b4black
12-19-2003, 08:10 AM
:add_wegbr The baseball at the center of one of the most memorable plays in the Chicago Cubs' 2003 playoff series was auctioned off this morning for more than $100,000, according to a suburban Chicago Internet auction house.
Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul ball that appeared to be headed for Moises Alou's glove in Game 6 of the National League championship series on Oct. 14. Alou was unable to catch the ball after it ricocheted off Bartman's hand and the Florida Marlins rallied, beating Chicago 8-3.
The Cubs then also lost Game 7 and missed a chance to reach their first World Series since 1945.
On Friday, the deflected ball was bought for $106,600, said Julie Stoklosa, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook-based MastroNet Inc. Thirty-seven bids had been made on the ball by the time the auction closed at about 4 a.m.
Initial bidding began at $5,000 on Dec. 1.
About half the bids were made in the final hours of the auction, said Mark Theotikos, MastroNet's vice president of auction operations. He said the winning bid came from an individual in the Chicago area.
"The bidding was really fueled by three or four individuals, at the end,'' he said.
MastroNet auctioned the ball on behalf of a 33-year-old Chicago attorney identified only as Jim. According to the company, he was sitting near Bartman when the ball was deflected. The man put the ball in his pocket after it bounced his way.
The ball was authenticated using affidavits, ticket stubs and other information, MastroNet vice president of acquisitions Brian Marren has said.
Theotikos said the size of the winning bid reflects the place the ball holds in Cubs folklore.
"Everyone knows who Bartman is,'' Theotikos said.
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune
.
Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul ball that appeared to be headed for Moises Alou's glove in Game 6 of the National League championship series on Oct. 14. Alou was unable to catch the ball after it ricocheted off Bartman's hand and the Florida Marlins rallied, beating Chicago 8-3.
The Cubs then also lost Game 7 and missed a chance to reach their first World Series since 1945.
On Friday, the deflected ball was bought for $106,600, said Julie Stoklosa, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook-based MastroNet Inc. Thirty-seven bids had been made on the ball by the time the auction closed at about 4 a.m.
Initial bidding began at $5,000 on Dec. 1.
About half the bids were made in the final hours of the auction, said Mark Theotikos, MastroNet's vice president of auction operations. He said the winning bid came from an individual in the Chicago area.
"The bidding was really fueled by three or four individuals, at the end,'' he said.
MastroNet auctioned the ball on behalf of a 33-year-old Chicago attorney identified only as Jim. According to the company, he was sitting near Bartman when the ball was deflected. The man put the ball in his pocket after it bounced his way.
The ball was authenticated using affidavits, ticket stubs and other information, MastroNet vice president of acquisitions Brian Marren has said.
Theotikos said the size of the winning bid reflects the place the ball holds in Cubs folklore.
"Everyone knows who Bartman is,'' Theotikos said.
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune
.