February 26, 1998|By Mike Klingaman | Mike Klingaman,SUN STAFF
Donations poured in from area businesses, everything from a free oil change at Monroe's Garage to a haircut at Kristi's Kut & Kurl. The auction lasted six hours and raised $30,000. A 1976 Corvette went for $6,500. Mussina has the keys.
The Orioles brought their own goodie bag. A Cal Ripken-autographed jersey fetched $775; several signed Ripken baseballs brought $250 apiece. Other hot items were a dugout jacket signed by B.J. Surhoff, a Roberto Alomar bat and balls autographed by Jimmy Key, Eddie Murray and Jeffrey Hammonds.
To Stephens' surprise, four of his own minor-league trading cards sold for $250 each."People must have felt sorry for me," he said.
Stephens took home his own treasure, a basketball autographed by his old high school team. Five years ago, Stephens and his mates presented the ball to a critically ill child. Now recovered, the boy wanted the ballplayer to have it back.
"He figured that since he got better, then maybe I would, too," said Stephens, who has the ball in his bedroom.
Pub Date: 2/26/98
