UPDATE: Rick Alagna turned the sacred broken bat over to a Giants official and was given another signed Hunter Pence bat along with tickets to a luxury suite to watch Game 1 of the World Series. He hopes to meet Pence at a later date. -AB
SAN FRANCISCO ? The most famous broken bat in Giants franchise history sat in Rick Alagna?s house in Pleasanton. But the 57-year-old software engineer knew there was only one way he could feel whole.
?I?m going to say goodbye to the collectible of all collectibles,? said Alagna, still startled at how he came to obtain a venerated piece of franchise lore.
"My son, J.D., said, `You know, Dad, you really should give that bat back to Hunter Pence. I thought, `Hey, I?m the dad. I?ve got to do what?s right.?
So Alagna is bringing the bat ? every splinter of it ? to AT&T Park for Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday night. He?s not sure whether he?ll deliver it to a club official or to Pence himself, but he knows it will end up in the right place.
?Really?? said Pence, told the bat was on its way. ?That?s awesome.?
Pence names all his bats and scribbles it on the end cap. This one was called ?Fryer.? It turned the Cardinals into dead birds all right, when he somehow made contact three times as a Joe Kelly fastball cracked the wood where the honey-colored handle met the black barrel. The bat head kissed the ball twice more, imparting a crazy spin that deked shortstop Pete Kozma for a bases-clearing double in the Giants? 9-0 victory.
[REWIND: The Giants win the pennant]
Pence also hit his home run in St. Louis with the same bat, so he already considered it a keeper. He was mortified -- along with almost everyone else in the Giants organization -- when he found out that the club sold the bat at their From the Clubhouse memorabilia stand in the team?s Dugout Store.
[RELATED: Giants accidentally sell Pence's historic bat]
Game-used and authenticated items are put on sale almost immediately after they?re taken out of play. It?s usually run-of-the-mill stuff. Whomever cleared the Pence bat to be sold clearly didn?t think about its significance -- an almost magic relic from the only Game 7 victory in the franchise?s 130-year history.
Alagna knew plenty of interesting stuff might come up for auction from the third inning, when the Giants sent 11 men to the plate. He was stunned when he saw the Pence bat for sale, marked at $400, along with the ball he hit for the triple-double, for $150.
Items aren?t auctioned. They are simply priced, and if there?s more than one interested party, they put names in a hat.
?I put my name in the hat for the bat with 10 other guys and they pulled my name out,? Alagna said. ?I went wild. I thought, `Well, I?ve got the bat. I?ll try for the ball, too.?
?There were 15 names in for the ball, and out of 15, they pulled my number. I mean, can you believe it? I thought, `What are the odds?? It?s just insane.?
Naturally, Alagna tried to press his luck.
?Tuesday morning, I bought Lotto tickets on the way to work,? he said, laughing. ?We?ll see how that turns out.?
Alagna planned to give the Pence bat to his oldest son, Mike, as a Christmas present. A first-time season ticket holder, he said baseball has done wonders to bond with his three boys.
?Kyle, our youngest, is an A?s fan,? Alagna said. ?So we don?t count him.?
But when Pence asked about the bat?s whereabouts, the Giants knew they had a problem on their hands. CEO Larry Baer turned sheet-white when told the bat had been sold. When Alagna saw the coverage it was generating,? he called Greg Marinec, who manages his season-ticket account, and told him he?d like to return the bat.
?If he wants the ball, he can have that, too,? Alagna said. ?It?s better as a matching set, right??
He?ll meet Giants vice president Staci Slaughter at the game today, and the team is planning on rolling out the red carpet for him. Alagna said he wasn?t going to make any demands of Pence or the team.
?But after all this dies down, I?d love to have my boys meet Hunter Pence,? Alagna said, ?and I?ll drag my wife along too.?
?People are telling me, `You're stupid. You should sell it for huge money.? But you can?t do the wrong thing. You?d feel more stupid for doing that. Where would that money take me??
Does Alagna consider it a magic bat?
?Well, I don?t know if it?s magic, but it?s got mojo,? he said. ?I?m a little superstitious right now. Maybe it?ll give them a little mojo for tonight.?
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