As I look at the ball that has changed my life since I was old enough to walk, I wonder what my life would be like without such a simple item. When you think of things in life it's easy to overlook a small brown ball. The easy white lines that directed so many young men into a life of team ship and dedication. My childhood ball, now covered by signatures of men who have made it big time of the simple concept, is now my motivation to get out of bed in the morning. The tough outer skin, which is needed not only for the ball but for the players who use it, shows the brutality of the sport and it speaks to the character of the men who play it.