The votes are in…
The votes from my last entry are in:
29 people voted that I should attend the college game at Citi Field on March 29th.
24 people voted that I should skip the college game and wait for the real thing.
So, it’s official: I’m going for the sneak peek on March 29th, but let me clear something up…
It has nothing to do with my streak.
Several people suggested that I should attend the college game in order to protect the streak (which currently stands at 569 consecutive games with at least one ball). The logic was that I’d get to familiarize myself with Citi Field during a meaningless exhibition game so that when I’m finally there for real on April 15th, I’d then be better prepared to run right in and start snagging baseballs.
Please.
Without a sneak peek, you don’t think I’d find a way to get ONE ball that entire day? Come on. Do you really think I’m worried about getting shut out? I’m not being cocky. I’m not claiming I’m going to snag at least 10 balls that day. Just one. And don’t forget…my friend(ly acquaintance) Heath Bell will be in town with the Padres.
I’m aware of the charity factor, and that IS a good reason to go for the sneak peek, but still, if it were up to me, I would totally skip the college game and save my excitement for the real thing. In fact, there’ve been several new stadiums that I’ve made a point of NOT seeing in advance–not even on TV–so that I was able to challenge myself when I finally made it there.
Anyway, yes, I’ll be at Citi Field on March 29th. Who else is going for sure? How are you planning to make the most of your time inside the stadium? I think we should all meet up somewhere. How about outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at 10am? That would give us 
half an hour (or so) to hang out before the place opens…right? I think we should get a group photo for this blog. Maybe play catch for a few minutes? (Ten-way catch might be tough.)
In other news, I’m in the new issue of Yankees Magazine. CLICK HERE for the full-sized article on my web site.
The Baseball Collector 
Zack – Glad to see you came to your senses and are going to check out the new park before the season! For me anytime there is an excuse to go to just about any baseball game I go!! I have caught about 120 balls at NCAA games (not counted in any of my totals) and about 20 of those are game home runs including a couple from Phil Nevin and Mark Kotsay from back in the day!
Speaking of Home Run balls all the horrific details on my near miss of game home run #100 are on my MLBlog now! I am still frustrated!!
Hope to see you in LA at some point this season!
John
http://ballhawk.mlblogs.com
i think 10 am at the rotunda sounds good to me
whats goin on! you said you’d never wear opposing teams gear at YS! i hope that was advice.
JOHN-
Nevin & Kotsay? Cool. I will check out the details on your blog about your recent near miss…and did I mention that I’m gonna be at Dodger Stadium on May 18th? I hope you can make it.
PUCK COLLECTOR-
I’m glad you brought that up. I was RE-quoted about that one. I guess they didn’t want my interview to seem too anti-Yankee.
DAVE DAVISON-
Where are you?
10am at the rotunda sounds alright. I’ll be there.
Congrats on the Yankees Magazine article. I see you’re representing Mets blue in YS like it’s your job. Well done sir. I’m going to at Citi this Sunday, bright and early, and will probably be entering through the rotunda so there is a chance I’ll be able to see all you kids. Let’s do this.
– Donnie
http://donnieanks.mlblogs.com/
That’s a good choice.. I have a question when you come to la for how many games are you gonna be here and are you gonna visit angel stadium you had a good trip when you came last time just to mention it
I will most likely be attending.
That’s pretty cool. I just cringe reading that, I really hope you didn’t jinx yourself…
Any more news for your idea on going to Colorado?
I was about to take a tour of Chase Field today, the third MLB ballpark I’ve been to, but it was sold out! Anyway, off tot eh Cubs-Giants game in Scottsdale!
On the 18th, I MAY be there. MAYBE! If I did, though, I would be in the All-You-Can-Eat-Pavilion.
Hey Zack, i know i havent commented in forever but can u plz describe in detail the best places to snag in Citi Field. I got tix for the following sunday (April 5th) for some Mets workout thingy and its exclusively for ticket plan holders so most likely it will be empty but im afraid ima walk away with nothing. My ball average per game is like 1.5 or 2. Please and Thanks!
Zack & Ballhawks everywhere –
I just opened up a Fantasy Baseball League on Yahoo and EVERYONE is invited to join. It is the BFL (Ballhawk Fantasy League)You can find it by clicking here http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/bflbaseball and the password is ballhawkIt is FREE and you just need to have a Yahoo acct.This is just something fun for all of us to do and give us more to talk about! I might even throw in some cool prize at the end of the season for the winner!!Johnhttp://ballhawk.mlblogs.com
Password = ballhawk
John
http://ballhawk.mlblogs.com
john: what is the league ID# you need that to join the league.
i joined but what type of draft is it?
oh never mind. is an autopick draft.
since i’m going to the game with my stupid brothers birthday party, i’ll be getting to the stadium sunday at around 11. and i have to watch over his annoying and obnoxious friends. but im going to the game so….
Zack- In no way are you cocky so don’t worry about that. There is NO DOUBT in my mind that you will get at least one ball at Citi. If you got as many as you did at Shea with no real outfield seats, you should get plenty more at Citi. You are a legend. Congrats on the article.
ill see everyone at the gates..you too clif, later on..
looks like rain…ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh
anyone else going to the mets april 5 workout? i just grabbed some tix on ebay for cheappppppp..i dont have a plan or anything..
I signed up for it the baseball league
LADOD4EVER-
Just that one game at Dodger Stadium, and then I fly back to NYC the next day. I’m only going out to L.A. for a family event.
CHARLIE-
I’m thinking of going to Coors for the Dodgers series in August.
PLAYBALL999-
I’d probably be in the LF pavilion.
RIPPINDOG_94-
Yup, I’ll share my Citi Field assessment.
JOHN-
Sounds cool, but I’m gonna pass, just because I don’t have enough time to spare.
Oh ok cool I’ll try to be there
John- What is the id# for the league?
Just a heads up:
Giving you a heads up since you suggested the Rotunda as a meeting place. I was perusing the Citi Field A to Z guide on mets.com looking for info, and I found this:
As these procedures may result in delays entering Citi Field, we encourage you to arrive early. Normally, gates open 1½ hours prior to game time except the Left Field Gate C that opens 2½ hours prior to game time for those wishing to enjoy pre-game activities.
I’m probably goingto be there, but it’s not 100% yet. I just want to walk around and see all the sights. the scoreboards, the views. the views for the 4 games I’ve bought to so far. Either way I’m leaving at 2 to go to the Chocolate Expo at the palisades.
League ID for Ballhawk Fantasy Baseball is
267437
John
Zack – I have a ticket for you for the 18th if you want it. It is LF pavilion. $13 if you want the 2nd seat in and $50 if you want the Aisle ……….. lol
Just kidding …….. the ticket is yours if you want it …… let me know ASAP via email.John
ok here is the Ballhawk Fantasy League info the right way this time ……….
goto http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/
click on the link for join a league under baseball 09′ (blue link I think) Then you click JOIN CUSTOM then enter the LEAGUE ID which is 267437 and then the password = ballhawk then set your draft order and we will draft late saturday or sunday at some point hopefully. It’s an autodraft!!
John
http://ballhawk.mlblogs.com
EVERYONE-
What do we think about Ceetar’s comment? Should we pick a different spot to meet? I think we should still meet at the Rotunda, if even for 10 minutes, and then walk over to the LF gate together. It’s not like it matters if we all miss five minutes of BP, right?
CEETAR-
Thanks.
JOHN-
Thanks but I’m gonna be there with my whole family, so we’ll need a bunch of tickets. Not sure how many yet.
Congrats Zack – You’re #2 on the latest Leader’s List!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
yeah i agree with you zack. im going purely to check out the stadium, so i don care if i miss some of BP
oh, this may sound kinda corny, but we should all walk down the tunnel together
The Yankees are trying to screw the fans this season. In the A-Z guide it says this: Field Level Food Court
The food court located near Section 126 on the Field Level offers guests a taste of New York with a variety of concessions, including Boar¹s Head deli sandwiches, Famous Famiglia pizza and Asian cuisine. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY FIELD LEVEL AND LEGENDS TICKET HOLDERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE FIELD LEVEL.
So it is going to be like U.S. Cellular Field. And also it says for batting practice…
Batting Practice:
Guests are welcome to watch batting practice from their seat location. (etc.) So this may not be enforced, but still they are screwing us.
Alex
Hey Zack are you going to any Yankee Exhibition game against the Cubs? Im going to be at both.
hey zack i was on the yankees websit reading the new a to z chart they have for the new stadium, check this out,
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/guide.jsp
“Field Level Food Court
The food court located near Section 126 on the Field Level offers guests a taste of New York with a variety of concessions, including Boar¹s Head deli sandwiches, Famous Famiglia pizza and Asian cuisine. Please note that only Field Level and Legends ticket holders have access to the Field Level.”
Acrourding to this people will only be alould down there if you have a ticket’s. Do you have any ide’s on where else you can get a ball other then down there or the bleachers. Also are you going to the April 3rd game or the opening day game at the new stadium?
I just found this also.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/guide.jsp
“Batting Practice
Guests are welcome to watch batting practice from their seat location. Yankee Stadium gates will open at 10 a.m. for regular-season day games and 4 p.m. for regular-season night games. For Saturday Fox games during the regular season, gates will open at 1 p.m.
How do you think they will even inforce this?
Zep, I suspect they will enforce this and it will be just one more reason for me to frown upon my ballclub.
And for another…., see the security policy about no plastic bottles–which means you have to pay $85 for a soda.
my dad is a moron. You CAN bring in water, but im going to call tomorow and see if the BP rules that were mentioned above are true. if they are, im not going to the game on the 3rd, or any other game.
oh but the yankees still advise fans to arrive early to enjoy pregame activities- like what sit in your assigned seat and eat food!?
and the only people that will be allowed on field level will get there in the 3rd and leave in the 6th.****** the yankees.***** the steinbrenners,***** randy levine. they can all go **** themselves.
I got my Maxim the other night and went straight to your section. Dude, with press in that kind of magazine people will notice you.
I actually think you should go to the college game. You can scout out the new locations and maybe do a primer blog for the New York Mets fans on the new ballpark hot spots for maybe snagging balls.
It will make you an instant fan favorite, even before Opening Day. With that kind of information, you will be king of Citi Field.
Rays Renegade
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com
huh interesting. in the citi field A-Z Guide, under gate sopen it says The Left Field Gate normally opens 2½ hours prior to the game so that fans may arrive early to watch infield and batting practice FROM THEIR SEATS!
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ballpark/guide.jsp
is monument park only open to people with the $350 seats?
babe ruth is the reason that the Yankees are who they are today, and one of his best qualities was that he interacted with the fans, and he was especially nice to every kid he met. how have the yankees fallen so far?built this t
hey zack-
long time no post…ive been keeping up to date…so i know whats going on, just no posts
everyone-
both the mets and yankees before the new stadiums (shea and yankee 1) said fans can watch BP from their seats before the game…i doubt it will be a problem now, but i dont know…i hope not! if it is im moving to philly
so i called the yankees, and they said that when bp is taking place, you need to be in your seat location.
oh, and i would have never given the Yankees a “Re-quote.”
i would have said, hey look this is what i do. if you dont want to include that question in the story fine, but im not lying about my attire.
ok, so now my dad called and they told him that access to the outfield seats for BP would be a game time decision based on the opponent and day.
also they said many times the usher will have discretion on whether or no to allow people into their section.
so that means you can just pay them off, or i think it will that access will only be denied if you are trying to access the section at the end of BP. so if you get there when the gates open, you will be fine.
Hope to see you tomorrow. As you’ve seen from Clif’s lovely entry, I will be bringing Dylan and a bunch of friends for his Bday. Will hopefully be getting there by 11 ish. I’m not that interested in BP for this one (may not even happen in the rain). It’s a cheap bday party and cool!
Wow, New York baseball will be delightful this year. Why can’t they just let us have fun.
Joneli- Hahahaha, that is hilarious.
PUCK- so it depends on the mood of the usher whether we can get in the section or not?
well yeah or how much you pay them.
but i bet if you call and ask tomorrow you will get another answer
you can speak to seven different yankees reps and get seven different answers so idk what to tell you.
Zack (and everyone),
That is INSANE about BP at both new parks in NYC if that is true. What an assinine policy. You should all move to San Diego. Better weather, great food, a beach AND mountains/snow. Baseball tix start at $5. Go WHEREVER you like during BP. Small crowds. There’s only one catch. You’re stuck watching the Padres. Ha ha. For all you New Yorker’s sake I hope this policy changes.
Gail the Quack…
Could you pleas fax over a prescription for Lipitor to the Walgreens in National City, CA? Thanks.
Leigh
Rain, rain go away, come again another day.
leaving now for citi, see everyone at the jrr at 10..
leigh-wishing i could be nearer to sd…………..
puck, and others
i saw you left a comment that says you have to watch bp at citi from your seat but i just checked and it doesnt say that for citi field it just says: Fans are welcome to arrive to Citi Field early to watch players take batting practice. Fans can enter the Left Field Gate 2 ½ hours prior to the scheduled game time. Please note that batting practice does not take place prior to every game. If batting practice is in fact scheduled to take place the following is a pre-game timeline:
Gate entry times for batting practice at Citi Field. 1:10 p.m. game 4:10 p.m. game 7:10 p.m. game
Mets BP 10:40 a.m. 1:40 p.m. 4:40 p.m.
Visitor BP 11:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m.
thats copied and pasted. and btw sorry i didnt see you today. where were you at bp (or pregame throwing)
oh, it says that in the gates open section. you got me worried, but in the batting practice section it says you can go anywhere.
and leigh
those reasons are the reasons why im seriously considering going to college in SD.
Cliff- California is great if you can tolerate all of the liberals.
hahahaha yeah, i hear it was like that out there. damn, it’s tough to handle em here in NJ……. on second thought, maybe california won’t happen……nah, but if i did head that way it would be cool for 4 years of college and then right back to new york!
i just watched the video on mets.com about citifield and the architecture behind it…and the guy who was in the video stated something along the lines of “all citifield ticket holders will have access to the field level, whereas at shea stadium, you needed to have a field level ticket to enter.”
i think we had established that point already…but if not, there is your answer
I saw you today fine sir…on two occasions, being followed by a camera. The first, right inside the entrance of Left Field talking to the reporter, and then a second time, whereas you looked at me while you were doing some, “looking around the park” for vroll for the camera guy. Once again, it fails. Did you end up snagging anything my dood?
– Donnie
http://donnieanks.mlblogs.com/
today was pretty fun..i actually like citifield a LOT! but obviously there are some things that were…odd. anyway, should be fun. in case anyone cares, i got 2 ncaa big east balls..thrown to me..i didnt try at all though. my friend got one. nice seeing everyone again.
btw, i found this sweet picture, it shows greg on his way in, and me (white sweatshirt next to my friend in black sweatshirt) getting my bag re-checked (lady found my gatorade, damn).
http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spcitifield0329-pg,0,7224206.photogallery
Wow. I wish I was there today. I can’t wait for your post.
-Ellie
http://mrmetbro.blogspot.com
I just came across this (http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/03/citi_field_opens_with_a_colleg.html)…turns out they had the both of us disagreeing with each other, settling for a “clashing” environment at Citi this afternoon.
– Donnie
http://donnieanks.mlblogs.com/
if you got one girl for every ball you snagged… you’d get half the ladies i get…
and that is a complete lie :)
keep up the good blogging, the confidence just makes the whole thing better.
http://eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com
Hey Zack….
Saw you and DonnieDanks on NJ.com. Sweet. You sure do complain alot Zack. Geeze. Ha ha. Donnie seems to like it though. Looking forward to your next post.
Leigh
Fatherpuck…
There’s no liberals in San Diego. They’re all in LA. We just have Illiberals here. Ha ha. Oh yeah, and bad baseball too. No one is going to pitch to Adrian Gonzalez this year. It’s going to be ugly.
Clif…
I don’t know if you could handle college out here. It might be sensory overload for your young mind. I graduated from the University of Central Florida. It’s in Orlando. To this day I don’t know how I managed to get my BA. So many other distractions at that school. It’s WORSE out here. The distractions are even better if you know what I mean. Maybe you’ll actually study when you’re in school unlike me. Good luck!!
Leigh
That picture of the rotunda is crazy. It looks like some futuristic mall or something, not a baseball stadium.Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com