Fan Cave winners wrap up memorable season at Game 7

KANSAS CITY -- After watching 2,430 regular-season games plus All-Star Week and a postseason culminating in a World Series Game 7, four MLB Fan Cave Dwellers were each presented with $5,000 and a thanks from Major League Baseball in a pregame field ceremony on Wednesday night before the Giants and Royals met at Kauffman Stadium.
Michael Bolling (Cubs), Stanten Jones (White Sox), Angela Lauren (Giants) and Serena Sanchez (Dodgers) each were declared "winners" in the annual season-long program, which started last spring when they were among those chosen from thousands of diehard fans and staked out Fourth & Broadway in New York.

"They have been amazing fans," said Jacqueline Parkes, MLB senior vice president of advertising and marketing. "We are just really lucky to have such great representatives for the game. It's been a blast having them here and watching them consume all aspects of the game. It's our way of saying 'thank you' and we look forward to them getting well-positioned for their next path in life."
In Jones' case, this was a bonus because he is the latest Cave Dweller to parlay the role into a job, starting full-time on Monday in sales for his beloved White Sox. All four were asked what they will remember most from their 2014 gig, and here were their replies:
Lauren: "My highlight game is Game 7 of the World Series, the San Francisco Giants, my team is here. Just even thinking about it, I get choked up. You watch every single game, and you are a diehard of that team, and all those games matter to you. When you are seeing it matter to 46,000 of your closest friends at AT&T Park and it's a World Series game, that's pretty epic. That was the highlight of my year, being able to say I represent the San Francisco Giants and those fans ... being able to feel like I'm a part of a team I love. Oh, and Timmy's [Lincecum] no-hitter."
Sanchez: "For me, it was being in the Fan Cave seeing two no-hitters from one team, Clayton Kershaw and Josh Beckett. Last year, I went to about 80 Dodgers games in a baseball season. To see over 2,000 games is unbelievable. It makes you realize this sport is incredible and with the passion I have for this sport, to see all that, it was a dream come true. To be here at Game 7 of a World Series on the field is amazing to me. I'm never going to forget this whole experience."
Jones: "The very first postseason game, Royals vs. Athletics. The game itself was insane, but even more than that, we got a surprise party thrown for us by MLB, to celebrate us watching all 2,430 baseball games. Then the ultimate moment came 10 minutes after the party started, when I got a phone call and was notified that I wasn't just going to get an internship with the Chicago White Sox, but I got a full-time job. ... That was the most incredible moment I've had, not just in the Cave but quite honestly in my life."
Bolling: "Just being in the Fan Cave for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field and seeing how that came together with our callups like Javier Baez and Jorge Solear. We're really excited about the future. ... It's a lot of games to watch, that's true. But when you get put in a room with a lot of people who share the same passion as you, it's remarkable."
The MLB Fan Cave finished its fourth season as a space that mixes baseball with music, popular culture, media, interactive technology and art. It was home this season to the weekly MTV2 program "Off the Bat from the MLB Fan Cave," executive produced by David Ortiz of the Red Sox. In addition to watching every game, the Cave Dwellers represented MLB by hosting player visits and special events.

Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. Read and join other baseball fans on his MLB.com community blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.