Exerpts from a report on the AJC;

Grant DePorter, managing partner of the restaurant "Harry Caray's", had the winning auction bid of $106,600 for the infamous reminder of October's playoff loss to Florida at Wrigley Field.

DePorter said the restaurant will solicit ideas from Cubs fans on how to destroy the ball and hopefully end the latest agonizing chapter in Cubs history.

"When we heard this thing was going to be auctioned off, we felt like it was going to be a trophy that was going to be rubbed in Cubs fans' noses," DePorter said. "We weren't about to let it get into the hands of a Marlins fan."

The destruction of the ball is planned for Feb. 26, when the restaurant organizes a worldwide toast to Caray, who died Feb. 18, 1998.

Here's an idea . . why don't they take the ball to Wrigley Field and feed it to a goat? They can get rid of two curses in one swoop

But the DA MAYOR will not allow it .... unless the Cubbies give him $ 1 million dollars from the charity fund. However, we can use $ 40 million dollars in state funds from McPier to fix up the big jail CELL on 35th & Shields. It is so funny how DA MAYOR is ordering the Soxs in remodeling the Cell and make it look like the Cash Cow on Addison & Clark.

This is perhaps the most pathetically sad thing I've ever read. I can think of 106,600 more important things to do with $106,600 and, listing them alphabetically, I've only gotten to the B's.

[ December 20, 2003, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

Is this Bartmann still living in the Chicago area? I can't believe he still hasn't slit his wrist yet for what he did.
He energized the Marlins in that playoff game.
He help send the Marlins to the World Series.
He helped the Marlins win the World Series.
He helped Jack McKeon, Luis Castillo and others get new contracts.

Okay stop me. I know I'm getting carried away.

[ December 20, 2003, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: amazin12 ]

over the Yankees,, he should find that as a silver lining. It works for me.

Ditto to Georgie boy, but there's another little kernel in DePorter's comment that begs to be mentioned. He was worried that the ball would be used to "rub into their noses," so to speak. Bzzzz! Wrong answer - The video clip will be used to rub it into the collective noses of Cubs fans. The ball's irrelevant; the footage will outlast it.
Better yet, DePorter is perpetuating the pain of the Bartman episode. Had he let the ball be purchased by a Marlin fan, then it would've gone behind glass at someone's home.
Instead, DePorter turns this whole thing into a media bash; now everyone in America gets to know about how the big, bad, proud Cubs fans all got together, got wasted, and cut a little baseball to shreds. That mean, nasty ball! We'll show you, Mr. Mean Nasty Ball!

The capital "C" in Cubs stands for Crybabies.

For $100,000, I'd certainly catch a ball that kept my favorite team out of the World Series.

Yeah but Bartman isn't the one who even ended up with the ball. So he gets none of the money plus all the blame! Not sure who is getting the $100K+.

Someone picked it up when it went off Bartman's hands and fell to the ground. That guy is the one who's getting the money. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Which brings up an interesting point...Bartman wasn't the only one to make some type of attempt at the ball. He just happened to be the closest. Bartman took all the blame, but what's lost in all this is that somebody, some purportedly loyal Cubs fan, scooped that ball up. Apparently his loyalty to the Cubs was gladly traded in for $106K. If Cubs fans want a villian, investigate the guy who would be willing to offer the ball up to a potential Marlin's fan. Makes you wonder, eh?

I guess everyone has a price.