Mike Remlinger auctioning off Sammy Sosa’s corked bat

Apparently former MLB pitcher Mike Remlinger is taking a page out of Lenny Dykstra’s manifesto on financial planning.  The Chicago Tribune reports that Remlinger, a former Chicago Cubs pitcher who retired in 2005, is auctioning off the barrel of Sammy Sosa’s corked bat from June 3, 2003.

Remlinger, who had been secretly holding onto the wooden shard since that memorable June night, says that he attempted contacting Sosa regarding his interest in the bat but never heard back from the former Cubs slugger or his agent.

Ray Schulte, the auctioneer selling the bat on consignment at schulteauctions.com says, “To this day, there’s been no other corked (Sosa) bats found out there.  So the question remains, was this really a mistake by Sammy, or was the home run era getting a little help?”

Schulte says the bat barrel, in which cork is visible, was authenticated by Remlinger and PSA/DNA Authentication Services, and could bring in excess of $10,000. Bidding was up to nearly $4,000 early Monday and ends Oct. 31.

Personally, Remlinger would have to pay me to take such a prized artifact off his hands.