Day: August 18, 2016

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Zack Hample

Zack Hample. Baseball’s most famous ballhawk. Born September 14, 1977, Hample has made quite a name for himself in the last 39 years or so. He has written three books called How to Snag Major League Baseballs, Watching Baseball Smarter, and The Baseball, but it’s Hample’s ability to snag baseballs that made him famous. He has collected over 9,000 baseballs including Barry Bonds’ 724 home run, two of the last ten home runs at Yankee Stadium, the last home run hit a Shea Stadium, Mike Trout’s first career home run, Didi Gregorius’ first career homer, and most notably, Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000 hit. He posts about his ballhawking adventures on his Youtube videos, his website, and a blog called The Baseball Collecter. Hample gives some of his balls away to young children and donates his money to a charity called Pitch in for Baseball. Despite doing good, Hample got bashed when he attended the game at Fort Bragg on July 3. He gave away all but one of the balls he caught and donated money to AMVETS. Despite Zack’s controversy, many people believe he is just a fan who does good for the image of Major League Baseball.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

7 Ways A Collector Can Get Famous

There is a guy named Zack Hample. I am not sure if you know him, but he has made a name for himself by collecting baseballs at Major League stadiums. So I thought. And thought. How can baseball fans get famous for what they collect? Here are seven ways a baseball fan can get famous:

  • Snagging baseballs
  • Collecting bobbleheads
  • Attending lots of games
  • Collecting baseball bats
  • Getting lots of autographs
  • Being a celebrity
  • Having a website (Like me!)
by Jacoby Nolnaho

MLB 2K Sports Baseball Review (DS)

In a previous post, I reviewed the pros and cons of 2K Sports Baseball Wii Edition. It is a great play and I highly recommend playing it. I liked the game so much that I ended up buying the DS edition of it. It wasn’t as I expected it to be. Here are the pros and cons of 2K Sports Major League Baseball on the Nintendo DS:

  • Pro: The broadcasters aren’t faulty like on the Wii.
  • Pro: The packaging art, as usual, is awesome.
  • Pro: There are more realistic ads.
  • Con: Every wears longs sleeves, knee socks, and no batting gloves. They all use unpainted wood bats.
  • Con: The stances aren’t as realistic.
  • Con: The players are represented by numbers on the field.
  • Con: Most of the options on the Wii such as Create A Player and Mini Diamond are not available on the DS.

The Bleacher Creature is not associated with 2K Sports by any means.

 

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Willie Mays

Willie Mays was born May 6, 1931. Mays played most of his 22 year career with the Giants and spent two years with the New York Mets. Mays made his Major League debut with the New York Giants. People loved the excitement between having young stars like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in the same state. Mays made his first impression over Mantle in his debut season. In 121 games, Mays hit 20 home runs and 22 doubles to claim Rookie of the Year honors.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Bad Ballpark Names

Owners of baseball clubs build stadiums so the fans can see their stars. But the owners cashed in when they began selling their name to big name companies. Some of them are good but most of them are bad. Let’s start off with the good(This list does not include Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, or anything with the teams name):

Good Names

  • Great American Ballpark
  • Citi Field

That’s about it. I am going to list the stadiums with the worst names (I just want to say, I am still waiting for the Google Grasses or the Twitter Dome). Keep in mind that it is my own opinion so please don’t get mad. The worst ballpark names in MLB:

Bad Names

  • U.S. Cellular Field
  • Citizens Bank Park (Get rid of the bank and it’s fine)
  • Comerica Park
  • Globe Life Park
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Baseball Movies

There are tons of baseball movies. They range from Babe Ruth to girls playing. Here are a few of them:

  • A League of their Own
  • 42
  • Moneyball
  • Rookie of the Year
  • The Rookie
  • The Million Dollar Arm
  • Field of Dreams
  • Major League
  • Major League 2
  • Mr. 3000
  • Eight Men Out
  • The Sandlot
  • The Sandlot 2
by Jacoby Nolnaho

7 Ways A Player Can Get A Bobblehead

Ah, the bobblehead. One of the collectors most prized souvenirs. After getting my second bobblehead, I wondered how a player can get a bobblehead of himself. Here are seven ways a Major League Baseball player can get a bobblehead of himself:

  • Just being awesome
  • Reaching a milestone
  • Making a great catch
  • Doing something wacky
  • Anniversary of something
  • Winning a major award (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year)
  • Part of festivities (Star Wars night, Fan Fest)
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Citi Field vs. Yankee Stadium

Their are some differences and similarities between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. Citi Field has an apple that pops up whenever the home team hits a home run and has a parking lot outside. At Yankee Stadium, their is a busy road with a subway station. I am also amazed about how much of Yankee Stadium is covered in pigeon spikes. On the pipes, on the frieze, on the lights, on walls, their everywhere!