I just read that the jersey that Babe Ruth wore when calling his famous home run shot in the 1932 World Series was sold at auction today. It sold for twenty-four million, one hundred and twenty-thousand dollars.
That's $24,120,000.00.
For a Babe Ruth very famous World Series, "called shot" baseball jersey.
Somebody, somewhere is popping what is probably a million ($1,000,000.00) dollar bottle, perhaps a magnum, of champagne, and wondering what to do with an old, worn, stained baseball jersey; albeit, an iconic one.
Don't get me wrong. I am a sports fan. My wife jokes around that I will watch anything on television as long as there is a ball thrown into it. I am surprised she has not thrown a tennis ball across the yard to see if I will chase it, bring it back to her, perhaps even in my mouth, and then beg her to throw it again. Then again, if I brought the ball back in my mouth, I doubt if she would ever touch it again.
$24,120,000.00
For a used baseball jersey.
Why would one even want to spend that kind of money on an iconic used baseball jersey?
According to Chris Ivy, the director of sports auctions at Heritage House, the place that ran the auction of the jersey, "This stuff is a great conversation starter as opposed to, you know, buy more IBM stock, investing in real estate -- a lot of people felt they were kind of maxxed out on those things"...
So they went and spent $24,120,000.00 on a used baseball jersey.
$24,120,000.00
I just checked on line. I can buy a Babe Ruth White "Cool Base" Jersey for $135.00 at Dick's Sporting Goods. E-Bay has a Babe Ruth pinstriped numbered jersey listed for $45.00 -- plus $8.87 for shipping, but I need to hurry because they only have one left. I guess the last one just sold for $24,120,000.00. For real Yankees' fans, the only place to buy Babe Ruth paraphernelia would be Stan's Sports World, which is practically across the street from Yankee Stadium. Well, until they built the new Yankee Stadium, it was across the street from the old ballpark, which is why they advertise that they are still across the street from the "real Yankee Stadium". I looked on their website, but could not get the cost of a Babe Ruth jersey to load on my computer. Perhaps they were embarassed at the $24,120,000.00 asking price.
Or maybe if I had asked one of their salespersons I would have been told "If you have to ask you can't afford it".
But it got me to thinking...
What else could somebody have done with $24,120,000.00 rather than spend it on a Babe Ruth "Called Shot" game worn baseball jersey?
How many schools could you repair so the children could be better equipped to learn? For that matter, how many qualified, motivated young teachers could you hire at a decent salary to push those children to reach their potential?
How many school lunches could you buy for hungry children? For that matter, how many people could you feed in a soup kitchen?
The neighborhood where Yankee Stadium is located is not exactly the most affluent neighborhood in the City. How many homeless families could you provide decent, livable permanent housing with $24,120.000.00? How many of the buildings in the neighborhood could you repair so that there would be heating in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, and hot water year round? How many of those families could you provide with decent clothing?
How many student loans could you pay off? I know, these days, the answer to that is probably one or two...
I could go on, but you get the point.
Whoever it is that just forked out $24,120,000.00 for a baseball jersey is undoubtedly thrilled to death to now own it. I cannot say I am unhappy for this person, nor do I envy them. Let them enjoy their "deal".
As for me, I will settle for the $24,119,865.00, less applicable tax I will have left over after buying my Babe Ruth White "Cool Base" jersey at Dick's Sporting Goods, and not really care if it is not game worn. At least it will not smell like a game worn jersey that has not been laundered in nearly one hundred years, so there is at least a chance my wife will let me wear it in the house where we can contemplate what we will do with the leftover cash...
After we finish playing fetch in the backyard.
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