Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Nine of the craziest things people have ever done for baseball

during the opening match of the MLB season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 22, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Brendon Thorne)
By Jake Mintz

Being a baseball fan can be a love affair. The irresistible pull of the game can make people do wildly unreasonable things that they can't even begin to rationalize. Whether it's driving all the way across the country to see all the ballparks, lying to your boss so you can skip work for Opening Day or dropping your life savings on a World Series ticket, folks have some pretty amazing stories about the insane lengths they've gone to for the game they love. 
In search of more of these tales of devotion, I posed the following question to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

The responses ranged from the concerning to the inspiring to the downright unbelievable. I went and sifted through all the submissions and here are the nine craziest things people sent in.
The Maddest MadBum Fan

It's one thing to see your favorite pitcher make every single home start. Impressive, but doable. Following Madison Bumgarner on the road all season is a jaw-dropping level of dedication.
The Sunflower Seed Collector

My guy. Do you just have them in a jar somewhere now? This is also a two-birds, one-stone situation because not only did he get to collect used sunflower seeds from the two greatest shortstops in baseball history, but he also got to milk his time running the bases on the field.
The Blue Eyeball

The world of in-between inning Minor League baseball promotions can be an unforgiving hellscape that will literally trample your eyeball at any moment. It's also a world of magical delight and heartwarming glee. Just depends on whether you're the dude in the eyeball suit or not.
The Actual Major League Pitcher

Here's the craziest part: Despite having a heater barely faster than the speed limit in Texas, the 34-year-old was pretty good that year (2015) for the Marlins and Cubs, posting a 3.60 ERA in 187 1/3 innings with a 2.1 WAR.
The Best Negotiator Ever

People throw the word "genius" around a lot. You hear names like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Kendrick Lamar. Whatever. Forget all that. This is true genius.
The Wedding Cake Fortune Teller

Wedding cakes aren't a typical medium for super bold World Series predictions, but I'm a huge fan of this move. Also, get wrecked, Sports Illustrated.
The Stadium Sleeper

As kids, we all dreamed about getting to live in a baseball stadium. This hero actually did it and lived to tell the tale.
The Journey of a Lifetime

Watching a baseball game alone is one of the coolest things you can do as a fan, but I can imagine the Uber driver saying, "Oh, are you meeting anyone at the game?" And then our friend Tricia here being like, "Uh, nah."
The Ultimate Tribute

Teams in this article:
Players in this article:
Up Next
What do you get when you combine a block party and a baseball league?
Related
A little Brewers fan had his birthday wish come true when he met Christian Yelich
A local electrician greeted Manny Machado when he arrived for his visit with the Phillies
Fans of Robinson Cano's Dominican Winter League team stormed the field after breaking a 50-year title drought
BarberJordan
When baseball's biggest stars need a haircut, they come to José 'Jordan' López
By Matt Monagan •
beephero
Competition, joy and a little pain: Beep Baseball is a world of freedom for blind athletes
By Eric Chesterton •
AP_702417634020
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the best baseball card collections in the world thanks to one man
By Michael Clair •
NYC
Where to live in New York if you've just come into $324 million
By Matt Monagan •