King's ransom
McGwire's record HR ball could fetch Ruthian figures
Posted: Friday September 04, 1998 10:42 PM
| |
Roger Maris told Sal Durante, who caught Maris' 61st homer in 1961, to sell the ball -- Durante did and made $5,000 AP |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Hang out for a while in the upper deck at Busch
Stadium, and the debate is on: Keep the ball or give it to Mark
McGwire?
Whoever catches McGwire's home run ball No. 62 will have one of the
biggest prizes in sports. What to do with it remains a tantalizing
dilemma.
"I'd give it to him," says bartender Mike Wilson of Oklahoma City. "He
deserves it. The trick is to get rid of it before you're tempted."
Bruce McIntyre, an accountant and thus no stranger to numbers as high
as six or seven figures, shoots back with the flip side. McGwire makes $9
million a year and the Cardinals' owners obviously aren't hurting, so why
shouldn't the average guy cash in?
"If some Joe Blow collector offered me a million bucks for it, it
wouldn't take me long to decide," says McIntyre, of Indianapolis.
McGwire insists he won't pay big bucks for the ball that breaks Roger
Maris' single-season home run record, saying it would go straight to
Cooperstown.
"I'd give it to the Hall of Fame," McGwire said.
"That's where it belongs, not in somebody's trophy case. Anybody that
puts a price tag on something like that, it's totally wrong," he said.
McGwire recently drew laughs when he ticked off a list of what he
would offer the lucky fan: "Bat, ball, jersey, shoes, underwear ..."
If it happens at Busch, the Cardinals might throw in season
tickets.
Of course, once the ball leaves the bat of McGwire -- or Sammy Sosa --
it's really out of their hands.
"In hockey, the puck is in the net and you can stop activity," said
Rich Klein, a price analyst for Beckett's Monthly in Dallas. "In
basketball, you can hand Michael Jordan the ball. In football, when Jerry
Rice scores his 200th touchdown, he'll be carrying it with him.
"This may be the only record with an interactive prize, and it's
probably why it's so desirable."
If McGwire won't pay a ransom for a fan who holds the ball hostage,
there are plenty of memorabilia dealers who would.
Along with the throngs of Cardinals fans eager to witness history and
just as willing to hand the ball over for a handshake, a word of thanks
from Big Mac and perhaps an autographed jersey, there are many would-be
opportunists, hoping to somehow get their mitts on that airborne lottery
ticket.
Maris' ball, which eventually ended up in the Hall of Fame, was caught
by fan Sal Durante who sold it to a collector for $5,000. That seems like
chump change today to avid collectors, and the stakes are so high that
major league baseball, to avoid any fraud, will put secret markings on
balls used when McGwire is at bat once he is within a swing or two of the
record.
Officially, the bidding starts at $250,000. That's the sum offered by
the Shop at Home Network, which would use the ball for unspecified
"business purposes," then donate it to the Hall of Fame.
That's probably not good enough. Don't forget, a fan paid $500,000 for
Eddie
Murray's 500th home run ball. Although Murray is a future Hall of
Famer, he's a blip on the popularity radar screen compared with McGwire
mania.
There's another reason why not.
"It's not wise to make the first offer," said Richard Bond, director
of acquisitions for Leland's auction house in Manhattan.
Leland's holds two sports auctions a year, and they've produced some
numbers that are Ruthian -- or McGwiresque. Actor Charlie Sheen paid
$93,500 for the ball that squirted between Bill Buckner's legs in the 1986
World Series. A Ty Cobb jersey fetched $175,000 about six years ago. Pete
Rose sold his 1973 MVP award for around $20,000, and Leland's turned it
around for $35,000.
Bond said it's rare for sports memorabilia to top six figures, but No.
62 is in a class by itself.
"Some guy will offer some outrageous sum," Bond said. "People love to
own stuff like that. People are sick."
Bond also said the ball will be worth more if McGwire, rather than
Sosa, breaks the record first.
"If Sosa is the only one with 62, the ball is still maybe worth $1
million," Bond said. "But McGwire is a little more collected and Sosa is a
little more unknown."
That's reflected in the values of their rookie cards. The Topps 1985
McGwire rookie card is hot right now, going for $135, according to Klein.
Three years ago, it was worth $8.
Sosa's 1990 Leaf rookie card, valued at $8 earlier in the year, has
since multiplied four or five times.
Ron Graham, who owns St. Louis Sports Collectibles, figures that if
McGwire breaks the record and a fan catches the ball and puts it on the
block, McDonald's would be a natural to go after it. The fast-food giant
already promotes "Big Mac Land" in Busch Stadium, he theorizes.
"If the Murray ball is worth a half-million, McGwire's ball could be
worth several times that," Graham said. "If it falls into the hands of
corporate America, you can almost pick a number."
Graham said he has a number of clients who might be willing to top the
shop network offer.
"An item like that is ego-driven," Graham said. "It's: 'I want to own
something that no one else has.'"
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, noting that a McGwire jersey recently
fetched $21,000 at auction, doesn't think $1 million for the ball is an
outrageous figure.
He has what he believes to be the ideal compromise for the conflicted
fan: "You can make your million dollars doing the talk-show circuit telling
why you gave him the ball."
The non-profit Hall of Fame offers no money, but how about a nice tax
write-off? Jeff Idelson, executive director of communications and
education, says the Hall usually gets what it wants.
"Ninety-nine times out of 100, we're able to acquire what we want,"
Idelson said.
This might be the exception, he concedes.
"Historically, fans have chosen to help preserve the game's history,"
Idelson said. "But it's really up to whomever catches it."
The Hall of Fame already has the batting gloves McGwire used for his
400th home run earlier this year and the bat Sosa used to the break the NL
record and tie Rudy York's major league record when he homered for the 20th
time in June.
If the Hall didn't get the ball, it wouldn't be the first time.
Besides Maris' 61-homer ball, Cooperstown has the ball and bat from Babe
Ruth's 60th homer in 1927, but it does not have Hank Aaron's 715th.
The Hall has the uniform Aaron wore to set the career record, but
Aaron has the ball and bat. To get what it wants, the Hall sweetens the pot
by including the name of the donor in its exhibits. "As is the case
with all our artifacts, we work closely with players, fans and teams,"
Idelson said. "If somebody would make a donation, it assures their own
legacy."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
