There are genius ideas and then there are ideas like a sports collectable shop hiring Jose Canseco to do a signing and home run derby where people paying a minimum of $29 to get a Jose autograph will be entered to win a spot in the derby. Bricks and Ivy Sports in Hoopeston, Illinois are holding the event this weekend and Jose will face-off against at least three contestants in what I assume will be a slaughter.
Tiny Hoopeston, IL (pop. 5,300) near the Indiana/Illinois line will be the center of the Home Run Derby universe Saturday as Jose, 54, pulls out the aluminum at a municipal park that sits 110 miles south of Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago and a few more miles than that from Wrigley Field.
According to Bricks and Ivy Sports, there are a couple ways to get into the derby.
Simply buy a ticket to our autograph session and you will be entered automatically. One VIP ticket winner and one regular ticket winner will be chosen to complete. We will auction off a third spot in the derby to the highest bidder.
There’s no word what you’ll win if you beat the Bash Brother in the Derby. Maybe Jose will take you on a Vegas alien hunting expedition.
https://twitter.com/JoseCanseco/status/1125763418181341185
Love this idea…small town…controversial figure coming to town…people will go nuts to compete against Jose. The problem seems to be how many people are willing to drop $29 for the autograph and possible derby spot. Seems like a limited amount of people in that tiny town will care enough to spend the money. Maybe I’m underestimating that town’s love of celebrity/sport.
It’s already amazing that a town that size still has a baseball card shop in 2019.
It’s going to be impossible for some local to beat Jose…look at the bombs he’s been dropping. He’s in mid-season softball form while it’s barely spring in Hoopeston, IL.
500 foot bombs at my last softball tournament…..last weekend… pic.twitter.com/A08AUI7hHl
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) March 13, 2019