My number of baseballs is always changing, but I finished the 2008 season with over 3,700. I got started long before I ever snagged my first ball; I watched baseball on TV, saw fans battling for the prized souvenirs, and wanted to get in on that action myself.

I don't think it's possible to become a true celebrity based solely on collecting baseballs, but given the fact that I get recognized at every game I attend and often get asked to sign autographs, I'd have to say yes, to a small extent.

Barry Bonds' 724th career home run because he's the all-time home run leader and this is as close as I've come to the pinnacle of baseball-collecting. Justin Morneau's first homer in the 2007 Home Run Derby, which happened to be THE first homer of the Derby because the whole world was watching and I'd never experienced more competition. My 1,000th ball, which was tossed by Pedro Borbon Jr. before a game at Shea Stadium in 1996, because for years that had been my lifetime goal.