A foul ball moment comes full circle
I have been a season ticket holder for over 20 years. It was one of my first investments after college! Averaging 60 games a season, I have been able to witness some of the greatest Dodger moments along with some of the worst, met lots of new people and lots of Dodger players. There have been walk offs, post-season clinches, 2 WS losses, a no hitter and too many things to write, that it requires another blog. One thing that I have never caught is a foul ball. A foul ball moment has eluded me for years, until May of this year when I finally got one, in the funniest, most memorable way.
I have been lucky to get the Mastercard upgrade seats a few times a season. If you don’t know, those seats located next to the visiting teams dugout, front row. I still feel my seats have a better view but you can’t beat being so close to the field and the free buffett and snacks that come included!
The Mets were in town for a 4 game series when I got the upgrade. I made my way to the seats before gametime, as I like to see the opposing team players up close and personal. After the national anthem my boyfriend and I went to get our dinner and drinks. As I got myself situated in my seat, I looked up to see Matt Beaty was playing first base, and was excited to see him play up close. A few weeks prior, I caught an episode of Backstage Dodgers covering Matt and his wife’s journey to the big leagues. I include her in that journey because not only is she his wife, but biggest cheerleader and supporter. I instantly became a fan! Turns out he’s not only a great guy, but a pretty darn good ballplayer! =)
I had just taken a few sips of my Stella, a few bites of my food, when instantly I heard a pop, and recognized the sound immediatley. I look up and see that the ball is headed my way, thinking, oh crap, here we go again, all the while realizing Beaty is running full speed in my direction. To my left are 4 Mets fans, when all of a sudden, I see Beaty crash into their Modelos, nachos, hot dogs etc, and I see he has the ball in his glove but then quickly watch it fall into the seat. There is so much commotion going on, nobody notices the ball wedged into the seat and quickly I grab the ball and held up in the air, yelling I got it, I got it all while poor Matt is picking himself up, with now, ketchup and mustard all over his uniform. LOL. I tried to get a picture of the mess but he was already walking back towards the base. Had the ball stayed in his glove, it would have been an amazing catch!! Nontheless, it was an awesome moment for me!!! Within minutes, our phones were blowing up with friends texting us that they saw us on tv! I finally had my first foul ball ever, and then for days discussed one day having him sign the ball for me…… and then, it happened!!
A few weeks ago, I see that Bobbleheadmania is having a Matt Beaty signing, and right away tell my boyfriend we are going! While I never attend Dodger signings, unless its fan fest, I really wanted to have Beaty sign the ball. In order to prove that I had the actual ball of that night, I had a copy of a picture blown up that shows Matt sitting on the field wall with us in the background. After Sunday’s game, we made our way over to the signing, and when it was our turn, my boyfriend and I explained to him that we had the ball of the infamous ketchup and mustard night. He laughed when we showed him the picture and then the ball. He said it was the most disgusting smell because it was so many things all over his uniform! He inscribed my ball “With Ketchup and mustard” and inscribed our picture “Got condiments?”. Not only was he such a nice guy, we also got to meet his wife, Jesica, and she is also a gem!! If you get a chance, Follow her on her FB page Dreams and Seams where she gives you an honest and raw look at the baseball life and journey!!
The foul ball comes full circle.
Until next time… Go Dodgers!!
So awesome that you got that ball signed!!! Wasn’t it chili and cheese though?