News & Notes: Big Papi’s Rummage Sale; Ovechkin’s 700th Puck; Devon White Sells; Storage Unit Saga; More

Big Papi is cleaning house, and sports memorabilia collectors might want to get in line for it.

Red Sox icon David Ortiz has scheduled an estate sale at his home in Weston, Mass. on Saturday, Feb. 29, which promises to feature sports memorabilia, in addition to designer clothes, furniture, gym equipment and more.

The address to the sale will be released after 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.

—–

Speaking of accomplished pro baseball players divvying out prized sports relics, former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Devon White auctioned off some items from his personal collection in this weekend’s Heritage catalog sale.

One of the most notable items included the one, solitary baseball glove he used for his entire career, which includes his performance in the 1992 World Series, where White made a dazzling catch in the game 3 and turned it into a double play — nearly a triple-play.

White admitted that he rather auction off the items rather than let them collect dust. The auction also included his 1992 and 1993 World Series trophies with the Blue Jays (which players paid for out of their own pockets), his 1997 World Series ring with the Florida Marlins, his 1989 and 1991 Gold Glove Award trophies and several game-used bats and game-worn jerseys.

The auction was scheduled to conclude on Sunday night.

—

Whenever Alex Ovechkin accomplishes a notable feat on the ice for the Washington Capitals, he instantly adds to his growing collection of memorabilia.

The latest item to go into his heap of stuff was the puck he used to score his 700^th goal with. Ovechkin became the eighth player in NHL history to achieve the feat on Saturday when he scored on New Jersey Devils goalie MacKenzie Blackwood off the assists from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nick Jensen.

Alex Ovechkin posing with the puck from his 700th career goal. pic.twitter.com/sAJOtduAoF

— Chris Gordon (@ByChrisGordon) February 22, 2020

Ovechkin, who also collects memorabilia from other athletes, added that he was going to keep his stick and gloves from the night, as well.

—–

The Buffalo News recently penned a really interestsing story on the saga behind how the NHL expansion certificate awarded to the Buffalo Sabres slipped out of the hands of the franchise’s owner and ended up in the custody of Buffalo-based sports card shop Dave & Adam’s Card World.

We reported on the once-in-a-lifetime auction awhile back, but the entire backstory is worth a read, too.

A very brief overview was that the expansion certificate, awarded in 1970 to the Niagara Frontier Hockey Corporation for an expansion franchise, was eventually placed in a storage unit, which belonged to a son of founder and owner Seymour Knox III.

Seymour IV defaulted on the storage unit after the storage company changed names without him knowing, therefore, he dismissed the bill as junk mail and never paid it.

Whoever inherited the contents of the storage locker brought it to Heritage Auctions, where it was auctioned off in December of 2017. The listing quickly caught the eye of Adam Martin, who owns Dave & Adam’s, and was able to win the auction for a mere $2,040.

—–

Loren Joostberns is selling his Grand Rapids, Mich.-area home and it’s safe to say an Ohio State Buckeyes fan is not going to buy it.

Joostberns, who resides in Hamilton, Mich., has transformed his home over the years into a shrine for the University of Michigan.

Every square foot of the maize home with blue trim is adorned with memorabilia or merchandise that celebrates his beloved Wolverines. But Joostberns doesn’t just talk the talk; he also walks the walk as a U of M football season ticket holder of 45 years who has been to seven Rose Bowls and 14 other bowl games.

His pièce de résistance is a signed collage of famed coach Bo Schembechler. The piece is also signed by 33 of Schembechler’s All-American players.

While the home, listed at $169,900, is certainly grabbing attention and media headlines, all the Michigan paraphernalia will be coming with Joostberns, who admitted to having a lot more waiting in storage.

You can view more photos here.

About Jayson Bussa

Jayson Bussa is a freelance writer and marketing professional with an extensive background in sports writing. His bylines have appeared in the Grand Rapids Press, Kalamazoo Gazette, Yahoo! Sports, the Boston Globe and more.