It's not something most would consider a commodity, much less have a price.
But there you have it. The price to make someone a fan of your baseball team: $14.99 on the eBay Internet auction site.
That's the high bid registered Friday night on former Indiana resident Brad Davis' auction.
Frustrated with the Pittsburgh Pirates' 17 straight years of losing records, Davis disavowed being a Bucco rooter and sold his sentiments.``I can no longer root for an organization that makes little or no attempt to be competitive. I am 39 years old. Have been a Pirate fan as long as I can remember,'' Davis wrote on the description for his auction item. ``I have supported this club through their drug use years ... their ownership changes ... and their constant and never-ending rebuilding. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!!''
Davis posted the auction from St. Clairsville in southeastern Ohio, where he now lives and works for a retail appliance and electronics chain. He graduated from Marion Center Area High School in 1988 and lived in Indiana until 1997.
The Pirates were four years into the basement before Davis moved to Ohio. He put the scope of the Pirates' futility this year into shocking perspective:
``My daughter Rachel - just turned 14 - has never witnessed a winning season,'' Davis said. ``So I mentioned to my brother Bill that if the Pirates did not have a winning record at the All-Star break this year that I would no longer be a fan and would auction off my fan allegiance on eBay.''At the break on July 13, the Pirates were 38-50. Davis logged onto eBay four days later, put up his sports faithfulness for a minimum bid of $9.99 and hoped for the best.
``I am declaring myself a free agent. ... I am auctioning off my fan allegiance to the highest bidder. (Hey, it works for the players. Why not me?) In return, I will give my 100% loyalty to whichever team you the bidder select for me. I will wear the colors and logos proud.''
The bids stepped up 50 cents or a dollar at a time. Bidders' names aren't visible, the way eBay operates the Web site, but Davis didn't figure Pittsburgh to be among them.
``I do not expect the Pirates to bid for my services, since they never sign any quality free agents. Lol.''
Tuesday night, the bids crested at $14.49, an offer that stood for three more days. It was from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a farm team in the Atlanta Braves system, according to a comment attached to Davis' auction page.
``The Pelicans are interested in purchasing your services as a fan. While our main objective each night is to make sure the fans have a memorable experience, you will see that we are still committed to winning, as proof by our 2008 campaign in which we broke the franchise record for wins (89) and highest winning percentage (.643),'' a team representative wrote.
``The Pelicans are a first-class organization with a front office and staff that is among the best in all of professional sports,'' Davis replied. ``I could definitely see myself finishing my fan career as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' No. 1 fan.''
``The $14.49 that we currently have bid is not, as certain ownership would say, our `best shot,''' according to the Pelicans. ``We are committed to having the best fan base in America and are not afraid to complement our home-grown base with quality free agents.''
Dedication to a fan base is one thing. Being eBay savvy is another.
The Pelicans' apparently failed to apply an automatic increase component to the bid and lost Davis' fanaticism by 50 cents, to a bidder that by Saturday evening remained secret.
``I'm not disappointed at all. I'm just surprised anyone actually bid at all, to tell the truth,'' Davis said.
Neither the Pirates nor the Pelicans responded Saturday night to e-mail messages requesting comment.
The Bucs provided a World Series championship when Davis was age 1 and another when he turned 9. Then came the dysfunctional 1980s and the string of National League East division titles and heartbreaking playoff losses from 1990 to `92.
And now for $14.99 - the eBay prices for two pairs of Normar large fish fillet gloves, a ``gorgeous Leopard animal print jacket-polyvinyl,'' or a lot of six skeins of red heart sport light hot pink yarn - Davis is giving up a mixed bag of personal Pirates memories, dating to the first game he saw at Three Rivers Stadium when he was 10.
``Pirates vs. Mets - it was Cap Day, and I remember being mad because my dad was an Indiana Gazette employee and since we got the use of the (complimentary) tickets I wasn't eligible for a cap,'' Davis lamented. ``Great seats, though, right behind home plate. It was Don Robinson vs. Pete Falcone pitching. Robinson became my instant favorite Pirate `cause he was the first one I ever saw up close.
``Another moment was probably when the Pirate Parrot wanted to pick up my daughter Rachel when she was about 3, and she got scared and cried.''
Her too, huh.
But there you have it. The price to make someone a fan of your baseball team: $14.99 on the eBay Internet auction site.
That's the high bid registered Friday night on former Indiana resident Brad Davis' auction.
Frustrated with the Pittsburgh Pirates' 17 straight years of losing records, Davis disavowed being a Bucco rooter and sold his sentiments.``I can no longer root for an organization that makes little or no attempt to be competitive. I am 39 years old. Have been a Pirate fan as long as I can remember,'' Davis wrote on the description for his auction item. ``I have supported this club through their drug use years ... their ownership changes ... and their constant and never-ending rebuilding. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!!''
Davis posted the auction from St. Clairsville in southeastern Ohio, where he now lives and works for a retail appliance and electronics chain. He graduated from Marion Center Area High School in 1988 and lived in Indiana until 1997.
The Pirates were four years into the basement before Davis moved to Ohio. He put the scope of the Pirates' futility this year into shocking perspective:
``My daughter Rachel - just turned 14 - has never witnessed a winning season,'' Davis said. ``So I mentioned to my brother Bill that if the Pirates did not have a winning record at the All-Star break this year that I would no longer be a fan and would auction off my fan allegiance on eBay.''At the break on July 13, the Pirates were 38-50. Davis logged onto eBay four days later, put up his sports faithfulness for a minimum bid of $9.99 and hoped for the best.
``I am declaring myself a free agent. ... I am auctioning off my fan allegiance to the highest bidder. (Hey, it works for the players. Why not me?) In return, I will give my 100% loyalty to whichever team you the bidder select for me. I will wear the colors and logos proud.''
The bids stepped up 50 cents or a dollar at a time. Bidders' names aren't visible, the way eBay operates the Web site, but Davis didn't figure Pittsburgh to be among them.
``I do not expect the Pirates to bid for my services, since they never sign any quality free agents. Lol.''
Tuesday night, the bids crested at $14.49, an offer that stood for three more days. It was from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a farm team in the Atlanta Braves system, according to a comment attached to Davis' auction page.
``The Pelicans are interested in purchasing your services as a fan. While our main objective each night is to make sure the fans have a memorable experience, you will see that we are still committed to winning, as proof by our 2008 campaign in which we broke the franchise record for wins (89) and highest winning percentage (.643),'' a team representative wrote.
``The Pelicans are a first-class organization with a front office and staff that is among the best in all of professional sports,'' Davis replied. ``I could definitely see myself finishing my fan career as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' No. 1 fan.''
``The $14.49 that we currently have bid is not, as certain ownership would say, our `best shot,''' according to the Pelicans. ``We are committed to having the best fan base in America and are not afraid to complement our home-grown base with quality free agents.''
Dedication to a fan base is one thing. Being eBay savvy is another.
The Pelicans' apparently failed to apply an automatic increase component to the bid and lost Davis' fanaticism by 50 cents, to a bidder that by Saturday evening remained secret.
``I'm not disappointed at all. I'm just surprised anyone actually bid at all, to tell the truth,'' Davis said.
Neither the Pirates nor the Pelicans responded Saturday night to e-mail messages requesting comment.
The Bucs provided a World Series championship when Davis was age 1 and another when he turned 9. Then came the dysfunctional 1980s and the string of National League East division titles and heartbreaking playoff losses from 1990 to `92.
And now for $14.99 - the eBay prices for two pairs of Normar large fish fillet gloves, a ``gorgeous Leopard animal print jacket-polyvinyl,'' or a lot of six skeins of red heart sport light hot pink yarn - Davis is giving up a mixed bag of personal Pirates memories, dating to the first game he saw at Three Rivers Stadium when he was 10.
``Pirates vs. Mets - it was Cap Day, and I remember being mad because my dad was an Indiana Gazette employee and since we got the use of the (complimentary) tickets I wasn't eligible for a cap,'' Davis lamented. ``Great seats, though, right behind home plate. It was Don Robinson vs. Pete Falcone pitching. Robinson became my instant favorite Pirate `cause he was the first one I ever saw up close.
``Another moment was probably when the Pirate Parrot wanted to pick up my daughter Rachel when she was about 3, and she got scared and cried.''
Her too, huh.
