly...is ballhawking "luck" or "skill"?

ANDERSON: It's a little bit a both. Let's just say you enhance your luck with the more skill you have. 

When Tim Anderson is not at Camden Yards, he is online contributing to both Sports Nickel and Baseball and That Other Good Stuff.  You can find "Mr. Shagtastic" on Twitter at @sportsnickelTim.

In a few weeks, Anderson will be entering his senior year at Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore.