Do remember where you were in on June 3, 2003 when the Chicago Cubs hosted the Tampa Bay Rays, and their superlative slugger turned persona non grata Sammy Sosa got caught, red-handed, using a corked bat?
I do, as I was in the bleachers that night and since Wrigley Field hasn’t really upgraded their multimedia amenities in several decades, no one there had any clue as to what just happened. I recall numerous people around me in the stands calling and texting those watching the game on television to find out exactly what had just transpired.
A couple of years ago, I tried to sell my own piece of MLB history from this game, the ticket stub on eBay. It was deemed not even worth $4.
Therefore news like this doesn’t surprise me, not one bit.
From MLB.com
Former Cubs player Mike Remlinger attempted to auction off the corked bat used by ex-teammate Sammy Sosa, but the artifact reportedly didn’t reach a designated reserve by Oct. 31. The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that Grant DePorter, the chief executive officer of Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group, was the high bidder at $14,407.
Remlinger, who retrieved the bat from a stadium tunnel the day of the incident, said earlier in the month that he hoped to reach $15,000 in proceeds from the sale, which was held by Schulte Auctions. And that still might happen.
So do you have $15,000 burning a whole in your pocket?
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank