Mark ups the merchandise
Fans clamor for anything with McGwire's name on it
Posted: Friday September 04, 1998 08:01 PM
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One company estimates it will sell $2 million in merchandise if McGwire breaks Maris' record AP |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Fans want anything associated with Mark McGwire.
Yes, even his underwear and used chewing gum.
"I had one guy call, wanting some of the gum that he had chewed while
at bat," said Charmaine Buzzetta, who works in the St. Louis Cardinals
Team Store. "Of course, we don't have anything like that."
But that wasn't the most unusual request that has come in as McGwire
closes in on Roger Maris' home run record of 61. Someone else called the
store at Busch Stadium recently and asked for a pair of the red-haired
slugger's underwear.
"I had to laugh at that one," said Buzzetta, who chuckled again as she
recalled the conversation.
The store was able to get a couple of $250 game bats from McGwire this
season, and it can order the $200 authentic jerseys. But it sells mostly
T-shirts, hats, balls, plaques -- run-of-the-mill souvenir items in the $5
to $25 range.
"People want anything with McGwire on it," Buzzetta said. "I've never
seen anything like it."
Busch Stadium always has been a sea of red, with the names of
fan-favorites such as former shortstop Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee
and Brian
Jordan easily spotted in the crowd. These days, though, most of those
red jerseys have No. 25 and "McGwire" on the back.
"My 12-year-old daughter knows more about baseball now than most
adults," said Pat Marra of St. Louis. "She is so up on Mark McGwire that I
can't even believe it. In fact, she wants me to buy the Cardinals wallpaper
for her room."
Pro Player, a sports apparel company based in Hudson, New Hampshire,
said it has sold more than $100,000 worth of McGwire T-shirts and hats. The
company estimates it will sell $2 million in merchandise if he breaks
Maris' hallowed record.
If that happens, McGwire would unseat Ken Griffey
Jr. as No. 1 in player-likeness sales for the company in the last three
years, said spokesman Peter Seligman.
"Mark McGwire is like the Green Bay Packers. He has nationwide
appeal," he said.
McGwire has endeared himself to fans not only with his ability to go
deep but because he used $1 million of his salary to establish a charitable
foundation to benefit sexually and physically abused children.
"McGwire is such a great guy," said fan Judy Leach of Lawrenceville,
Illinois. "He's genuine. He's a good man, with a good heart."
She and her husband Steve Leach are among those who are keeping the
cash registers ringing. He paid $150 for a jersey and hat like the one
McGwire wore in the All-Star game this summer.
Judy Leach already had the red "practice" T-shirt with his name and
number on the back in white letters but decided she couldn't live without a
gray T-shirt with McGwire's face plastered across the front.
"We are die-hard Cardinals fans," she said. "I stuck with them through
the strike, and I'll be here as long as I can get here. Even when I'm old
and in a wheelchair. If he'll push me around, I'll be here."
Nelda Dudenhoeffer came downtown from suburban Florissant on Thursday
to buy her grandson a McGwire shirt for his birthday in October.
"I figured I better get it now because I wasn't sure there would be
any available if he breaks the record," she said. "It's all the boys talk
about."
Don't be surprised if McGwire comes knocking this Halloween. David
Hill has ordered about 200 McGwire Halloween costumes to be sold at his
five Kid's Sportsworld stores in St. Louis. The $30 kit is expected to
arrive in a couple of weeks. It includes a jersey with McGwire's name on
it, pants and a batter's helmet. "A few years ago, it was the
Mighty Ducks," Hill said. "This Halloween, everyone is going to be Mark
McGwire."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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