The Baseball

This in-person interview has been transcribed.

What: baseball, signed by Hank Aaron

Age when acquired: 13

Where it lives: in a glass display case, in the home office

Can you describe it?

It’s dirty, it’s all scuffed up cause it was used in a game with a bunch of thirteen year olds a long time ago. It’s a cheap and kind of lame baseball signed by one of the greatest players of all time.

When did you get it?

It’s dirty, it’s all scuffed up cause it was used in a game with a bunch of thirteen year olds a long time ago. It’s a cheap and kind of lame baseball signed by one of the greatest players of all time.

What does it represent to you?

“It represents this dream I had, like many thirteen-year-old boys, of being a professional baseball player. And in particular it represents a moment in time when I was at the pinnacle of my baseball powers. This is going to sound corny but it was a particular baseball tournament where, for whatever reason, I played really, really well. I just remember that as my best moment as an athlete, as weird as that sounds.

It also represents this sense that great public historical figures, icons, heroes, aren’t really that far removed from ordinary life, you know? It connects my life with this person who everybody respects and reveres.

Did you ever see Hank Aaron again?

No.

What would you feel if you lost it?

I’d feel like I was getting old. Like there have been times when my kids had taken it out of the case and rolled it around on the floor. I think one time somebody took it and played with it outside. And that made me pretty upset, and I had to explain it to them. And now, it’s funny, when [the kids] see it in the office they’re like, ‘tell me about this baseball!’ cause they realize that it’s a big deal.