Remlinger auctioning off Sosa's corked bat...

[Clem Fandango]

From the WTF department of baseball news...

 

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger has put the broken barrel of the corked bat used by Sammy Sosa during Sosa's infamous game against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003 up for auction.

 

The bat, which shattered in two pieces when Sosa grounded out to second base in the first inning of the game on June 3, 2003, went on an online auction block through Schulte Auctions on Oct. 1, and the current bid is $5,050. Remlinger figures the bids should reach as high as $15,000 by the end of the auction on Oct. 31.

 

"There's enough crazy Cubs fans out there that if somebody has a collection, be it Harry Caray's Restaurant or one of the bigger bars in the area or just someone who has a personal collection, it's definitely a great item to talk about," Remlinger said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=5677332

[TruffleShuffle]

dude made almost $19m as a major league player... is he really that desperate for cash? must have a coke habit or something.

[CUBZ99]

From the WTF department of baseball news...

 

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger has put the broken barrel of the corked bat used by Sammy Sosa during Sosa's infamous game against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003 up for auction.

 

The bat, which shattered in two pieces when Sosa grounded out to second base in the first inning of the game on June 3, 2003, went on an online auction block through Schulte Auctions on Oct. 1, and the current bid is $5,050. Remlinger figures the bids should reach as high as $15,000 by the end of the auction on Oct. 31.

 

"There's enough crazy Cubs fans out there that if somebody has a collection, be it Harry Caray's Restaurant or one of the bigger bars in the area or just someone who has a personal collection, it's definitely a great item to talk about," Remlinger said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=5677332

 

Nice to see that he thinks highly of Cubs fans. Good for him, I guess, if he needs the money that badly.

[biittner77]

Why would a Cubs fan want Sosa's corked bat? Why would any Cub fan want to be reminded of any of that?

[SouthSideRyan]

Why would a Cubs fan want Sosa's corked bat? Why would any Cub fan want to be reminded of any of that?

 

I fully expect it to be hung over the bar at one of the south side's finest establishments.

[shnsajax]

Why would a Cubs fan want Sosa's corked bat? Why would any Cub fan want to be reminded of any of that?

 

I fully expect it to be hung over the bar at one of the south side's finest establishments.

 

I don't think he is going to exchange the bat for coke.

[MembersOnlyJacket]

He was on NPR's "All Things Considered" a couple nights ago when I was driving home from work. He said that he's made a few bad financial decisions and hopes to make a few bucks and benefit a bar on the Northside or a private collector. He prefers it go to a bar so it can help attract some extra business for them. Everything else in the article is a repeat of what he said on that show.

 

With the contract the Cubs gave him, he should be loaded(to $18.5M if you believe baseball reference minus +40% in taxes). Then again, millionaire athletes don't always hire a financial planner and end up resorting to selling memorabilia.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'd love to see the percentage of athletes that end up broke or at least needing to keep working for a living. If you aren't good at handling money, and many people aren't, then you can make $30k a year or $3 million a year, you'll still spend it all.

[davell]

I'd love to see the percentage of athletes that end up broke or at least needing to keep working for a living. If you aren't good at handling money, and many people aren't, then you can make $30k a year or $3 million a year, you'll still spend it all.

 

I'm actually thinking I read somewhere that close to 80 percent of pro athletes wind up broke within 5 years of being out of their sport. That seems high to me, but I guess it's possible.

[XZero771679666304]

I'd love to see the percentage of athletes that end up broke or at least needing to keep working for a living. If you aren't good at handling money, and many people aren't, then you can make $30k a year or $3 million a year, you'll still spend it all.

 

I'm actually thinking I read somewhere that close to 80 percent of pro athletes wind up broke within 5 years of being out of their sport. That seems high to me, but I guess it's possible.

 

 

Considering the vast majority of pro athletes don't have a long career, it's not surprising. We remember the notable athletes, but the revolving door of (relatively) low paid filler is always in motion.

[Clem Fandango]

I'd love to see the percentage of athletes that end up broke or at least needing to keep working for a living. If you aren't good at handling money, and many people aren't, then you can make $30k a year or $3 million a year, you'll still spend it all.

 

One of my close friends was a banker in New Orleans that handled a lot of the Saints players accounts and he said the vast majority of them were players who had multimillion dollar contracts but were nearly living paycheck to paycheck. That blows my mind how careless these people can be with money. It's one thing if you make bad investments that bite you in the ass, but carelessly spending that much money is ridiculous

[TruffleShuffle]

to be fair, they lose a lot off the top. 10% of so goes to the agent, they're in the highest tax bracket, maybe a personal trainer, maybe a nutritionist. but you're right, a lot of them feel they need to maintain a posh lifestyle and burn through money really quickly (which really sucks when your career is over before you hit middle age)

[C.C.]

You'd think by now they'd learn from past players mistakes and hire an accountant to handle money and invest.

[Derwood]

they also buy houses that even they can't afford, 10 cars, etc., etc., etc.

[SouthSideRyan]

Agents don't make 10%

[Cubbies2238]

I read an article about the Red Sox and I'm pretty sure it was Manny and the writer said that according to people around the team it's pretty common for him to leave pay checks on the road in visiting clubhouses.

[Soul]

he's made a few bad financial decisions

 

That makes it sound like nothing. If he really has lost all that money the Cubs paid him, I'd characterize it more in the bombastically catastrophic bucket, rather than "hey man, just a few little errors on my part"

 

At some point he had to have at least a few million in net earnings, right? Even after agent fees, taxes, etc? That's a lot of money to lose, if he has indeed lost it.

 

Anyhow, I wouldn't want anything to do with that bat, and any northside bar that plops it up on the wall for all to see loses my business for sure (or never gets it in the first place).

 

That's a piece of memorabilia that should be sought out by our enemies only.

[daske17]

I read an article about the Red Sox and I'm pretty sure it was Manny and the writer said that according to people around the team it's pretty common for him to leave pay checks on the road in visiting clubhouses.

 

MLB teams don't support direct deposit? That's crazy.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm sure Duchie is all too willing to whore herself out for this.

[forbez18]

To be fair it is not only pro athletes that make a lot of money and end up broke.

As a financial advisor I have had the chance to work with some very successful business owners

in the Chicago land area, and half of them live pay check to pay check. These are business owners

who take in 500K - 1.5 million a year, and then buy condo's in the citry, expensive cars, new equipment they never use...ext.

 

Money is power to people, and when they have it they feel that they need to show everyone else that they have it, and spend it foolishly.

[javy knows my name]

He was on NPR's "All Things Considered" a couple nights ago when I was driving home from work. He said that he's made a few bad financial decisions and hopes to make a few bucks and benefit a bar on the Northside or a private collector. He prefers it go to a bar so it can help attract some extra business for them. Everything else in the article is a repeat of what he said on that show.

 

With the contract the Cubs gave him, he should be loaded(to $18.5M if you believe baseball reference minus +40% in taxes). Then again, millionaire athletes don't always hire a financial planner and end up resorting to selling memorabilia.

http://blogbeckett.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/atlanta_card.jpg?w=419&h=298

[Soul]

To be fair it is not only pro athletes that make a lot of money and end up broke.

As a financial advisor I have had the chance to work with some very successful business owners

in the Chicago land area, and half of them live pay check to pay check. These are business owners

who take in 500K - 1.5 million a year, and then buy condo's in the citry, expensive cars, new equipment they never use...ext.

 

Money is power to people, and when they have it they feel that they need to show everyone else that they have it, and spend it foolishly.

 

Interesting. Earlier in life I was a free spender. Then somewhere along the line I completely flipped, and now I really try to watch my spending.

 

I get that people get involved in trying to fit in and show everyone their success, but at some point the money is flying out the door -- you've got to be a little practical and start reigning it in.

 

I've got little sympathy for someone pulling down a million a year and unable to live within his/her means. Athlete or not. They just simply need to stop spending so much and get it under control.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

They just simply need to stop spending so much and get it under control.

 

That is equally true for people making $40k a year, and yet about half the country isn't good at it.

[J.R.]

I read an article about the Red Sox and I'm pretty sure it was Manny and the writer said that according to people around the team it's pretty common for him to leave pay checks on the road in visiting clubhouses.

 

MLB teams don't support direct deposit? That's crazy.

 

Actually, they do. Remember when Tribune mixed up the salaries of newspaper carrier Dave Veres and [expletive] relief pitcher Dave Veres via direct deposit?

[Guest]

I'm interested to know how the bat ended up in Remlinger's possession to begin with.