I recieved my baseball exchange gift in the mail yesterday and guys...I'm blown away! Actually, that's not even close to how I feel. I just haven't managed to muster up the correct verbiage to describe it, so I'll just use baseball lingo. Santa, if you're reading this...you just threw a curveball and caught me looking.

Story time so, pull up a chair. Signing up for the baseball exchange was an easy decision for me. I love baseball, and as a distant relative to Roger Maris, I would listen to the stories my family would tell about him. I would sort through the various memorabilia my family owned (all of which were handed down to the male family members...I'm female) and I was raised to love the Yankees and hate the Red Sox.

So many times I would hear, "oh, you like baseball? Who's your favorite team?" I can't tell you how many times I was ridiculed for my answer. I get it... there are a lot of Yankee haters out there. A LOT. Growing up I was often dismissed as a true fan and labeled a bandwagon betty. Yes I'm a girl, yes I love baseball and no I'm not a Yankees fan because "Jeter is sooo dreamy". It wasn't until someone actually asked me why I liked the Yankees, that I finally felt like I was being taken seriously as a fan. People still hated on the Yankees...but they respected why I didn't.

I didn't go into great detail while filling out my profile. I just answered who my favorite team was and why. Then I crossed my fingers and prayed to the baseball and reddit gods that I wasn't matched with a dadgum Red Sox fan who would end up complaining on here about their misfortune.

I don't know who my Santa is, or who their favorite team is, but holy moly did they nail it with my gift!!

I was gifted this 16×20 print of Roger Maris' 61st homerun off Tracy Stallard at Yankee Stadium - October 1, 1961

It's autographed by Tracy Stallard, as well as Jack Fisher, Bill Monboquette, Paul Foytack, and Mudcat Grant, who also gave up homeruns to Maris in 1961. There are also individual pictures of these pitchers signing the print, and a copy of a newspaper article of an interview with Tracy Stallard recalling his memories of that game. How cool is that?!!!!

I love to read so I could've chosen the book exchange, and I love my dogs so I could've picked the dog exchange. But the baseball exchange...how can you not be romantic about baseball? This gift gives me a little piece of family history that perfectly captures every ounce of pride I've always felt all these years. During the biggest rivalry in baseball, a record was broken. This is the real reason I love the baseball.

Santa, I wish I could thank you in person with a handshake, or a hug, or buy you lunch. Is that creepy? Or if I could convince the mods to give you extra credits for your amazing gift giving. It all still seems like it wouldn't be enough. So from the bottom of my heart, Thank you so very much Santa!! You get the W and the SV!!