Sure, the bat will be saved. Same goes for the jersey, batting gloves and cleats. But don’t forget about the dirt.
After Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter knocks his 3,000th hit, groundskeepers and officials will dig up five gallons of dirt from the batter’s box and shortstop area, according to the NY Times, to be used as memorabilia in keychains, frames and bats.
Jeter is currently six hits away, but is nursing a calf strain that sent him to the disabled list on June 14.
When he returns, he’ll likely become the 28th player to reach the 3,000-hit milestone. And when he does, Major League Baseball will be ready to gather the dirt from beneath Jeter’s feet.
“It will be scooped in our presence,” said Cosmo Lubrano, an authenticator for Major League Baseball ,who would prove the dirt’s veracity if the 3,000th hit occurs at Yankee Stadium, to the Times. “We’re there as a witness.”
Craig Biggio was the last to reach the milestone knocking hit No. 3,000 in 2007. Biggio, though, wasn’t nearly as popular a player as Jeter.
“I’ve been here for 13 years,” said Howard Smith, the senior vice president for licensing of Major League Baseball. “And other than the home run race in 1998, this is the most significant business we’ve done for a hot market for a player.”
