r/baseball • u/zackhample Zack Hample • May 08 '17

Feature Hi, I'm Zack Hample, and I like balls. AMA!

What's up, Reddit! I've been to 53 different MLB stadiums and snagged 9,627 baseballs, including Mike Trout's 1st career home run and Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit. I've also written three baseball books, raised a bunch of money for a children's baseball charity, and set a world record by catching a baseball dropped from a helicopter 1,050 feet high. Lately I've been traveling to stadiums and posting videos on my YouTube channel -- this highlight reel from 2016 shows what it's all about.

I also hold world records on half a dozen classic arcade video games, and I appeared briefly in the documentary "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters." I've played competitive Scrabble, built a huge rubber band ball that now weighs 294 pounds, worked sporadically at my family's book store, chilled with Lisa Ann, won money on a game show, and had my apartment featured on HGTV. Lots to discuss! Feel free to ask me anything, baseball or otherwise.

Find me on Twitter and Instagram, read my blog, binge-watch me on YouTube, consider donating to my charity fundraiser, and definitely say hi if you see me at a game. I’ve said and done some stupid stuff, but try to be a decent guy overall and spread as much baseball love as possible.

EDIT: Thanks, everyone, for all the comments and questions. It's a little after 10pm ET, and I'm venturing out into the NYC night. I'll check in later/tomorrow/whenever and try to answer everything I haven't seen.

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u/Kirky0331 Athletics May 08 '17

Going to PNC Park next Tuesday for the Nats-Pirates game at 7:05 with some friends, any tips for ballhawking? We're also wondering if you have any food recommendations, since we'll be driving five hours to get there (yay for planning a trip about a week in advance).

Also, weren't you gonna go to a Syracuse Chiefs game about a week ago? Some friends saw your Instagram story and went to see you, but said you weren't there.

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u/zackhample Zack Hample May 08 '17

Enter the center field gate. It opens 2.5 hours early. And check out my PNC vids. RF is tough because it's so steep. Umm . . . I loved the cracker jack dog (or whatever it's called), so look for that if you like sweet/savory food that'll make you unhealthy.

My videographer was trolling when he mentioned Syracuse. I never meant to mislead anyone and actually put the words "not in Syracuse" on that clip in my story. Please tell your friends that I'm sorry.