Griffey 600 HR Ball going to auction

[joelsabi]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...feys600th.html


By Dan Sewell
ASSOCIATED PRESS

3:43 p.m. June 26, 2008

CINCINNATI – The Florida Marlins fan who says he caught the baseball that Ken Griffey Jr. hit for his 600th career home run plans to sell it in an auction.

Joe Scherer said Thursday he decided to put the ball in the Aug. 1 auction after consulting with other people, including family and friends, in the aftermath of the June 9 game in Miami.


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Doug Allen, president of Mastro Auctions in suburban Chicago, expects the ball to attract substantial bidding interest. He said the Cincinnati Reds star has remained untainted by the steroid era that has hurt the value of memorabilia from milestone hits by Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and other recent stars.

“I think people are looking for somebody to kind of come out of the smoke, someone they can hold up as a pure player,” Allen said. “It's going to be exciting. Here's a guy who's a really loved player.”

Allen thinks the ball will sell for at least $50,000 and wouldn't be surprised to see bidding reach $100,000.

Scherer, a Marlins season ticketholder, called Griffey “a class act.” He said by phone from Florida that he was exhilarated to have caught the ball, but decided that selling the ball at auction was the right action to take.

“I'm just doing what's best for me right now,” said Scherer, who said he's 51, single and a hospital worker in south Florida.

There is still a potential obstacle. Another fan, Justin Kimball, claims the ball was ripped away from him. A lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade County court asks for a court order blocking its sale and alleges civil theft and civil battery was used to take the ball from him.

Kimball has said he would give the ball to Griffey. His attorney, Robert Zarco, said Thursday that his Miami firm – Zarco, Einhorn, Salkowski, and Brito – would bid on the ball in auction as a last resort if they can't block its sale.

“It will be for the sole purpose of obtaining possession of the ball to give to Ken Griffey. We just believe it's the right thing to do,” Zarco said.

Scherer said there's no doubt in his mind that Griffey's ball went from the slugger's bat into his glove.

The right fielder joined Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sosa as the only players with 600. Griffey has hit two home runs since, and needs seven more to tie Sosa for fifth place on the all-time home run list.

Mastro Auctions last year sold Bonds' 70th home run ball from 2001, which tied the single-season record at the time, for just $14,400 at auction after selling it in 2002 for $60,375. Mastro said it sold Bonds' 600th career home run ball at auction in 2002 for $46,303.

The Griffey ball will be part of a live auction in Chicago that also includes items from early 20th Century stars Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Honus Wagner. Vintage memorabilia from such players is still appreciating in value, Allen said.

[allstarsplus]

06/27/2008 7:36 PM ET
Griffey makes offer for 600th HR ball
Fan has opted to auction item with hopes of big return
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- The man that caught Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th career home run ball has dollar signs in his eyes and his heart set on a big payday.


Before Joe Scherer puts the ball up for sale at auction however, Griffey hopes he thinks about it very carefully. And the Reds right fielder has an offer of his own that he hopes could change the seller's mind.

Scherer was the fan who caught the milestone baseball in the right-field seats at Dolphin Stadium when the Reds played the Marlins on June 9. He plans to auction the ball in Chicago on Aug. 1, reportedly stating that he needs the money the sale of the ball could potentially bring.

The head of the auction house said on Thursday the ball would sell for at least $50,000, and that bidding could reach $100,000. Griffey, who became the sixth Major League player to reach the 600-homer plateau, cautioned that Scherer might not get as much for the ball as he hopes.

"It's his choice. I'd like to have it but it is what it is," Griffey told MLB.com on Friday. "Realistically, I didn't break any record, tie any record or anything. I was the sixth person to hit 590 and 602, too."

Reds officials met with Scherer moments after Griffey hit the homer, but efforts to negotiate for the ball were immediately rebuffed.

Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Scherer.

"I totally respect Joe's right to sell the ball," Goldberg told MLB.com. "But he's got to separate fantasy from reality. Nobody is more proud of Junior than I am, but I don't think the dollar value is going to be anything close to what Joe thinks. This ball didn't break any records and it's not unique."

Besides getting lesser value for the baseball, Goldberg pointed out that auction fees and taxes would reduce the sum by a hefty percentage.
"He's going to be disappointed at how much he nets," Goldberg said.

Through the Marlins' front office, Goldberg and Griffey have passed along an offer to Scherer for the return of the ball. It includes 10 Griffey memorabilia items, including some game-used articles, items that came from other players and an all-expense paid trip for four people to New York for next month's All-Star break. The three-day, three-night vacation would include tickets to all the Yankee Stadium events, including the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.

So far, Griffey and Goldberg have not heard back from Scherer.
"The offer is still good," Goldberg said.
The auction could be blocked by a lawsuit by Justin Kimball, the fan who claimed he caught the ball first before it was ripped from his hands. Kimball filed suit to block the ball's sale in Miami-Dade County court. Goldberg said Kimball's attorney contacted him and said if the lawsuit was successful, they would give the ball to Griffey for nothing. Goldberg said if Kimball won his case, he would be rewarded in some manner by Griffey.

[dcgreg25]

Through the Marlins' front office, Goldberg and Griffey have passed along an offer to Scherer for the return of the ball. It includes 10 Griffey memorabilia items, including some game-used articles, items that came from other players and an all-expense paid trip for four people to New York for next month's All-Star break. The three-day, three-night vacation would include tickets to all the Yankee Stadium events, including the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.

Thats a pretty good deal if you could get ten pieces of Griffey memorabilia- I assume you could get at least one or more nice jerseys, bats, cleats, hats, etc. and meet Griffey PLUS the All Star trip! I would take the deal instead of taking my chances and pay 17.5% of whatever it goes for to the auction house, and I collect GU balls!