The Further Adventures of the Ortiz Jersey

Ever since the news that a Red Sox jersey was buried in concrete at the new Yankee Stadium broke, we’ve been pretty relaxed about it. Sure, we think the construction worker was foolish to spill the beans before it was too late to unearth the thing, but watching the Yankees ownership freak out while imploring the worker’s colleagues to “kick the shit out of him” was pretty hilarious.

The good times continue even though the jersey didn’t get to stay in New York. Yankees ownership managed to get classy for a minute and donated the battered item to the Jimmy Fund. The charity is auctioning off the Ortiz jersey, and the current bid for the item is $30,201. (Go ahead. Read that number again. $30,201. That’s not a bid, that’s the zip code for Alpharetta, Georgia).

Even hardcore Red Sox fans are willing to give the Yankees some credit for their generosity.

Even 8-year-old Ryan Reardon, a Red Sox fan and cancer patient at Dana-Farber who helped unveil the jersey Thursday at the hospital, said he felt good about the Yankees, since they’re helping the Jimmy Fund.

When asked how long he expected that to last, he replied: “Just today.”

New York magazine’s Daily Intel is also flabbergasted by the price.

It’s for charity, so we guess that’s great and all, but Holy Joba, 30 grand for a baseball jersey?!

The New Yorkers also make a jab at Papi’s low batting average, but as Deadspin pointed out earlier this week, Ortiz’s average actually improved after the Yankees exhumed his jersey.

The one person who isn’t excited about the auction is Red Sox Coach Terry Francona.

Francona was asked if he was going to place a bid and he responded with the line of the day. “No one in the Francona household will be bidding on it,” joked Francona. “I’ll go and get him to sign one of his own.”

If you have a bank account similar to Tito’s, but don’t have the access to Big Papi, you can bid on the jersey until April 24 at 12:30 p.m. In addition to the most famous beat-up jersey in modern history, the winner gets a new Ortiz jersey, two tickets to a home game, and a Yankees Universe t-shirt. Presumably to bury or burn as he, or she, sees fit.