20 Goals for 2013

January 1, 2013

In this New Year’s day entry, I will explain my 15 ballhawking, baseball, and blogging goals for 2013 is no particular order.

1) Snag 57 Baseballs combined between MLB and MILB: Why 57? Right now, I have snagged 15 MILB and 28 MLB baseballs, for a total of 43. Breaking 100 total baseballs would be huge for me.

2) Snag 7 game balls: In 2012, I snagged 3 foul balls, which for me was awesome. In 2013, I will focus more on game balls during games, rather than just watching the game, which I am looking forward to.

3) Don’t get shut out: In 2012, I got shut out 5 times. That is 5 times too many. If I can avoid getting shut out, I think the 2 above goals should come easier than if I do get shut out.

4) Snag at least one of each 2013 Commemorative ball: I don’t know which teams will use a ball with a special logo, but for those that do, I want to try to snag at least one of each.

5) Catch a home run: Plain and Simple. I want to snag a game home run at some point in 2013. Wether I am in the bleachers in Oakland or behind the fence in Modesto, it is important to me that I snag at least 1 game home run in 2013.

6) Average 3.5 Balls per game: In 2012, my average was 1.53 balls per game for MLB Games, and 2.5 balls per game for MILB Games. I want to increase both of those numbers in 2013!

7) Have a double-digit game: The most balls I have snagged in a game is 6. I’ve done that twice. Ideally, I would like to have at least one game in 2012 where I snag 10 or more balls. I would have to have a very successful BP, which I really haven’t had yet.

8) Attend 25 Games: In 2012, I went to 21 games, so I would like to increase that number in 2013. My family is getting a ticket plan with the A’s, so that should allow us to go to more games, since we are saving money with the plan.

9) Vist 10 Different MLB and MILB Stadiums: I will be honest, I don’t know how realistic this one is, but it is always good to set goals! This past year, I visited 3 MILB stadiums, and 2 MLB stadiums. I have a few different ideas for trips in my mind, so I still am keeping this goal in mind.

10) See 5 teams play that I have never seen play before: The only 2 AL Teams that I have not seen play are the White Sox and Astros, both teams that I want to watch at some point in 2013. I also plan on seeing a few new Minor League Teams play throughout 2013.

11) Have a hat for all 29 MLB Teams (I will NEVER buy or wear a Yankees hat, so they don’t count): Right now, I am 5 NL teams away from making this reality, so I would hope I can do this by the end of 2013.

12) Have a shirt for all 29 MLB Teams (Same thing as above- I will NEVER buy or wear a Yankees shirt, so they don’t count): I have a shirt for 19 different teams, so it would be nice for me to have shirts for every team before the end of 2013.

13) Collect 10 Different Giveaway Items: The A’s have a lot of fun giveaways scheduled, and Minor League Teams always keep it interesting, so this goal should be a lot of fun!

14) Get 30 Autographs: Whenever I have a chance for an autograph, I’ll take it, unless it means loosing out on a baseball. This past year, I managed 15 autographs on tickets and 1 on a hat, so I would love to increase that number in 2013!

15) Win the MyGameBalls.com Scavenger Hunt: This one will be hard. At MyGameBalls.com, since 2010, they have had a Photo Scavenger hunt, with a list of baseball photos to take, each photo being worth a certain amount of points. In 2010 and 2011, I did not participate. Todd Cook, along with his sons Tim and Kellan, won the contest both years. This past year, I chose to participate, and came in second place, to Cook and Sons. I feel that this could be my year, if I go to enough games and I always have a camera ready, I feel that I could potentially win in 2013!

16) Finish in the top 3 for the MyGameBalls.com Junior Ballhawk of the Year Award: In 2012, the top 5 finishers were: 1- Mateo Fischer (223 Balls); 2- Irish (106 Balls); 3- Cook and Sons (155 Balls; 4- Tom Mikita (0 Balls); 5- Paul K (39 Balls). Considering the fact that Mateo is no longer a “Junior Ballhawk,” I feel that if I am able to not get shut out as much as I did this past year, go to more games, snag more hit balls, and call out to players more, then I should have a very good shot with this goal.

17) Finish in the top 20 in the MLBlogs Latest Leaders: I have done really well these last few months, and the 2012 Top 100 should be out soon, but in 2013 I would love to break the top 20!

18) Get a Media Pass for a team: I won’t get into this too much, as I don’t want to hinder my chances, but ideally, I would like to get a Media Pass for at least one team in 2013, whether it is a Major or Minor League team.

19) Get all of my game entries up within 5 days of the game: In 2012, I kind of followed this, but not really. I want to focus on getting game entries up quickly and well done this year.

20) Meet many new people and have lots of unforeseen adventures and fun!: For me, the most important thing in all of this is having fun! I plan on spending many games out in Section 149 in Oakland, and I count on meeting many new people along the way.

Do you remember Paul K and Mateo fromyesterday’s entry? Well they wrote entries like this too! You can click here to read Mateo’s entry, and here to read Paul’s goal entry.

There you have it! My 2013 goals. On December 30th, 2013, I will follow up with a follow up entry to this one, looking back on these goals.

Do you have any ideas for goals for me? What are your goals? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Nick Badders is a unofficial reporter for MLB.com. He writes the blog, 7000 Coliseum Way, and you can follow him on Twitter @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay. You can also LIKE his blog on Facebook or follow him @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay on Instagram. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Written by Nick Badders Posted in Ballhawking, balls, Commemorative ball, Goals, MLBlogs Latest Leaders, mygameballs.com