Kirk Gibson's bat for sale, but please don't buy it

Like the dying millionaire who leaves an estate to their cat so the quibbling relatives won't fight over it, Kirk Gibson is selling the bat he used to hit a home run to win the 1988 World Series opener, along with the jersey and helmet from the same play, and keeping the money for himself.

The tar-stained and nicked-up bat, which tells a story in itself, and the other items could get as much as $500,000 at auction, especially if a Los Angeles Dodgers fan buys it. An Oakland A's fan would value it at a lot less, although they might be tempted to overbid and buy it and destroy it -- as someone did in paying $113,824 for a Chicago Cubs baseball caught by Steve Bartman, a catch Cubs fans swear cost them a trip to the World Series in 2003.