Glove money: A-Rod's ring going on the auction block

Alex Rodriguez's cousin is selling the 2009 World Series ring that the New York Yankees third baseman gave him. The 14-karat gold ring is being sold at auction by Yuri Sucart, said Ken Goldin, the founder of West Berlin, New Jersey- based Goldin Auctions. Sucart is banned by Major League Baseball from Yankees property for assisting Rodriguez, a 14-time All- Star, obtain and inject performance-enhancing drugs. The ring, one of many copies Rodriguez says he had made, is part of an 850-unit online auction that opens tomorrow through Goldin Auctions. Bidding will open at $5,000 and it is expected to sell for around $30,000, according to Goldin, the founder of the auction house. “Any time you get a player's ring from a World Series is something highly special,” Goldin said in a telephone interview. “To have it be one that belonged to a player of Alex Rodriguez's caliber is just unheard in terms of precedent.” When New York won the World Series in 2009, Rodriguez gave an identical copy of his ring to Sucart, Goldin said, citing a signed affidavit that comes with the ring. Goldin said he didn't know why Sucart was selling the item. Phone numbers listed for Sucart on the Internet were disconnected. Rodriguez said in a statement through public relations firm Sitrick and Co. that he ordered “numerous” copies of the ring and was unaware Sucart was selling his. Rodriguez did not say how many were made, or whether he paid for them himself. Yankees spokesman Jason Latimer did not respond to an e- mail seeking comment about the team's policy regarding extra rings. Sucart is banned by baseball from the Yankees clubhouse, charter flights and other team-related activities, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said in an e-mail. A three-time American League Most Valuable Player, Rodriguez in 2009 said he used performance-enhancing drugs as a member of the Texas Rangers prior to joining the Yankees. He said Sucart helped him obtain and inject the drugs. The auction, which runs until April 5, also includes a 1909 Honus Wagner card that the National Baseball Hall of Fame calls the sport's “most famous collectible.” That card could sell for over $2.3 million, which would be a record for a baseball card at public auction, Goldin said. --Bloomberg News--