Dana Beers spent Friday at Rate Field for White Sox vs Mariners with a very specific mission, and he was kind enough to put it on the record before first pitch. The Dana Beers Foul Ball Challenge: catch a baseball at a major league game while holding a beer. He claims he's 0-50 lifetime on it. The rules, importantly, are strict — BP balls do not count. It has to be off the bat in a real game.
Dana laid out the rules of the challenge from his seat in section 157.
The day didn't exactly cooperate. A homer landed 20 feet away. Smokes hurt himself trying to recreate a viral clip. Dana did snag a ball at some point — the Yak crew clipped him with one — but he quickly clarified it wouldn't count toward the official tally because it wasn't a live at-bat foul. The man is playing by his own rules and refusing to grade on a curve, which is admirable behavior for a self-imposed bit.
The Yak crew's clip of Dana grabbing a ball while Smokes ate it nearby.
Which brings us to the punchline of the night. Zack Hample, for the uninitiated, is the guy who has snagged thousands of baseballs at MLB games — most of them during batting practice, with a glove, frequently while wearing team gear to bait players into tossing him souvenirs. To a regular fan trying to grab one organically with a beer in his hand, Hample represents the absolute opposite philosophy. After the homer that got away, Dana let it fly.
Dana's verdict on the most famous ballhawk on the internet.
Zack Hample is a pussy ass batting practice merchant
It's a perfect summary of where the line gets drawn. A foul ball off the bat, in a real moment, while you've got a cold one in the other hand — that's the actual fan accomplishment. Camping out three hours early to corner BP and stuff a backpack? That's a job. Dana might still be 0-50, but at least he's swinging for the right pitch. The challenge continues, name pending, since sitting in the outfield apparently disqualifies the branding too.
Dana already workshopping the naming rights mid-bit.
Okay don’t think we can call it the Dana Beers Foul Ball Challenge if I’m sitting in the outfield for the first one: We’re gonna workshop that