Fan Appreciation Weekly: Zach

I decided. Since Fridays are usually slow and it's still the offseason, I thought I'd start paying tribute to some of the greatest, most hardcore fans in all of sport. It will kind of be like 'My Wish' on ESPN. I made my case for Husker fan/computer hacker James W. Conradt yesterday who remains a fugitive and still has Texas and Oklahoma in a state of emergency. I made my case for White Owl.

Today, I'm making a case for Phillie's fan Zach Hample. Although it's unlikely Zach could read a computer screen much less write fake articles like James and bang 22 year old college chicks like White Owl, it still doesn't mean he can't show his spirit and love for sport other ways. Zach is a Phillies fan and not only does he claim to have thousands of foul balls, he claims to have caught one in 454 consecutive games. Zach also claims that he can say 'toss me the ball' in 27 different languages.

"Now what's going to happen when the foul ball comes our way. What are you going to do?" - CBS reporter Steve Hartman.

"I'm going to knock over the camera. Elbow you in jaw. Jump up and start running like hell." - Zach.

This is 5 minutes of MUST SEE TV. MUST SEE TV.



If I ever go to a Phillies game, I am not sitting within 3 sections of this guy. I'd be buying 100 beers because the minute I sat down he would be diving into me for a foul ball. Did you see him tackle that old guy when trying to catch a batting practice ball? Right after that he says, "Yeah. Great. Way to use your elbows sir."

It doesn't mean that I'm not adding this kid to my growing list of fans I have to meet before I die. I'm just saying I won't sit anywhere near him. I just want to meet him, briefly.

"I wrote a book about getting balls." - Zach.