Funky Butt-Loving!

Christmas time has come and go - the magic is over.  The Andy Williams and Burl Ives classics that were once blasting through your stereo speakers on repeat have been replaced by the normal pop radio station, the holiday gut is beginning to form after a week of eating nothing but ham and eggnog, the living room is still strewn about with ribbons and shimmering wrapping paper, and the office is expecting you to be back at your desk and working at full-steam right now.  So goes the Christmas hangover every year; but, oh, what a ride it was!

This was a particularly good yuletide season for the Wrigley Roster Jenga kin.  All of our family gatherings went off without incident or drama, on both sides of the family, and fun was had by all who made it to our snowy, mid-western havens.  Of course, this is the most important part of the holiday; but, it would be exceptionally remiss of me to ignore the capitalistic aspect of our holiday - the presents!

Lets not kid ourselves, we're all a teensy bit materialistic.  After all, this "show and tell" blog is built around that fact.  That being acknowledged, please allow me to show you the "piece de resistance" of my holiday gifts:

That right there is an official Major League Baseball, emblazoned with the logo of the best team is the history of professional sports (biased much?), and featuring a flowing, personalized autograph in Cubbie-blue ink.  I know you're just itching to know, whose penmanship graces this pristine piece of baseball ephemera?  Fergie Jenkins?  Anthony Rizzo?  Theo Epstein?

No, even better - one must pay attention to the inscription for a clue.  Any self-respecting child of the 90's should recognize what "Float it!" is an homage to:

Funky butt-loving!  That ball was personally signed by the star of 1994's kiddie blockbuster, Rookie of the Year - Thomas Ian Nicholas, aka Henry Rowengartner.  Surely you are all at least familiar with the flick that details the adventures of a 12 year old boy who's unfortunate arm injury heals to create an adolescent arm capable of triple-digit speed and signing a Major League contract.  "Float it!" hints towards the movie's climax, where (spoiler alert!) Henry is forced to resort to the eephus pitch, after another injury robs him of his magic.  This movie was a staple of any young baseball fan's entertainment diet who grew up during the decade of the Macarena, Pogs, and Smashmouth, especially when that young fan was also a die-hard Cubs rooter.

After all, we didn't have much else to tout, besides a declining Ryne Sandberg and a pre-Flintstone vitamins Sammy Sosa, back then.

As it turns out, way back in August, Mr. Nicholas made an appearance at the Chicago stop of the touring comic convention known as Wizard World.  My gracious brother, a devoted follower of super hero and science fiction culture, just so happened to be attending this event of his own volition.  Knowing just how important this movie was to both of us, he opted to put his day on pause and wait in line to get this baseball autographed by the best 12 year old to ever play the game.  Then, he somehow managed to sit on it for four months and turn it into an amazing Christmas gift.

Here's an interview with Mr. Nicholas from that summer event.

Additionally, I should mention that Thomas Ian Nicholas also went on to star in the American Pie film series and has had modest success touring and recording with the Thomas Ian Nicholas Band.  However, to this over-grown child, he'll always be that kid heckling Tim Stoddard on the base-paths of "Dodger Stadium"...

...that pre-teen with a difficult to pronounce name...

...or that kid who took pitching advice from Home Alone's Marv:

Needless to say, my brother done good.  This will make a fine addition to my burgeoning collection of autographed baseballs; in fact, it may very well be the new marquee exhibit.  Thanks, Mike!

Now, while this gift definitely stole the spotlight this Christmas, it definitely was not the only baseball-related gift nestled under my Christmas tree.  I was lucky enough to unwrap a small boon to my treasured Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, as well, which will be split up and highlighted over the next few days.  It would be a disservice to cram all of these oddball goodies into one post!  So, keep your eyes open for those gems.

With that, before I go, I'm curious - did any of you readers out there receive any cool baseball or baseball card-related gifts during this festive season?  Were they even cooler than my TIN ball?  Please let me know in the comments section below.

Although, I'll have you know, my "Rowengartner" ball is going to be tough to beat!