I received this story and the information on this bat give a-way yesterday afternoon.  Great story and even greater opportunity to get a nice Christmas present for young kids.  I hope the weather holds so people get the chance to attend.

The Ball

This is the story of "the ball" from Christmas two years ago.   Please read this and I hope you enjoy it.   We have a special request at the end. - Randa Hartl

It was just a typical Christmas Eve morning.  Randy and the kids were out Christmas shopping for my present, a little early this year, as it is the morning and some stores are still actually open.  So while I was enjoying my quiet time, I thought I would check out the bargains on Craigslist.

Anyway, I found this ad that said, "Want to give some kid a wonderful Christmas".  That sparked my interest enough to click on the ad and read further.  As I read the ad, I thought to myself, could this be for real?  The lady had a signed Kirby Puckett baseball that had been in her china hutch for years.  Her and her husband decided that it really wasn't that important to them, but knew it could be the highlight of some kids Christmas, so they were offering it for free.  All you had to do was email them why you would like to have it, and then of course, pick it up, in downtown Minneapolis.

Well, I didn't think too long before I replied:

Do you still have the ball?

My son would just go crazy over this.  He is 11 years old and baseball is his life!

We had to go stand in line for 3 hours to see Kent

Hrbek this summer, and then Braden was too awestruck to even talk to him!

Wow, you will sure make some kids Christmas!

May God Bless You!

So, now I have to call my husband and tell him that if he gets a weird phone call to just answer it!  I fill him in on what has happened so far and his reply is "Are you nuts!  Do you think this is for real?  We need to drive to Minneapolis to pick up a free signed Kirby ball!"  Listening to him, it did sound a little crazy.

About 45 minutes Randy calls me and tells me the lady actually called him about the ball!  He said she sounded really nice and he thinks this could actually be for real.  The only drawback is that he has to go pick it up.  After shopping Braden and Randy set out for their Christmas adventure.  Randy hasn't told Braden any of what is happening.  Braden is kind of a cautious kid by nature, and even being in a big city when it is getting dark kind of scares him, and now, here he is in a pretty nasty part of downtown Minneapolis, on Christmas and even Randy isn't real sure this is that great of an idea anymore.

Randy tells Braden to look for Christmas lights, since that is the only real landmark that the lady has given him to find her house.  Sure enough, in the middle of abandoned houses and boarded up apartments is a beautiful little house with Christmas   galore!  There shoveling her sidewalk is Donna, just as nervous about who she is going encounter, as Randy is.

As Randy and Braden walk up her sidewalk, Braden is still trying to figure out what is going on.  He gets closer, and Donna introduces herself and pulls a baseball from her pocket.  Now Braden is really confused.   As he is looking at his Dad trying to figure this out, she holds out the baseball to him.  As he is looking at it, she turns it around so he can see that it is signed.  As he read the name on the ball, his whole face lit up!  He asks Donna if he can hold the ball.  She says "hold it - you can have it" - "Merry Christmas".   Randy offered to pay her or send her a gift for the ball she just kept smiling and refused to take anything.  They talked for a few minutes, said some Thank you's and she went inside to be with her husband and family, and Randy and Braden headed for home.

Braden was quiet on the ride home.  I am sure he realized what a generous gift he had just received.  It is not to often that a total stranger would give a gift and expect nothing in return.  Randy explained that is really what Christmas is all about.

Braden is to young to even consider the money value of this gift, he is a baseball lover, a Minnesota Twins fan through and through, and this ball means so much to him.  He dreams of being on baseball diamond, I think every young boy does, and having a ball signed by Kirby, brings that dream home.  He knows there won't be any more balls signed by one of his baseball heroes, and he treasures it!

On Christmas Day, we received this email from Donna:

Hi, It was nice to meet you both.  I was so glad I got the e-mail about your son and his

Passion for baseball. I told your husband that I had gotten about 35 to 40 inquiries in just a few minutes.

I read all of them and yours struck me as the one I needed to reply to first. It was so worth it to see   Braden's face when he saw the baseball. I knew then that it was the right choice. You have a

wonderful son, and I know he will appreciate the ball.

Hope you and your family have a great Christmas.

--Donna

This has weighed heavy on my mind since this happened to me.  Here is my plan.

I intend to give a baseball bat to every young ballplayer, between the ages of newborn and fourteen years old.  Any player, that is, who comes down to our bat plant on Christmas Eve Day,  yes December 24^th, from 10am to 3:00 pm.   We will take that young ballplayers name and personalize a bat with their actual signature.    We will also have Brats n Kraut, peanuts, cracker jacks and sodas for that true Baseball on Christmas experience.

For this there is no charge.

The entire Hartl family and the Hartl baseball family has committed to work this day for others.

Here is the request part.  What I would like to have is a team who would help share in this event.    But I'm not looking for someone who thinks they should do this because - I'm looking for someone who wants to do this, like I want to do this, someone who wants to make a young person smile at Christmas.   If you would like to help the giveaway and see those smiles firsthand you are welcomed to join our baseball family.

A rough estimate would be that we would give away 200 - 250 bats.   The only thing you will receive will be some smiles and Thank you's.  There will also be that feeling of doing something that one neat lady in downtown Minneapolis did - something that may make an impact in another person's life.  That in the midst of what we feel is darkness there is always a glimmer of hope, always a time to smile, always time to be thankful, always time to meet new people, always a time to get out of your comfort level, and time to reach out your hand to others.

What I witnessed was the joy on my son's face and the love in a person's heart through the simple handing off of a baseball.

My hope in all of this is for you to have the opportunity to feel that feeling too.

I realize that Christmas is hectic.  That it's run, run run.  For a few hours we will slow down, take a couple deep breaths, share a brat with friends, and put smiles of the faces of young ballplayers and hopefully fill there hearts with a feeling one can get when they receive unconditionally.

Randa

Invitation/Directions: CLICK HERE