Ballboy turns heads with A-plus effort

Ballboy turns heads with A-plus effort
Leaping stab of liner in seventh makes local kid star for a day
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG -- While the Rays' glove work has been off the charts all season long, now their ballboys are getting into the act.

In the seventh inning of Wednesday afternoon's game, Ramon Vazquez ripped a pitch from Matt Garza toward the stands along the left-field line, when, out of nowhere, Rays ballboy John Adams sprang up from his seat next to the visiting bullpen to stab the drive with a leaping effort.

"I really didn't think too much, I just kind of reacted," said Adams, 18, of Palm Harbor, Fla. He is in his first year working at Tropicana Field after attending nearby Countryside High School, where he pitched for the baseball team.

"I'm a rookie. That's the first ball I've caught in the air. I've caught a few on the ground. Everybody said look for 'Web gems' tonight, so I'll be watching 'SportsCenter' all night."

Rays right-hander Andy Sonnanstine said he would be surprised if Adams' catch didn't make 'SportsCenter.'

"I mean, that's probably the best catch I've ever seen by a ballboy," Sonnanstine said. "That ball was kind of tailing. Nice catch."

Cliff Floyd also expects America to watch Adams' work Wednesday night.

"He will be on ESPN tonight," Floyd said. "He wants to be a part of this mix we've got going on the field. They take a lot of pride in what they do on the other side of the white lines, too."

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Nice catch!

That should just about take care of his 15 minutes of fame. When do I get mine?