The high bidder for a prized 1946 baseball that features autographs of Hall of Fame

players Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto, along with their New York Yankees

teammates, described his new acquisition Tuesday as a steal at $9,000.

"I didn't think it would go this low," said the retired South Buffalo resident who asked to

be identified only as Bob.

The baseball, which went on the block in Lodge Auction House on Cazenovia Street, was

originally given at Yankee Stadium to Ronald Hoier of West Seneca, who was there Tuesday to

watch the bidding. He was 13 at the time and accompanied by his mother.

"I guess this is the piece everybody was talking about," the auctioneer said of the

baseball as he opened the bid at $2,500.

Before long, the bidding was up to $3,000 and had surpassed $7,000 as Bob coolly matched

each of the counterbids of Michael McCulloch, also of South Buffalo, before the bidding ended

at $9,000.

"I was estimating the risk of the actual value of the ball as opposed to what I was

bidding, and that was an unknown quantity to me, so I was getting a little nervous at that

point, but I know that anything with Joe DiMaggio's signature will sell big time," McCulloch

said later.

Hoier, now 76, came over to congratulate Bob once the bidding was done.

"I just told the previous owner, I said: "It came from South Buffalo, and I think I'm

pretty sure it's going to stay here for quite a while,' " Bob said afterward.

"Marse Joe" McCarthy, the legendary New York Yankees manager and a friend of Hoier's

mother, invited the young Ron Hoier to get the ball autographed by members of the legendary

team. For more than six decades, Hoier has kept the ball inside a clear plastic cover to help

keep it in mint condition. Hoier said he was offered $2,500 for the ball not long ago.

Bob said he was moved to bid on the artifact because of his own love of baseball, if not

the Yankees per se.

The funny thing about it is, I'm a Yankee hater," Bob said with a chuckle.

His wife, Joan, interjected: "But his son is a Yankee fan."

"Yes, my son is a desperate Yankee fan. I just came back from Florida, and I saw the

Yankees down there twice at their training facility and I recognize all these names on [the

ball], Ralph Houk and all these guys," Bob said.

"I really suspect that someday [the baseball] will end up in Cooperstown," he added,

referring to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "I probably would maybe donate it to them."