As someone who attends a ton of baseball games, more so as a writer than a fan, foul balls come my way on occasion. Just last week, a ball came straight back into the press box while I was sitting in there with my laptop open. The ball struck the wall of the section just below me. No harm, no foul.
I have no desire to try to catch a ball in the press box. It’s just not in my mindset. I’m always thinking, protect the computer, don’t lose a finger trying to catch a line drive. The ball is going to hit a wall any way, so I can just pick it up after it is done rattling around.
When I sit in the stands, I have a different mindset. Barring a blistering line drive, I try to catch it. A few years ago, I had a foul ball come my way while I was in the stands with a friend. I’m a terrible judge of where the ball is going – that’s why I always played the infield when I was younger – but I could see that this ball was headed right for us.
Ironically, the game was being televised and the person I was talking to on the phone saw us coming into the shot on his TV. With my phone in one hand, I leaped and stretched out my free hand. The ball landed in the row behind us and the friend I was attending the game with reached back and grabbed it. At least I gave it a shot.
Have you seen the video on YouTube yet of the couple who had a foul ball come their way in Houston on Monday? If not, you have to see it. I don’t know how this guy is ever going to live this down.
