Mets famous bullpen car sells for $90,000 on eBay
If you were interested in owning your own piece of New York Mets history, what better piece would there be to own than the old Shea Stadium bullpen cart?
Unfortunately, you can’t have it anymore. Bidding for the Electric powered Presidente Cart opened on eBay on Wednesday with a beginning price of $10,000. By the time bidding closed a few hours later, the winning bid came in at $90,000, which is roughly three times more than what the seller’s were anticipating.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]
According to the conditions report, the 48-year-old cart remains in drivable condition and has gone completely untouched as to the original modifications. Those factors no doubt helped drive the price up. It also has some pretty cool features. For example, it’s a two-seater, which goes without saying because the whole idea was for a driver to give relief pitchers a lift from the bullpen. But the cool twist there is the backing and cushions on both sides mimic actual bases.
The giant Mets cap that doubles as a roof is pretty cool as well. But the value goes far beyond the look. There’s also some notable history with the cart that dates back to 1967 and continues beyond the point it went out of full-time service in the 1980s.
A fantastic example of whimsical Major League Baseball marketing from the late 1960s, used intermittently at Shea Stadium for more than 20 years. Highlights of its use include a memorable appearance at the 1986 World Series versus the Boston Red Sox and then again in 2003 when Mets Captain John Franco drove Mets legend Tug McGraw onto the field as part of the team’s celebration of the legendary 1973 team.
Immortalized by its dramatic appearance at the monumental 1986 World Series Championship in which it entered the field of play following the culmination of the Game Seven win, it promptly ran out of power adding further delight to the victory celebration.
Note to new owner: Keep it plugged in. Especially during the winter.
[Check out The Stew’s 2015 MLB division previews: NL East | AL East | NL Central]
Aside from owning the giant apple that appears and disappears following every Mets home run at home, this is about as cool as it gets if you’re a fan. If the new owner is in New York though, let’s just hope they are prepared to take the entire neighbored on a victory lap if and when the Mets win another World Series.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
