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Zack Hample

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Zack Hample
Hample with his baseball collection in 2008
Hample with his baseball collection in 2008
BornZachary Ben Hample
(1977-09-14) September 14, 1977 (age 46)
New York, NY
Occupationwriter
NationalityAmerican
Genresports
Website
http://www.zackhample.com

Zachary Ben Hample (born September 14, 1977, son of Stoo Hample and Naomi Cohen) is an American sports writer and Major League baseball collector. He is best known for having caught more than 6,000 baseballs in the stands at Major League stadiums.

Writing

Hample has written three books. The first, How to Snag Major League Baseballs, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1999 when he was a junior at Guilford College. The second, Watching Baseball Smarter, was published by Random House in 2007 and was the 8th best selling American sports book that year. His third book, The Baseball, also published by Random House, was released on March 8, 2011. Hample, a writer for minorleaguebaseball.com from 2005 to 2007, contributed the foreword to Major League Baseball: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports in 2008 and wrote the introduction for Baseball Scorekeeper in 2011.

Baseball Collection

As of January 15, 2013, Hample has collected 6,459 baseballs from 50 different Major League stadiums. He acquired his first ball from a Mets reliever at Shea Stadium on June 20, 1990 and set a personal, one-game record with 36 baseballs at Great American Ball Park on September 14, 2011. Some of Hample's notable catches include Barry Bonds' 724th career home run at PETCO Park on August 16, 2006, Mike Trout’s first major league home run on July 24, 2011 at Camden Yards,[1][2] and the first home run of the 2007 Home Run Derby, hit by Justin Morneau at AT&T Park. On May 12, 2011, he caught three foul balls during a single game at Camden Yards,[3] and on May 28, 2011, he caught his 5,000th career baseball—an Alex Rios batting practice homer at Rogers Centre.[4] In March 2012, Hample attended MLB's Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, snagging a total of 23 balls in two games. On April 18th, 2013, Zack caught an unprecedented homerun balls in a single game. [5]

During the final week ever at the old Yankee Stadium, Hample gained worldwide recognition by catching home run balls on consecutive nights. On September 16, 2008, he made a leaping catch on a Jason Giambi home run and immediately celebrated with a goofy dance that was captured on TV. The following night, in nearly exactly the same spot in the right field bleachers, Hample reached far over a railing to make a backhanded catch on a Johnny Damon home run and celebrated with the same dance.[6] The Yankees' announcers recognized him from the previous game, and within the next 24 hours the story was covered by ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN International, Japanese TV, and many other media outlets. Yahoo! Sports initially acknowledged Hample's baseball-snagging skills, but did not know that it was he who had made the catches.[7] Less than two weeks later, on September 28, 2008, Hample caught the last home run ever hit by a Mets player at Shea Stadium, this one off the bat of Carlos Beltran.[8] On October 8, 2008, Hample appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and followed that nearly one year later with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Prior to Hample's three notable home run catches of 2008, he had been featured on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and on an episode of the John O'Hurley version of the game show To Tell The Truth, during which he managed to trick the audience and two of the four celebrity panelists.[9]

Rubber Ball

Hample is known to own a rubber ball, made completely out of rubber bands. As stated on Reddit, the ball has reached a weight of 250 Pounds and is still growing. [10]

Charity work

Since 2009, Hample has been raising money for Pitch in for Baseball, a non-profit charity that provides baseball and softball equipment to underprivileged children all over the world.[11][12][13] With help from his friends and fans, who pledge money for every baseball that he snags at Major League stadiums, Hample has raised more than $20,000.

Helicopter Stunt

On July 2, 2012, Hample attempted to break a world record by catching a baseball dropped from a helicopter 1,000 feet above LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.[14] Wearing catcher's gear that was donated by Rawlings, Hample established a record by catching a softball dropped from a height of 312 feet. He then caught baseballs dropped from heights of 312 feet, 562 feet, and 762 feet before the Federal Aviation Administration called off the stunt due to strong winds.[15][16] Hample plans to make another attempt in 2013 and to donate the gear to charity.

Video games

Hample, a competitive video game player, appeared briefly in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. According to Twin Galaxies, he holds official world records on half a dozen classic video games including Breakout (896 points) and Arkanoid (1,658,110 points).

References

  1. ^ Angels: Meet the Guy who caught Trout's homer (Orange County Register)
  2. ^ Mike Trout's first home run ball too precious to keep, fan says (Orange County Register)
  3. ^ Fan's glovework nets three fouls in O's game (www.mlb.com)
  4. ^ New Yorker Hample is ultimate ball hawk (www.yankees.com)
  5. ^ An American Ballhawk Goes to Tokyo (www.nypress.com)
  6. ^ This Guy's Got Gift of Grab (www.newsday.com)
  7. ^ Fan In Right Place at Right Time on Two Straight Nights (Yahoo! Sports)
  8. ^ Another Unlikely (But Not That Unlikely) Home-Run Catch (Wall Street Journal)
  9. ^ Appearance on "To Tell The Truth" (YouTube)
  10. ^ [1] (www.reddit.com)
  11. ^ Charity press release (www.pitchinforbaseball.org)
  12. ^ Renowned baseball collector gets in the charitable spirit (www.phillyBurbs.com)
  13. ^ Ballhawks give back by collecting baseballs (www.mlb.com)
  14. ^ This baseball stunt goes way back (www.lowellsun.com)
  15. ^ Hample tries to catch history in Lowell (www.minorleaguebaseball.com)
  16. ^ Catching baseballs is in Zack Hample’s blood (www.boston.com)


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