Tag Archives: robinson

$2 Million Ruth ‘Called Shot’ Jersey Heads New Auction

There have been historic Sports auctions, legendary Sports auctions, landmark Sports auctions. But there has never been anything like Heritage’s August 23-25 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction, which could become the biggest Sports auction ever.

There have already been countless headlines about its centerpiece: the New York Yankees jersey Babe Ruth wore when he called his shot (or not?) against the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. The jersey, photo-matched more than any ever worn during a mythic moment, is even scheduled to return to Wrigley Field on July 23. The jersey’s $30 million estimate garners as many knowing nods as wide eyes. As Heritage’s Director of Sports, Chris Ivy, said this spring, when the jersey’s auction was first announced, “Ruth’s World Series jersey is the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia to be offered at auction in decades.”

Collectors wholeheartedly agree: Bids crossed the $10 million mark just hours after the auction opened for bidding Saturday.

But this auction’s highlights are seemingly endless, spanning jerseys worn by titans, bats swung by legends, balls smashed (and signed) by folk heroes, even the bases trodden by baseball’s home-run record-setter and an authenticated Yankees cap The Babe wore during the early 1930s. Every piece tells a story behind a statistic, conjures a memory of a milestone moment and shares its place in history with the heroes of diamonds, hardwood and gridiron.

Where even to begin? Perhaps with the virtual visit to Monument Park and the Murderers’ Row of jerseys worn by legendary Yankees — Gehrig, Mantle and DiMaggio joining Ruth — during history-making moments.

Gehrig shares this auction’s spotlight with Ruth, with whom he played more than 1,300 regular-season games. Heritage is honored to present a road Yankees jersey photo-matched to the 1938 season, which was toward the end of Gehrig’s 2,130 consecutive games-played streak.

During the back half of that year, The Iron Horse was noticeably and admittedly weakened by his yet-undiagnosed ALS. “I don’t know why,” he said toward the season’s end, “but I just couldn’t get going again.” Wrote biographer Jonathan Eig, “Though he played the entire 1938 season and helped the Yankees win the World Series, he knew something was wrong.” About a month into the 1939 season, Gehrig benched himself, never to return to the field until his immortal farewell at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.

This jersey has been matched to three photos from The Iron Horse’s final full season.

Schriffen, Robinson, Garrett, Jackson to Call Opening Weekend of SlamBall This Weekend on ESPN

SlamBall, the fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and acrobatics, today announced that John Schriffen, Nate Robinson, LaMonica Garrett and Sean “Inches” Jackson will call the Opening Weekend of SlamBall League: Series 6 this Friday to Sunday on ESPN and ESPN +. The inaugural weekend’s game will be aired live from Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas beginning Friday at 7:00 p.m. EDT/4:00 p.m. PDT on ESPN.

“The combination of these four accomplished professionals really will set the stage for the reintroduction of SlamBall to the world,” said Mason Gordon, SlamBall creator and CEO. “John is clearly on the rise as a play-by-play voice, while Nate, LaMonica and Inches are personalities who can talk strategy and storytelling about what many of the millions of fans tuning in may be seeing live for the first time. We couldn’t be more pleased with this mix to get us going.”

Schriffen joined ESPN in August 2020 to call the platform’s coverage of the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization). He is now heard as a play-by-play voice across ESPN’s coverage of XFL, college football, basketball, softball and baseball, NBA G-league and Summer League and MLB. Schriffen also hosts ESPN’s presentation of the NBA Draft Combine. Prior to ESPN, Schriffen was an announcer at NFL Network and CBS Sports. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Schriffen was a pitcher on the school’s baseball team his freshman year before serving as the voice of the Big Green athletics, calling baseball, basketball and hockey games on the school’s radio network.

Robinson, perhaps the prototype for today’s SlamBall athlete, was a standout football and basketball player at the University of Washington, before embarking on a long NBA career (while also getting a tryout for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks). The 21st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the 5-foot-9-inch point guard played for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. He is also the NBA’s first three-time slam dunk champion.

Garrett utilized his experience as one of SlamBall’s greatest athletes to transition seamlessly into a storied acting career. The San Francisco native, who is named after former Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica, played linebacker at Central State University in Ohio before moving to Los Angeles to begin an acting career while starring in the first seasons of SlamBall. He became the league’s leading scorer and one of four players announced for the All-SlamBall Team, and then landed a role in a SlamBall-themed episode on the hit show One Tree Hill. That experience was the catalyst for an acting career that has seen him featured on shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Designated Survivor, and most recently the hit series 1883. All the while, he has maintained his strong ties to SlamBall leadership and will make his sports broadcasting debut this weekend.

From his pivotal role in the initial SlamBall seasons to his continued excellence as an elite dunker, Jackson has seamlessly transitioned into a flourishing acting career, appearing in a wide variety of basketball-featured promotions and commercials.

SlamBall’s two-year ESPN partnership begins on Opening Night, as SlamBall relaunches live from Las Vegas on July 21 from 7-9 p.m. EDT. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 40 hours of live SlamBall programming across five weekends, culminating August 15-17 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game.