Foul Play Suspected in Disappearance of Baseball Signed by Presidents

Something’s afoul with the presidential baseball.

The mysterious disappearance of a baseball autographed by several U.S. presidents--and last seen under the pen of President Clinton--has people from coast to coast scratching their heads.

Clinton was asked to sign the coveted ball by an unidentified collector when the President visited the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club six weeks ago. The ball already had the signatures of five former presidents. Clinton, as best anyone can tell, happily complied with the request.

Then the ball vanished. And no one has been able to find it.

That’s according to John Brewster, director of the Boys and Girls Club. Brewster said he got a call this week from Taco Bell, the Irvine-based corporation that hosted Clinton’s visit, wanting to know the ball’s whereabouts. The Santa Ana police called Friday.

“They said this ball is missing,” said Brewster. “For some reason they thought we could help identify the person who took it.”

Whose ball was it?

Taco Bell isn’t saying.

“We have no information available at this time,” said Jonathan Blum, Taco Bell vice president.

Agents with the Secret Service say they’re baffled.

“Highly unusual,” said Eric Harnischfeger of the Secret Service. “I know nothing about it.”

“I haven’t heard about it,” said Josh Silverman of the White House.

The President spoke to a crowd of about 5,000 in the field next to the Boys and Girls Club when he came to town Sept. 22. The subject: crime fighting.

Before the speech, Clinton sat in the aerobics room and signed several balls, a piece of stationery for the Boys and Girls Club to auction and other items for charity groups. Apparently, the items were left behind when the President went to the podium. When people came back later, only the ball was gone.

“The general public could not have walked in there,” Brewster said. “The police had it blocked off.”

Brewster said he first heard that the ball was missing right after the President’s visit and that he understood the missing ball had the signatures of Presidents Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford and Nixon.

Historical oddities are hard to value, but some local collectors say any object with that many signatures on it is worth a lot of money.

“$5,000, I would say,” said Steve Pattillo of Brewart’s Stamps and Coins in Anaheim. “That would be a very valuable ball.”