Any fan can go to the ballpark with a glove to catch a ball, but only the brave few are willing to put their bodies on the line.
A 21-year-old nursing student did just that Monday night, using her inner thigh to "catch" a Colorado Rockies game winning home run.
Rockies slugger Jason Giambi hit the dramatic walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth of his team's 7-4 win off the Florida Marlins, but that's only the beginning of the story.
Jessica Wolsey, from Greeley, Colo., tells the Denver Post she didn't realize the ball was coming her way. She covered her head and SMACK, the ball slammed off her thigh.
Wolsey, attending the game with friends, didn't realize at first she had a grapefruit-sized bruise on her leg. She was too busy cheering the Rockies' win.
Rockies fans haven't had a lot to cheer about this season. Expected to challenge for the National League West title, Colorado is 12 games behind the surprising Diamondbacks in the division and 14 1/2 games in back of the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card race.
Manager Jim Tracy's Rockies have a run differential of -4, which is actually better than the second place Giants, but injuries and the trade of star pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to the Cleveland Indians have the Rockies playing out the string.
But this will always be a season to remember for Wolsey.
After the home run -- and the bruise -- several fans sitting nearby asked to rub her souvenir baseball for good luck and some wanted a picture of the welt on her leg.
Wolsey, a lifelong Rockies fan, is thinking about framing the ball with a picture of her damaged thigh.
"I'm definitely going to keep it," Wolsey said of the ball (not the bruise).
Wolsey is planning to attend Sunday's Rockies game against the Dodgers and is hoping to meet Giambi and have him sign her ball.
By then, her bruise should match the color of the Rockies' purple lettering. Perfect.
