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Introduction
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3 |
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Part 1
Baseballs in the News
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7 |
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Chapter 1
The Souvenir Craze
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"Ball Grabbers, Read This"
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Steve Bartman
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Jeffrey Maier
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Red Sox World Series Balls
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Barry Bonds Home Run Balls
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Hank Aaron's Final Home Run
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Sammy Sosa's 62nd Home Run of 1998
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Ryan Howard's 200th Career Home Run
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Big Money Opportunities
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Chapter 2
Foul Ball Lore
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30 |
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Consecutive Foul Balls
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Lightning Strikes Twice
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Nice "Catch"
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Heckle This!
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Don't Mess with Cal Ripken Jr.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd
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Banned from Baseball
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Great Balls of Fire
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Happy Mother's Day
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Family Affair
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That Ball Is... Gone!
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Chapter 3
Death By Baseball
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42 |
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Dangerous Game
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Ray Chapman
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Mike Coolbaugh
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Fan Fatalities
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Fowl Balls
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Chapter 4
Stunts
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54 |
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Such Great Heights
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Knocking the Cover Off the Ball
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Punk'd by Pete Rose
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Outer Space
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The Motorcycle Test
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Does a Curveball Really Curve?
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The Brass Glove Award
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Just Say No
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Chapter 5
Foul Balls in Pop Culture
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Movies and TV Shows
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Celebrity Ballhawks
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Part 2
Historical and Factual Stuff
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87 |
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Chapter 6
The Evolution of the Ball
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Chapter 7
The Rawlings Method
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(De)constructing the Ball
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The Pill
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Mission: Impossible
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The Winding Room
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The Cowhide
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The Stitching Process
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Finishing Touches
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Commemorative Balls
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Chapter 8
Storage, Preparation, and Usage
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184 |
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Striving for Uniformity
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Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud
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Equipment Managers
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Part 3
How to Snag Major League Baseballs
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197 |
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Introduction
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199 |
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Chapter 9
Before you Enter the Stadium
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202 |
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Luck versus Skill
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Choosing a Game
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Stadium Security
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Buying Tickets
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What to Bring
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When to Arrive
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Chapter 10
Batting Practice
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The First 60 Seconds
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General Advice on Positioning
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Left Field versus Right Field
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Home Run Balls
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Ground Balls
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The Glove Trick (and Other Devices)
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Chapter 11
How to Get a Player to Throw you a Ball
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228 |
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Dress for Success
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A Mishmash of Strategies
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Don't Be Annoying
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Tailor Your Request to the Situation
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Where to Go and When to Be There
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If It Rains
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Chapter 12
The Game Itself
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244 |
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What Are the Odds?
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Foul Ball Theory
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Game Home Runs
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Nice Catch! Now What?
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Third-Out Balls and Other Tosses
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After the Final Out
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Chapter 13
Top 10 Lists and Other Things of Interest
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270 |
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Top 10 Ballhawks of All Time
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Top 10 Memorable Ballhawking Moments
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Top 10 Stadiums for Ballhawking
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Spring Training, Home Run Derby, and the Postseason
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Ballhawking Etiquette
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Documenting Your Collection
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Ballhawk Glossary
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319 |
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Acknowledgments
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325 |
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Photo and Illustration Credits
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341 |
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Index
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347 |