Hope everyone is enjoying both NCAA tournaments. This time of year reminds me of many basketball-related items, among them these Pizza Hut-distributed basketballs with the Final Four logo.

Last week marked the 30th anniversary for the release of something that played a significant role in my childhood. The Ken Griffey Jr Baseball game for Super Nintendo was revolutionary to me -- the music, the graphics, the gameplay. In posting one of the old commercials on my Retro MLB account, I found out I wasn't alone.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0W9KFjJ5ZY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This might be targeted at people of a certain age, but would love to hear who else played and collected MLB Showdown during its heyday back in the early 2000s. I feel like this was the offspring of Strat-o-matic and the precursor to gamification within digital cards.
My friends played this endlessly. It got out of hand when one buddy decided to purchase a 2002 Barry Bonds and led to a free agency spending frenzy that couldn't be reverted. The cards were visually appealing and worth holding on to for years. I did so until a couple of years back before moving to LA.

Some of the best representatives for February 29th.

Many of my most distinct memories with collectibles are born out of getting autographs. Most of these baseballs came from my great uncle who happened to living near a golf course frequented by many retired MLB greats -- Cal, Pete Rose, Yaz, and Whitey Ford.

The Brooks Robinson one is special - not unique because he was so nice. Side note: I haven't heard one Brooksie story that didn't mention his kindness. My dad an I unexpectedly saw him at a JC Penny in Northern Virginia about 28 years ago where he was promoting a cologne. We met him and he signed a sponsored card. That wasn't enough for us. We had to make the most of this opportunity. With little time to spare we rushed back home and got a book and a ball. We rushed back to the same spot. Luckily he was at the tail end of his appearance. He remembered us, talked with us past his allotted time, gladly signed the book and personalized the signature on the ball to me. I still have the book and the card too.

If you all have any stories centered around getting autographs please share!