When I was a kid I was super into baseball, much like most of America, but there was one specific Christmas gift that just put me over the edge.

For me it doesn’t get better then “Nolan Ryan’s Strike Zone Baseball”, growing up I loved playing baseball but in the winter there was no way for a country kid like me to practice my ball skills and get my play on.  I loved the video game RPI baseball but it wasn’t getting me my fix of wanting to take my own arm reach back and toss some 12 year old heat.

One day my Mother handed me an AVON catalog and said circle anything you want for Christmas. At the time I was fist deep in fall ball in Amsterdam so I was 100 percent about baseball (and Pogs, but mostly baseball).  So I flip through this magazine full of bras, and cosmetics till I got to the toy section, that’s when I saw it.

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The “Nolan Ryan’s Strike Zone Baseball”, something that would allow to me practice my curve ball in the comfort of my bedroom. I was stoked, Christmas came and I ripped open the box and flipped more then the N64 KID.  I was held up in my room longer then the time I found an old playboy on the school bus. It kept track of hits, runs, strikeouts, walks, and even hits by a pitch; you could play a whole game with friends complete with pitching changes.  All alone? No big deal you can just see how hard you can throw that ball and how accurate you could toss it. The Thing was a kids dream, well that and getting to second base with that hot blonde chick up the street.

That my favorite sports toy if you disagree with me send me your toy.

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