If someone tells you they own the only jersey from Tom Glavine’s 300th win, they’re lying. Meanwhile, ARod still wants his 500th home run ball and Mike Bacsik traded in one gopher ball for oodles of money the memorabilia companies are throwing at him.
The New York Daily News reported Alex Rodriguez was looking to get a rise out of reporters this weekend.
"I’ve got some good news about the ball," he said. He then held up a game-used baseball, wanting everyone to think he’d made a deal for his 500th career home run baseball. Then he laughed.
It was #501. "I gave up a ChapStick and glass of water to get it. I hope the Rutgers kid is listening."
A-Rod laughed again and said he’d still like to negotiate with Walter Kowalczyk, the Rutgers grad student who caught home run No. 500 last Saturday.
"We’ll get the ball. We’ll get it."
Tom Glavine changed jerseys every inning during his 300th win last week. At a ceremony Sunday honoring the feat, he turned an autographed game ball over to the Hall of Fame along with one of the jerseys.
Glavine was at 290 in the spring when he spoke with the Hall of Fame back about the possibility of donating memorabilia from his 300th win. Knowing the folks in Cooperstown would want a jersey but wanting more to give out, Glavine changed his jersey every inning throughout the game to have as many bits of history as possible.
"I had a pretty good idea going in they were going to want a jersey, so I tried to make at least one of those available," Glavine said. "And I had a handful of baseballs from that game, and they requested one of those. Fortunately, I hadn’t given them all away yet."
Washington Nationals’ lefty Mike Bacsik told reporters he has offers on the table from Steiner Sports and Mounted Memories. He also is talking to both Topps and Upper Deck about autograph deals in connection with Barry Bonds’ 756th home run.
Bacsik was the guy who gave up the gopher ball and while he may go down in history for something he isn’t proud of, it has opened up the possibility of a major income expansion.
"I’m just trying to take it all in and see what’s going on. This is all new to me," Bacsik said. "I made a mistake and now all of a sudden everybody wants to talk to me and get to know me. It’s weird."
The East Valley Tribune reported that Bacsik began to understand the magnitude of the 84 mph fastball Bonds crushed into the right-center field stands the night of the homer. He and a friend were about to get into a cab outside the ballpark after the game when a couple of fans approached him and asked if he’d sign their baseballs along with the date — 8-7 — and 756.
Bacsik obliged, thinking nothing of it.
The next morning, he got a call. The balls were being sold on eBay.
“I’m getting educated about this,” said Bacsik, who signed with the Nationals after the Diamondbacks declined in the offseason to offer him a major league contract. “I used to sign my autograph all the time, and I’ll still do it as much as I can, but not with 8-7 or 756. When somebody does it to immediately make a few dollars off of you, it ruins it a little bit.”
Game used memorabilia on eBay
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