Jays vs. Reds-June 23

My goal for this game: two baseballs.

What I actually ended up with was so much more.

Four friends and I arrived at the Rogers Centre around 5:15, 15 minutes before the gates were to open (we gotta make that earlier!). We didn't exactly get the best of seats, but I was just looking forward to batting practice nonetheless.

When we ran into the stadium, there was barely anyone in the seats. We gathered down at the right field foul line, but none of the Reds tossed a ball to anybody. So I left and joined some of my other friends up in the right field bleachers. There was about 45 minutes left and I was sure there were plenty of opportunities to snag baseballs.

There were a couple homers hit to left, but hardly any came to right. When one of the shots did come toward me, I lined myself up with it, scooted down a couple rows, kept my eye on the ball, stuck my glove up, and felt the weight of it strike the pocket. A man behind me let out a yell. I presumed it was in pleasure, so I thought I had lost the ball. When I pulled the glove back, there was the ball, perfectly clean, sitting in the pocket. I gave that one to my friend Prathik, who was attending his first baseball game.

Surprisingly, that was it for batting practice. I got nothing down at the dugout when the Reds and the ball boys trotted in. Once the game started, I tried to play the third out balls, but after five fruitless half innings, I became tired and went up to our assigned seats.

After the seventh inning stretch, my friends and I went down to the ground level concourse, and found some empty seats behind the Jays dugout. They were beautiful seats with a great view. The game was exciting too. We jumped on the board early with three homers. We led 6-0 til the 7th when the Reds scored 4. By the top of the ninth, it was 7-5 Jays and the crowd rose to its feet for the final out.

When that out was made, I quickly got into position behind the dugout. When the Jays trotted back in, they tossed a couple balls into the crowd, but none came my way. Then, unexpectedly, Lyle Overbay reappeared from the dugout and rolled his bat across the roof. I quickly got a grip on the handle and snagged it. Wow!

Though I was hoping for a ball, or the line up cards, the bat was even nicer. It had a nice splinter, as you can see, and Overbay's own autugraph inscripted into it. What was more concidental was the fact that the production date was written 3/12/2009, also know as my 16th birthday.

My goal was 2 baseballs, but I'll settle for an Overbay bat any day!

-D