This Old House

Before I put this next item up for bid, I want you to understand exactly what you are buying. If you take this piece home, with it comes a living history. What you cannot see, touch or smell, but what is embedded deep within is:

1.The Babe, from his time in the orphanage in Maryland, through his days as a pitcher and sometime outfielder with the enemy also known as the Red Sox, to the first home run hit in his house on April 18, 1923, to Murderer's Row, to 714, and to his final curtain call on the days near death:

2. The Iron Horse from the moment he stepped on the field at Columbia University, to 2130 as the unstoppable first baseman now and forever, to his dignity and grace throughout his career and to those immortal words as he stared death in the face.

3. Joltin Joe from the streets of San Francisco, with the incredible stride and the seeming ease with which he tracked down fly balls and hit opposing pitchers, to 56 to passing the torch to a young man from Oklahoma, and even to his later days and nights with Marilyn.

4. The Mick, from his arrival as a scared kid, overmatched and overwhelmed, with the incredible speed and power, to the colorful nights that sometimes overshadowed his baseball prowess, to 536 and finally to a somewhat tragic end in which he questioned many of the decisions made.

5. Number 2, Derek Jeter, who we still count as one of our own, who sprung up fully ready to lead by example and who still shines as a bright light and carrier of the torch of excellence.

You are getting back your grandfather, your father, your innocence and your belief that everything was good and everything was possible. You are taking a piece of 26 World Championships home with you this evening if you are the fortunate winning bid.

Now, as you look at this toilet bowl in which the Mick once threw up after an all night bender, I will start the bidding at $15,000. I have 15, do I hear 20?