What did Maniac need to have in his hands when he was listening to Grayson’s stories?

From the text:

It was impossible to listen to such stories empty handed. As soon as Grayson started one, Maniac would reach into one of the equipment bags and pull out a ball or a bat or a catcher's mitt. Sniffing the scuffed horsehide aroma of the ball, rippling the fingertips over the red stitching — it's hard to say how these things can make the listening better, but they do, and, for Maniac, they did.

Maniac Magee felt like it was nessaceray to hold something while listening to Graysons story because if he didn't have it with him then he would feel like it wasn't worth hearing the stories.

Maniac had to have either a baseball, a baseball bat, or a catchers mit.