Baseball

BIDDEFORD, Maine — A rare 148-year-old baseball card discovered at a rural Maine yard sale has been auctioned for $92,000.

The card depicting the Brooklyn Atlantics amateur baseball club was sold by Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford Wednesday night and it drew plenty of interest.

Bidding started at $10,000 and quickly rose to the final $92,000, which included an 18-percent premium.

Dear Babe: I have a Ty Cobb store bat. These turned up about 30 years ago in a warehouse. The bats are old, dated 1909. I see them surface every now and then. I’ve attached an ad from the Alan Hagar Group that was in one of the baseball magazines selling the bats. It does list the number of bats of each size that were found.

BALTIMORE — Earl Weaver always was up for an argument, especially with an umpire.

At the slightest provocation, the Earl of Baltimore would spin his hat back, point his finger squarely at an ump’s chest and then fire away. The Hall of Fame manager would even tangle with his own players, if necessary.

All this from a 5-foot-6 pepperpot who hated to be doubted.

Although reviled by some, Weaver was beloved in Baltimore and remained an Oriole to the end.

The notoriously feisty Hall of Fame manager died at age 82 on a Caribbean cruise associated with the Orioles, his marketing agent said Saturday.

NEW YORK — Theo Epstein traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford following pressure from Boston Red Sox owners to build a “sexy team,” according to a book co-authored by former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Dear Babe: While cleaning out my grandparent’s house, I came across some old black and white post cards with a variety of players such as Lefty Gomez, Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lou Gehrig and Dizzy Dean. They are not written on. I would say they are in great condition. On the back, it says “1973 TCMA, Ltd. Stan Martucci, 44 Dewhurst St., Staten Island, N.Y. 10314.”

With all the debating and soul-searching over the Baseball Hall of Fame voting, there’s one thing everyone agrees on: We’re sick of all the debating and soul-searching.

It’s so unnecessary.

This year’s HOF vote will be announced Wednesday, and it looks like nobody’s getting in, except three special-committee honorees already announced. Suspected drug cheats Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa got juice-balled.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On an island where the name of Roberto Clemente is emblazoned on stadiums, streets and schools, baseball is making a rally.

In the past year, Major League Baseball reported the second-highest number of signings from Puerto Rico since 2000. The U.S. territory also has seen the opening of new baseball academies and an expansion of its winter league teams, whose tournament this year is dedicated to Clemente four decades after his death.