Interview: Zack Hample of "Watching Baseball Smarter"

If you're a serious baseball fan these days, then you know who Zack Hample is: he's the guy who's caught over 3000 major league baseballs and is the author of the new book "Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks." It's a great book that teaches you everything you didn't know about America's favorite pastime and it'll make you fall in love with the game all over again.

Zack has been featured on CNN, NPR's nationally syndicated "Fresh Air" and the CBS Evening News. In this exclusive interview with Mr NYC, Zack gives us his unique perspective on how to be a smart New York baseball fan:

Where do you prefer to catch baseballs: Yankee Stadium or Shea?

Both New York ballparks are really tough these days with roughly 50,000 fans attending every game, but I have to go with Shea. It opens for batting practice half an hour earlier, the rules aren't as strict, the prices aren't as high, the fans aren't as aggressive, and there's a great section for catching foul balls during the game.

How is catching baseballs in New York different than in other cities?

Both Shea and Yankee Stadiums are old and cramped. The concourses are narrow, as are the rows, aisles, ramps, and staircases, so it's hard to move from one spot to another in a short amount of time. Other cities have newer ballparks where mobility isn't nearly as much of an issue. Also, since the Mets and Yankees both draw extremely large crowds, there's much more competition than in most other places.

How are New York baseball fans the same or different than baseball fans in other cities?

New York fans are more passionate and, unfortunately, more hostile. There's a certain level of in-your-face entitlement and excitement among New York City fans that you just don't get from people anywhere else. That's not to say that other sold-out venues don't get crazy when the home team does something great, but there's nothing like a New York City baseball frenzy.

How many balls have you caught to date?

3,143, including batting practice. I've snagged 104 of those balls during games, including Barry Bonds' 724th career home run. All my baseballs are from major league stadiums. No Spring Training balls or Minor League balls in my collection. It's all about The Show.

Give us just one small piece of advice for watching baseball smarter (that we can easily remember):

There's so much stuff that I almost don't know where to begin. So...just to pick something random, one cool thing to look for is the relationship between the catcher and home plate umpire. For example, if the catcher gets hit by a foul tip, the ump might brush some non-existent dirt off the plate to give him a moment to recover. And if the ump gets nailed, the catcher will give him a breather by going out to talk to the pitcher even if he has nothing to say.

Thanks Zack!

Find "Watching Baseball Smarter" on Amazon.com

And don't forget to visit Zack's website at

Zack Hample.com