Zach hample ball hawk

Stevepeters298 · 04-21-2018, 09:05 AM

Went to my first yankee game at yankee stadium last night. I'm a red Sox fan, so I'm surprised my feet didn't catch fire walking in. We got there for BP, and were sitting in left field. During BP this guy comes over and most of the people in the stands starting going nuts. Asking for his auto, asking how many balls he caught today. So I Google searches Zach the ball catcher. I know that coulda gone bad with Google searches. To my shock, he is a well known guy I guess. Over 10,000 bells, various big moment catches. A rod 3000, trout first Hr, etc. After watching the guy I can't see the appeal. He dives in front of people, pushes them outta the way, grabs balls tossed into the stands for the kids. Anyone else have any interaction with this guy at games? He had some cute girl with him, who was quite impressed with his ball catching ability.

WiggumPI · 04-21-2018, 09:18 AM

There are many stories of people hating him for the very reasons you observed. I don't understand it myself. After grabbing so many, what's the appeal? Does he remember every single one?
As cool as I think it is to snag a foul ball or home run, I find his life as being sad and meaningless.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

JimShorts01 · 04-21-2018, 09:34 AM

I think I read on an interview that he gives most of the balls he catches to kids, but when he’s actually pushing them out of the way and taking the actual experience away from them, doesn’t make him a hero.

Stevepeters298 · 04-21-2018, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimShorts01

I think I read on an interview that he gives most of the balls he catches to kids, but when he’s actually pushing them out of the way and taking the actual experience away from them, doesn’t make him a hero.

Witnessed that first hand. He would write down each ball he caught. Wonder if he stays for the game or just for BP.

tazz1213 · 04-21-2018, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevepeters298

Went to my first yankee game at yankee stadium last night. I'm a red Sox fan, so I'm surprised my feet didn't catch fire walking in. We got there for BP, and were sitting in left field. During BP this guy comes over and most of the people in the stands starting going nuts. Asking for his auto, asking how many balls he caught today. So I Google searches Zach the ball catcher. I know that coulda gone bad with Google searches. To my shock, he is a well known guy I guess. Over 10,000 bells, various big moment catches. A rod 3000, trout first Hr, etc. After watching the guy I can't see the appeal. He dives in front of people, pushes them outta the way, grabs balls tossed into the stands for the kids. Anyone else have any interaction with this guy at games? He had some cute girl with him, who was quite impressed with his ball catching ability.

He has a 2017 Topps Archives Fans of the Game insert/auto :-(

texmcpherson · 04-21-2018, 09:46 AM

Is this his source of income? There's no way this guy has this much free time to travel, expenses, etc.

Also, does he do like statistics and analytics to try to get in the right spot for the ball?

tribefan26 · 04-21-2018, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texmcpherson

Also, does he do like statistics and analytics to try to get in the right spot for the ball?

Yes - I think he wrote a book about it.

vanpatten · 04-21-2018, 10:09 AM

This guy has been the source of a lot of controversy. He was able to go to the Ft. Bragg game last year that was supposed to be military and their families only. He tweeted out that he would pay someone for a ticket and he ended up going with this guy in the military. It caused a huge uproar.

He makes money by offering his ball catching “services” to fans. You basically pay for his ticket and his time to go with him and he guarantees that you will get a ball. He travels a ton and has a huge collection of balls. He’s the one that caught that Arod ball and sold it back to him and donated the money to charity. He also caught Trout’s first career homer but I think he gave it back in exchange for meeting him/memorabilia.

He’s a pretty divisive figure. Most people hate him but he does give away a lot of money to charity/giveaways on social media and he gives almost all of his BP balls to kids. I personally don’t really see the appeal. He seems to be doing well for himself though.

djolley86 · 04-21-2018, 10:21 AM

I was right beside this guy at the All Star Game in Miami last year during BP. He had a buddy of his taking pictures of him, and was whining to the ushers about not being able to access the actual seats during BP without a ticket, instead having to stay in the concourse and shag homers from there. Tons of little kids were going up to him and wanting pictures, although he wanted little to do with them.

Never liked this guy, and after seeing it in person...I see why so many others don't as well.

From my recollection, the old rumor (not sure if it is true, of course) was that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and has a lot of family money. Hence why he has no "real job" and can travel to stadiums as a 40 year old man and catch baseballs all day. He's been doing this since I was a kid-- I remember reading articles about him in SI for Kids, etc. back in the 90s.

xbignick · 04-21-2018, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djolley86

I was right beside this guy at the All Star Game in Miami last year during BP. He had a buddy of his taking pictures of him, and was whining to the ushers about not being able to access the actual seats during BP without a ticket, instead having to stay in the concourse and shag homers from there. Tons of little kids were going up to him and wanting pictures, although he wanted little to do with them.

Never liked this guy, and after seeing it in person...I see why so many others don't as well.

From my recollection, the old rumor (not sure if it is true, of course) was that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and has a lot of family money. Hence why he has no "real job" and can travel to stadiums as a 40 year old man and catch baseballs all day. He's been doing this since I was a kid-- I remember reading articles about him in SI for Kids, etc. back in the 90s.

His dad was an author and his family owns a book store that's like 7 floors in New York so he probably does well, though he probably also does really well off his books and backhawk stuff. I remember biggs, a sunflower seeds comoany, sponsored him some time back.

morningrushnc · 04-21-2018, 10:53 AM

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

SethMurphy · 04-21-2018, 11:43 AM

Couple threads on him

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...ghlight=hample

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...ghlight=hample

AnthonyCorona · 04-21-2018, 11:47 AM

He blocked me on twitter

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PejaD · 04-21-2018, 11:50 AM

He doesn't look to be very physically intimidating. I am surprised an angry parent or drunk fan has not given him a good beating. Does he have a bodyguard with him?

Orange October · 04-21-2018, 12:22 PM

It seems he's pretty unpopular with a lot of collectors. Especially after the Ft. Bragg incident.

JustinVerlander07 · 04-21-2018, 12:23 PM

Anyone that pushes anyone just to get a Baseball needs to re-evaluate their life.

Also, I saw in a video that this guy has some device to throw and get Baseballs that are just lying on the ground now. It's just super weird.

TheWrightStuff · 04-21-2018, 01:21 PM

The guy is a prick. I had a few words with him before a world series game. As for him giving the balls to kids, NO he does not. He takes them from kids. I wanted to punch him in the face.

TheWrightStuff · 04-21-2018, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PejaD

He doesn't look to be very physically intimidating. I am surprised an angry parent or drunk fan has not given him a good beating. Does he have a bodyguard with him?

MAybe 20-30 years ago. Now, youd get a felony assault charge and they probably find a way to tack on a felony hate crime charge. Things are different now. Punch someone a few times and you could end up in jail for 5 years. Not worth it. Well, MOST of the time anyways.

pnft17 · 04-21-2018, 01:37 PM

He’s definitely interesting!!! I love his passion. His YouTube vids are cool. Seeing the stadium ins and outs. Several players are friendly with him.

Keyser Soze · 04-21-2018, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pnft17

He’s definitely interesting!!! I love his passion. His YouTube vids are cool. Seeing the stadium ins and outs. Several players are friendly with him.

Only ones that aren't familiar with what a frikin douchebag he is.

AnthonyCorona · 04-21-2018, 02:07 PM

Why Judge is already a Hall Of Famer

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VandyCards · 04-21-2018, 03:01 PM

yeah he's awful.

3of5-2 · 04-21-2018, 03:11 PM

I’ve been in jail before, might consider it worth going back if I ever encounter this punk.

pnft17 · 04-21-2018, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3of5-2

I’ve been in jail before, might consider it worth going back if I ever encounter this punk.

This cracked me up!!!

rman112 · 04-21-2018, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3of5-2

I’ve been in jail before, might consider it worth going back if I ever encounter this punk.

Seems genuine.

04-21-2018, 09:05 AM	#1
Stevepeters298 Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 1,627	Zach hample ball hawk Went to my first yankee game at yankee stadium last night. I'm a red Sox fan, so I'm surprised my feet didn't catch fire walking in. We got there for BP, and were sitting in left field. During BP this guy comes over and most of the people in the stands starting going nuts. Asking for his auto, asking how many balls he caught today. So I Google searches Zach the ball catcher. I know that coulda gone bad with Google searches. To my shock, he is a well known guy I guess. Over 10,000 bells, various big moment catches. A rod 3000, trout first Hr, etc. After watching the guy I can't see the appeal. He dives in front of people, pushes them outta the way, grabs balls tossed into the stands for the kids. Anyone else have any interaction with this guy at games? He had some cute girl with him, who was quite impressed with his ball catching ability.

04-21-2018, 09:18 AM	#2
WiggumPI Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,224 WiggumPI TheCardInvestor	There are many stories of people hating him for the very reasons you observed. I don't understand it myself. After grabbing so many, what's the appeal? Does he remember every single one? As cool as I think it is to snag a foul ball or home run, I find his life as being sad and meaningless. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk __________________ WiggumPI www.TheCardInvestor.com

04-21-2018, 09:46 AM	#6
texmcpherson Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 15,953 texmcpherson	Is this his source of income? There's no way this guy has this much free time to travel, expenses, etc. Also, does he do like statistics and analytics to try to get in the right spot for the ball? __________________ *You can’t triple stamp a double stamp.*

04-21-2018, 10:09 AM	#8
vanpatten Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Mass Posts: 678	This guy has been the source of a lot of controversy. He was able to go to the Ft. Bragg game last year that was supposed to be military and their families only. He tweeted out that he would pay someone for a ticket and he ended up going with this guy in the military. It caused a huge uproar. He makes money by offering his ball catching “services” to fans. You basically pay for his ticket and his time to go with him and he guarantees that you will get a ball. He travels a ton and has a huge collection of balls. He’s the one that caught that Arod ball and sold it back to him and donated the money to charity. He also caught Trout’s first career homer but I think he gave it back in exchange for meeting him/memorabilia. He’s a pretty divisive figure. Most people hate him but he does give away a lot of money to charity/giveaways on social media and he gives almost all of his BP balls to kids. I personally don’t really see the appeal. He seems to be doing well for himself though. __________________ Baseball: Benintendi, Kimbrel, Judge Football: Pre-2005 Brady Basketball: Garnett

04-21-2018, 10:53 AM	#11
morningrushnc Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: NC Posts: 703	"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Last edited by morningrushnc; 12-04-2019 at 01:15 PM.

04-21-2018, 09:34 AM	#3
JimShorts01 Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,059 musn2014	I think I read on an interview that he gives most of the balls he catches to kids, but when he’s actually pushing them out of the way and taking the actual experience away from them, doesn’t make him a hero.

04-21-2018, 10:21 AM	#9
djolley86 Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: NC Posts: 1,370 djolley86	I was right beside this guy at the All Star Game in Miami last year during BP. He had a buddy of his taking pictures of him, and was whining to the ushers about not being able to access the actual seats during BP without a ticket, instead having to stay in the concourse and shag homers from there. Tons of little kids were going up to him and wanting pictures, although he wanted little to do with them. Never liked this guy, and after seeing it in person...I see why so many others don't as well. From my recollection, the old rumor (not sure if it is true, of course) was that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and has a lot of family money. Hence why he has no "real job" and can travel to stadiums as a 40 year old man and catch baseballs all day. He's been doing this since I was a kid-- I remember reading articles about him in SI for Kids, etc. back in the 90s.

04-21-2018, 11:43 AM	#12
SethMurphy Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Centerville/Erie, PA Posts: 19,506 smurf_8 sethmurphy	Couple threads on him https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...ghlight=hample https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...ghlight=hample __________________ Twitter - @seth_murphy8 PCs - Ryan Callahan, Reggie Lewis, Funko Pops (a little), a few other things that catch my eye

04-21-2018, 11:47 AM	#13
AnthonyCorona Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 11,499 bwoodcollector	He blocked me on twitter Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk __________________ Julio better

04-21-2018, 11:50 AM	#14
PejaD Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 4,071	He doesn't look to be very physically intimidating. I am surprised an angry parent or drunk fan has not given him a good beating. Does he have a bodyguard with him?

04-21-2018, 12:22 PM	#15
Orange October Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 5,161 orangeoctober88	It seems he's pretty unpopular with a lot of collectors. Especially after the Ft. Bragg incident.

04-21-2018, 12:23 PM	#16
JustinVerlander07 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: michigan Posts: 17,679 gladdyontherise gladdyontherise	Anyone that pushes anyone just to get a Baseball needs to re-evaluate their life. Also, I saw in a video that this guy has some device to throw and get Baseballs that are just lying on the ground now. It's just super weird. __________________ Collecting Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers, Michigan State Spartans, Miz, Jey Uso, Kelani Jordan, Macho Man, WWE "Cavs in 7. Write it down"

04-21-2018, 01:21 PM	#17
TheWrightStuff Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Texas Posts: 6,839 Nathan104	The guy is a prick. I had a few words with him before a world series game. As for him giving the balls to kids, NO he does not. He takes them from kids. I wanted to punch him in the face.

04-21-2018, 01:37 PM	#19
pnft17 Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 3,693	He’s definitely interesting!!! I love his passion. His YouTube vids are cool. Seeing the stadium ins and outs. Several players are friendly with him.

04-21-2018, 02:07 PM	#21
AnthonyCorona Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 11,499 bwoodcollector	Why Judge is already a Hall Of Famer Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk __________________ Julio better

04-21-2018, 03:01 PM	#22
VandyCards Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 5,411	yeah he's awful. __________________ I collect cards of former Vanderbilt baseball players. CURRENTLY SEEKING ANY AND ALL SERIAL NUMBERERD/SP TONY KEMP TOPPS CARDS.

04-21-2018, 03:11 PM	#23
3of5-2 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 987	I’ve been in jail before, might consider it worth going back if I ever encounter this punk.