The Mets Are Milking Johan Santana's No-Hitter For All It's Worth

Not simply content with selling $50 replica game tickets, the Mets are now auctioning off a slew of game-used items from Johan Santana's June 1 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals, with each item signed by Santana himself. Want David Wright's game-worn jersey? That'll run you $1,650. A game-used ball? $1,500, please. Second base from innings seven through nine? A mere $727.

The big catch is this collection is home plate, which has crossed the all-important $7,556 threshold and will officially go to the dopiest rich person who loves the Mets in an unhealthy way. In fact, the cheapest item right now is the bullpen lineup card, which is going for just over $500. Of course, not every penny is going into Fred Wilpon's coffers. There's this bit of fine print on every item page:

A portion of net proceeds from sales of game-used memorabilia autographed by Santana will be donated by the Mets and Santana to the Johan Santana Foundation.

What is that, 5 percent? Fifty percent? Who the hell knows, but as the bids go up, more money does go to charity, however minuscule a slice it may ultimately be. But seriously, with money-making bonanzas like this, it's no wonder all the cool kids want an ownership stake in the team, such as Bill Maher and even semi-obscure flower magnates.

[ Mets.com]