Rare card nets more than $10
A Fresno, Calif., antiques dealer has hit a home run with the sale of a rare baseball card she originally thought was worth only $10.
Bernice Gallego ended up selling the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings team card on an online auction site for $64,073 on Tuesday. That’s more than double the previous record set for an identical card. The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first professional team in the United States.
Gallego didn’t know what she had when she originally listed the card on eBay for $10. After numerous e-mails asking if it was real, she pulled the card. Only a handful of them exist.
The buyer was Jeff Rosenberg, president of a Houston company that promotes sports memorabilia shows.
• ICE ISSUES — The NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey committee will meet today to discuss the quality of the ice surface at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., site of this year’s Frozen Four.
The Washington Post quoted Capitals defenseman Tom Poti in its Tuesday edition as describing the surface as "disgusting" and "an embarrassment." The arena also is home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards and Georgetown University basketball as well as concerts and other shows. The constant changeover in the building is believed to be a primary reason for the poor quality of the ice.
Caps owner Ted Leonsis promises to correct the situation and has consulted with the NHL to improve the ice.
The Frozen Four is scheduled for April 9 and 11.
• NFL RULES RATINGS — NBA commissioner David Stern was interviewed on Sirius Satellite Radio on Monday and said he was pleased with the state of his league given the economic climate.
But that was before he saw the television ratings from the weekend.
Two of the NBA’s biggest stars — Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — went head to head as the Los Angeles Lakers met the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Yet the game couldn’t outdraw the NFL Pro Bowl, an exhibition game.
According to USA Today, the Pro Bowl, which was down 16 percent from the year before, still pulled in a 5.8 rating on NBC, and Lakers-Cavs, which was up 72 percent over the NBA game in the same time slot a year ago, managed only a 5.0 rating on ABC.
That couldn’t have pleased Stern. Yet the NBA beat the PGA Tour as the Buick Invitational on CBS finished a distant third with a 2.1 rating. Coverage was down 54 percent from a year ago, but with good reason. Tiger Woods wasn’t competing this year.
• RATINGS, PART 2 — According to Sports Business Daily, ESPN’s exclusive interview with Alex Rodriguez on Monday generated a 1.0 rating, a 43 percent increase from the same time slot a week earlier.
In New York, "SportsCenter" generated a 1.8 rating, nearly quadruple what it drew the previous week.
A-Rod admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs while a member of the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003.
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL