(PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 28, 2003)—Phoenix College student, David Holguin did not win big at a Las Vegas blackjack table, nor did he pick the winning Power Ball number. However, Holguin was the lucky winner of a signed Mark Grace jersey, and is now the envy of many Mark Grace fans.

Whether it’s a local bar wanting to display the jersey for mass crowds to see or a dedicated fan in Chicago offering him $20,000, Holguin’s life has changed quite a bit after winning the Diamondback celebrity’s jersey.

Holguin, a lifetime baseball fan, decided to move to Phoenix in the summer of 2001 after returning home from the military. Although he was not sure what he wanted to do, he had a friend in Phoenix and felt it would be a good place to start out. Once in Phoenix, everything fell into place.

"Phoenix College has been a good fit for me," said Holguin. "Rene Delgado helped me out a lot, she really got the ball rolling for me."

Speaking of getting the ball rolling, Holguin has been a Diamondbacks fan ever since their Arizona baseball team started rolling in 1998. An avid fan, Holguin has saved every ticket stub for every Diamondbacks game he’s attended, and when the Diamondbacks are on the road, he sits with the patients at Veterans Hospital, where he works, and watches the game with them.

"Randy Johnson is my favorite player," said Holguin, "and I have been following Mark Grace since he was with the Cubs."

So how did this Phoenix College student/Veterans Hospital employee get so lucky? He picked the winning ticket, that’s how. During the last game of the season, the Diamondbacks were selling raffle tickets to win one of 36 team member jerseys. Mark Grace’s jersey was extra valuable considering this was his last season of playing baseball. When Holguin’s ticket was chosen, and he randomly picked Mark Grace’s jersey—he went completely numb.

"The crowd was yelling ‘he got it!’ and camera and media people were surrounding me," said Holguin. "I was nervous, excited and didn’t know what to say! It was an unbelievable experience."

This amazing, once in a lifetime experience has changed Holguin’s life forever. Not only can he use the jersey as a financial investment for the future if that’s what he decides to do, he is recognized on the street as ‘the guy who won Mark Grace’s jersey.’ "My life is like a roller coaster," said Holguin. "It seems like whenever I’m down, something comes along to pick me back up. I am now a firm believer that anything can happen, because it happened to me!"

Everyone seems to want to know what he’s going to do with Mark Grace’s jersey. Will he sell it? Will he put it on display somewhere? How much would the jersey sell for? Although Holguin is not sure what the fate of the famous jersey will be, he did say that if he decides to sell it, he will split the proceeds with his four sisters.

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