Associated Press
The baseball notebook ….
NEW YORK ó A baseball cap worn by New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth has been auctioned for a record $328,000 on Monday.
The sweat-stained cap from around the 1920s sold at an auction of Yankees memorabilia in New York.
Hunt Auctions says the cap is one of only three Yankees hats in existence worn by Ruth during games. It says a hat used by a player had never sold for more than $100,000.
The Ruth cap had been expected to fetch up to $200,000. The surname Ruth and the player’s first and middle initials, G.H., for George Herman, are embroidered inside.
A Ruth bat signed to Broadway star Tessa Kosta sold for $195,500. And Thurman Munson’s 1970 Rookie of the Year award sold for $46,000.
The auction continues today with a jacket Lou Gehrig wore the day he ended his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.
BONDS: NO INTEREST
NEW YORK ó The agent for Barry Bonds said no teams have expressed interest in signing the all-time home run king, and, the agent added that he does not expect any to make a pitch for him.
Jeff Borris, the agent, was at the Major League Baseball All-Star headquarters hotel in Manhattan on Monday and said, “I am not optimistic any team will approach me about Barry before the (July 31) trading deadline.”
He added that he had made a sweeping offer to many major- league teams, which he compared to the one Andre Dawson once made, when he offered to sign a blank contract and let his team fill in the salary amount. Borris said he made it known throughout the big leagues that Bonds would play for the major-league minimum of $390,000, and still got no offers.
“If that doesn’t raise a level of suspicion, I don’t know what does,” the agent said. “I think it’s a pathetic ending to the story.”
RED SOX, CUBS
NEW YORK ó Lou Piniella settled into the same seat David Ortiz occupied an hour earlier, ready to hold court.
No place for anyone else in this corner of a hotel ballroom on All-Star media day. Sort of like the game itself ó there’s a bunch of Boston Red Sox, a cluster of Chicago Cubs, and a few stragglers.
Seems that way, anyhow.
A National League record-tying eight Cubs players will be at Yankee Stadium for tonight’s game. Add in their manager, with Piniella serving as an National League coach.
Ortiz was among seven Red Sox players on the AL side. Throw in AL manager Terry Francona and a half-dozen Boston coaches.