Grown-Up Gigs Zack Hample, professional author, home run baseball catcher, and consultant

Grown-Up Gigs Zack Hample, professional author, home run baseball catcher, and consultant Zack at 30 stadiums in 1 season, stolen from his website Its another episode of Grown-Up Gigs! I know Ive had a lot of these lately, but I cant help it Ive been virtually introduced to a lot of people lately who make me not be able to keep my questions to myself. When I came across Zack Hample, an author 3 times over who took his strength/passion of catching/collecting baseballs (5,800 of em!) and made it a consulting business (yes, he gets paid to go to baseball games and help snag balls), I couldnt, um, keep my questions to myself. Hes also been interviewed by Jay Leno, Rosie ODonnell and zillions of other news outlets. In a word: amazeballs (pun intended). 1. What did you wanna be when you grew up? There was only one thing that I wanted to be: a major league baseball player. Im still upset that it didnt happen, and I still dont know what to do with myself. 2. Youve caught more than 5,700 (!!!!) major league baseballs, and now you charge to help others do the same. Its freakin genius. Can you describe what made you decide to make this personal skill/passion a business, as well  as any challenges you met along the way? Im actually past the 5,800-ball plateau now, but anyway, I came up with the idea because so many people kept asking if they could attend games with me. I always used to say no, and then one day, it just occurred to me, Hey, why dont I start saying yes and charge some money? I started the business in the spring of 2007 because my second book,  Watching Baseball Smarter, was coming out, and the timing seemed right. The first challenge, oddly enough, was getting a cell phone. I didnt have one and didnt want one, but realized that it was essential, especially if I was gonna be running around stadiums with peoples kids. The other main challenge was simply spreading the word, but thats something that most business owners struggl e with. Taking people to games is the most fun job ever, and I wish I could do it full time. 3. I love how you  described your parents opinion of your passion as cute until 1992, worrisome through 98, and fantastic once my book came out in 99. Did you find that peoples opinion of what you were doing changed at that point? And if so, howd ya deal with the haters before you legitimized your passionate career? It always bothered me that peoples perceptions changed when my first book came out. I was the exact same guy beforehand, and Id been doing the exact same thing, but no one took me seriously. It made me feel bad for all the other people out there who were getting looked down upon, simply because they hadnt written a book or done something big and public. I mean, on a personal level, I loved all the positive attention, but its still unsettling to this day. 4. Reading through your website and looking at the pics/videos makes me feel like I already know you. Its obviously really authentic stuff, and I know its something lots of entrepreneurs/wanna-be entrepreneurs struggle with. Did you ever feel like you had to be more professional/stuffy? Any advice for those that are scared to put their real personalities out there? Ive never felt that I had to be more professional, but I do censor myself in terms of not being crude or offensive. Sometimes I wish I were completely unknown so that I could really let loose and there may come a time when I do it anyway. I dont think I can offer anyone advice on this subject because Im so conflicted myself. Quite simply, society is very judgmental, and some things are better left unsaid. 5.  If you can have your present self give your pre-pro-baseball-snagger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Foul balls are meaningless. Go for home runs exclusively.