This particular baseball is pretty special to me. I got it on my birthday while attending a Blue Jays/Orioles game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Tony Bautista hit a screaming liner right at me. I put my hand up, and knocked down the ball (saving my friend Josh's life, as he tells it). Another friend was kind enough to give the ball to me after he snagged it from the ground (it was my birthday after all).
It lived in my car for a little while, rolling around on the floor (so sad how I treated this treasured item!), so it has a few cuts and nicks. I carried it with me to several games, hoping to get it signed by some Blue Jays.
The first was a youngster who has since made a big impact - Aaron Hill. I got his autograph at a game against the Nationals at the old RFK Stadium. He signed in black sharpie (something I've since learned isn't the best idea since the marker can bleed on a baseball). The second, a middle reliever who was playing for the Blue Jays at the time named Justin Speier. I don't remember when I got his signature. The third and final signature on this ball was from Reed Johnson - a marginal player at best, but a great one to remember because I obtained it at one of the last games the Blue Jays ever played at Yankee Stadium.
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