Fast Break

BASEBALL

Hopefully the sweat has dried

A baseball cap worn by New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth has been auctioned for a record $328,000 on Monday.

The sweat-stained cap from around the 1920s sold at an auction of Yankees memorabilia in New York.

Hunt Auctions says the cap is one of only three Yankees hats in existence worn by Ruth during games. It says a hat used by a player had never sold for more than $100,000.

The Ruth cap had been expected to fetch up to $200,000. The surname Ruth and the player’s first and middle initials, G.H., for George Herman, are embroidered inside.

A Ruth bat signed to Broadway star Tessa Kosta sold for $195,500. And Thurman Munson’s 1970 Rookie of the Year award sold for $46,000.

The auction continues today with a jacket Lou Gehrig wore the day he ended his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

BASEBALL

Not even Pentagon wants Bonds

The agent for Barry Bonds said no teams have expressed interest in signing the all-time home run king, and, the agent added that he does not expect any to make a pitch for him.

Jeff Borris, the agent, was at the Major League Baseball All-Star headquarters hotel in Manhattan and said, “I am not optimistic any team will approach me about Barry before the (July 31) trading deadline.”

He added that he had made a sweeping offer to many major league teams, which he compared to the one Andre Dawson once made, when he offered to sign a blank contract and let his team fill in the salary amount. Borris said he made it known throughout the big leagues that Bonds would play for the major-league minimum of $390,000, and still got no offers.

“If that doesn’t raise a level of suspicion, I don’t know what does,” the agent said. “I think it’s a pathetic ending to the story.”

Borris shot down speculation that the Mets, Red Sox and Diamondbacks had shown interest. He had heard one report that Bonds had engaged in a secret workout for the Red Sox.

“We joke about that. Yeah, it was at the Pentagon,” Borris said.